Ch 1 - Waking Up In the Hospital

Ugh, what hit me last night?

My head felt like someone hit it with a baseball bat, ran over it, and then dumped it into a garbage compactor. There were hangover headaches and then there was this. As my senses slowly pieced back together I could vaguely hear the beeping of machines, the strangely loud sound of footsteps on tile, and the shuffling of papers. Whatever I did last night got me winded in the hospital. Greaaaat.

As I slowly woke up, I couldn’t help but lick my dry lips. My mouth and throat felt like the Gobi Desert, which was always a fun feeling. What didn’t help was the fact that I couldn’t feel my hands or feet, instead all I could feel was a faint tingling where they would usually be. On top of that, something was digging into my back, like I was laying on my arm or something.

Well, that can’t be good. I thought to myself, groggily starting to worry about how strange my body felt. I swore I didn’t drink that much vodka, what the hell did I do?

As I groaned and started to try to force my gummed-up eyes open, I heard two very feminine gasps nearby and several loud footsteps racing up to my bed. Or at least, they sounded like footsteps, but there were too many at the same time compared to the number of voices for me to properly match them up. After a second of trying to open my eyes the hard way, I grunted before trying to wipe my eyes off with my hand.

WHAP

“OW FUCK JESUS CHRIST!” I heard a high-pitched girly voice yelp in pain as my vision went from the darkness of my eyelids to the swirling colors of pain. Somehow I just ended up punching myself in the eye instead of wiping it off like an idiot. Why did my voice sound so high? I knew my voice wasn’t the deepest but that is ridiculous.

I heard one of the two feminine voices wince before what I assumed to be her lighter footsteps raced off, most likely to find whatever nurse was nearby. While I continued to softly cuss up a storm I felt something push on a corner of the bed I was laying on, not close enough to be hit by my flailing arm but close enough I could hear her voice without her having to yell.

“Calm down sugarcube.” She uttered in the most soothing country voice I’ve heard in a while. Sounded almost like the lunch lady everyone loved who always told them to grab an extra veggie or fruit. “Ah’m here, just breathe an’ calm down.”

I couldn’t help but grimace. I wasn’t panicking, I was just in a lot of pain. While the cursing did stop, I did hear a faint whimpering coming from somewhere around me while the countrywoman sang a soothing tune. After a moment or two, I took a deep breath before forcing out words.

“I can’t see.” A girly voice was heard instead of my own, sounding like it came from a child a third my age. “It feels like something is holding my eyes shut.”

I heard the bed squeak as the countrywoman got off it before I heard the sound of her footsteps come to the other side of the bed. Some clinking came from right next to my head before I suddenly felt a wet, cold thing slap onto my face. After a second of surprise, I found my face toweled off before the wet towel was pulled off my face, finally allowing me to open my eyes to see....

“What the fuck?” I heard the girly voice squeak out, my eyes locking onto the orange-ish pony in front of me. She blinked back, her head jerking back at the swear, her mane bobbing at the movement, caged as it was by the Stenson on her head.

“For ah foal, you have quite the mouth.” The orange pony frowned at me, clearly being the source of the country-accented voice.

“Foal?” I squeaked out, before forcing myself up to look at myself and why I couldn’t feel my hands. Instead of seeing my nine and a half digits in front of me, I saw two light pink and fuzzy stubs that ended in hooves. My brain fell to a standstill while I could hear the machine keeping track of my vitals go crazy as what started with a dull concern turned into full-blown panic.

I went to scream, not something I would rationally do due to it being unmanly but instead all that came out was a dry cough from a throat that was beyond parched. As I began to wretch up a lung I felt a hand (hoof?) rub my back, before a glass of water hits my lips. Despite my rising panic I took a breath to quickly drink the water so my throat would stop feeling like a sandbox.

While I was hungrily gulping down the water I heard the door to the room open again, letting in two more sets of footsteps. One of the voices was a very soft feminine one, while the other was a kind but firm masculine one. As I came up for air I could see one was a butterscotch-colored winged horse (pegasus) with a kind smile while the other was a brown pony with a silver mane in doctor get up.

“What...where am I? What is going on?” I choked out, still coughing out a bit of water and what felt like dust. As I coughed I saw the butterscotch pony run to the other side of the bed while the doctor-pony calmly stepped over to the country-pony’s side.

“Hello, little one.” He said in the calming voice of someone used to dealing with disoriented patients. “You are in Ponyville General Hospital. We found you a bit banged up, but you’re safe now.”

I blinked at him, a little creeped out by how his mouth stretched into a large smile with too many teeth. I took a second to look at the other two ponies before looking back down at my strange pinkish coloration. After a second I used one of the stump-hooves to lift the blanket covering my body up to see what seemed like two wings on my side and a distinct lack of a certain piece of anatomy I had grown accustomed to after almost a quarter of a century of carrying it.

I looked back at the three ponies and blinked once more before unceremoniously passing out cold from shock.

Ch 2 - WHO ARE YOU PONIES?!?

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Once again, I snapped my eyes open to find myself in a place that I did not recognize. All around me was snow, covering the ground and blowing against my body in the strongest blizzard I had ever been in. The skies were full of dark, stormy clouds, but I could still see despite what should have been a lack of light. Looking down I saw what looked kind of like my original human body, but somehow distorted.

‘What - said?’ I heard a soft voice coming from everywhere and nowhere.

With nothing else I could do, I started forcing my way through the snow in what felt like the best direction. It was up to my knees, which made every dragging step a fight. Surprisingly I didn’t feel cold, just like I was missing something.

‘Old?’ I heard a new voice, somehow more refined than the soft voice.

After what felt like days of forcing myself through the snow, I saw something shining off in the distance. My strength renewed, I started to push even harder now that I saw something other than the endless white.

‘Wake.’ I heard a third voice, this one with an edge of authority to it. Somehow it also felt familiar.

Feeling a sense of coldness start to press in, I tried to push a bit farther. As I staggered to the ground, I looked up and saw the clouds start to open up to reveal a sliver of the moon. Its light hit the ground in front of me, but before it could fully reach me I felt a sharp jab in my side and everything shattered.

Gasping awake, I instinctively reached out with my hoof to swat whatever had jabbed me away. The sound of a hoof meeting flesh was my first response, along with the sounds of a startled mare and her jumping away from me. After taking a deep breath I opened my eyes to see three ponies gathered around me.

To my left was a mare in a nurse’s outfit, with a white coat, pink mane, and wide blue eyes. She had taken a jump back as I hit her with my outstretched hoof, now with a fresh IV in it. Thankfully I didn’t hit her too hard, based on her reaction it was more of the fact I responded with violence than simply waking up. Or at least, that was my guess.

To my right was the same buttercream pegasus from when I first woke up. She looked at me with a slight surprise in her soft teal eyes, but mostly concern. Almost reminded me of my mother before....

Before I got stuck thinking about my mother, I snapped my attention to the pony next to the buttercream pegasus. Slightly larger than the other two, she had a purple coat and both wings and a horn. Somehow, I felt a sense of attachment to her, like I would a cousin or something.

“Flurry, I am so happy you’re awake? Are you okay? You were out for a week.” The purple pony said, looking me over far closer than I would prefer anyone.

“Wait, what the fuck did you call me?” I yelped, feeling my ears pin back as I pulled back away from the purple pony, prompting a frown from her.

“I called you Flurry.” She tilted her head, almost like a dog’s as she raised one eyebrow. “Do you not remember your name? Your chart didn’t show that much head trauma, but....” she put one of her hooves to her chin as she began to think.

“I....I am sorry, who are you?” I squeaked out, still resenting what seemed to be my new high-pitched voice. Admittedly my human one wasn’t super deep, but it was another dig to my now lost masculinity.

At that, the purple pony blinked in shock before furrowing her brow in what I could only hope was concern as she stared into my eyes with her own violet ones.

I swear if she claims to be my aunt or cousin I am gonna freak. I thought to myself, starting to get antsy with the purple pony and the Nurse checking charts and machines at my question.

The buttercream pegasus noticed my rising anxiety and put her hoof on my own...hoof. While a weird feeling, it did make me feel a little better about the strange situation, and I could feel my tensed shoulders (haunches?) relax a little bit.

“My name is Fluttershy.” the pegasus said in her soft, warm voice, smiling down at me. “If you can’t remember me, I guess this is a new chance to get to know each other. Nice to meet you, Flurry Heart.” She pointed at the purple pony and then the nurse in turn. “That is your Auntie Twilight, and that is Nurse Redheart. They’re gonna take good care of you, Flurry.”

Fuck. I jinxed myself. At least Fluttershy is nice, maybe I can stay with her until I get back home.

At the mention of her name, ‘Auntie’ Twilight turned around and smiled at me, albeit a bit too wide to be completely genuine. She looked at me and then back at Nurse Redheart before taking a breath and walking back over to me.

“Sorry about that Flurry, I just wasn’t expecting you to have amnesia. I also wasn’t expecting you to be so old-” She quickly cut herself off as she glanced up in Nurse Redheart’s direction before chuckling nervously. “Anyway, everything is gonna be okay. You’re gonna stay here for another day to make sure you’re alright before we have a sleepover at my place, okay?”

I bit my cheek before taking a breath and asking the most burning question on my mind. “What happened, how did I get here?” At my question, I could see Twilight wincing before the reaction almost instantly disappeared behind another new smile. I quickly looked at Fluttershy for help, but she was hiding under her mane.

“You took a bit of a fall, but nothing too serious, don’t worry Flurry.” Twilight hummed, her horn lighting up before I felt my blanket pull over me and my pillow fluff under me. “Just rest now and everything will be okay.”

I opened my mouth to respond but I started to feel a bit sleepy. In the corner of my eye, I could see Nurse Redheart pull a syringe out of the IV and put it away, probably in a bin under the table if experience told me anything. Against my will, I began to yawn and slowly go back under the sweet embrace of sleep. I could see Twilight and Nurse Redheart head to another corner of the room as they spoke, taking small glances towards me.

For some reason, I did not want to be alone again, despite my manliness crying out to be tough. When Fluttershy took her hoof off my own I reached out and grabbed it again, using all of my remaining energy to focus on her before I fell asleep.

“Can you stay with me? I don’t wanna be alone...” I yawned deeply, fighting the urge to simply pass out. Damn you sedatives, shouldn’t work that fast! Probably something about ponies and this small body....

Fluttershy smiled and said something that I couldn’t really make out before petting my hair (mane?) and singing a soft lullaby. At her comforting presence, I finally gave out and fell back into slumber, for better or for ill. I still wasn’t sure why I was now a pony or what was going on, but with Fluttershy watching over me I at least felt safe.

Ch 3 - Hay Is For Horses

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“Huh, she looks really peaceful when she’s sleeping.” I heard the first male voice the entire time I’ve been stuck in this stupid world as I started to wake back up. “It’s a bit....odd that she's so big tho.”

“You heard Twilight’s explanation!” I heard a more....brash female voice from wayyyy above me, as well as the sound of....flapping? “Something something Harmony something egghead.”

As much as I wanted to stay still and pretend that I was still asleep, I felt a cough slowly start building up in my throat. I tried to swallow it down but it did not help, forcing me to cough for a good ten seconds. My cover blown, I groaned and opened my eyes to see myself in a sickenly sweet pose. At some point during my ‘nap’, someone put a blue teddy bear next to me which I apparently cuddled up with.

Sitting up again I noticed that the previous ponies who were watching over me were gone, instead, there was a blue pegasus with a rainbow tail and mane flying above me and a purple dragon standing on the bed looking down on me with his green eyes. I noticed that the pegasus was buck naked like the rest of the ponies I’ve seen, bar the nurse but unlike the others, I could see her....well, I could see bits that most people would rather not like others to see.

Wait, back the fuck up. There are dragons here too!?

“D-dragon?” I stuttered without thinking before I bit my lip. “Uh, hello.” I tried to put a smile on and look friendly and hoped that it wasn’t a guard dragon or something.

“Mornin’ Flurry Heart!” the dragon said, smiling a bit too wide for something with fangs. “I heard you have amn...amne...memory problems from Twilight so you might not remember me, but I’m your Uncle Spike!”

“And I’m Rainbow Dash, the fastest mare in all of Equestria!” the pegasus proudly announced, flying over the bed.

I tilted my head at Dash, reflexively feeling my own wings twitch a bit at her flying. Frowning I sat up a bit more and let them flare out, causing Dash to wince. They looked fine enough for me apparently being in a coma for a week, but actually flexing the muscles controlling them felt....weird.

“If you’re the fastest mare, would you mind showing me how to fly?” I asked, giving her the best puppy dog eyes I could. “I can’t remember if someone showed me before and don’t want to get hurt.”

Spike raised an eyebrow at the ‘someone’ but Dash grinned as she flew down to eye-level with me. “Of course! I already have a student, but I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t help out their niece with some tricks!” She flew to the other side of the bed, rubbing her chin on the way. “Besides, not sure if I remember the last time somepony got to train an Alicorn on how to fly.”

“An alicorn?” I blinked, rubbing my chin. “What’s an alicorn?”

Rainbow tilted her head, raising an eyebrow at my question. “Uh....you. You’re an alicorn. Horn, wings, earth pony toughness.....”

I carefully reached up and touched my head, feeling my hair/mane have a part in it from a horn sticking out unicorn style. I poked it once or twice to see if it was real before finally throwing the blanket back and checking out my wings, pink coat, and tail.

Oh god, I have a tail too. At least I can fly and use magic if my ‘Aunt’ was anything to go off of. Means I can have some fun while I try to figure out how to get back home. Somehow....

“Ms. Dash, I have one more question.” I chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of my head. “Where is the bathroom?”

Walking to the bathroom had to be the strangest experience, as balancing on four legs is very different than balancing on two legs. I had to take a minute or two to get used to it, but thankfully Spike worked as a makeshift crutch to help me balance until I left the room. Dash led the way, standing nearly twice my height which made me....unhappy. The hallway was mostly empty, bar one doctor that raised his eyebrow as we passed.

“Say, Ms. Dash.” I looked up at the pegasus, catching the end of her wincing at the formality. “What exactly happened? Aunt Twilight was acting odd when I saw her, especially when I didn’t remember her.”

“Well Flurry, that’s an interesting question.” she scratched the back of her head, looking away from me before quickly running forward a bit before pointing at the door. It had what looked like a generic pony on the top, I couldn't tell the difference but I assumed it was a mare. “I think you should wait for Twilight to answer that question. I’ll wait out here while you do your business.”

I frowned at her response but shouldered the door open with my haunch, revealing a surprisingly normal single-person bathroom. The only real difference that I could tell was a toilet built to handle a quadruped instead of a biped. I grit my teeth and did my business, which was....an interesting experience for a man. Especially having to wipe, thankfully I remembered hearing that girls had to do that from Health Class. After one or two tries I figured out which one of the three buttons actually flushed the toilet before making my way to the sink.

I had to balance on my back two hooves to actually reach up to the sink, which thankfully had a mirror so I could actually see my (hopefully temporary) face. Compared to others like Dash or Fluttershy I could see I had a bit more of a babyface, and did in fact have a decently sized horn. My mane (hair?) was purple with a single light blue streak running through it, albeit it was a bit messed up thanks to my bed head. I also had slightly bigger than normal bright blue eyes, which was a bit trippy to see compared to my usual dirt brown eyes.

“Okay, so what is my plan?” I muttered to myself as I washed my hooves. “They seem to think I have amnesia and I could make that work to my advantage. But that means I have to pretend to actually be a pony, which is less than ideal...”

“You okay in there Flurry? You’ve been in there for a while.” Dash yelled through the door, slightly muffled through the surprisingly decent wood for a hospital.

“Yeah, Ms. Dash! One more minute.” I yelled back before facing my reflection again. I sighed and splashed some water on my face before hopping back down from the sink.

“Alright, time to act as Flurry-like as possible Storm. You got this. Work with them until you can figure out whose ass you have to kick to get home.” I took a deep breath and let it out before stopping before the door. I smiled to myself before leaning down, pointing my horn before me, and trying to open the door with ‘magic’ like Twilight pulled up my blanket.

The door started to glow with a faint light yellow aura as I focused my brain on opening the door. I felt a rune float by my awareness, softly glowing with the same yellow aura. I raised an eyebrow before focusing as hard as I could on the rune, causing it and the aura around the door to flare for a second, resulting in Dash yelping from outside.

BAM

The door blew off its hinges and hit the wall opposite instead of simply opening. Thankfully Dash had seen it coming and stepped out of the way so no one got hurt. Instead, she and a nurse were looking into the room, the former out of concern and the latter out of irritation. Since you know, breaking hospital property is always a good way to buddy up with the hospital staff.

“Shit!” I covered my mouth with a hoof before chuckling and rubbing the back of my head. “I, uh, may have underestimated my magic.” I smiled sheepishly at the nurse, who simply narrowed her eyes at me before turning to Dash.

“Uh...put it on Princess Twilight’s tab,” Dash told the nurse as she started to push me back to my room with one of her wings, ignoring my protests. After we got a few feet away she looked down at me and gave a very fake grin. “Nice job Squirt, but next time try to limit breaking doors to when you leave, not while you’re still there.”

Fuck me, I am too old to get ‘I am not mad at you, just disappointed’ grins. AHHHHHHHHHHH

Thankfully Dash and I returned to my room without any other craziness, other than a dirty look from the nurse as she passed by to probably return to her desk. Walking in we saw Spike reading a comic book while Nurse Redheart was setting up a tray with what smelled like food on it. Just....planty?

I really hope it's not just a salad and I can get some turkey or chicken or something. Wait, can I even eat meat?

“Oh, good you two are back.” Nurse Redheart smiled at me, waving towards the bed. “Although you shouldn’t be getting out of bed like that, Princess.”

“I give no promises, ma’am. Gotta stretch my legs and all that!” I frowned at the nickname but grit my teeth and smiled at Redheart.

Hopping back onto the bed was another matter than jumping down, but I took a deep breath and tried. And failed, since I could only jump about halfway up before scrambling with my two front hooves and falling off. I fumed for a second while Dash laughed, shooting her a dirty look before trying again. I once again couldn’t get the full way up but this time I felt something push me the rest of the way up. As I made the rest of the way up and sat down I noticed that the upwards push was Nurse Redheart’s face.

What the fuck? Did she shove her face into my ass? Gross...

While I was zoned out with my disgust Nurse Redheart took the moment to drop the tray of food in front of me. Unfortunately, there was no meat, but a shake, mashed potatoes, and scrambled eggs with what looked like brown flakes on it.

“Now I know you must be used to more fancy food, but I am sure that some scrambled eggs with hay, some mashed taters, and a hayshake will do you some good.” Nurse Redheart smiled cheerfully before stepping away to speak to Dash.

I frowned at the mush in front of me before poking the fork with my hoof. Looking out of the corner of my eye I saw Spike’s fingers as he flipped the page of his comic book before sighing at my hoof.

How am I supposed to pick this thing up? Magic, maybe? I mean hooves make no sense as hands. Man, Spike is lucky to still have fingers.

I narrowed my eyebrows before taking a breath and trying to pick up the fork with my hoof. The first two times were more of mashing against the tray before I tried to pick it up very slowly with my whole hoof on it. Was awkward and made me feel like I would drop it at any point, but I was somehow able to lift the fork with my hoof.

....hooves make no fucking sense, none of this makes any fucking sense, I want to go home.

Forcing the screaming Stephen Hawking part of me deep down I carefully picked up a bit of this egg and hay stuff and took a bite and discovered....it tasted like egg. With a hint of a vegetable taste from the hay, but nothing too groundbreaking or insane. I shrugged and dug in, now hungry as hell after getting a taste.

About two-thirds of my way through the food I decided to be brave and try the hayshake, carefully moving the straw over with a hoof. While a strange consistency, it almost tasted like a spinach shake, which is a disgusting thought but tasted strangely good. I frowned but continued to drink and eat while the ‘adults’ spoke just out of earshot. Once I was done Nurse Redheart came over and took the tray with her mouth, somehow managing to move it onto her back without breaking her neck or spilling anything.

“Nurse Redheart, when am I going home?” I whined, unfortunately wayyy too easily for my liking.

“Oh, Princess.” Nurse Redheart flicked one ear back before smiling warmly at me. “You are going to stay one more night so we can keep an eye on you to make sure you’re okay. Then your Aunt Twilight should be picking you up in the morning.”

“What about Mom and Dad?” I asked, seeing Spike grimace a bit behind his comic book. “Are they not going to visit or pick me up?”

“Don’t worry Flurry, I am sure somepony told them what happened and they’re super concerned.” Dash pushed into the conversation, waving a hoof to get my focus towards her. “But you’re being foalsat by Twilight, I and the rest of our awesome friends so don’t worry about it. If you need anything you could ask the six of us.”

“Or me!” Spike yelled from where he was sitting, indignantly flipping to the next page of his comic book.

“Er, yeah Spike too.” Dash chuckled. “Anyway, rest up Flurry. Otherwise, you won’t be strong enough for me to teach you how to fly tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay, Ms. Dash.” I smiled at the two before Nurse Redheart left and Dash went over to talk to Spike.

I crawled under the blanket and curled around the blue teddy bear, turning away from the two ponies. Out of the sight of the two of them, I let my manliness take a hit after the long day and shed a single tear, which landed on the bear.

I am going to have to pretend to be ‘Flurry Heart’. I will find a way home. If pretending to be a girly pony is the way to do it, then that is what I need to do.

The beginning of a plan set up, I smiled to myself before I settled into the hospital bed to rest. After all, they were Doctor’s Orders.

Ch 4 - I Hate How Cute I Am

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Emptiness.

At first, all I felt was a deep hole in my heart as I was once again slogging through snow. In the distance, I could see a faint pink and green shine that felt familiar to me, almost like I’ve seen it many times before. Regardless, with the skies dark and nothing else around me but snow, snow, and more snow I saw no other option but to continue forward.

After what felt like either five minutes or five days I finally found a difference in the snow when I fell down a hill. Flailing my arms and cursing up a storm so bad that my mother was certainly rolling in her grave gave me no respite as I bounced down like a cartoon. Eventually, I smashed face-first into the snowy ground.

After groaning and wiping the snow from my face, I saw something that I did not expect at all: my old family house. Or well, a rotted shell of my family house, slowly sinking into the snow. Despite the fact that it was 100% a trap, seeing no other option I decided to bravely step into the shell. After all, some cover was better than no cover, right?

I tried to open the front door, but instead of creaking open it simply crumbled to pieces in front of me. Tossing the useless doorknob behind me, I stepped into the house of my childhood, a house I had not stepped into for over a decade. Immediately I felt a sense of relief, as my bare feet touched the carpet in the front hallway, however rotted it may be.

I sighed and ran one hand along the wall as I went towards the kitchen, finding a cracked and broken mess inside. The window was broken, letting the snow and cold air in, while all the food that was exposed was long since rotted away. Sighing I went straight to the basement, hoping that somewhere down there was a safe sanctuary from the ever-present snow. Despite not feeling the cold, I never was a fan of the snow.

In the hallway before the basement stairs hung a mirror, albeit with the lower half broken off and buried somewhere under the snow. Looking in it I could see that, unlike my usually sharp features, instead I bore much more feminine looks. Truth be told, I almost looked like my sister, if it wasn’t for the bright blue eyes replacing the usual brown my family bore.

Frowning, I looked down at my arms and the rest of my body for the first time in this dream. My whole body was now feminine, albeit I still bore the scars and tattoos I got during my 24 years. I was wearing a black t-shirt and shredded black jeans, usual fare for me. However my boots were missing, and my shirt was torn more than usual.

This doesn’t feel odd. Probably more concerning than the fact I just randomly changed gender in my subconscious. I mean I still feel like a dude, but also....ugh, I can feel my old Tumblr friends screaming at me.

I focused for a moment, thinking about my manliness and how I remember being. I felt my body shaping back to the way it was, albeit a bit more lean than normal. Shaking my head I descended into the basement as carefully as I could, due to the extremely rotten and decayed wooden stairs. As soon as my feet hit the bare concrete of the basement I let out a squeak, before laughing at the childishness of the sound. Braving forward I stepped into the warmest spot I knew in the house: my father’s old study. Inside was a broken swivel chair, rotted desk and....

No....no....

In the middle of the floor was a massive pool of blood along with a very, very familiar skeleton. I quickly stepped backward out of the study, tripping over myself in my mad dash. As I fell backward my chest exploded in searing pain, driving the breath out of my lungs. Crashing onto the ground I grabbed my chest, feeling as if my lungs were on fire. In the distance I could hear the unmistakable sound of hooves on wood, as somepony descended down the stairs. But before I could see who it was my world fell out from under me.

I woke up, grabbing the blue stuffed bear I had been left with as tightly as possible in my sleep. I could faintly hear the beeping of the heart monitor, which somehow worked despite not being actually attached to me. Trying to focus on my surroundings to break the panic, I forced my eyes open to see something other than darkness.

Instead, I couldn’t help but let out a scream as I opened my eyes to see a small white unicorn with a fluffy pink and purple mane staring at me with wide eyes about an inch from my face. As I screamed she screamed, leading to us both screaming at each other for a good 30 seconds before I quickly scrambled out of the bed....and backward off of the bed right onto my back.

“Ugh, what the fuck is wrong with you?” I groaned as I got up from the floor, rubbing my head with one hoof. As I staggered to my feet I heard a gasp from behind me.

“How uncouth!” I whipped my head around to see a full-grown white unicorn mare with a purple mane looking down on me with a disappointed look. “Such language from a princess! If it wasn’t for the fact that you are still in a hospital, I’d ask Twilight if I could give you some etiquette lessons right now!” She paused and rubbed her chin with a hoof. “Although, I suppose with the amnesia I was told that you would need lessons on that anyway...”

I blinked and frowned at the overly dramatic unicorn, shaking myself like a dog to get the last vestiges of whatever had bothered me the night before off. Grabbing the fallen teddy bear I tossed it back onto the bed before I faced the two unicorns with a glare I pulled from the depths of my soul. Admittedly it was mostly focused on the smaller unicorn, who I could now see was the same height as me.

“And who are you two?” I growled, narrowing my eyes a bit. “I was in the middle of getting some bed rest before you scared me.” I pointed at the smaller unicorn....filly, I suppose considering that is what everyone keeps calling me. Well, I tried but lifting one hoof to point ended up making me land face-first into the tiled floor since well, balance was an issue. “Ow! This...this is gonna take some getting used to.”

The filly ran over and helped me up, and despite my grumbling, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit grateful. The older unicorn stepped over as well, her eyes still a bit disapproving but also concerned, giving me a quick look over. Looking up at her was a slight trial considering she was basically twice my height, a problem I hadn’t had to think about since I was little....or was walking with Dash....

“Well, I suppose introductions are in order. I am Rarity, and this is my sister Sweetie Belle.” The older unicorn politely explained, giving a small bow as she introduced herself and her sister, who simply waved hello. “And I am sorry for interrupting your beauty sleep Princess Flurry, but Twilight asked me to pick you up from the hospital.”

“I...shouldn’t she be the one to pick me up?” I tilted my head at Rarity, now more confused than anything. “No offense, but I always thought that someone’s family member had to pick them up from the hospital.”

“Unfortunately your Aunt Twilight is busy with, well, Princess matters.” Rarity rubbed the back of her head as she frowned a bit. “I wish I could offer some more information, but she told me it was top secret. I am sorry, but I can promise that you will be perfectly safe with me and Sweetie Belle! Plus you’ll get the best reintroduction to Ponyville that anypony can provide!”

Wow, some Aunt huh? Something has to be up, first my parents aren’t around and now Twilight is too busy to pick her niece up from the hospital? What is going on?

“Okay, Ms. Rarity.” I sighed and drooped a bit, trying to look as pitiful as I could. Or well, before I suddenly had a burning thought and perked back up. “Wait, you said I was a princess? What are you talking about?”

“Well, you’re the daughter of Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire. So that makes you a princess by birth.” Rarity explained, a bit too slowly for my tastes but still.

“Sooooo....is that where we are now? I mean, you said that Auntie Twilight had princess duties. Is she a princess too?”

“Well, uh, no, and yes.” Rarity raised an eyebrow at my constant questions before smiling. “The Crystal Empire is wayyy to the north of Equestria, and is more of a separate but close kingdom. And yes, your aunt is a princess but one of Equestria, not the Crystal Empire. She rules alongside Princesses Celestia and Luna.”

“Oh...okay. Thank you for explaining that, ma’am.” I smiled, happy that I got so many lessons on etiquette from my mot-

“Uh, are you okay Flurry?” I heard Sweetie ask from somewhere. It got really hard to see all of a sudden so I couldn’t really see where she was but I felt her hug me out of nowhere. “You’re crying.”

“I, uh, I’m fine.” I sniffled and blinked the tears from my eyes, though I did lean into the hug a bit. “Sorry, not sure what brought that out. Thank you.”

“No problem Flurry. If you ever need help, I or the other Cutie Mark Crusaders are always willing to lend a hoof!” Sweetie proudly stated before she ended the hug.

“Well, on that note we should get on with the discharge, eh?” I looked up at Rarity, who was smiling at the two of us.

“I wish I had my camera, that was such a tender moment.” Rarity cooed before chuckling. “But yes, let's get a move on. I have a full schedule prepared for your first day back!”

I nodded before following her towards the door, Sweetie Belle walking right next to me. Probably to make sure I don’t fall over again, walking on four legs is a bit of a change from two so I wasn’t the most stable yet. Before we got to the door though I saw Rarity’s horn glow before I felt a weight on my back.

“Wouldn’t want to forget your stuffed bear, would you Flurry?” She chided before opening the door, prompting me to roll my eyes behind her back.

The three of us quickly made our way down the hall of this wing of the hospital, which was still strangely empty. Once we reached the stairs I hesitated but hoped my muscle memory would kick in as I gingerly made my way down. Thankfully I didn’t fall down like a fool, but I was a lot slower than the two unicorns as I made my way down.

The second floor of the hospital was also almost completely empty, other than one door with two large stallions in golden armor in front of it. Rarity led me and Sweetie past them, with the two guards nodding to us as we passed. However, her plans to quickly pass by were quickly dashed as the guarded door swung open as a very angry mare stepped out, covered in green fluid, and ran right into me.

As I got bowled over and flailed as I fell over I accidentally looked into the room for the few moments it was still opened. Within were two more stallions in gold armor, along with a strange creature on a medical bed. It looked like a pony, but more insect-like and with bindings holding it to the bed. For a split second, the two of us made eye contact before the door was covered in Rarity’s magical aura and slammed shut.

“Oh my Celestia I am so sorry Princess!” The mare who ran into me quickly got off and helped me back to my hooves. “I wasn’t watching where I was going, are you hurt?”

“I am fine, I am fine I promise.” I waved her off, wiping the bit of green fluid off of my body.

“Good, come on you two.” Rarity huffed at the mare. “This isn’t a floor for fillies. Nurse Redheart is downstairs.”

Rarity pushed me and Sweetie with a hoof, forcing us to head towards the stairs with a good amount of grumbling along the way. This stair trip was less nerve-wracking than the last since I now had some grasp on it but it still felt like crawling down like a baby more than I liked. Standing in front of the second door on the left was Nurse Redheart, who smiled at the three of us before waving Rarity in. Sweetie and I sat in the two chairs next to the door as we waited for whatever the two were doing in there.

“So....” Sweetie smiled and poked my side with one of her hooves. “I noticed that you don’t have your cutie mark yet, Princess. I and my two friends Scootaloo and Apple Bloom can help you find it if you want.”

“Please, just call me St-” I cleared my throat before continuing, “I mean, please, just call me Flurry. And what do you mean cutie mark?”

“You know, cutie marks? Everypony gets one, it shows your special talent.” Sweetie Belle hopped out of the chair and showed me her flank, which had a mark like a shield with a star and note on it. “And since you don’t have yours, the Cutie Mark Crusaders would love to help you find it! After all, we’ve never helped a Princess with a Cutie Mark Problem.”

I blinked at her, the gears in my head spinning with the implications getting a cutie mark in this body would mean for me. Would it be Flurry’s destined mark, or mine or both? If I managed to go home and Flurry got her body back would she keep the cutie mark and have a weird destiny or would it change? What would a cutie mark for being a princess even be? Heck, if I got a bad cutie mark would I just be screwed for life?

“Uhhhhhhh......”

Ch 5 - Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?

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Thankfully, my dumbass blank staring at Sweetie Belle was interrupted by the door to Nurse Redheart’s office swinging open. The nurse herself poked her head out and smiled at me before waving me in with one hoof. I set the stuffed bear that I’d been stuck carrying around down in the chair I was sitting on before walking inside. It probably was because of the fact I was now in a body over half my age, but I was seriously enjoying actually walking around versus being stuck in a bed for several days.

“So, Princess Flurry Heart, please take a seat” Nurse Redheart started as soon as she closed the door. “Princess Twilight already signed your discharge documents, so we just have to go over some quick instructions to make sure your transition to living back at home is as smooth as possible.”

I took a second to look around the small office before nodding and taking a seat in front of the surprisingly cluttered desk. In the other seat next to me was Rarity, who was reading a floating piece of paper, her brow creased in concentration. I watched as Nurse Readheart took her seat before pulling two pieces of paper from the largest stack and passing it to me.

“Your at-home care will come in two parts. First, for your apparent amnesia, you’ll meet with a counselor once a week here at Ponyville General.” Redheart pointed a hoof at the first paper, which was covered in what I assumed was legalese. If I could read it, I mean, since it was written in strange symbols and glyphs I couldn’t decipher for the life of me. “Second, in case you suffer some pain as you finish recovering from the accident you’ve been prescribed some painkillers. They should have been delivered to the Crystal Castle, but just in case the other page is a prescription.”

“Ooookay.” I looked up from the strange glyphs and smiled at the nurse. “I assume that I’ll be staying with Auntie Twilight since my parents are elsewhere?”

“Yes.” Nurse Redheart nodded before waving a hoof at Rarity. “For tonight I believe you’re staying with Rarity, however, as Princess Twilight is out on ‘princess business’. Additionally, there is one more test we have to give today to help examine the extent of your potential amnesia.”

“Okay, what is the test?” I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

“Well, it is a literal test.” Nurse Redheart chuckled. “Miss Cheerilee will give you a placement test at the Ponyville Schoolhouse so we can see what you remember. Also, if your aunt desires it, you can be enrolled in the school during your time here.”

“Understood, ma’am.” I nodded, smiling at the nurse. Meanwhile, I felt a small part of me die a bit at the thought of going back to school. But, if I was going to be stuck here for a while, some knowledge on ‘Equestria’ would be nice, for better or for worse.

“Now then, I think that is all.” Nurse Redheart hopped out of her chair and opened the door for me and Rarity to head on out. “If you ever need anything, please let me know. Hope you have a good day, Princess Flurry Heart.”

I nodded to the nurse before heading out of the office with Rarity. I set the stuffed bear on my back as Rarity, Sweetie and I started heading to the hospital exit, passing by several medical staff and various injured ponies. Some of them looked at me with raised eyebrows or shock before they quickly went back to their various duties.

“Alright dears, we have a very fun day before us!” Rarity cheered before looking back at Sweetie and myself with a grin. “However, first we need to get you all cleaned up Flurry. Can’t exactly have a Princess running around with that bed mane and lack of fashion. First stop, Carousel Boutique!”

I blinked at Rarity before looking at Sweetie Belle, who was rolling her eyes and hiding a smile behind her hoof. Looking back at Rarity I could almost see her looking me over, fitting me for a dress or suit or something. I gave an awkward smile and took the opportunity to finally see the town I had been dropped into by whatever force shoved me into a pony body.

The town itself reminded me of an old medieval town in many ways, full of mostly wooden houses with thatch roofs. There were a handful of brick or stone buildings, but they were more localized to what I would hazard was a ‘rich people’s section’ of the town. The ponies themselves were as multicolored as one could imagine, and were all surprisingly friendly, waving and saying hello to the three of us as we passed. Looking up I could see various pegasus managing the weather, somehow moving the clouds with their hooves.

“Wow, this place is crazy,” I muttered under my breath as I watched the pegasi at work.

“Oh, the weather team? Their work is important, but not the most flashy, don’t worry dear.” Rarity gently chided, a hint of jealousy in her tone as we began to approach a large fancy pink and blue building. “Flurry, I present to you, the Carousel Boutique! Home sweet home.”

Rarity magiced a key from somewhere before unlocking the door, revealing a large shop full of dresses and pony mannequins, and other bits of pony fashion. Admittedly I was never a stylish filly but I could tell she had a lot of passion for her work, and a lot of it looked pretty nice if a bit too frilly. Rarity closed the door behind me and Sweetie, setting a ‘closed’ sign on the door before leading the two of us upstairs.

“Sweetie, would you mind setting Flurry up a bed in your room? She’s going to be staying with us for a few days while Twilight is doing, well, whatever experiment she’s lost herself in this time.” Rarity instructed Sweetie, who groaned but went into her room. “Now Flurry, no offense but you need a bath before we go visit Cheerilee. Spending almost two weeks in the hospital is not the best for somepony’s look.”

Instinctively I stepped away from the unicorn but she began to nudge me towards the bathroom with a hoof. I sighed and decided I would go, while I was never a bath person I was looking forward to relaxing for a minute. Before we went in, Rarity took the stuffed bear off of my back and left it in the hall before she shuffled me into the bathroom itself.

It was a surprisingly simple bathroom for such a dramatic mare, all things considered. A porcelain sink with a large mirror on one wall next to a pony toilet, radiator, giant claw-foot tub with a fuck ton of beauty products around it. Wait. There were a lot of beauty products. Oh no.

Rarity hummed as she used her magic to turn on the hot water and toss flower petals and other nice scents into the water to make it both smell good and be a bit more calming. As we waited for the water she looked me over, poking bits of me that were a bit out of sorts from being in the hospital.

“Do you remember how to preen your wings, Flurry?” She asked as I extended my wings for her to inspect. “Your feathers are a complete mess.”

“I don’t remember how to, I’m sorry Ms. Rarity,” I answered, somehow embarrassed despite there being no way I would know how to do that.

“It's fine dear, don’t worry about it.” She rubbed her chin with one hoof, muttering to herself a bit. “I can try to preen your wings for you this time, it's been a while since I’ve done it. Hopefully, Dash or Fluttershy can show you how to do it sometime tonight so you don’t have to rely on somepony else to do it.”

I nodded and hopped into the bathtub once it became hot enough for Rarity’s approval. Feeling my hooves and coat get wet was a strange feeling, not uncomfortable but certainly different than it did when I was human. I couldn’t help myself but sigh and sit down in the bath, enjoying the relaxing power of the hot water on my muscles. As I closed my eyes and enjoyed the scent of fresh flowers I missed the sounds of Rarity getting into the bath behind me. The feeling of her putting shampoo into my mane with a combo of magic and hooves made me jump a bit.

“Oh, I should have mentioned, most foals bathe with an adult.” Rarity chuckled. “Hooves aren’t the most useful in getting clean, after all. Besides, it helps when somepony can reach your back and other spots that are often missed.”

While it felt strange to take a bath with someone else, I bit my lip to silence my grumbling and let her put the sweet-smelling shampoo into my mane and tail. She hummed a faint tune as it soaked into my hair, using the time to put soap on my body to wash the filth of the hospital off. Was almost calming despite the fact that I hadn’t had someone else help bathe me since I was a kid. Or well, was calming until...

“Gak! Ms. Rarity, please, I will bathe that spot myself.” I pulled away from her, one hoof covering a spot that I still was really uncomfortable about in the best of times, much less wanting someone else touching.

“I am so sorry Flurry! I got a bit carried away and forgot I was helping somepony other than Sweetie.” Rarity sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose for a second. “Wash your, ah, private area while I rinse the shampoo out of your mane. Again, I am sorry.”

I grumbled a bit before awkwardly washing down there. Once everything was washed and rinsed I hopped out of the bathtub before I was quickly wrapped and dried by a few towels gripped in Rarity's magic. Meanwhile, I could hear the unicorn herself dry off her hooves, having only stepped in the bath to help me bathe.

Freedom from the towels only made me subject to the quick attack of several brushes untangling and styling my mess of a mane and tail, despite my best efforts to wriggle away from them. Rarity put one hoof on my back to stop me, her slight glare strangely scaring me more than I would admit. My manliness could only take so many hits in one day, after all. While my mane and tail were being styled Rarity awkwardly preened my wings, pulling out the few broken feathers and moving a few other feathers back into their proper place with her mouth. She finished the assault of fashion by affixing a bright blue bow to the base of my tail and tying its larger twin to the back of my mane. Once she was done Rarity spun me to the full-length mirror on the other wall so I could see my finished look. While I was loath to admit it, I did look a lot better than the mess I was this morning. Almost...adorable. Bleh.

“Well, now that you’re all cleaned up Flurry I do believe we have an appointment with Cheerilee at the Ponyville Schoolhouse.” Rarity grinned, happy with how I looked no doubt. “A proper mare doesn’t keep others waiting, so we better hurry.”

Following Rarity out of the carousel of nightmares and fashion, we headed towards the schoolhouse in a hurry that only one with a strict schedule has. Keeping up with her was more effort than I expected, being shorter my legs were a lot smaller so I had to walk a lot faster than her. Oddly despite the added exercise, I wasn’t tired at all as we neared the rustic schoolhouse.

“Huh, where are all the kids?” I murmured, looking up at the sun to check the time. Couldn’t have been more than nine o’clock, would have been the second period back home.

“It's the middle of summer vacation, so all the foals are out enjoying themselves and spending a bit more time with friends and family.” Rarity explained. “Admittedly, it might be a good time for you to make some friends, Flurry. While a day out in the park or running around might be a bit beneath a princess, you always need friends.”

I couldn’t help but make a small face to myself. I wouldn’t go out and call myself an introvert, but I never was the most social person. The thought of having to go out and make friends was a strange task to be given, especially with children. Hell, I couldn't think of how I would even go about that, after all, I was a bit too old to act like a kid anymore.

Being so caught up in my thoughts quickly came to bite me when I ended up power-walking headfirst into the door of the schoolhouse, bouncing back a step. While I grumbled I heard Rarity give a small giggle before clearing her throat and knocking on the door. After a moment the door opened to reveal a raspberry-colored pony with a pink mane and green eyes. She gave me a smile before holding out her hoof for me to shake.

“Hello, you must be Flurry Heart. I’m Miss Cheerilee, the teacher here. It's a pleasure to meet you.” The pony introduced herself as I shook her hoof before she waved us into the schoolhouse. “Please come in.”

The schoolhouse itself seemed to be a one-room school, with about two dozen small wooden desks in rows in front of a blackboard. Off to the side was a larger wooden desk, probably Cheerilee’s. The teacher herself led me over to one of the wooden desks before setting a sheaf of papers before me. I took a look before raising my eyebrow at the weird symbols and script.

“Uh, Miss Cheerilee, I can’t read this,” I complained, earning a look of slight shock from Rarity and Cheerilee. I couldn’t help but flick my ears back, wasn’t the best look for a grown man to admit he can’t read. Well, I guess I wasn’t a grown man at the moment but still!

“Oh dear, that’s going to be a problem.” Cheerilee rubbed the back of her head with a hoof before smiling. “Don’t worry Flurry, I can teach you how to read again this summer. That is a Cheerilee promise. But as for the test I can give you it orally, don’t worry.”

Trotting over she spun the test around so she could read the questions and fill in the answers. The math questions were easy enough, while I hated math I was good enough at it until I hit precal at school. Thankfully when it came to showing my work she didn’t ask for some of the weirder stuff that my siblings had to deal with when I helped them with their schoolwork. The creative writing was also fun, although throwing the plot of The Alchemist did raise an eyebrow from the two mares. Well, a more sanitized version, no need to mention guns and religion when I didn’t need to. However, I soon regretted my earlier achievements when we hit the history section....

“What year was Equestria founded?”

“Uh, 1567.”

“Uh, no. Do you know what date Princesses Luna and Celestia were crowned?”

“I am gonna guess January 8th, 1678.”

“Unfortunately, no. How about...ah, an easy one. When was the Crystal Empire founded?”

“Miss Cheerilee, I appreciate your devotion but you do realize that you’re asking a bunch of history questions to someone who has amnesia, right?” I sighed. “All I can do is offer a bunch of guesses, most of which are probably going to be wrong.”

“I guess you are right on that note, Flurry Heart.” Cheerilee frowned at the mess of the test in front of her. “And it is somepony, not someone. It looks like if we were to get you ready for the school year, we have to get you up to speed on history and reading. And grammar, since you keep speaking like a griffon for some reason.” She rubbed her face for a moment before sighing. “It is a tall task, but if you are willing to work with me Flurry I am sure we can do this. While it is a lot to ask, would you be willing to come in for a few hours of tutoring each day? Between me and a few other ponies, we can quickly get you up to scruff while you spend the summer in Ponyville.”

I looked to Rarity, who nodded in approval before I turned back and nodded at Cheerilee. While learning how to read random symbols and a random country’s history did not sound at all exciting, it sure beat the alternative. Besides, it would help while I was working on my plan to get back home.

Hopefully, it will be soon. While this strange multicolored hell was oddly more peaceful than back home, I was in no mood to start back over as a kid. Went through that once, not doing it again.

Author's Notes:

I will admit, the inspiration for this chapter was watching a ton of the show Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? when I was growing up with my grandparents. The answer is generally no, even now.

While I do not plan to actually show the tutoring process between Cheerilee and Flurry unless it has to do with plot-related stuff, if people are interested I can make a blog post or two about some of the random worldbuilding stuff. Like where some of the historical stuff fits, if the Royal Guards are actually all stallions or just mares in illusions and whatnot.

Also, while it is odd for someone's niece to end up shacking with a family friend I think if your friend was a magical princess that suddenly flew nose-first into some kind of strange experiment with a bad track record, you'd want to keep an eye on them. Versus let them potentially get into danger while whatever experiment or craziness was going on....went on.

Anyway, thank you for reading, and hope you have a good day!

Ch 6 - The Sadness Of A Chickenless Salad

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“Well, that was an interesting experience,” I grumbled as Rarity and myself headed away from the schoolhouse. “What is next on your schedule, Ms. Rarity?”

“Originally I wanted to hit a few stores to get some supplies, however,” Rarity looked up at the sun, frowning slightly, “it would seem that the test took a lot longer than I planned. No offense darling, but you certainly took the fact that the creative writing section didn’t have a page limit to heart. It’s nearly noon, so I suppose it's time for lunch first.”

“Sorry, I did get a bit carried away.” I rubbed the back of my head. “I remember one of my old teachers told me I should be a writer.”

“Is that so?” Rarity smiled down at me as we started to head back to her carousel-house. “I’m happy you still remember a teacher of yours. Maybe writing could be your special talent. Would certainly be an interesting cutie mark on an alicorn too.”

“Not to sound dumb Ms. Rarity, but I’ve noticed that there aren’t any other alicorns around other than me and Auntie Twilight.” I couldn’t help but awkwardly rub my horn, even though it did make me slow down quite a bit. Stupid kid legs. “Where are all the other ones?”

“Well, alicorns are special, darling.” Rarity chuckled. “Other than yourself, there are only four other ponies like you. One is your Aunt Twilight, but there is also your mother, and Princesses Celestia and Luna.”

Welp, that is good to know. Would explain why ponies keep looking a little surprised at me walking down the street I guess.

“Okay, Ms. Rarity. Thank you.” I gave my award-winning smile before going back to keep up with the unicorn and keeping an eye on some of the random ponies walking by us.

Now that I had a chance to see the random citizens of this town a second time, a lot of them had small tells about them that helped keep them apart. Well, other than the cutie marks I guess. I guess these ponies are a bit more comfortable with their bodies than humans would be, but the thought of a random person looking at my naked butt to see a marking was a strange thought for sure.

For the most part, Ponyville was a rather quiet, quaint town, all things considered. There were a few ponies setting up a flower shop, while a grey pegasus flew above head delivering mail. A blue unicorn with a sand clock cutie mark sat in front of a candy shop talking to a green unicorn with a lyre cutie mark. A grey-ish blue pegasus with a fluffy white mane moving a cloud around. And so on and so on. Reminded me of when I lived in Imabari, before-

“Flurry, darling, you alright?” Rarity lifted my head with a hoof, concern in her eyes.

“Y-yeah Ms. Rarity, I’m fine.” I awkwardly pulled back, shaking my head to pull my thoughts together. “Why, what’s wrong?”
“You suddenly stopped walking with me and started crying.” She sighed before magicking a napkin out of somewhere and rubbing under my eyes with it. “When we get back home we can talk about it if you want.”

“I...I think I’m fine, but thank you, ma’am.” I smiled, trying to alleviate whatever concern was in the air before following her the rest of the way back to the boutique. On the way back I saw the same pegasus moving the cloud out of the corner of my eye. I raised my eyebrow but shrugged it off for now, probably a pegasus thing.

Once we picked up Sweetie Belle, the three of us headed over to Café Hay for lunch. A cream-colored pony with a stereotypical french mustache and accent set out the three menus before us before making his way to the other tables. I took a look at it before frowning at the fact that it was nothing but the strange squiggles and symbols that everything seems to be written in.

God, I had an easier time reading Japanese than this stuff. At least it made some sense, this makes none at all. Is that a flower as a letter?

“Do you know what you want, Flurry?” Rarity smiled at me, pushing her menu to the side with an air of a pony who comes here often enough to have a ‘usual’.

“Uh, Ms. Rarity. One problem. I still can’t read.” I couldn’t help cringe a bit, feeling my mouth (muzzle?) scrunch a bit. Sweetie hid a giggle behind a hoof while Rarity facehoofed. “I think I have an idea of what I would want if that helps.”

“That is fine, darling. It’s my fault for forgetting about that little detail. Don’t worry, if anypony can fix it, it's Cheerilee.” Rarity smiled, making me feel a little better. Made me wonder if this is what it felt like to have an older sister instead of being the oldest. “What are you thinking of getting?”

“I was thinking of getting a chicken cobb salad and cider?” I offered, once again feeling my face scrunch up a bit in embarrassment at the look of shock on Rarity’s face and Sweetie gagging a bit. “Uh, did I say something wrong?”

“No, darling, you’re fine.” Rarity gave a stern look to Sweetie before recomposing herself. “Ponies don’t eat, ah, meat. I am sure they can whip up a cobb salad, though. Out of curiosity, do you remember if you had a griffon tutor? Just out of curiosity, darling.”

“No, I don’t remember if I did or not.” I tilted my head, a bit confused. “Miss Cheerilee asked the same thing back at the schoolhouse. Is something wrong?”

“No, no, nothing is wrong darling.” Rarity waved her arms a bit, trying to add an air of calm back to the table. “Just, with the ‘someone’s’ and now wanting meat, I was wondering where it was coming from. Since it isn’t really a, well, pony thing.”

Between Cheerilee and Rarity sounds like they’re trying hard to not sound racist. Specist? I mean, if I am going to be playing along I am gonna have to remember to sound more...pony. No meat, pony stuff...probably can’t drink. Wait, I can’t even drink to make this stuff more palatable. Fuck.

“I am sorry I made you two uncomfortable.” I sighed before sagging a bit, my chin resting on the table. “Everything is so weird. Feel like I'm taking a step forward and two steps back.”

“Don’t worry about it, Flurry. You just got out of the hospital.” Sweetie smiled at me, putting a hoof on my shoulder. “Plus, I have an idea! You’ve spent all morning with Rarity and Miss Cheerilee at school, how about the Cutie Mark Crusaders show you the town!” She turned to look at Rarity for permission, a massive grin on her face.

“Well, I promised Twilight I’d watch....” Rarity sighed as Sweetie turned up the cuteness. “Alright, Sweetie. Just be careful, okay?”

“Yay!” Sweetie cheered, practically hopping in her chair.

“So, what can I get you mares?” the waiter asked on his return, giving a smile to the two unicorns and raising an eyebrow at me before quickly recomposing himself.

Going around we gave our orders, with Rarity getting a fancy-sounding salad and drink while Sweetie got a dandelion sandwich and soda. When I gave my order I decided to ask for a simple garden salad, as much as it hurt to not ask for meat with my food. The rest of lunch was a quiet, cheerful affair with Sweetie and Rarity chatting about some of the music that Sweetie’s been listening to. I sat quietly, enjoying the sisterly bond between the two. Was nice, cute.

“You okay Flurry?” Sweetie asked, breaking me from my trance. “You look like you’re about to cry.”

“I-I’m fine.” I wiped my face off with a hoof. “I just got lost in thought, sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, darling. If you want to talk about it with somepony, you can always talk with us.” Rarity smiled before going back to her conversion with Sweetie.

“Girls, meet Flurry Heart! And Flurry, meet Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.” Sweetie announced, beaming with excitement.

“Hello!” I smiled at the pegasus and earth pony before me. “Nice treehouse you got here.”

Now I wasn’t just being polite, it was a surprisingly nice treehouse. There was a map of Ponyville on one wall, with various locations with pins in it. On the other wall was a bunch of portraits of fillies and colts, probably showing off their cutie marks. There was also a podium, a table with a lamp, and a few other bits and bobs.

“Thanks! I’ll be honest, I’ve never met an alicorn with no cutie mark.” Scootaloo said, motioning to my blank flank.

“Scootaloo! Don’t need to shame her!” Apple Bloom chided.

“No, she’s right. I don’t have a cutie mark.” I stepped in, before shrugging. “But Sweetie said that you can help with that at some point.”

“Of course we can! We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders! Helping ponies find their cutie mark is what we do!” Scootaloo pointed to the portraits on the wall, beaming with pride. “Would certainly be something to add you to it too!”

“First, we have to show Flurry around Ponyville!” Sweetie interjected, pointing at the map. “She’s staying here for the summer apparently, with Twilight! Or well, with me and Rarity for right now but still.”

“Oh, that gives us lots of time to find your special talent!” Apple Bloom grinned at me.

I nodded, smiling despite myself. The three of them were adorable, even though it was a bit odd to be the same height as a bunch of foals. Their enthusiasm and energy were infectious and reminded me how much I loved kids. Heck, if it wasn’t for my father, I would’ve been a teacher...

“So, what’s the first stop?”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders and I spent the next few hours running around Ponyville while they pointed out the various landmarks. From Sugarcube Corner (best cupcakes!) to the giant crystal Castle of Friendship (where my best aunt Twilight lived), Ponyville seemed to have a ton of crazy-looking buildings hidden in the generic-looking houses that covered most of the town.

As we got to the town centre, I took a moment to sit down and catch my breath. This small body had so much more energy, and god it felt good to be able to run around like we have been after being stuck in a schoolhouse and hospital. Probably ~~foal~~ child energy but hell, not gonna complain.

Looking up I couldn’t help but jump back a bit. In the middle of the town square was a large statue of a chimera of a pony, dragon, eagle, etc. Surrounding it was a ton of flowers, of all kinds and very obviously well taken care of.

“Who is that?” I asked, a little taken aback by such a strange statue in the middle of Ponyville.

“It's a memorial to Discord,” Sweetie explained, sitting next to me. “Was a ‘Spirit of Chaos’ that Fluttershy befriended. He died fighting this centaur that drained everypony’s magic, but not before giving Twilight the key to save everyone!”

“Wow. That’s....wow.” I blinked, before getting to my hooves and walking around it. “I’m happy he got a statue then.”

Turning around I saw the Crusaders cutting through a back alley to get to the next location. I chuckled and ran to follow them. I couldn't lose them since they were my guides. However, as soon as I rounded the corner I saw them all piled on top of each other, probably having run into each other to avoid running into a grey-blue pegasus in the alleyway.

Wait.

“Who the hell are you, and what did you do to them?!” I yelled at the very familiar pegasus and prepared to run towards the girls before I saw a shadow fall over me. I barely had time to tense up before I felt a hoof try to push me into the ground and a cloth got forced over my nose. I roared and grabbed the hoof with the cloth with my own, flipping him over my head by using his own momentum against him. He hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, clearly not expecting an actual fight from a foal.

I started to rear up to bring my hooves down on his head, trying to knock him out. Every instinct in my body screamed to run and get help but I’d be damned to turn and leave the girls with two adults that were 100% trying to kidnap them. Foalnap? Now wasn’t the time for that. But before I could connect his horn glowed and basted me full in the face.

I staggered back, my head ringing and darkness closing in. I bit my cheek and used the pain to force myself to stay awake and spread my wings. I took a deep breath and tried to fly up, but I felt something click in my brain and suddenly had to stop and fall over in pain. Something made my chest explode in sheer pain like I was getting stabbed through the lungs despite the fact I didn’t feel myself getting stabbed.

“That was surprisingly easy.” I heard a female voice laugh before I felt a cloth go over my mouth again, and whatever was on it made me pass out.

Ch 7 - Dungeons and Foalnappers

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“Storm, eat your food and stop babying your sister.” I heard my mother order from the kitchen.

“Okay, mom.” I smiled and continued to cut my sister’s food into more manageable bites for her. She smiled up at me, and I ruffled her pink and purple mane before setting her plate in front of her.

As I took my own seat I looked up to see my mom’s head poking out of the kitchen. I felt her roll her eyes despite the fact I couldn’t make it out. Instead, there was just a blur on her pink coat as she waved a hoof at me.

Wait.

I snapped out of my dream to find myself in a blurry stone room. My mouth felt like I shoved it full of cotton balls, making it hard to breathe through anything but my nose. I tried to stand up but found that stretching my legs or wings forced them against something, and straining them only made it slightly more painful.

I blinked several times to focus on the room before finding myself staring at the whimpering forms of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They had their hooves tied together with ropes and their mouths gagged. Sweetie Belle had some kind of ring on her horn, while Apple Bloom had additional ropes to account for her extra strength.

Great, as soon as I get some freedom we immediately get foalnapped. Somehow I feel like I will never hear the end of this.

I took a deep breath through my nose and closed my eyes to calm and center myself. This wasn’t the first time I’d been captured, but unlike before I was now stuck in a child’s body so I would have to play it smart. For the girls’ sake, at least. Getting them out was the priority.

Once I was sufficiently centered I let the breath out slowly, turning my ears towards the single door. Thankfully ponies weren’t masters of stealth thanks to their hooves, and I could vaguely hear the sounds of one of them walking up to the door. I quickly ducked my head, trying to pretend I was still knocked out.

From where the door was I heard metal scraping on metal before the pony grunted and the sound came again. The hoofsteps turned around and left, with it ascending up what I assumed were stone stairs after about ten paces before I lost it.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around to make sure I pegged the room correctly before I tried to escape. Stone walls and floor, single metal door, no windows. Nothing other than three softly crying terrified fillies.

I grunted around my gag before forcing myself to fall over, wriggling on the ground despite the pain caused by my limbs straining against the ropes. I repeatedly rubbed my face against the stone, forcing the poorly-knotted gag to loosen. After what felt like an eternity I felt it slack enough that I could spit it out of my pony mouth.

Well, that was harder than it was when I was human. Stupid pony heads.

I spat out a glob of spit before I looked up at Apple Bloom. She was laying her head on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder, presumably to comfort the crying filly. Scootaloo was staring at me with wide eyes, a mix of awe and fear. I thanked my lucky stars that they had their front hooves bound in front of them, while I seemed to have mine bound behind my back.

“Apple Bloom, you are a farmer. If I free you can you start to free the other two?” I whispered, voice a bit ragged.

She thankfully nodded, holding her front hooves out for me. I wriggled over to her like a snake, hissing a bit in pain at the growing rope burn. Once I got to her I sprang forward to bite at her gag, almost kissing her by accident as I bit into the cloth and pulled. She fell back but coughed as her mouth was freed from the sweaty cloth. We both began to bite at the rope around her front hooves, her pulling at it and me grinding my teeth on it to weaken it.

After a few minutes of work, we were able to weaken it enough that Apple Bloom was able to wriggle her front arms out. She began to untie her back hooves, her brow furrowed in concentration while I turned to the other two fillies.

“Listen, we’re gonna get out of this. But you need to be quiet.” I whispered. “We don’t know why these ponies foalnapped us. Could be for ransom, could be for slavery.”

Could be for a third reason, but I hope that isn’t the case and I don’t want to scare them so shush, brain.

They both nodded, leaving me to sigh a breath of relief. A bit more conscious of where I was putting my mouth, I pulled their gags off by biting the knot itself and grinding my pony teeth on them until the knot broke. Once Apple Bloom finished untying herself she began to work on Sweetie Belle while I worked on Scootaloo with my teeth. Thankfully Apple Bloom was able to work a lot faster than me with her hooves and the two fillies ran over to help me.

Once they were freed I was okay with being untied myself, which was a process in itself. Unlike the other three, they bound my front legs behind my back, bound my legs, and then bound my wings shut. With three ponies working on it they made quick work of it, but not without a bit of trial and error.

“Okay fillies.” I stretched a bit now that I was free. My muscles were really pissed off but still workable. “Now is the hard part. We’re going to have to sneak out of here. Hopefully, there is a window nearby but worst case we are going to have to find a back door. Walk as quietly as you can, okay?”

They nodded, making me smile. Maybe we could do this without anyone getting hurt. And then I could come back with a baseball bat and break some legs for harming the CMC.

I stepped over to the door and put my ear against it as quietly as I could, straining to hear anything from the other side. Once I didn’t hear anything I began to examine the door holding us in. I didn’t see a knob or hinges, but there was a vision slit up top and through the cracks on the side I could vaguely see a deadbolt holding the door shut.

“Sweetie, if you can see the deadbolt can you use your magic to pull it open?” I whispered to the one unicorn here. “I don’t know enough to control my magic.”

She nodded before hopping onto Apple Bloom’s back to better see. After a second or two, her horn glowed and her face scrunched up in concentration before I heard the metal click. Once she was done she hopped off her friend and the three fillies high-fived each other.

I carefully and slowly pushed the metal door open, keeping an ear out for any returning foalnappers. Thankfully they seemed busy upstairs as there were no guards outside the room, just a metal chair and a set of stairs. The hinges also didn’t squeak as they moved, which was a bit odd all things considered.

I shrugged to myself and led the slow, sneaky charge up the stairs, finding another wooden door. This once wasn’t locked and had no guards either, opening up into a kitchen. It was small and in complete disrepair, but there was a window by the sink!

Wow, these are really bad foalnappers.

I stepped out of the stairway and motioned for the three fillies to begin to make their way to the window. I stood just out of the way, keeping my eyes and ears open in case someone came. The three fillies managed to make their way onto the counter without a sound before Scootaloo hit a patch of water and slipped.

CRASH

The sound of six plates falling off the counter and smashing on the floor filled the room. I hissed under my breath before motioning for the girls to get out as fast as possible. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom wretched the window open with all their strength as the sound of a pony running as fast as they could echoed through the house.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both jumped through the open window as a unicorn stallion came barreling into the room, holding what looked like either a cattle prod or a taser in his magic. He took one look at Sweetie Belle on the counter and me by the door before charging at Sweetie Belle with the taser. I growled and tackled him, using my smaller form to get under him and trip him up. Once he crashed into the ground I tried to hold him down to stop him, but he simply pushed me off with ease.

Right. Smaller body, smaller muscles. God damn it.

“Come on Flurry! We’re almost out!” Sweetie Belle yelled, seemingly frozen in place out of concern.

“GO!” I yelled at her, focusing all of my vague authority into my voice as I rolled back to my hooves and prepared to charge him again. “Get somepony who can help, I’ll hold him off!”

I could hear her hesitating before she jumped off of the sink. I almost breathed a sigh of relief before I saw the pegasus from earlier fly over my head and begin heading towards the window. I growled, reaching out with whatever magic I had, and grabbed her wing with as much force as I could. I didn’t see what happened but I heard her scream of pain before she crashed onto the ground.

“Night Glider!” the unicorn yelled, reaching a hoof out to his accomplice. “You’ll pay for that.”

He roared and charged at me, head down to presumably stab me with his horn. I went to roll out of the way but my new body wasn’t quite as fast as my old one, meaning I still got smashed into the wall by his shoulder. I growled and tried to bite at his face but all I got was the taser in the face as a reward. I screamed as the electricity made every muscle tense up before the pain forced my vision to go white.

“Thank you for bringing me here, Storm.” I looked down to my side to see my girlfriend smiling up at me.

“No worries, hun.” I smiled back and pulled her a bit closer to me before we both looked up at the sky again.

From the hill we were sitting on we had a good vantage point on the fireworks going off for the Sakura Festival. While I couldn’t help but cringe a bit at each explosion, it being too similar to gunshots for my liking, my girlfriend holding me close made it worth it. After all, her smile could dispel any problem I had.

As the fireworks came to a close I got up before helping my girlfriend up, her kimono and sandals making it a bit hard to get up easily by herself. Meanwhile, I was a bit less traditionally dressed, preferring my jeans and T-shirt. The whole festival, my clothes caused me to get looks from the others, but thankfully my girlfriend looked past my rough ‘American’ exterior and still loved me.

The two of us headed back home, arm and arm. The closest path to our apartment building required us to cut through the sakura trees, but there were worse shortcuts. As we went, I couldn’t help but smile as she giggled to herself at her joke.

However, once we hit the largest Sakura tree everything went south. Instead of the massive tree that I was used to, the one I met Themis at, was a twisted crystalline mass. Six crystals were embedded in it, all of them a dull grey color. And sitting in front of it was an alicorn, pouring over a massive pile of scrolls and books.

“Hello?” I stepped towards the alicorn, vaguely recognizing her from somewhere. “Are you okay?”

She quickly turned around, her pupils small and jaw clenched as she stared somewhere above my shoulder. Before I could turn around I felt a sharp pain in my chest forcing me to collapse as something screamed in the distance.

I opened my eyes, once again seeing everything as a vague blur. Straining my limbs showed them to be once again bound, albeit this time I heard clanking. I shook my head to clear my vision and was greeted with a more unfortunate sight than I expected. I was in some kind of dark forest, with my limbs bound by chains and my mouth once again gagged. Great.

I lifted an ear up to hear if my captors were nearby, to be answered by a hoof smashing into the side of my head. My ear rang while I felt my mouth fill up with a bit of blood, forcing me to cough around the gag.

“That is for making our life more complicated than it needed to be, Princess.” I heard the pegasus growl as she walked around me, the last word spat like a slur. “Now instead of going on a peaceful trip on the train, we have to trek to get to our boss.”

I growled through the gag before sighing and lowering my head.

“See, was that so hard?” The pegasus laughed before stepping away from me. “By Luna’s ass, I hate foals. He better pay enough to make all this trouble worth it.”

I looked up at the sky as soon as she walked far enough away that I hoped she wouldn’t pay attention. It was now nighttime and the moon was in full force above us, even though the moonlight was blocked by the gnarled canopy. I hoped the girls were safe.

It is a very good thing my father isn’t here to see this. I already have two ponies hitting me, don’t need a grown man in the mix.

Ch 8 - If A Tree Falls In A Forest

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I did not get any sleep at all that night, the chains binding me to a tree cutting too deep to give me the ability to rest. Instead, I kept an eye on my captors, who were taking their job surprisingly seriously for their blunders earlier. They each took watch for half the night, keeping an eye on both me and the campfire that kept animals away.

Partway through the night, the unicorn noticed that I was watching them and used a rag as a blindfold. He also stuck a muzzle on my face so I couldn’t speak or bite him, forcing me to simply growl. Now blind, mute, and bound, all I could do is listen for potential help and hope it was coming soon.

You know, for a creepy forest this place is surprisingly quiet. That is never a good sign.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, I felt my ears prick up as whichever of the foalnappers was sleeping woke up and headed over to their partner. I heard them whisper to each other, making me strain to hear bits of what they were saying.

“She....older....weird?” The stallion whispered, his hooves stepping in a circular motion, probably around the campfire.

“Spell....not...problem.” The pegasus responded before I heard a hiss. Probably them putting out the campfire. Hopefully.

Why is everyone wondering why I’m older? Am I supposed to be younger? I need to ask Rarity when I return.

“Alright princess,” the unicorn roughly pulled the blindfold off of my face, having walked over while I was lost in thought. “We are going to walk through the forest. You’re walking with us. Understand?”

I nodded, unable to speak with the muzzle on. The unicorn grinned, magically lifting and sticking a collar on my neck, locking it with a click. He then added a leash, tying it around his belt to make sure I don’t stray too far. With a chuckle he finally unlocked the chains tying me to the tree, levitating them into a set of saddlebags on the pegasus’ back. I couldn’t resist groaning a bit as I stretched my legs, my wings still bound stopping me from being able to fully relax.

“Come along princess. We have a long way until we reach the train station.” The unicorn pulled the leash with one hoof, forcing me to follow him and the pegasus as they walked.

As we went through the forest I had to trot to keep up with the unicorn and avoid being strangled by the collar around my neck. The two of them didn’t stop for anything, trotting as fast as they could through the dense forest. Several times I tripped on the underbrush, my shot legs unable to clear some of the debris. Instead of slowing down they just continued to move at a fast pace, forcing me to quickly get back to my hooves so I wouldn’t be dragged.

After what felt like hours upon hours we finally slowed down next to a stream, the two foalnappers sitting on tree roots to take a breath. I took the moment to flop onto my side, breathing as deeply as I could with a muzzle around my face. I glared as hard as I could at the two, wishing I could kick their ass with my tiny frame.

The pegasus gave me the dirtiest look back, the wing I crushed bound tight in bandages and tape. We stared at each other for a minute before she stepped over to me, looming over my comparatively tiny body. I raised an eyebrow before I felt a sudden pain in my gut as she kicked it hard. I coughed in surprise and pain, the reaction making the pegasus grin. She proceeded to repeatedly kick me, forcing me to curl up in a ball to protect my vital areas against her blows.

The pegasus kicked and stomped, again and again, forcing me to whimper and curl smaller. She finished as brutally as she began, rearing up and coming down onto my chest, making me cry out in pain as at least one of my ribs broke under her onslaught.

At this the unicorn stepped between us, frowning at the pegasus. She glared back at him but stood down, stepping back over to her tree root and taking a seat. The unicorn looked me over briefly, his eyes cold. I could see to him I was simply a piece of meat, something to be sold. I couldn’t help but shiver slightly, the look especially uncomfortable considering the body I was stuck in.

“Get back up.” the unicorn barked, pulling me to my hooves with a tug on the leash. “The boss is going to want you as soon as possible.”

I tried to pull against the leash, now deathly afraid. The unicorn shrugged and started to walk off, letting me choke myself for a moment before I had to follow him unwillingly. The pegasus walked beside me, giving me a wicked glare the whole time as we walked through the quiet forest.

After countless hours of hiking through brush and dense clusters of trees, night fell, forcing the foalnappers to make camp. They lit a campfire in a clearing in the trees before pulling two sleeping blankets out of their saddlebags. I was tossed against a tree and chained back up, a blindfold slapped against my eyes almost as an afterthought.

Despite my best efforts, I eventually fell asleep. The fatigue from a day full of hiking and abuse overtook my will and discomfort.

“Come on Storm, only one more hour before we make camp.” I could only vaguely hear my father’s southern twang over the beating of my own heart.

I coughed, winded as we rucked up a mountain as part of my father’s ‘training program’. Regardless of his assertions that this would make me a man like him, my ten-year-old frame was feeling the strain. I coughed again into a hoof, forcing myself to keep up with him. He looked back one more time, raising an eyebrow before laughing and continuing forward.

“What’s so funny dad?” I tilted my head, confused.

“Look down, ‘Storm’.” My father motioned to me. “You are no son of mine.”

I looked down and saw instead of my normal ten-year-old body, all I saw was the filly body I’d been trapped in. I began to hyperventilate, falling over as I tried to calm myself. I saw out of the corner of my eye the moon begin to rise above the trees before a faint knocking sound rang over the forest.

“Wake up, bitch.” The pegasus snarled as she kicked me in the gut, forcing me from my dreams with pain.

I hissed in pain as my broken ribs ground together before the blindfold was pulled off my face, greeting me with the angry face of the pegasus. She spat in my face, making me flinch despite myself. At this she simply grinned before lifting her hoof up, making me whimper slightly and lean farther against the tree.

“That’s what you get for breaking my wing.” she frowned before walking away from me, shaking her head.

I sighed, sinking into my misery. Before I could tune out everything, I heard the sound of breaking branches heading towards our location. I tried to look in the direction of the noise, but it was just out of my sight thanks to my bindings. I tried to cry out as well, but unfortunately, the muzzle made it just a weak murmur instead of a true cry for help.

The two foalnappers jumped to their hooves, the unicorn arming himself with his super cattle prod while the pegasus simply took a fighting pose with her hooves. However, that didn’t save the pegasus from the purple blast that smashed into her face, sending her rolling into a tree with a cry of pain. The unicorn looked at her with a hint of shock before yelling and charging at whoever fired the blast.

I continued to strain against the chains, crying out with all my strength through the muzzle. The pegasus slowly got to her hooves, shaking her head to get her focus back. Seeing me struggle she trotted over, rearing up as she approached. Seeing her hooves at about my head height I started to actually freak out, flailing around against my bindings.

Before she could reach me she was knocked back against a tree by a blue and rainbow blur, making the tree itself shake with the impact. Dash stood over the pegasus, who curled up in self-defense, whimpering for mercy. Dash shook her head at the display before stomping a hoof down on the enemy’s head. Hopefully to knock her out.

In the background, I could hear whatever fight was going on between the unicorn foalnapper and my other rescuer continue, but all I could focus on was Dash. I used whatever emotion was left in my tired eyes to plead with Dash to free me from these chains. Thankfully she saw me and quickly flew over, working on the chains with her hooves.

“Flurry! Are you alright?” She asked, concerningly looking over my bruises and the blood dried against my mouth. “Don’t worry, we’re here to save you!”

As soon as the chains were free I collapsed against the forest floor, shivering a bit. I looked back up at Dash, who was trying to look over my injuries with a grimace. I breathed a sigh of relief before I looked back at the other rescuer and felt my heart go cold.

Lifting the unicorn into the air was my ‘aunt’ Twilight, her eyes and horn glowing with an angry purple aura. The unicorn flailed against the alicorn’s magic before he was smashed into a tree hard enough for the crack to echo throughout the clearing. The unicorn went limp, causing her to toss him aside and look at me. Her eyes radiated a sense of pure rage, an endless storm of magic threatening to burst forth at any moment.

I ran.

By the time my thoughts came back together I was completely lost in the forest. My wings were still bound, along with the muzzle and collar still locked onto me. I sighed, rubbing my head at my own stupidity. All I could do was head forward, so I picked the most amenable path and headed down it.

After an hour of trotting and thinking of my own stupidity, I noticed a faint humming in the air. I turned to head towards it, hoping it would lead me towards any pony willing to help. Instead, I quickly found myself in front of a ravine.

In the center of the ravine, I could barely see a faint rainbow glow, an oddly familiar glow. Before I could make out anything else I felt a hoof on my shoulder, making me jump in surprise. I whipped my head around, squeaking in a bit of fear at the sight of Aunt Twilight standing over me before hugging me as tight as possible.

“Flurry, I'm so happy you're alright!" She looked at me at smiled a bit too wide for my liking

Ch 9 - Oh Hospital Sweet Hospital

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“Flurry, I’m so happy you’re alright!” Twilight grinned wayyyy too wide than her pony face should allow, before hugging me tightly with her forelegs. “We were so worried.” Her voice broke, and I could almost swear I heard a sob.

It was almost cute if it wasn’t for the absolute pain my chest was in from her squeezing my broken ribs. I began to flail against her, trying to push her off but my annoyingly little body wasn’t strong enough. Instead, she hugged a bit tighter, causing me to scream a bit into the muzzle that was still on my face.

“Flurry, what’s wrong?” She pulled back, her smile replaced with a look of pure concern. “Oh, I almost forgot about the bindings they put on you, sorry.”

Twilight quickly unclasped the collar and muzzle with her magic, pulling them off and setting them to the side. The ropes around my wings took a moment longer, with me hissing in pain and trying to worm away as she tried to untie them.

“Flurry, sit still so I can untie you! You’re going to tie yourself into a knot!” She chided, putting her wings around my sides so I couldn’t get too far.

“OW! You’re pulling out my feathers!” I whined, still trying to wiggle out.

“I am not!” Twilight groaned in frustration. “The ropes are tightly wound against you. If you just hold still...”

I found myself caught up in a purple glow and frozen in place. With me now not wiggling all over the place she was able to untie the ropes, even though I could swear I lost several feathers during the process. Once I was free from her magic grip I just fell over, groaning in pain from the ribs and bruises now that my adrenaline was gone.

“Flurry, what’s wrong? Where did they hurt you?” Twilight did a quick circle around me, looking my body over with her wide eyes.

“Got kicked in the ribs a few times, face, and dragged alongside them while they walked...” I explained, wincing a little as I breathed in a bit too deeply. I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at the look of sheer concern on her face, prompting a stabbing pain to radiate through my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw someone so concerned about me being in a fight.

“Alright, that’s it. Let’s get you to a hospital.” Twilight furrowed her brow before picking me up in her magic. It took all my focus not to flail around in response, it wasn't painful, just a very weird feeling.

With me now secure, Twilight immediately shot up out through the canopy, flapping her wings hard to gain lift. I was dragged along, thankfully close enough to her that I didn’t hit any branches on the way up. Once we were over the forest she began to flap her wings with more earnestness, guiding the wind to help her fly towards the town. From way up here, the forest seemed almost peaceful, the monsters and twisting dangers hidden under the leaves.

“Auntie Twilight, can I ask you a question?” I craned my neck up to look at her face, fiercely resisting the urge to move too much. Since, you know, I didn’t want to break her concentration so high up in the air.

“Sure, Flurry.” Twilight gave me a much more normal smile, floating me up so she could see me out of the corner of her eye.

“So far I heard two people seemed confused that I was older,” I swear I could see Twilight wince but it faded too fast to be sure. “Do you know why they would think that? I would think my age would be more well known since I’m supposed to be a princess and stuff.”

“I....let’s stop for a second before we get to the hospital.” Twilight closed her eyes for a second before landing on a cloud. She gently placed me on the cloud next to her before giving me a serious look. “Flurry, how much do you remember of your accident?”

I paced awkwardly on the cloud, it felt almost like I was standing on a marshmallow. I could feel a slight tingling on my hooves, but I somehow was able to stand even though there was no way I should be able to. Magic, fucking weird, but useful as hell.

“I-I don’t remember it at all. Why?” I looked back up at Twilight, who was staring at me with an intense look in her eyes.

“Well, you were so injured that I had to use some of my more....extreme spells.” Twilight sighed, her eyes softening as she looked off into the distance. “They healed you, but one of the side effects was that you aged a few years. I am sorry Flurry, but there was no other choice.”

“What the hell hurt me so badly then?” I scowled, shaking my head. “Doesn’t sound like I fell from a tree or something.”

Twilight grimaced before pulling me in for a tight hug. “It doesn’t matter anymore. You’re safe now, I promise.”

I tried to pull away, still confused and annoyed at the lack of an answer. Instead, I ended up just coughing in pain at the hug as my ribs once again ground together from the hug. Thankfully Twilight once again let me go, concern and embarrassment plastered on her face.

“I’m so sorry Flurry!” She looked out into the distance before nodding. “We’re close enough now, I’ll just teleport us there.”

Before I could truly react to the thought of ‘teleporting’, her horn started glowing. I felt like I was broken down, sucked through the eye of a needle, and then thrown to the ground as we teleported to the main room of the hospital. I coughed before falling onto the cold tile floor.

“Auntie Twilight, please never do that again.”

Within 10 minutes I found myself once again stuck into a hospital bed, except this time I had Twilight fussing over me as well as a nurse. Turns out I apparently had a concussion along with the broken ribs and bruises, who knew? So I was stuck in the hospital, again, staying overnight to make sure I didn’t get any worse. Twilight herself was staying in the room with me to make sure I didn’t fall asleep with a concussion and was sitting reading a book next to the bed.

“Auntie Twilight, am I in trouble?” I couldn’t help but fidget with my blanket in anxiety before looking up at Twilight.

“Why would you be in trouble?” Twilight looked up from her book and raised an eyebrow. “It wasn’t your fault you were foalnapped.”

“Yeah, but I made you have to search for me and put a pause on your ‘princess business’.” I frowned a bit, annoyed at the bit of whine in my voice.

“Flurry, if you ever need my help don’t hesitate to ask.” Twilight put a bookmark in her book before setting it to the side. “Princess business can always wait for my niece. Besides, it wasn’t just business, I was working on a surprise for you.”

I smiled at the sincerity of her love for me, although a bit of my soul died a bit at being called her niece. Pushing that to the side, for now, I tilted my head in confusion. “Surprise?”

“Well, Starlight and I were working on a spell to help with your memory.” She gave a warm smile before setting a hoof on my head. “It took a bit of work, but we should be able to fix your memories!”

I blinked, completely caught off guard. I expected something like a party or a toy, not some super fix-it spell. Fix my memories....wait, what would that do to my human memories?

If it got rid of them, what would happen to me? It might be time to tell the truth. Consequences be damned, I don’t want to forget my home.

“Uh, Auntie that’s nice and all, but can I be serious with something for a moment?” I asked, biting my lip as she raised an eyebrow.

“Sure, Flurry, what’s bothering you? I promise you won’t lose your new memories if that’s what you’re worried about.” She rubbed a hoof through my mane, gently enough that it didn’t make my growing headache any worse.

“Well, that’s it. I’m not Flurry Heart.” I pulled back from her a touch so I could look at her directly in her now confused eyes. “I’m a human from Earth named Storm...” I paused a bit and blinked at the realization I couldn’t remember my last name.

“What are you talking about?” Twilight tilted her head, her face a mix of concern and confusion.

“I’m saying that I’m not your niece!” I flailed my hooves as I attempted to speak with the hands I no longer had. “I was an adult man who had a family, a job, a house! Hell, I even had a girlfriend!”

Twilight stared at me without saying anything for long enough that I started sweating. Instead, she motioned with a hoof for me to continue.

“I remember growing up in Utah with my mother and my younger siblings. I got picked up by my dad and trained by him.” I grimaced, deciding to smooth over the more violent parts. Didn’t need to tell this pastel pony that I killed a few people. “I ran away with my siblings since he wasn’t the best father, and moved to Japan so he couldn’t find us. I got a girlfriend and lived happily before I woke up here!” I grabbed her face before pulling it a bit closer to mine. “If you’re so good at magic, can you please send me home? I miss my family...”

Twilight pushed me back into the bed with a gentle hoof before rubbing her forehead. She got out of her chair and paced back and forth while whispering to herself. After a few seconds of that, she turned back to me and gave a small smile, one that screamed ‘okay, honey’. Great.

“Flurry, Miss Cheerilee told me you had an active imagination. But I promise you that humans and ‘Japan’ don't exist. You’re Flurry Heart, not ‘Storm’.” She waved a hoof in the air to gesture to the room. “I know you’ve had a stressful few days, waking up from a coma with no memories. I am sorry I haven’t been around to help, I just got so focused on making you better.”

“I-I...you don’t believe me?” I felt tears prick up at the corner of my eyes before I scowled. “I am telling the truth!”

“I don’t doubt that you believe you are telling the truth.” Twilight sighed before walking back over to the side of my bed and putting a wing around me. “But it just isn’t true. I wouldn’t doubt that your mind made up memories to fill in the gaps, and filled it in with a fantastic world at that. You have a good imagination, after all”

“Aunt Twilight, I am not Flurry!” I growled, pushing her away hard in my frustration. “I am Storm! A human man, not some stupid filly! I don’t want some stupid memory spell!”

Twilight took a few steps back, shocked and hurt at my aggressive response. I felt my heart break a bit as someone who was so concerned for me looked so emotionally hurt, but I forced myself to swallow it down. She wasn’t concerned for me, she was concerned for her niece.

“Flurry Heart, I know you must be hurting but I promise you that I am here for you.” She stepped back and hugged me with her wings. It was comforting if a bit of a weird feeling. “If you don’t want the spell I won’t, but you can’t go home to the Crystal Empire yet. I don’t care how long it takes, I will make sure you feel comfortable and happy again.”

“I-I just w-want to g-go home!” I couldn’t help but lean into the hug, sobbing into Twilight’s chest as all the stress and frustration of the past few days exploded in me.

“I know Flurry, I know.” Twilight stroked my mane as I cried against her. “I may not be your parents, but I swear I love you just as much.”

Somehow that just made me cry harder before I just let myself settle in the gentle warmth of her hug.

Ch 10 - Sappy Times

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After the good cry I had with Twilight, I felt emotionally and physically exhausted. Like I just threw all my energy out through my tears. I yawned and snuggled into her warm embrace. After all, she was my aunt and was here to protect me, no?

As I began to drift off into the sweet embrace of sleep I felt Twilight move away, removing the warm blanket of her wings. I let out an uncharacteristic whine before a sharp pinch to my side made me snap back awake. I looked up at her with a scowl at the pinch and crossed my forelegs in irritation.

“Sorry Flurry.” Twilight gave me an apologetic look before waving a hoof at her head. “I can’t let you sleep for another hour or so. We have to make sure you don’t have any other symptoms from your concussion.”

“Okay, so do you have a book or something I can read then?” I grumbled, still annoyed. I was tired as hell from being foalnapped and running everywhere and just wanted some peace and quiet for the first time in what felt like several days.

“No, not one I think you can read.” Twilight rubbed her chin with one hoof as she thought before pointing the hoof straight up. “Oh, why don’t you tell me more about that marefriend you had while in ‘Japan’?”

“Girlfriend.” I corrected, pointing a hoof at her face before sighing and looking into the distance. “Her name was Themis, and she was one of the kindest people I ever met.” I looked down at my hooves and gave a shaky laugh. “I wonder how she’d see me now. Probably think I was adorable or something, but don't want to date me anymore.”

“Well, how did you two meet?” Twilight grimaced, very clearly trying to steer me away from a train of self-hate.

“We met when I first moved into this large apartment building with my siblings. I didn’t speak much of the local language at the time so I couldn’t really talk to my neighbors too much.” I sighed, remembering the isolation of that time. “But Themis didn’t let that stop her at all, using her sheer willpower to make sure I was comfortable in my new home despite the language barrier.

“Eventually she dragged me out of the house, having her mother watch my siblings while she showed me around town. We went for dinner and at the end of the night ended up kissing under a budding sakura tree.” I smiled in contentment, feeling a tear prickle up under one of my eyes before I wiped it away with a hoof.

“Sounds like she was a good marefriend.” Twilight gave a small smile before chuckling.

“Hey, what’s so funny? I loved her, was going to propose and everything before, well, this.” I pointed a hoof at my face and scowled.

“Well, it’s a little funny that you have a marefriend instead of a coltfriend.” She chuckled again before giving a small smile. “You really take after your aunt in that regard.”

“You have a girlfriend?” I blinked, caught off guard. Twilight looked like she was more likely to spend her days reading books instead of dating anyone, but I guess anyone can find love. “Who?”

“Well, Rarity.” She blushed, a strange sight to see on a purple coat but still.

“Wait, like Ms. Rarity Rarity?” I yelled, sitting up in shock. “Wow, guess that explains why she was so willing to watch me on what seemed like short notice...”

“Yes, that Rarity.” Twilight gave a small chuckle. “But that wasn’t why she was willing to watch you. She volunteered since it was the quietest place to stay out of our friends.”

“Huh...” I relaxed back into bed, my eyebrows furrowed as I thought hard. “I don’t think I have many friends that are willing to take care of my family like that. Well, other than Themis’ mother, but I think she just enjoys taking care of people.”

“Don’t worry Flurry, I’m sure you’ll make plenty of friends here in Ponyville.” Twilight grinned before pointing to herself. “I would know, I am the Princess of Friendship after all.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at that. The moment was broken by a knock at the door, prompting Twilight to raise an eyebrow and look over. A second after the knock, the door opened to reveal Nurse Redheart, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash trotting in. Rarity immediately dashed over to the bed, pulling me into a gentle hug and nuzzling my mane for a moment before pulling back.

“Flurry, I am so glad you’re alright!” Rarity’s eyes were full of concern before she frowned. “But please don’t try to be the hero that stays behind. That’s for ponies like us, not fillies like you.” She gently hugged me again. “Just try to stay safe, please.”

I felt my face flush at the assertion I was just a weak little filly and not the manly badass I knew myself as, but couldn’t help but grunt out a yes. If the past few days taught me anything I was a lot less capable in this tiny filly body than I was in my human one. For now, at least, until I got the chance to actually work out.

“Yeah, I gotta agree with Rarity on this one.” Rainbow Dash interjected, stepping over next to me. “You risking your flank to help the Cutie Mark Crusaders was pretty cool, but leave the dangerous stuff to the adults, squirt.”

“I....okay,” I grumbled but nodded.

Nurse Redheart cleared her throat, making all four of us turn to her. “Princess Twilight, Rarity, can I see you two in private please?”

“Sure. Can you keep an eye on Flurry for a moment, Dash?” Twilight asked, getting a nod from Rainbow Dash in response. Twilight gave my mane a rustle before stepping out of the room with the nurse and Rarity.

“Alright squirt, want to hear how we kicked Nightmare Moon’s flank?” Rainbow Dash grinned down at me.

“I don’t know who that is but sure.”

“Wait, she ruled for over a thousand years?” My jaw dropped at the thought of living that long. “How old do Alicorns get?”

“Uhhhhh, that might be a question for Twilight.” Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “I don’t think anypony knows, one hasn’t really died. I think Princess Celestia is the oldest alicorn and she’s 1500 years old? And she looks like she’s at most middle-aged.”

1500 years old and not super old? Jesus, how old do they get? Wait, I’m an alicorn. Oh fuck, I’m gonna be stuck with this body for a long time if I can’t get back to earth....

Before I could respond I could hear the sounds of some arguing from the other room, causing one of my ears to prick up. The door slammed open as Rarity strolled back into the room, clearly upset before she yelled back at Twilight.

“You have until tomorrow or I’ll tell her myself.” She huffed and used her magic to slam the door in Twilight’s face. Seeing the shock on Dash and I’s faces she grinned sheepishly. “Oh, sorry about that darlings. Got a bit carried away. Nurse Redheart should be coming with your medication so you can get some sleep.”

“I...okay.” I frowned a bit, still a little rattled at the sight of the two mares arguing just outside. “Is everything okay Ms. Rarity?”

“Of course.” Rarity gave me a large, very obviously fake grin. “Everything is perfectly fine, darling.”

I rolled my eyes, but once again the door swung open before I could properly respond. This time it was Nurse Redheart who strode in, carrying a tray with a glass of water and a styrofoam cup on her back. She ~~(somehow)~~ set the tray on the table next to the bed with her mouth, not spilling anything in the process.

“Alright Flurry Heart, can you be a dear and take these?” Nurse Redheart gave the same ‘professionally sweet’ smile she’d been giving me this entire time before passing me the styrofoam cup with one hoof.

I sighed and took the styrofoam cup with my own hoof, seeing two or three white pills at the bottom. I shrugged and took the pills, washing them down with the offered water. As soon as I took that sip I quickly chugged the last of the cup before sighing in relief.

“Unfortunately visiting hours are over, so Rarity and Rainbow Dash are going to have to go home.” Nurse Redheart gave the two a stern look before turning back to me. “If you want your aunt can stay with you during the night so you aren’t alone.”

I bit my lip, not sure how I felt being alone with my Twilight considering how weird she’d been acting. After a moment’s deliberation, the fear of being alone for the night outweighed the fear of her.

“If she could stay I’d appreciate it.” I looked up at Nurse Redheart with my best pleading eyes.

“Okay, dear.” She gave me that professional smile again before starting to wave Rainbow Dash and Rarity out of the room. “Get some rest. You’ll meet with the counselor in the morning and then you’re a free pony.”

I nodded and yawned, slowly relaxing back into the soft pillow. Somehow the whole bed felt a lot softer and more inviting than it did a short bit ago. I gave one more yawn as I saw Twilight re-enter the room before I drifted off to sleep.

I stirred in my sleep as I heard a faint knocking on the door. I groaned and rolled over, moving one of my wings to cover my face. My cat meowed at me in irritation, moving around before settling again at my hind legs. I grumbled again as whoever was knocking knocked again before I opened one eye.

“Go away mom, I don’t have school today!” I yelled before curling back up in bed, enjoying the warmth of my room on a summer weekend.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

I groaned before sitting up and yawning, letting my cat jump off the bed and wander somewhere else in my room to sleep. Rolling onto my hooves I let myself stretch out, my bones cracking very satisfyingly. My wings were the strangest to stretch, since they were connected to my spine it felt more like stretching out fingers than limbs.

“Alright come in, I’m up,” I grumbled, staring daggers at my door.

The door glowed a faint blue before slamming open, revealing a large blue alicorn on the other side. She looked powerful and pissed, not helped by the shimmering mane on her head, glowing with the night sky. As she stepped towards the bed I felt stuck in place by her gaze, sitting down with a squeak as she towered over me. Even with me sitting on the bed she was still a good head and haunches taller than my filly body.

“Uh....hi?” I squeaked out, my ears flicking back in fear as I began to slowly back up to the edge of my bed. "Who are you?"

“I am Princess Luna, and you are going to tell me why you are in my niece’s body.” The alicorn growled, her horn glowing with a faint blue aura as she loomed over me.

Ch 11 - Dreamception

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Content warning: death and mentions of domestic abuse.

“I am Princess Luna, and you are going to tell me why you are in my niece’s body.” The midnight blue alicorn growled as she loomed over me, her horn glowing a faint blue. I couldn’t tell if it was an instinctual fear or what but I felt as if the Hand of God was floating over me, about to crush me in an instant.

“I don’t know! I just woke up from a night of drinking in this body.” As I spoke the truth I felt a rush of irritation come over me, overwhelming my sense of fear. I got back up to my hooves and stared her in the eyes as I yelled back. “If I knew, I'd go back home! I don’t want to be in this little body, I went through growing up once I don’t want to go through it again!”

Don’t think about puberty don’t think about puberty don’t think about puberty

“One does not just ‘wake up’ in an alicorn body.” Luna snorted, shaking her head.

“Oh, let me guess. You think I have an ‘active imagination’ too?” I scowled and started pacing back and forth on the bed. “I told Auntie Twilight that I was a human, not Flurry, and she brushed me off. Miss Cheerilee thinks I was tutored by a griffon due to saying ‘someone’ instead of ‘somepony’.” I stepped over and punched my pillow. “I feel like I’m stuck going in circles because no one wants to listen to what I have to say.”

“If it makes you feel better, I believe you aren’t a pony.” I heard Luna sigh a bit before using her magic to spin me around. She still had a look of irritation in her eyes but now tempered a bit. “This is the first time I’ve seen another soul in a pony body. Tell me, what do you mean you woke up like this?”

I shrugged, feeling my feathers almost itch in sympathetic anxiety as I felt like I was staring down at a goddess. Or well, as I was being stared down by a goddess. Since she was obviously a lot stronger than me if her hair was anything to go by.

“I went out drinking with my girlfriend the night before, trying to use liquid courage to build up the conviction to propose to her. When I came to, I was now a pink filly in a pastel world.” I rubbed the side of my head with a hoof. “I had apparently been in a coma for a week, my life barely saved by Auntie Twilight casting some kind of healing spell on me that aged me a few years.”

“‘Auntie Twilight’?” Luna frowned deeply at the words. “She isn’t your aunt, she is Flurry’s aunt.”

“Yes, well, the past few days I’d been pretending to be Flurry.” I shrugged, still feeling somewhat confident thanks to the adrenaline pumping through me. “Didn’t really have another option without possibly getting thrown into an asylum. Or being dumped with a ton of medication.”

The alicorn continued to scowl but slowly nodded. I breathed out a sigh of relief that she was actually somewhat listening to me, which was leagues better than anypony else so far.

“Hmm.” Luna rubbed her chin for a moment before turning towards the door. “A healing spell wouldn’t do this, however. What could it be....”

“Hey, wait, where are you going?” I yelled before trying to follow Luna out of the door. Instead, all I accomplished was falling out of my bed like a fool.

However, instead of hitting the floor face first, I continued to fall through a dark night sky. I screamed and extended my wings, trying to desperately end my fall. I felt the air whistle through my feathers and around my wings, feeling almost like I was swimming through the air. Except, well, I was falling through it flailing all four hooves like a maniac. Instead of being able to fly through the air, it almost felt like the air was rushing through my wings like water through fingers too open to redirect the water. I saw the ground quickly approach me in a pink and green blur and closed my eyes for the landing.

“Ow....” I rubbed my head as I got up from the ground, somehow still alive from falling from so high. Wait, dream logic. “How am I still asleep but in so much pain?”

“You were given sedatives at the hospital to help you sleep.” Luna appeared next to me, now looking even taller than she did in my room. Looking up at her started to make my neck hurt a bit so I quickly gave up and started to look around.

Apparently, my dream brought me to the Sakura tree park near the town I lived in before all this pony stuff happened. The trees were in full bloom, pink petals falling everywhere as the branches blew in the wind. The park itself was covered in lush green grass, tended to every day by a team of gardeners to ensure the plant life was well taken care of.

“Why did you bring us here, Luna?” I picked up one of the petals on a hoof and smiled. “Don’t get me wrong, I love this forest as much as the next man but I doubt you came here for the sights.”

“This is your last memory here.” Luna started to walk into the forest, heading towards the centre.

I had to trot to keep up with her, my little legs straining to keep up with her much longer ones, much more than the other ponies. As we went I noticed the air had a faint chill to it, but not as much as I would expect to feel being naked in the woods. As we reached the centre of the woods I saw the old, large tree that the park was built around reaching up to the sky.

Pacing in front of it was my human form, all bundled up to protect against the cold. My pale skin shone against my black jacket and jeans, my shoulder-length straight black hair and eyes betraying my mixed heritage. I was short and stocky, not super short but enough that I felt like it when at work.

“I would assume that is you?” Luna asked, looking down at me. I nodded, a little surprised at this image of myself. “Strange. You look almost like a Minotaur or a Centaur, just with non-equine legs. I’m sure if Twilight was here she’d be freaking out over a new creature to study.”

I frowned a bit at that thought but was quickly distracted by the entrance of a second figure into this quiet area of the park. At first glance, I thought it was a young woman on her way home, but as I looked closer I could see that she was making a beeline towards me. On top of that, her clothes looked ragged, worn down over a long period of time. As she got closer to my human self I saw myself turn around towards her, a polite smile on his face.

“Hello!” My old self greeted her in Japanese, giving a respectful nod before moving to continue his pacing.

The young woman stepped closer to me before pulling her hand out of her ragged jacket, procuring a pistol. As my human self raised his hands in the air she slowly stepped closer, yelling at him.

“Give me your money, now!” she yelled, her voice cracking a bit as she did so.

“Okay, but I am going to need to reach into my pocket to do so.” My human self sweated a bit but otherwise remained calm. “Can I do so?”

“I-I, yes!” The young woman yelled, clearly nervous about the situation but too far in to back down. “Slowly!”

My human self slowly inched one hand down towards his pocket, trying to not endanger himself when he didn’t need to. Before he could reach his hand to his pocket, a branch snapped nearby, drawing both of our attention to the sound. Standing in the middle of the path was Themis, in all her beautiful glory. The young woman immediately turned the gun towards her, yelling at Themis to back up or get hurt.

“No!” my human form yelled in desperation, jumping towards the mugger to distract her from Themis. Instead, all he got was the young woman turning around and firing the gun blindly.

I closed my eyes and covered them with my hooves as I heard the sounds of Themis screaming and my body hitting the tree. The mugger swore and ran off as Themis ran over to my body, sobbing the whole way.

“Storm, no, please hold on,” Themis begged, sobbing as she no doubt held my body in her hands. Feeling a sense of emptiness in my chest I slowly lifted one hoof to get one last look at my love, seeing her crying over my bleeding body.

Above the two of us, the sakura tree seemed to glow with rainbow colors before the entire scene fell away into darkness. Luna and I were left standing in a field of nothingness, mist, and shadows extending into infinity.

“That was....I am not quite sure how to put that into words.” Luna sat down next to me, her voice a little rattled by what she saw. “I could see how you thought you were waking up hungover, however.”

“I died!” I wailed, curling into a ball and sobbing. “I fucking died! Does this make me a zombie or something? Does this mean I can’t go home?”

“I do not know.” Luna sighed, the irritation in her voice now gone, replaced with concern and confusion. “I do know that whatever that tree was, it shimmered like the Tree of Harmony. Oh, Twilight, what did you do?”

“Luna, am I stuck here?” I whimpered, completely overwhelmed by the fact I DIED.

“Quite possibly.” Luna rubbed my back and hummed before getting to her hooves. “If you are, I wish to see who you truly are. After all, I cannot abide some ruffian inhabiting my niece’s body. Even if...” she grit her teeth, cutting herself off from finishing the sentence. “No, that will wait until I can speak to Twilight in the flesh.”

“I-I....okay.” I sniffled and slowly got to my hooves. “What do you want to see?”

“How about a happy memory?” Luna gave me a gentle smile. “We should clear the air after, well, what we just saw.”

I nodded, trying to think back to a good memory. I grinned and pointed a hoof up at Luna in victory, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

“When my siblings were born!” I grinned at the memory, spacing out a bit.

“Then let’s go there.” Luna’s horn glowed with a faint blue light before the area around us changed.

“Storm, come over and see your sister Mary!”

I watched as a 10-year-old version of my human form ran over to my mother’s bed, jumping up to see the baby in her arms. Behind me was my father, who was watching from the doorframe with his arms crossed. I could still hear my younger brother in the other room, too young to understand what was going on so he was being watched by the midwife.

My mother and father were like night and day compared to each other. My mother was small, Japanese, and quiet while my father was large, American, and very loud. Seeing her in bed again with my baby sister brought a tear to my eye. She looked so tired from giving birth but hid it to not scare me.

“Your name is Storm?” Luna looked down, her eyebrow raised in surprise. “That is a very...pony name. No offense.”

“None taken.” I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh at seeing my mother again, even if only in memory. “It’s a nickname given to me by my mother since I was born in a storm. My actual name is Noah Smith. But please don’t call me that, I prefer Storm.”

“I see.” Luna nodded before looking out the window to the mountains of Utah. “This doesn’t look like where you died. How did you end up all the way out there if you had family here?”

“I ran away from home with my siblings in tow about eight years after this moment.” I sighed, continuing to stare at my mother’s face as a tear slipped down my cheek. “My father wasn’t the best man and was abusive towards my mother. One day he got into an argument with her and....removed her from the family.”

I couldn’t help but choke a bit at the memory of finding my mother’s body, barely noticing the midnight blue wing that draped over me.

“Shortly after that my brother came out as gay to me. I didn’t want him to end up like my mother, so I grabbed my siblings and ran as far and as fast as I could.” I chuckled a bit, a small smile growing on my face. “Ironically, the skills my father taught me to defend our home against those he didn’t like helped us hide from him. I ended up immigrating to Japan with my two siblings as dependents since my mother always told me about where she grew up. Figured we’d be safe there.” I frowned, rubbing one of my hooves into the floor. “I guess I wasn’t safe after all...”

“Regardless of that, it sounds like you did the best you could as an older sibling. Not every pony would be lucky to have that.” Luna nuzzled the top of my head, pulling me tighter into her embrace. With a flash of her horn the memory fizzled back into nothingness.

“I guess. But that raises the question, what’s going to happen to me?” I looked up at her, brows knitted in confusion. “You’re cuddling me like a child, but I am not your niece. I’m a ghost shoved into someone else’s body.” I sighed and looked down at my hooves. “Am I going to be banished, exorcized, thrown in prison?”

“I do not know, this is a unique situation.” Luna moved so she was sitting next to me, still keeping a wing around me. “Nopony, not even the dread necromancer Grogar has been able to actually resurrect anypony. If Twilight did what I think she did, you’d be in a legal grey area that I would need to talk to my sister to fix. In my eyes, though, you are just like any other pony, and are entitled to live your life.”

“Then...what should I do? I can’t go home, I’m dead.” I grumbled, rubbing my face with my hooves.

“Take a breath and think about the future. You’ve been given a second chance at life, not many ponies have that.” Luna used one of her hooves to push mine down so I couldn’t hurt myself with them. “Make friends and get used to your new body. If my sister and I can’t find a way to send you home, you will have it for a while.”

“Okay....” I sighed before nodding to myself. “I can do that.”

“Good. I will be there in a few days, traveling by train from the north takes far longer than I would like.” Luna smiled at me, making me feel incrementally better. “Together we will speak to Twilight and figure this all out. I promise. Now, our time here is done.”

I woke up from my sleep with a start, still curled up in my hospital bed. I opened one eye to see Twilight asleep in her chair, snoring away. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight before looking at the slowly rising sun in a good mood for once. I couldn't change the past, but Luna was right. I had a second chance of having a happy life, and I can't waste that.

Ch 12 - Therapony

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I woke up from my medicated sleep with a twitch, feeling like I got hit with a book to the chest. I took a deep breath, hissing a bit at the slight pain from my chest.

Oh right, that pegasus broke my ribs. I need to be careful.

I couldn’t help but yawn as I sat up in the hospital bed, slipping out from under the stuffy covers. Now on all four hooves, I stretched like a cat, feeling my joints pop and shift into place. I tried to stretch out my wings as well, feeling them also crack a bit at being allowed to actually expand after being tied up for a few days. Stretching them out like that felt almost like cracking your knuckles in a way, releasing a lot of built-up pressure.

Now mostly up I sat back down on the bed and tried to smooth my mane back into place. Turns out Rarity was right, hooves and manes don’t work out well and all my effort was for naught. All I accomplished was smushing my hair around a bit. I sighed and instead stretched my wings out to check the feathers over. They were a mess as well, the ropes and shifting in my sleep did them no favors. I tried to preen them myself but all I got was a broken feather and a bit of pain.

Okay, fine. I’ll wait for Fluttershy or Dash to show me. Bleh.

On the other side of the room, I heard the sound of a chair squeaking, making me jump a bit and whip my head around towards the sound. Turns out I wasn’t alone in the room, as Twilight was fast asleep in her chair. She was slumped over, snoring through the book sitting open on her face. As much as I found her uncomfortable to be around, especially now that I knew she might be part of the reason why I was stuck here, I couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

The quiet moment was broken by a knock on the door, startling Twilight awake. The book clattered onto the floor as she fell out of the chair with a squawk. I couldn’t help but fall over laughing while she got up grumbling before dusting herself off. The door opened, revealing Nurse Redheart and Spike, who was holding a scroll in one of his little claws.

“I see somepony’s in a good mood.” Nurse Redheart chuckled before turning towards Twilight. “You alright, dear?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Twilight gave an awkward smile before pushing her tiara back into place on her head.

“Yeah, I had a good dream last night.” I grinned at the two ponies and the dragon. “So, what’s on the docket today?”

“The two of us are going down to visit Counselor Sunny, to ensure you’re recovering from your amnesia alright.” Redheart gave her professional calming smile. “In the meantime, Princess Twilight has a message. Spike?”

Spike jogged over to Twilight, passing her the scroll with a grimace on his face. Twilight raised an eyebrow at Spike but took the scroll with her magic and read it. I could see her pupils slowly shrinking as she read it, and by the time she was done, I could swear her mane somehow got super messy despite the fact nothing touched it.

“Oh my Celestia, Princess Luna is coming from the Crystal Empire in two days!” Twilight began to hyperventilate as the note got slowly crushed in her magic grip. “I am not ready, not ready at all. She is going to banish me! Oh, FUCK!”

With that yell she vanished in a flash of light and runes, forcing Spike to step back and rub his eyes. I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at Nurse Redheart, who shrugged back in as much confusion.

“Well, that isn’t good.” Spike groaned and rubbed his head with one of his adorable little claws. After taking a second to compose himself he turned to me. “I’ll go find her and see if somepony else can pick you up. Sorry Flurry.”

Nurse Redheart sighed and rubbed her own head with one hoof. “Legally, she should be picked up by a legal guardian or caretaker. But get Rarity, Fluttershy, or Applejack to pick her up and I’ll let it slide this time while you help Twilight. Again.”

Spike nodded and quickly jogged out of the room. I sighed and hopped off the bed with a bit more grace than I did last time I was at the hospital. I was getting used to this pony body, for better or worse.

“Alright, let’s get this over with,” I grumbled before following Nurse Redheart out of the hospital room. “Never was a fan of therapists.”

I was led to a rather comfy-looking office on the first floor, the wooden door labeled ‘Counselor Sunny Day’. Inside was a decently sized room, the floor was covered in a green carpet while the walls were painted like a park on a, well, sunny day. Several fluffy pillows and bean bag chairs were scattered about the room, along with several toys and stuffed animals. Finally, in one corner was a small wood desk with two chairs in front of it.

“So, you must be Princess Flurry Heart.” The unicorn stallion behind the desk gave a similar ‘professional warm smile’ as Nurse Redheart as he hopped from his chair and began to step towards us. “I am Councilor Sunny Day. A pleasure.” Once he finished heading over to the two of us he held out a hoof for me to shake.

I looked him over for a second before I shook his hoof. Like all the adults in this world, he was almost twice my height, forcing me to tilt my head up a bit more than I’d like to look at him in his silver eyes. His coat was a dull yellow, while his mane was a light blue with a gray stripe running through it. Unlike most of the ponies I’ve seen he actually wore an accessory: a pair of rounded glasses.

“Same.” I shook his hoof as gently as I could, trying to not simply bump his hoof with mine. “Nice room.”

“Thank you, Flurry.” Sunny smiled at Nurse Redheart and nodded before raising a hoof at one of the circles of pillows. “Would you like to take a seat? We have much to cover today before you go home, unfortunately.”

“Sure.” I couldn’t help but flick one of my ears back in apprehension as I moved over to a bean bag chair and sank into it. I really didn’t like therapists, they read too much into what ponies said.

Sunny used his magic to lift a pillow over to face me, relaxing into it with practiced ease. The bean bag chair made me almost eye height with him, which was nice for once. His horn glowed with a red aura a second time before a file poofed out of nowhere, flipping open to show a few papers and pictures.

“So, what do you want to know?” I took the second of silence to relax into the bean bag chair, loafing like a cat in the soft cushioning of the seat.

“Well, I want to know about you.” Sunny gave the trademark Therapist Smile. “How have you been feeling today?”

“I’ve been better. Ending up in the hospital twice in one week is not a good look.” I grimaced a bit. “That and being reprimanded for helping the Cutie Mark Crusaders escape a foalnapping attempt was unexpected and frankly kind of insulting.”

“Hmm.” Sunny levitated a quill in his magic before writing a note in the folder. “Perhaps they’re worried that you might get hurt again? As you said, you ended up in the hospital twice. One due to an accident and one due to a foalnapping.”

“Maybe. It’s still not the response I expected nor wanted.” I sighed and glanced down at the ground. “I hate to say it but I at least expected gratitude if not for them being proud.”

“I see.” More writing. Made me wish I could read their strange symbols. “What made you so ready to stay behind while the other fillies escaped?”

“The girls reminded me of my little sister.” I felt my other ear flick back, the thought of my little sister filling me with loss. Not sure what made me want to share info about my human life but it just slipped out. “I wanted to make sure they got out first and didn't get hurt, since to do otherwise would just be wrong. So far they were the only ponies who spoke to me without pretending I would fall and break like an ice sculpture. That and Princess Luna.”

I could hear him writing up a frenzy, especially that bit about how ponies were treating me. “Princess Luna, you say? She visited you in your dreams?”

“Yeah. She visited and helped me work through a few things. I don’t want to share those though if that’s okay.” Nice try Sunny! But I ain’t ready to talk about the fact I’m ~~probably~~ totally not a zombie yet.

“Very well then. How about we talk about your test scores? You’re a very bright filly.” Sunny raised an eyebrow as he flipped a page in his notes. “Your math and creative writing are incredibly advanced for somepony your age, but you can’t read.”

I shrugged again. “I am just good at math, and have an active imagination according to my aunt.”

“Indeed. Tell me about your sister, is she also a pony or...” Sunny raised an eyebrow again, rolling his ‘r’ so I probably would finish his sentence.

“She’s my younger sister, fill in the gaps how you like.” I frowned at Sunny, starting to feel uncomfortable. What else did Twilight tell Sunny? I mean it made some sense that she would talk to him while I was asleep, but still. “Uh, Councilor Sunny? Do we have to keep talking about stuff like that? I'd rather just relax for a bit after the past few days.”

“Of course, of course.” Sunny smiled and closed the file, floating it all the way back to his desk. “If you do not want to talk, we don’t have to. Would you like to play Candy Land for the remaining time?”

“Sure.” I couldn’t help but tilt my head in slight confusion. “Uh, what's Candy Land?”

A half an hour and a few board games later, our time came to a swift end. The final game of Candy Land was interrupted by Nurse Redheart opening the door, giving a polite cough to catch Sunny’s attention from me kicking his ass. Meanwhile, I was grinning wider than my face should allow, almost bouncing a bit in place as I won the third game in a row.

“Ah, Nurse Redheart, how can I help you?” Sunny pushed his glasses back up his nose with one hoof as he looked up.

“Fluttershy is here to pick up Flurry Heart, Councilor. Are you all set or do you want to finish your game?”

“No, no, our time is almost over anyway.” Sunny got to his hooves, brushing himself off as he did so. “So, Flurry Heart, I would like to see you again this time next week. Would that work for you?”

“I mean, I have a feeling I don’t have a choice but sure Councilor if that is what you recommend it works for me.” I shrugged, feeling my good mood slowly dissipate.

Sunny nodded before walking me to the door. “In that case, I will see you soon. Have a good week Flurry Heart.”

I nodded back at him before turning to Nurse Redheart. “Well, I guess that’s our cue, Nurse. Lead on to Ms. Fluttershy.”

Waiting for me in the waiting room of the hospital was Fluttershy, the yellow pegasus fidgeting in her chair as she watched the clock. Once the sound of my hooves clanked on the otherwise quiet, empty room she got up with a gasp and trotted over to me. She gave me a gentle wing hug in greeting, her soft coat and feathers making it feel almost like a soft blanket being wrapped around me for a moment.

“Oh Flurry Heart, I am glad you are alright. I was so worried about you.” Fluttershy gave me a warm smile, her soft voice reminding me of my mother in a way. Full of patience and kindness.

“Thank you, Ms. Fluttershy.” I smiled back at her, hugging her back in turn. “Sorry for how I look, by the way. Ms. Rarity was right, hooves aren’t good to brush manes and I am still not sure how to properly preen my wings.”

“Oh, I can show you when we get back to my cottage, don’t worry Flurry.” She rubbed her chin with one hoof before smiling to herself. “After I show you how to do that, would you like to meet the animals? I’m sure they’d love to meet you.”

I couldn’t help but give Fluttershy a dumb grin. “I would love that Ms. Fluttershy. Maybe this will be an amazing day after all.”

Ch 13 - Of Rabbits and Fillies

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As Fluttershy and I began to walk towards her cottage on the other side of Ponyville, I couldn’t help but take in a breath of fresh non-hospital air. After the past few days of hospital care and foalnapping, some quality time with animals and a kind if a bit too timid mare sounded like heaven. She took her time walking, keeping an eye on me while I trotted a bit ahead of her, enjoying the fresh air and sunlight. Unlike last time, a lot fewer ponies stared at me in surprise, which was nice. I wasn’t too much of a fan of attention, at least when it wasn’t warranted.

“Say, Ms. Fluttershy, am I going to be staying with you for a bit, or is Auntie Twilight going to pick me up later?” I looked up at the pegasus, who grimaced and hid behind her mane at the question. I frowned before sighing and kicking a rock. “Let me guess, she has ‘princess business’ and won’t be around for a few more days? Again?”

“Something like that. Sorry Flurry.” I felt Fluttershy’s wing wrap over my back and pull me close to her. “Spike told me she was freaking out about Princess Luna’s upcoming visit, but I am sure it's nothing. Means we get to have a sleepover and get to know each other a bit better!”

I grumbled to myself before looking up at Fluttershy with my big sad filly eyes. “But I’ve barely seen her all week! Isn’t she supposed to be watching over me?” I sighed and looked away, staring off at the flowers in front of somepony’s house and the pink mare next to them. “Maybe I should go back home instead.”

“Flurry, don’t talk like that!” Fluttershy put a hoof on my chin, moving my head to look at her again. “Your aunt loves you very much, but sometimes she gets a bit...worked up. But even though she doesn’t seem like she is watching you, trust me when I say that nopony is more worried about you than she is.”

“If you say so, Ms. Fluttershy,” I grumbled and continued walking with her to the cottage. “I hope she’s okay, she cussed when she read Spike’s letter.”

“Oh dear, I haven’t heard her swear in a while.” Fluttershy blinked before stammering a bit. “Not that it's something to be worried about, Twilight has Spike and Starlight, and if she really needs something she can always ask her friends.”

“Okay. Hopefully whatever Princess Luna comes for isn’t too stressful in the end.” I grumbled.

I know lying is a sin, but I doubt I could tell such a kind mare that I want to be there when Princess Luna gives Twilight a good yell at for being such an idiot the past few days. And probably making me Flurry Heart. Something shady is going on.

I spent a good few minutes taking a look at some of the buildings before looking up at her again. “Oh, I know you said you’d show me how to actually take care of my wings when we get back to your place. But is there any way you could show me how to fly? I tried before but all I got out of it was me crashing face-first into the ground.”

Fluttershy gave me a gentle smile and nodded happily. “Of course Flurry, I can show you how to do that. If you want to do some tricks you should speak to Rainbow Dash, but I can show you the basics at least.”

“Thank you, Ms. Fluttershy!” I grinned, slipping out from under Fluttershy’s wing to trot ahead of her again. God, it felt good to stretch my legs again. And hopefully my wings soon!

Fluttershy led me to this beautiful wooden cottage with what looked like a grass roof, instead of the thatch most roofs in this town were made of. There were dozens of birdhouses scattered about the roof and trees leading up to the property. What really caught my eye was the coop over to the side with chickens and other animals inside.

“Wow, these are a lot of birdhouses,” I muttered under my breath, a bit blown away by the sheer number of implied animals living in this area. I couldn’t see any of them at the moment, but I had no doubt that they weren’t too far away.

“Oh, I take care of lots of animals.” Fluttershy giggled as she waved towards her cottage. “Most of them are probably waiting inside for their food. Once I’m done let’s have some tea and relax. How does that sound Flurry?”

“That sounds amazing Ms. Fluttershy!” I couldn’t help but skip a bit as I went over the bridge towards the cottage. Curse this tiny body and its youthful energy!

Fluttershy opened the cottage door to reveal what would otherwise be a quaint cottage main room with sofas and a fireplace and a few scattered tables. Well, if it wasn’t for the two dozen or so scattered animals waiting with their food bowls in the middle of the room. I could see a few rabbits, a snake, an eagle, even a fucking bear! Honestly, the fact that they were all waiting patiently instead of eating each other was the most shocking part.

“I’m sorry for being a bit late, I had to pick up a friend at the hospital.” Fluttershy stepped in, giving each animal a pat on the head in greeting. “Everypony, meet Flurry!”

The various animals growled, squeaked, and roared in greeting, the sheer volume making my mane blow back from the force. I squeaked a bit and awkwardly waved a hoof in greeting to the various animals.

“H-hello!” I put on the bravest smile I could, even though I could feel my ears flick themselves back and pin themselves to my head. I would call myself a brave ~~filly~~ man, but when you’re about a dozen feet from a massive bear that kind of goes out the window.

“Why don’t you wait in the kitchen while I get everypony set up, and then we can have tea and breakfast ourselves? I know you probably ate at the hospital, but you should probably have some actual food in your system or you won’t grow big and strong like your aunt.”

I nodded as fast as I could before trotting into the kitchen to get away from the more dangerous animals. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I maneuvered myself around the combo kitchen and dining room towards the wooden table and chairs in one corner. Unfortunately, I realized one big problem with taking a seat - I couldn’t really move the chair easily with my lack of hands.

I frowned to myself and tapped my horn with a hoof, ready to try again after the first mess with the hospital door. I pointed my hoof towards the chair and tried to move it with my magic, albeit more gently than the door. My horn and the chair glowed, and I could see the same rune as before appearing out of the corner of my eye. I once again focused on the rune, but much more softly than I did before. The chair slowly shifted to the side, more slowly and less graceful than I saw Rarity move furniture but still. Once the chair finished moving enough for me to hopefully wiggle my way up to the seat I stopped, letting the chair settle into place.

Wow, that was great! A bit tiring but great! Maybe I should ask Rarity or Sweetie Belle to show me a thing or two, might get some great use out of this whole horn thing. Cast a fireball or something like D&D? Who knows.

I stepped over to the chair and hopped into the seat, relaxing a bit into the familiar feel of a nice wooden chair. Annoyingly the table was about the same height as my neck, so only my head poked over the edge. On the table itself were a few plates and a simple tablecloth, but nothing too special.

However, after a second of peace and quiet a white bunny rabbit jumped up, raising one of his eyebrows at me. I blinked at him before offering a smile and wave. He frowned and crossed his arms, turning his head away from me.

“Wow, you are one angry bunny.” I couldn’t help but tilt my head, taken aback by his attitude.

He sighed and pointed to his belly before pointing to the counter, where a bundle of carrots lay in a glass bowl high up on a shelf. He then pointed to my wings and flapped his hands, as if to mimic me flying.

“Oh, uh, I can’t reach that either.” I shrugged, feeling my wings twitch a bit at the thought of flying. “I haven’t figured out how to fly. Sorry, buddy.”

The bunny scowled and stomped one of his feet on the table, before hopping off onto the ground. I watched him bounce off into the main area, probably to bitch to Fluttershy. I simply shrugged and pushed him from my mind. Instead, I leaned back in my seat and stretched out my back while I waited for Fluttershy.

Almost half an hour later Fluttershy gently shook my shoulder to wake me up from my daydream. I blinked and shook my head like a dog before looking up at her.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting Flurry. Earnie the bear and Maude the eagle both needed a good talking to.” Fluttershy smiled warmly at me before gesturing to her kitchen. “I put the kettle on, but first what would you like for breakfast?”

“Uh, is there any chance I could have some scrambled eggs?” I gave my best adorable filly eyes, prompting a nod from Fluttershy.

After a short period of time, I found myself presented with a beautiful plate of scrambled eggs and ‘taters with a mug of tea to drink. Picking up a fork with a hoof took a few tries but I was eventually able to secure a hold on it so I could enjoy my delicious meal. The mug presented a different problem since I couldn’t really afford to drop hot tea all over myself.

I decided instead to grit my teeth and grab the hot mug with both hooves, despite the fact that it was scaldingly hot. Fluttershy blinked in surprise at this from the other side of the table at this display of stupidity but I persevered and managed to finally take a sip of tea. Was fucking delicious and worth it.

I miss meat but if Fluttershy could show me how to cook this good I’ll be annoyed but mostly happy I guess.

“I hate to impose but do you have any, er, smaller and cuddlier animals I could meet Ms. Fluttershy?” I gave a nervous grin and rubbed the back of my head with a hoof. “Bears and other big predators are a bit much, sorry.”

Ch 14 - Like Night And Day

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The Princess of the Night could hear the familiar hoofsteps approaching from a dozen feet away, however muffled they should have been in the snow. She didn’t need to turn her head to know that it was her sister approaching, after all, they’ve known each other for millennia. Instead, she kept her gaze focused on the pink dome before her, enshrouding the city of the Crystal Empire.

“It is not like you to be up this late.” The Princess of the Day took her place alongside her sister, the very air slowly warming with her mere presence. “What’s bothering you?”

“Many things bother me, Tia. The fact that we are walled off from the Crystal Empire with no explanation or communication. The fact that Princess Twilight isn’t answering our letters about Flurry or the Elements.” Luna gave a small sigh before looking up at her sister. “Although I believe I made a breakthrough for one of them.”

“Oh? Did you see something in your dream walking?” Celestia raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Luna’s strange magic.

“Something like that. Please, let’s return to my tent for some privacy.” Luna and Celestia turned from the pink wall and headed into what would under any other circumstance be a war camp.

Roughly four dozen orderly tents were arranged in a defensive position around three larger tents, along with some rough fortifications arranged around the camp. As the two alicorns passed through the camp the various Lunar and Solar guards bowed to their monarchs as they went about their duties. The former was primarily made up of Thestrals on their way to rest for the day, while the latter was made of illusionary white and blue stallions of various pony tribes.

In the centre of the camp were the three main tents that the whole camp was made to protect. One was a golden piece of art with the sun at the top, while the second was its Lunar twin. The third was where the various officers gathered to discuss strategies and plans, at the moment mostly patrols considering they couldn’t enter the city.

With a simple spell, Luna opened her tent, holding it open for her sister before entering it herself. The interior was as functional as it was fancy: a large bed occupied most of the space, with a small desk in one corner and a large board with various papers and pictures pinned to it on one wall. Noticeably on the desk was a magic box for her various informants to send messages to, one appearing with a green *poof* as they entered. Luna cast another spell once the two monarchs were safely inside to activate a silence spell so they could have true privacy from prying ears.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Luna gave an awkward smile as she stepped over to the board.

Celestia raised an eyebrow and took a seat on one of the scattered pillows on the tent floor. “Good news. I’ve had a long morning already, I could use some good news to brighten my mood.”

“Well, the good news is that I was able to reach Flurry Heart’s dream last night. Was one of her sleeping with a cat curled next to her, of all things.” Luna smiled briefly at the warmness of the dream compared to the usual nightmares she had to deal with.

Celestia gave a sigh of relief before smiling herself. “That is good to hear. With all the conflicting reports coming from Ponyville, I am happy to hear that she is safe.”

Luna couldn’t hide her grimace from Celestia as she turned towards her, the elder sister’s experience in reading ponies’ expressions more fine-tuned than the younger’s skill at hiding them. The smile dropped off Celestia’s face at the grimace, her face softening as grief began to take hold.

“The bad news is that it wasn’t Flurry Heart. Or at least the mind wasn’t Flurry’s, just the body.” Luna sighed before rubbing her brow with a hoof. “Somehow a ‘human’ named Storm is inside Flurry Heart instead of her own mind. I looked at the memory of Storm’s death at the hooves of some unknown weapon with her, and it would seem that her being pulled into this world was an instant process as she was as shocked at her own death as I was. Whatever pulled the human’s mind into our world also had traces of Twilight’s magic.”

“So the reports are true. The changeling that attacked Twilight’s castle did manage to critically injure the poor foal.” Celestia sighed, forcing the bubbling grief down. “This doesn’t explain why Flurry Heart now appears to be about 10 years old when she was just a baby a few weeks ago. Healing spell gone wrong?”

“Perhaps, it wouldn't be impossible for a healing spell to take years of a pony’s life to heal a mortal injury. But the closest I’ve ever seen was when Starswirl lost about 5 years after having every bone broken by Tirek.” Luna rubbed her chin in contemplation. “A changeling couldn’t do nearly enough damage to an alicorn, even an alicorn baby.”

“He most likely had help. After all, there was a report from the local guard of an attempted foalnapping. This ‘Storm’ and the CMC were captured by a unicorn and pegasus, although I believe it was more of a targeted attack than a crime of opportunity.” Celestia frowned slightly, not wanting to speak the next words. “You should interrogate the pegasus when you make your trip to Ponyville. Unfortunately, the unicorn was reportedly....slain by Twilight in her drive to save Flurry.”

Luna couldn’t help but gasp in slight shock at the thought of Twilight killing another pony. She coughed and regained her composure before tapping the board with one silver-shoed hoof.

“I will make sure that the pegasus and I have a talk, don’t worry sister. But first I think we should focus on the fact that there is a good chance that Flurry Heart is now dead, with Storm replacing our dear niece. I could not feel a trace of Flurry’s mind or memories, only Storm’s. We lost communication with the Crystal Empire at about the same time as Flurry reportedly appeared in the hospital with Twilight.

“My theory is that Flurry Heart did not simply get injured and get her mind replaced. She instead somehow died during the confrontation with the changeling, and Twilight attempted to bring her back from the dead.” Luna continued, her speech in full swing before Celestia cleared her throat to interrupt the Lunar Princess.

“Such a spell is forbidden and impossible, even Twilight knows this.” Celestia shook her head, her eyes narrowing at her sister. “All that would result is a shambling corpse with no will of its own, an abomination.”

“In most circumstances, yes.” Luna tapped a hoof against her chin. “That is the strange part. Somehow Twilight was able to do the impossible and actually bring a pony back from the dead. But obviously, something went wrong, otherwise, we wouldn’t have such a conundrum.”

Celestia sighed, her noble visage slipping in the company of her sister. “If this is true then Twilight would have committed one of the greatest crimes against life and death.” She looked up at her sister, head tilted. “Are you sure about this? That it is another creature residing in our dear niece’s body?”

“Of course. I could sense her like any other pony, but since her mind wasn’t a pony’s I couldn’t enter without her own permission.” Luna picked up several papers in her magic to pass it over. “On top of that, it is obvious that she has knowledge beyond that of Flurry’s, even with an ‘active imagination’. Storm took a test at the school, excelling in math beyond that of a normal filly her age. She managed to almost escape from being foalnapped, something that one would need to be trained in not just winging it.”

“That is somehow more concerning than a scrambling of memories.” Celestia raised an eyebrow at her sister. “We should deal with this as soon as possible. Such an unknown with the power of an alicorn is a danger, and needs to be at the very least contained.”

“I do not think so, Tia.” Luna stepped forward, shaking her head. “I think that she deserves to live a normal life. After all, it does not seem to be Storm’s fault that she ended up here, and it is our responsibility to make sure that she can be as happy as any of our subjects.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed briefly before chuckling. “I would argue against you, Luna, but I can tell when you have made up your mind. What do you plan to do with this ‘Storm’, then?”

“Well, first of all, she needs to be stripped of her titles as a princess, obviously.” Luna rubbed the back of her head before sighing. “We can’t rid her of her alicorn powers but it is a good step in case Storm turns dangerous. I doubt that she should remain in the care of Twilight, and I have a feeling that neither Cadance nor Shining would be willing to watch somepony pretend to be their foal. I will watch over her until we find a new family or send her back home, whichever she decides to follow.”

Celestia nodded before embracing Luna. “I will leave you with this, then. If Twilight really did commit such a crime...we will need to figure out where the blame lies, and punishments. Go, sister, I wish you the best of luck.”

Ch 15 - Up In The Sky

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Dear Princess Luna,

Today I learned that sheep are fucking fast when they’re running away from you.

After about an hour of chasing a sheep named Cot, I had to admit defeat and sit down, completely winded. I was covered in sweat and dirt, but god was it fun to trot around and release some of that energy after being cooped up for the past few days. Cot trotted back over to me before simply sitting next to me and bleating.

“Yeah, yeah, you win.” I rolled onto my side to let my legs rest for a moment. “Curse these stubby legs. If I was bigger I’d catch you in a heartbeat Cot!”

Cot simply bleated in response before resting his head on my neck. After another few minutes of deep breathing - not too deep since ribs and all - I got back to my hooves. Cot bleated one last time before heading off to get something to eat.

I rolled my eyes before I started to head back to Fluttershy’s cottage, ready to lie down and take a power nap. I vaguely wondered why my ribs didn't hurt as much as I thought they would, but with no real knowledge of how pony ribs worked, I filed it away to ask later. No use complaining when no one was treating it as strange after all. Probably some pony thing like more endurance or faster healing or something. As I got to the door I could hear two voices arguing with each other: Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash’s. I frowned slightly before opening the door, the voices quickly silencing as the handle turned under my hoof.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were both sitting on the sofa, while a turtle slowly trodded along the floor. Fluttershy was hiding in her mane, radiating an aura of anxiety. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had a scowl on her face that she quickly hid as I entered the room.

“Oh, hey there Flurry.” Dash smiled awkwardly and waved. “Fluttershy here was mentioning how you want to learn how to fly. I’m taking Scootaloo out for some flight lessons if you want to join.”

I looked at Fluttershy nervously, worried about her being so stressed out all of a sudden. The gentle pegasus met my eyes and gave me a small nod that she would be okay. “Sure, I’d love that. Would be nice to finally figure out how to use these things.” I gave the best confident look I could to Dash, despite the fact that I wasn't actually super confident.

“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash gave a quick look at Fluttershy before clearing her throat. “Alright, stretch your wings out for me! Let’s see what we’re working with.”

I stretched both of my wings out while Rainbow Dash gave them a quick once over. Didn’t have to be an expert in pony expressions to know that she didn’t look too pleased with how they looked.

“Have you ever preened your wings before?” Dash asked from behind me, prompting me to shake my head. “Okay, so let’s walk through it then. You have to preen your feathers every morning, as pegasi saliva has oils in them to help waterproof them. Always start with your primaries, they’re your biggest feathers and are the ones that actually propel you through the air.”

As she bit and moved my primary feathers I didn’t feel the need to flinch every time like I did when Rarity tried to do it. They were still sensitive as hell sure, but Dash knew how much pressure to use to move them.

“The other two rows of smaller feathers are your secondary and tertiary feathers. They help you glide and gain lift in the air. The tertiary feathers are less important but are still useful for when you have to do a sick stunt.” Dash plucked out one of the broken secondary feathers and spat it to the side. “A broken feather should regrow in a few weeks, just don’t try to pluck one that’s freshly growing or you’ll have problems. Try flapping your wings now.”

I gave my freshly pruned wings and flap or two and noticed that unlike before it wasn’t like I was fighting the air anymore. The air simply moved around and through my feathers naturally, not in chunks. I gave my wings a few more flaps in glee before turning back to Rainbow Dash and giving her a hug.

“Thank you, Dash! You have no idea how much that was bugging me.” I let go of the hug and let my wings close.

Dash chuckled and ruffled my mane. “No worries Flurry, just make sure you do that every morning.” She looked back at Fluttershy with a worried look. “Are you going to be okay, Flutters? We can talk more when I come back if you want.”

Fluttershy gave a small sigh before shaking her head. “I’ll be fine Dashie, you two go have fun. Just make sure you don’t forget about tonight, okay?”

Rainbow Dash simply nodded before leading me outside. Once we stepped a safe distance from the cottage she had me hop on her back and we soared into the sky.

We landed in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ treehouse in record time, and I could almost swear there was a rainbow contrail behind us as we flew. I couldn’t help but fall off her back, landing on my face as I fell. I quickly got back to my hooves and shook my head to fix my mane.

“Heh, sorry kiddo. Probably should have got you some goggles until you got used to the wind.” Dash rubbed the back of her head and gave an awkward chuckle.

“Don’t worry about it.” I brushed the dirt off my nose. “Huh, I thought we were getting Scootaloo. Shouldn’t we go to her house?”

“Oh, you’ll see why in 3, 2, 1-”

Before Dash could finish an orange blur flew out of the treehouse and collided with Dash, sending them both spinning into the ground. I blinked at the suddenness of the blur but couldn’t really react in time since I had my own greeting. I was tackled to the ground by a marshmallow-colored filly and hugged like I had died or something.

“I’m so happy you’re okay Flurry!” Sweetie Belle cried into my neck. “We were so worried about you! Rarity said you ended up in the hospital but we weren’t allowed to visit since Twilight didn’t allow us to!”

I frowned and lifted her head up with one hoof from where I lay on the ground. “What do you mean she didn’t let you visit me?”

She sniffled before tilting her head, now looking more confused than anything. “She said that you were resting because you were super hurt.”

“I mean, I did get my ribs broken. So no offense, but please get off me you’re starting to hurt me.” I winced, feeling her weight slowly overcome my ability to lift her up.

She quickly got off my slowly breaking body and helped me to her hooves, spouting apologies as she went. We were quickly joined by Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom, the latter two giving me a quick hug in greeting.

“Alright, come on girls! We got some flying to do!” Rainbow Dash announced before leading the four of us to a clearing. Above us were a handful of clouds at various heights, all of them large enough to hold a pony but not too big. “So, which one of you wants to go first? Flurry? Scoots?”

Scootaloo quickly jumped in front of me, her wings literally buzzing in excitement. “Oh, oh! Me!”

I couldn’t help but laugh and took a step back. “Go ahead Scootaloo, gives me time to get ready.”

Scootaloo pulled her goggles and helmet on and took a rather interesting pose to propel herself into the air. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cheered from the sidelines for their friend as she hopped into the air, her wings buzzing dramatically....only to crash right back down.

“Uh, Squirt? Try again with less buzzing and more gentle flapping.” Dash counseled before giving an example flap with her own wings. “If you keep buzzing like that you’re just going to throw off whatever lift you’d get.”

Scootaloo frowned before trying again, this time buzzing slightly slower. She got a few inches above the ground before crashing right back down. Thankfully Dash caught her this time, saving her from a few bruises.

“Woah, careful there Squirt!” Dash sighed before tapping her chin with a hoof. “Maybe we should try gliding first?”

“I dunno.” Scootaloo sighed, her shoulders sagging as she pawed at the ground with a hoof. “Maybe I’ll never fly.”

“Hey!” I yelled from the sidelines. “That is wrong and you know it! Just believe in yourself and focus! You got this Scootaloo!”

“Flurry’s right Squirt. Take a breath and keep trying. Come on.” Dash picked up Scootaloo and carried her up to one of the lower hanging clouds.

After a moment Scootaloo jumped off the low cloud, spreading her wings out as she fell. Her wings twitched once or twice but she closed her eyes and let her wings stay stretched out. Her descent was fast but as she fell she began to level out and glide across the ground for a solid minute before softly landing on the grass.

“Whooo! You did it!” I yelled over the other two fillies’ cheering, the three of us hopping up and down. Scootaloo yelled and hopped up and down from where she landed, clearly excited at her success.

Dash flew by Scootaloo and picked her up in her forelegs, holding her up in the air as she cheered. “Nice job Scoots! Soon you’ll be flying as awesomely as me!”

I smiled to myself as I watched the two spin around in the air, celebrating the small victory. However, something nagged at the back of my mind about the image. “I just realized, are Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash sisters?”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both started laughing their flank off, causing me to frown at the two of them. Apple Bloom wiped a tear from her eye before responding. “No, but ah’m sure Scootaloo wishes she was. Dash is ‘er mentor.”

“Ooooooh.” I rubbed a hoof under my chin contemplatively. “Huh, I am happy they’re so happy then. It's really cute. Wish I had a relationship like that.”

Lost in my own mind I didn’t notice the two pegasi land in front of me, too busy in a daydream of having a cool older sibling. “Hey, Equuis to Flurry. It’s your turn to flyyyyyy.” I snapped back to reality to see Dash grinning in excitement and amusement. “Then again, if you’re daydreaming about pulling cool stunts like me I understand, I am pretty awesome.”

I let out a small chuckle before getting to my hooves, my wings twitching slightly in excitement and nervousness. Getting to fly was always a dream of mine, after all, it opened so many doors to travel the world. But actually getting to fly was nerve-wracking, since one mistake could mean smashing into the ground again. It didn’t really hurt in a dream, but would probably hurt like hell in real life. I shook my head to try to banish those doubts before walking to where Scootaloo had gone earlier under the clouds.

“Alright, what do you need me to do?” I gave Dash a nervous grin. “I’m about as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“First, stretch out your wings.” I did as Dash said, feeling the air slowly blow through my feathers as I did so. “Now try jumping up and flapping your wings to push you up into the air. Remember, not too fast, just slow and hard at first.”

A small part of me snickered at what she just said, but I pushed it from my mind. Instead, I sucked in a deep breath before hopping and giving my wings a hard flap. I found myself pushed slightly higher into the air with each push of my wings, albeit a bit slowly. I let out my held breath and tried to fly a bit faster to the lowest cloud.

“There you go Flurry! You’re a natural!” Dash yelled from the ground before flying up to the lowest cloud to wait for me. “Just make sure you keep flapping your wings!”

I nodded and took my time to fly to the lowest cloud, not wanting to run before I fully figured out how to walk. The wind pushing against the bottom of my wings with each push was a strange but oddly comforting feeling. It was almost like I was swimming through the air in a way. Probably some kind of pegasus instinct considering they were flying ponies but still. I didn’t really know what to do with my hooves so I just pulled them close to my body so they wouldn’t just dangle below me and kill my air resistance.

Once I got to the lowest cloud I carefully landed on it, feeling that same slight tingle in my hooves as before. Wasn’t a bad feeling per se, but kind of like the difference between standing on carpet and an air mattress. “Hey Dash, how come my hooves feel a little weird when standing on clouds? Come to think of it, how are we standing on this thing anyway?”

“Well, pegasi can stand and move clouds around.” Dash flew up to the cloud above us and gave it a push with one hoof. “Means we’re in charge of making sure the weather, like clearing the sky from clouds and making sure rain comes when scheduled and stuff. Pretty awesome, right?”

“I mean, it makes sense since you can fly and stuff.” I hummed and gingerly walked in a circle on the cloud. “Still feels weird after walking on nothing but grass and dirt. But this softness I can get used to.”

Dash chuckled from where she was hovering before waving to me to follow her. “If you manage to get to the top of this cloud course I’ll make sure that you get a napping cloud tomorrow. I always make sure I have one over Sweet Apple Acres. Relaxing like nothing else.”

I grinned at the challenge before leaping from the cloud to get a bit of height. The first flap of my wings was a bit jarring but getting into the routine was easy enough. Was kind of like riding a bike, the first few times you’d struggle but afterward you’d be fine. The main problem was making sure I stuck to one direction, as flapping my wings at the wrong angle would send me flying in a different direction.

Took me a few tries but I eventually reached the top cloud, flopping onto it with an exhausted sigh. Dash was right, a cloud was so much comfier than anything else I’ve laid on. Although I guess since I ended up in this world I’ve only really slept in hospital beds. I didn’t want to count the foalnapping experience in my list of places I’ve slept but eh.

“Did I do good?” I groaned up at Dash, who was hovering over me with her forelegs crossed. I was well and truly wiped, my wings sore from so much exercise after never being used.

“You did okay for your first time flying, but we’ve got some work to do before you’re in tip-top shape.” Dash nodded to herself, clearly making a plan in her head. “Just keep practicing every day and you’ll be flying like a pro in no time! And if you need help don’t hesitate to ask, me or Flutters will always help you out Squirt.” With that she tousled my mane with a hoof, making me chuckle despite myself. Made me feel like a kid, but I guess I was one so eh. “Now let’s head down, I have somepony I want you to meet.”

I nodded and got back to my hooves, my wings slightly protesting at the continued exercise. I gave a small wince as I flapped them once, feeling the muscles complain but comply with what I wanted. With no small grin, I jumped after Dash and began my glide down to the ground, back to the fillies who I felt I could now hopefully call my friends.

Ch 16 - Party x Party

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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.

Ch 17 - Storytime

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Under normal circumstances, Princess Luna would not be one to rest while traveling. Trains were a new invention to her after all, having been made during her banishment. While convenient, the noise and speed often made her a little sick to her stomach. Flying fast was one thing, but traveling at such speed by somepony else’s power was a strange feeling to be sure. However this was not normal circumstances, so she did.

Her bedroom rested in the third car from the engine, more heavily armored than the rest of the train cars. The second and fourth cars held various guards from all four tribes, ready to protect the Lunar Princess at any moment. Inside was a simpler version of the bedroom within Canterlot Castle, mostly containing a four-poster bed, an armoire, and a place to hold her royal regalia.

Since it was midday, many ponies would not dare to bother Princess Luna, as it is the middle of her rest period. The nighttime was her domain as much as the day was her elder sister’s, so she rested now. However the sender of the scroll was not most ponies, and so she was bothered.

The scroll appeared in a poof of green smoke, falling to hit Princess Luna on the head. The Princess groaned and hesitated in her stirring, not wanting to wake when she didn’t need to. A shiver went down her spine as she snapped her eyes open, recognizing the sound of the scroll’s apparition. She groaned as she sat up, lifting the scroll in her magic and reading the letter contained within.

Dear Princess Luna,

I really messed up. I should have listened to you but I wanted to fix things before you arrived and cast a memory spell to fix Flurry Heart’s mind. She freaked out and started crying before passing out and not waking up.

We moved her to my castle and are keeping an eye on her but she isn’t responding. She’s still breathing thank Celestia but I don’t know what went wrong.

I’m sorry Princess Luna, I really need your help.

Sincerely,

Princess Twilight

Luna let out a low hiss, her eye twitching slightly in rage. Her earlier drowsiness was banished under a mountain of concern for Storm and anger towards Twilight. In a rush she hopped out of bed, the covers tossed to the floor without any further thought given towards them. Her royal regalia was grabbed in her magic, sitting in the proper places with a speed acquired through experience.

Now dressed, she flung open the door to the second cart, making her Royal Guards jump in surprise before they bowed their heads. “Make sure this train makes it to Ponyville. I will be teleporting ahead.” Luna commanded, her tone far more direct and terse than she usually used to her trusted guards.

“Is that a good idea, Princess?” One of the unicorns shook his head, his voice professional but his eyes unable to hide his concern. “Ponyville is still quite far from here, so it would be a lot of distance to cover with a teleport spell.”

“I understand your concern, but it is a matter of great import.” Luna forced herself to give the guard a reassuring smile. “I will be fine. Just make sure this train makes it to Ponyville on time.”

With that, she turned and headed back into her own train car to prepare. Despite her reassurance to the guard, he was right in the fact that they were still far from Ponyville. To teleport there would require more of her power than she would be willing to spend under any other circumstances.

“Twilight Sparkle, you, Celestia, and I are going to have a talk about your inability to wait,” Luna growled under her breath as she gathered her magic.

Luna took a breath, letting her rage pass as she breathed out. She did the same again to fully center herself before she teleported into a tense situation. Once calmed she completed the teleportation spell, disappearing from her train cart with a pop and a flash of blue magic

With a similar flash of blue magic, Luna appeared in front of the Castle of Friendship, the crystalline and wooden edifice looming above the Ponyville skyline. She stumbled as she took the first step towards the castle, her horn smoking slightly at the powerful burst of magic. Luna winced slightly, licked her hoof, and gently rubbed her horn to soothe the irritation as much as she could. Once Luna felt she recovered enough she stepped into the Castle, her hoofsteps echoing throughout the empty halls.

“I wish Twilight Sparkle was more precise in her location,” Luna grumbled as she headed towards the center of the castle. “Searching each room may take a while.”

“Oh, Princess Luna I’m glad you’re here!” Spike sprinted towards the Princess from where he was waiting in the center area, almost tripping over himself in his haste. “Twilight came in with Flurry and everypony else and Flurry didn’t look so good and Twilight was freaking out and-”

“I read the letter, Spike..” Luna cut the dragon off, mentally wincing at how his shoulders sagged from the bluntness of her tone. To hopefully balance it out she gave him a comforting smile. “Show me where they are and I will give as much help as I can.”

The dragon nodded and began jogging into the castle, Luna following along at a fast walk. It took the two of them almost 5 minutes to traverse from the center of the castle to the bedroom that Twilight brought Storm to. Standing outside was a trio of fillies Luna recognized as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom pacing around Sweetie Belle. At the sight of Luna turning the corner, the trio ran over to the princess, a mix of relief and concern on their faces.

“Princess Luna!” Scootaloo cried out.

“Is Flurry Heart going to be okay?” Sweetie Belle pleaded.

“She was cryin’ an’ passed out an’ we aren’t being allowed in the room!” Apple Bloom whined.

“Don’t worry my little ponies, I’m here now. She will be okay, I promise.” Luna gave the three fillies a warm smile, her heart warmed at their concern for Storm. He made friends, that is good. “For now, go home, I will make sure that you are the first to see her when she wakes.”

The fillies looked hesitant to leave, but nodded and scurried off. Once they were out of earshot Luna opened the door into the bedroom, revealing a simple bed and furniture in what was likely a guest room. Scattered around the room were Twilight and her friends, all with looks of concern towards the small pink figure in the bed. Applejack and Rainbow were pacing around, while Rarity hovered over the bed like a mother hen. Twilight was crying into Fluttershy’s shoulder, her head buried under one of the pegasus’ wings. Lastly, Pinkie Pie dejectedly sat in one corner, her mane completely straight, unlike the usual poofiness it bore. At the princess’ entrance, all but Twilight turned towards her and bowed their heads in greeting.

“Spike, could you get me a coffee? I am usually resting at this time, so I could use the extra boost.” Luna yawned, truthfully quite tired despite the situation before her. The small dragon nodded and ran off, closing the door behind him. “Now, Twilight Sparkle, I believe we need to speak.”

The purple alicorn sniffled as she pulled herself from Fluttershy’s embrace, wiping the budding tears from her face. “All of this is my fault. If I listened none of this would have happened and Flurry wouldn’t be like this. Some aunt I am.”

Luna raised an eyebrow before letting out a small sigh. “I am happy to hear that you have some self-understanding. But blame can wait, first I need the full story so we can help Storm.”

Twilight winced at Luna’s choice of name and nodded, clearing her throat to properly tell the story. “About two weeks ago I met Shining Armor and Cadance in the Crystal Empire to pick up Flurry Heart. Cadance wasn’t feeling good so I offered to watch Flurry for a few days to hopefully help. I showed her around and spent time doing aunt-niece activities I read in a book before putting her to sleep at her scheduled nap time. I went to do some paperwork but my changeling detector wards went off so I ran over to investigate.

“I saw what looked like Rainbow Dash, but she sounded...off. I tried to stop her but she moved like nopony I had ever seen before. She was fast and agile and spun me into a wall when I tried to block her way. I chased after the changeling but she evaded me a few times with smoke bombs and other tricks. I tracked her straight into Flurry Heart’s room where I saw her holding my niece in her hooves, a grin on her face.” Twilight choked a bit as she glanced over to the sleeping filly on the bed. “I knew I couldn’t beat the changeling in a physical conflict so I tried to blast her wing to ground her. But Flurry....Flurry tried to fly towards me and flew into the blast....”

Luna’s eyebrow slowly lowered as her scowl deepened, her gaze slowly burning into Twilight. “How powerful was your spell, Twilight?” The last word was dripping with venom, causing every pony in the room to take a small step back from the Lunar Princess in slight fear.

“Too powerful. I was scared and angry and instead of simply injuring a wing it...it...” Twilight took a deep breath before forcing the words out. “It blasted straight through Flurry’s chest, blowing both her organs and the changeling’s hoof to bits. I rushed over to her but she was bleeding out fast and died before I could do anything.” Tears began to well up in her eyes at the memory, the younger alicorn’s haunches shaking as she forced herself to stay together.

“You told us that the changeling hurt her!” Applejack scowled, stomping one of her hooves into the ground in frustration. “That the bug was the reason that Flurry was so badly hurt!”

“Yeah Twilight, what’s going on?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head in confusion. “Why would you lie to us about something so serious? Did you actually kill her?”

Twilight took a deep breath to get her confidence before nodding. “Yes, I did.”

Immediately the room fell into pandemonium, the other five members of the Elements freaking out and voicing their displeasure at such horrible news. For committing a horrifying crime, for lying about it, for the implications this held. Luna let this hold for a moment or two before slamming one hoof down, silencing the room.

“Continue, Twilight Sparkle. We can see that your niece still lives. If you killed her, how is this?” If looks could kill, Twilight would be a pile of ash from the look Luna was giving her.

“I-I. I teleported us to the one place I could think of.” Twilight gingerly took her crown off and looked at her reflection in the gold. “I took her to the Tree of Harmony. I pleaded to the Tree, to the Elements to help bring her back, and offered it whatever it wished. I almost gave up all hope, but the Tree responded. It said it would help return her soul, but with a price for such powerful and selfish magic. I accepted the deal, whatever cost was acceptable.

“The Tree of Harmony released a rainbow of energy, like what usually happens when we use the Elements. It wrapped around Flurry’s body, lifting it into the air as a shrieking was heard from all around. I could hear what sounded like a firework going off before the rainbow disappeared and an older Flurry fell to the ground. Like the one in the bed. The Tree told me that it brought back her soul from the beyond and would need to rest before going silent, the magic dissipating from the Tree.” Twilight winced and shook her head. “Starlight is there now, keeping an eye on the tree, making sure it’s still alive.”

“What could you have paid for a life, darling?” Rarity asked, still hovering over the comatose body of Storm, her eyes full of concern and heartbreak.

Twilight took a shaking breath before shaking her head. “I don’t know. I didn’t care at the time, and am too scared to ask now.”

Luna cleared her throat, stepping towards the younger alicorn, forcing herself to sit next to her to prevent herself from looming. “Continue.”

“I brought Flurry to a hospital and sent a letter to Cadance and Shining Armor, but never got a response. I spent the next week both checking the Tree of Harmony and Flurry Heart, but...” Twilight sighed, a deep frustrated sigh at that. “When she woke up she didn’t recognize me. She had amnesia, which I guess made sense at the time but later on claimed to be somepony else.”

“She called herself ‘Storm’.” Pinkie Pie clarified from her corner, her voice a near monotone.

“I, yes, ‘Storm’. She claimed she had another family, that she was a ‘human’, not a pony, and even had a marefriend from ‘Japan’.” Twilight shook her head, her eyes narrowing. “I never saw or heard anything like that. I knew she had an active imagination but fabricating a while identity to fill in the gaps? I did not know such a thing was possible. So I tried to fix her memory...”

“Even though I told you not to.” Luna frowned down at Twilight, who flinched back a bit.

“I...yes. I wanted to fix her mind. I needed-” Twilight began, her tone pleading as she looked up at Luna before being simply cut off.

“You wanted and needed to ‘fix’ something that was not your place to.” Luna got to her hooves, stepping away from Twilight to head to the bed. “I told you to leave your niece alone, and you not only ignored my order but went above and beyond by casting one of the spells I specifically told you to not cast. If you actually thought about your actions and read the letter I sent, I told you to leave Storm alone for a reason, I used that name for a reason. Now instead of having a confused filly on our hands, we have a mentally broken one.”

“Uh, Princess Luna, who is Storm?” Fluttershy’s voice was a near whisper and would have been lost had the room not been deafeningly quiet following the end of Twilight’s story. “Flurry called herself that but didn’t elaborate.”

“Storm is the name of the soul mind currently in Flurry Heart’s body. She lived in another world with her siblings, before dying in the hooves of the one she loved. If Flurry died and you used the Tree of Harmony to bring her soul back, I think Storm may have been her reincarnation brought back into her past life now that Flurry is gone.” Luna shook her head, rage slowly bubbling within her. “If you brought back Flurry’s memories, no wonder Storm fell into a coma. The foundation her very identity has been built on has been shaken by new memories that her mind was never built to handle.”

“Storm is real...” Twilight collapsed to the ground, her face covered by her forehooves. “That is why the spell didn’t mess with what I thought were fake memories, just added new ones...”

“No wonder she freaked out so bad...” Pinkie Pie dropped, her eyes misting. “I threw a party to cheer up the wrong pony and now she’s hurt.”

“No, you’re not the reason she’s hurt!” Applejack stepped over to her friend, lifting her face with a hoof. “Twilight is.” She looked at Luna with an eyebrow raised. “Can ah leave or do you need me to stay.”

“You are free to leave if you wish, Applejack.” Luna nodded to the farmer, who nodded back in understanding.

“Come on then Pinkie. We’re gonna get some fresh air.” Applejack helped Pinkie to her hooves and led her out of the room, letting the door stay open behind her.

“I got to get some fresh air too.” Rainbow Dash crossed her forehooves, lifting herself into the air with her wings as she did so. “I’m sorry Twilight but I need time after everything you just said. Come on Flutters, let’s leave the Princesses to help Storm in peace.”

Fluttershy nodded and followed Rainbow Dash out of the room, leaving just Rarity as the sole non-alicorn in the room.

“Rarity,” Luna stated, catching Rarity’s attention. “Will you also leave, or will you remain?”

“I want to stay, I promised Flurry I’d take care of her when Twilight can’t and failed.” Rarity shook her head, brushing a bit of mane out of Storm’s mouth with a hoof. “If she was somepony else I don’t care, a promise is a promise.”

Luna smiled and nodded, her horn faintly glowing. “Good. I will warn you, this may not be pretty. I have to step into Storm’s mind to repair the damage done.”

Rarity nodded her understanding. “I still want to stay. A promise is a promise.”

With a simple understanding smile, Luna touched her lit up horn to Storm’s and released her spell. The world around her fell away as she stepped into Storm’s fractured mind, her mission clear even if the path was not.

Ch 18 - Castle of Crystal

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For most ponies, their mind formed a House of Memories. Those with more training against mind-altering effects or just more willpower had their House take the form of a castle or a fortress, but in the end, they all represented the same thing. Certain memories like their childhood years and muscle memory formed a ‘bedrock’ that held the House up, with the metaphorical building constructed from this same ‘bedrock’.

Inside the House were several wings filled with various types of memories, split by type. Those more vivid and routinely used were closer to the entrance of the wing, while those that were mostly faded were far deeper. Those memories which were more traumatic in nature had their own wing, for both safety and due to their habit of resurfacing at the worst time.

Unfortunately, the House of Memories Luna floated over was in a bad state. When Luna first dreamwalked into Storm’s mind, the House was composed in a style reminiscent of a country house that one would see in Hoofington. Now it looked like a twisted fusion of a country house and one from the Crystal, all originating from a cracked mess jammed into the roof.

Approaching closer, Luna saw that it was not a simple jumble of crystal, but what looked like a large gem that shattered into pieces as it collided into Storm’s mind. Several large pieces sat on the roof, slowly crushing the House under it and no doubt causing Storm immense mental pain. A hooffull of smaller pieces looked like they had broken into the house and disappeared within.

Thankfully the gem wasn’t too large, Flurry Heart hadn’t had too many memories before she died. Luna frowned at the fact that was technically a good thing at this moment and shook her head in distaste as she flew closer to the mass, landing on the roof before one of the larger masses.

“This is why one doesn’t cast memory spells without being absolutely sure they’re necessary, Twilight,” Luna grumbled under her breath, her voice ringing out into the otherwise empty space.

One couldn’t simply destroy a memory, not even a pony of Luna’s magical prowess could do such a feat. Or at least not without potentially causing a great deal of damage to the mind of the memory’s owner. Memories and the experiences held within them helped make up a large part of a pony’s personality and outlook on life, to destroy them or excessively alter them could hold grave and unknown consequences.

So instead Luna was forced to go about it the hard way: manually cast the added memories to their proper place so Storm could begin the road to recovery. Having these additional memories will still have consequences, but that was something that Luna and Storm could tackle together versus this conundrum.

Luna began with grabbing the larger chunks of crystal, lifting them in her magic with surprising ease. The memories contained within were vital in any other pony, but to a pony who already lived far longer than Flurry, they were comparatively smaller than normal. With the larger crystals in her magical grip, Luna flew down towards the bedrock of the House, where memories of a baby would usually go.

First up came the memories of Flurry Heart’s first days with her parents, full of love and life. Looking at the crystal fragments Luna could see through Flurry’s POV Cadance, Shining, and other ponies doting on the baby alicorn. The love on their faces was clear for all to see and Luna fought back tears at the knowledge that the object of that unconditional love was forever lost.

Pressing the crystal to the bedrock of Storm’s own childhood allowed it to slip into its natural place, finding its home next to Storm’s own childhood memories. For a brief moment, Luna could see a glimpse of the difference between the two, Storm’s childhood being more of a singular love from her mother while her father remained emotionally distant.

Luna filed that information away and continued her work, slowly merging the added memories to sit next to Storm’s ones. Flurry’s Chrystalling, where her cries and uncontained alicorn magic destroyed the Crystal Heart found a home next to the memory of Storm accidentally breaking a vase and angering her father. Flurry being given Whammy, the stuffed snail stuffed animal, sat next to Storm getting a teddy bear from an uncle. And so on and so forth.

Eventually, Luna ran out of Flurry’s memories, there was only so much a year old pony could remember after all. But Storm’s House was still damaged, the structure not repairing itself as it should now that it was free from the haphazardly added memories. Luna frowned and flew through one of the holes in the ceiling, entering the House itself in spite of the potential dangers of such an act.

Luna landed on a carpeted hallway, the walls made of brick supported by timber while the floor itself was constructed of crystalline material. Dozens of doors resided within the hallway, made of wood, crystal, and other materials. Luna started heading down the hallway, both ears up to hear any potential sound as she checked each door. Each of them led to a hall of memories, be it food or accidents, or hobbies.

Luna frowned at the apparent silence of the House, the only sound the muffled clopping of her hooves on the carpeted floor. Usually, there would be some type of custodians mending the structure, or the pony themself in cases like this where they retreated into their mind. But no, there was nothing but deafening silence.

After what felt like an eternity Luna began shouting Storm’s name as she searched for the filly, but received no response. Instead, the Lunar Princess came to a set of stairs descending down into what seemed like an abyss, the sound of crying echoing out from the depths. Luna sighed and began to descend the stairs, a small part of her mind reminded of the hundreds of steps Sombra installed in the Crystal Empire.

The crying got louder the more she descended until she reached a large oak door. Luna had only seen doors this large in Canterlot Castle and other locations regularly visited by Celestia, built large enough that she wouldn’t have to bend down to fit through. Taking a closer look Luna noticed that it wasn’t an Equestrian style that she recognized, it resembled something more from Storm’s memory of ‘Earth’.

Luna took that as a hopefully good sign and opened the door with a gentle push, gasping at the sight within. Storm was curled up on the floor crying, her chest and the surrounding floor covered in blood. At the entrance of the door in front of Luna was the frozen figure of Twilight, her face a mask of rage as her horn glowed with magic. Lying behind Storm was the frozen form of a changeling, screaming in pain as it cradled its front right hoof. Or to be more accurate, the burnt wreck of a leg missing a hoof and a fair chunk of the leg itself.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what memory Storm had lost herself in, the memory of Flurry Heart’s death. While Storm had watched her life on Earth end, Luna had been careful to ensure that Storm would not feel what the memory showed. What Twilight had done had no safety guards like that, however, so Storm had no doubt felt every moment of her past life’s death.

Luna hissed in rage at this knowledge, her horn crackling slightly in an instinctive response to her emotions. She shook her head, dissipating the energy with a thought before stepping into the room proper. Storm did not seem to notice the Lunar Princess enter, continuing to cry until Luna sat next to the filly. A simple brush of Storm’s pink mane got her attention with a startled squeak.

Storm looked up to her aunt with a confused look, wiping her tear-soaked face with one hoof. “What are you doing here Princess Luna?” Her ears quickly flicked back in apprehension. “Are you here to try to make me Flurry Heart too? I don’t want anyone else messing with my mind.”

“Don’t worry Storm, I promise I have no intention of doing such a thing.” Luna shook her head for emphasis. “I merely came to help you. In whatever form you want that to take.”

“Storm....” The filly frowned, her brow furrowing in concentration. “Is that who I’m supposed to be? I can’t really remember, everything feels so jumbled. Flurry, Storm, Flurry, Storm, it's like a weird mix of names and identities.”

“Storm, listen to me.” Luna used a hoof to scoop Storm into a hug, holding her close with one wing. “Despite Twilight’s insistence, Flurry is dead and gone. You may hold her body and now her memories, but you do not have to force yourself to be somepony you’re not.”

“T-then who should I be?” Storm nuzzled into Luna’s coat, keeping her gaze from the frozen statue of Twilight. “I also died in the human world, not like I can pretend to be who I was before. Especially since I’m not exactly in the same body anymore.”

“A fair point as well.” Luna considered the conundrum for a moment before nodding to herself. “Then you should figure out who you want to be yourself. Do not worry about what other ponies want you to be, explore your interests and become the pony you want to be.”

Storm sniffled before muttering under her breath. “Better said than done thanks to Twilight.”

Luna couldn’t hold back a grimace before using a hoof to turn Storm’s head to make eye contact. “Forget Twilight Sparkle. She tried to force you to be somepony you’re not. I promise I will make sure nopony does that to you again.”

Storm nodded slowly before looking back down at the ground. “So what now? I go and stay with Rarity or Fluttershy or something? Or do I go back to Flurry’s parents?”

“No.” Luna shook her head, her decision made in her heart long before her brain caught up to the words coming out of her mouth. “If you are comfortable with it, you will live with me. I will adopt you as my own daughter.”

Storm pulled back, her mouth hanging open in shock. “I-I don’t know if I want to be a princess, that’s a lot to take in.”

Luna couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. “You are too young to worry about such a thing as royal status. We can discuss such a thing when you’re older, do not worry. So, what do you think?”

Storm looked to the side, the gears in her brain turning. “Are you going to make me move around like I’ve been doing the past few days thanks to Twilight? I don’t think I’ve slept in the same bed for more than one day. Heck, I think the only real bed I’ve slept in was a hospital bed.”

“No, no.” Luna shook her head, aghast at the news. “While we would have to travel for foreign affairs, you do not have to come if you don’t wish, and you will always be by my side.”

Storm’s brow remained furrowed for a minute before she slowly nodded. “I accept Princess Luna.” Storm looked up with a somewhat amused face. “I never thought I’d say this, but I would be happy if you adopted me. You are one of the few ponies to accept me without any problems and truly care for the real me. Thank you.” Storm hugged Luna tightly before pausing for a moment. “Wait, do I need a pony name?”

“Only if you want one. Storm is a simple but fine name if you wish to keep it.” Luna gave her ward a gentle smile. “Although if you wish to change it, you are welcome to do so. I can offer an addition if you want.”

Storm nodded, her eyebrow quirked up in curiosity. “What do you have in mind? I mean if you’re serious about adopting me you are going to be my mom so I think you have first dibs on that.”

Luna let out a gentle chuckle. “Considering the season you were reborn in, I was thinking along the lines of ‘Summer Storm’.”

Storm gave an enthusiastic grin at the name. “I’ll take it. New name new me and all that.”

Luna nodded, her smile growing at the adorableness of the grin. “Then come on Summer Storm, we have a lot of work to do. First stop: Crystal Empire so you can meet your Aunt Celestia.”

Storm nodded, following Luna out of the room, albeit on the other side of the alicorn from Twilight Sparkle. Once they exited the memory Luna used her magic to close the door behind them, locking the traumatic memory away where it could hopefully never hurt Storm again. Above them, Luna could hear the sounds of the House slowly repairing itself now that the owner wasn't mentally paralyzed. Her work was as finished as it could be.

Luna's horn glowed for a moment as she pulled herself and her new child out of the mindscape and back into the real world. To face whatever troubles would arise together.

Author's Notes:

A shorter chapter than I planned, I wanted to go through the various memories that Storm gained in some kind of order. But admittedly there aren't that many unique memories that Flurry could have gained since, well, baby. Although it's not like there won't be consequences from having more memories than normal anyway.

We are approaching the endgame of this fic, but this will not be the end of Storm's story. I am planning on making a sequel about Storm's new life in Equestria since this one was supposed to be purely about her first few days. Even had a commission done for the cover art. No solid plans past the Slice of Life and Adventure aspects, most likely going to be a long-running story with actual full-scale arcs, so hope people are interested in that.

Going out of time for a few days so y'all are getting this early treat since I can't publish chapters from my phone for some reason. Hope you enjoyed it and have a good few days, will see y'all again on Thursday!

Ch 19 - Dress Up Darling

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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.

Ch 20 - Bugs, Princesses and Fillies

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Once the Cutie Mark Crusaders and myself untangled ourselves from our hug, Sweetie Belle dragged us all to her room to hang out. Well, once I gave Rarity the hoodie back of course. The unicorn in question waved us upstairs with a request that Sweetie Belle and myself get ready for dinner in an hour.

Sweetie Belle’s room was a lot more complex than I expected, my knowledge of girl’s rooms coming from my experience with my sister. Admittedly Rarity probably had more money to contribute to the room than my parents or I had for my sister, so that probably helped. Against one wall was Sweetie’s bed, while a board of pictures and other memorabilia took up another wall. Various toys and music sheets were scattered in one corner, with a record player being the centerpiece.

Once we were settled, the three fillies began bombarding me with questions about what was going on. Mostly focused on their concern for me, why I was crying after Twilight cast a spell, etc. I held up a hoof to quiet them down and began to explain the past few days to them. Well, minus the more gristly parts like the fact I died twice and was a dude now in a filly’s body. Which made me a filly now I guess?

Wait, am I a girl now or still a guy? I mean I’ve been thinking of myself as a guy but I also haven’t really been correcting others when they use girl names. Plus I am a filly.....

“So....you’re going to live with Princess Luna instead of Twilight?” Sweetie Belle asked, her head tilting to the side in confusion.

“Yarp.” I nodded.

“And your name is actually Summer Storm, not Flurry Heart?” Scootaloo made the same head tilt as her friend, her face more filled with surprise than confusion.

“Yup.” I felt my ears flip back as I gave a nervous grin to the three fillies. “Sorry for any confusion, I promise it wasn’t on purpose. But yeah, I’m actually Storm. Still friends?”

“Wow.” Apple Bloom blinked before all three fillies grinned at the same time. Was creepy, but adorable in a way, since it wasn’t a malicious grin, just a happy grin. “Of course, we’re still your friend Fl- Ah mean Storm. A name is just a name, we’re friends because you’re fun to hang around with!”

“Yeah! And if a new name means you’re going to be less awkward and cooler, all the better!” Scootaloo cheered, her wings buzzing a bit in excitement. “Plus I thought we’re supposed to be learning how to fly together. Can’t do that if we aren’t friends!”

“Besides, we promised to help you find your cutie mark. We can’t call ourselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders if we break a promise like that, can we?” Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes, a smile emblazoned on her face.

I couldn’t help but let my mouth form a dumb smile, my eyes glistening with tears. Damn this body and its emotions! “Thank you. I don’t know what I could do without you girls.” I sniffled and wiped the budding tears from my eyes. “Honestly, I think you three are the first ponies I can honestly call friends. God that sounds depressing.”

Scootaloo suppresses a giggle with a hoof. “I mean, we all have to start somewhere, right?” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both nod in agreement.

Apple Bloom clears her throat, her eyebrows lowered in concern. “Ah got a question, Summer. Are ya sure ya want to never see Twilight again? Ah know she hurt ya bad, but cutting out kin isn’t something that should be done lightly.”

I winced, shaking my head and feeling my wings fidget. “I mean, I dunno. I know she’s supposed to be my family, but I dunno how I feel about her right now. She messed with my mind after all, and I’m a bit of a mess because of her. Hell, I am not sure what gender I am any more thanks to her.” I bit my lip, saying a bit more than I meant. I couldn’t help but blush a bit in embarrassment as all three fillies raised their eyebrows in unison.

“I mean, you look like a filly to me.” Sweetie Belle offered, her voice tinged with confusion.

“Yeah, do you feel like a colt or something?” Scootaloo tilted her head again.

“How did ya feel about wearing a dress?” Apple Bloom asked, waving a hoof at me. “Ah saw Rarity showing ya two filly sized dresses after all.”

“I dunno. I mean, I feel like a filly, this body is a filly after all.” I sighed, looking at the ground. “I don’t think I like the idea of wearing a dress though. A bow and stuff is one thing, a dress is another.”

“What would you rather wear then?” Sweetie Belle gently nudged me, making me look up at her. “You wouldn’t be the first filly or mare to wear a suit instead of a dress. You just have to ask Rarity, she won’t be bothered I promise.” I still felt embarrassed at admitting my mostly buried conflict but couldn’t help but nod, prompting a gentle smile from the filly.

“Yeah, Ah know Bon Bon wore a suit when she got married to Lyra.” Apple Bloom smiles at the memory. “Mah sis said she looked good too.”

“I-I’ll probably ask Rarity when we go back down then.” I cleared my throat as I pushed the embarrassment away. “Anyway, is that some music stuff?” I waved a hoof at the music sheets, trying to change the subject.

“OH! Yes, lemme show you!” Sweetie Belle sped over to the record player, lifting one of the records in her magic. “Time to introduce you to DJ-Pon3!”

Princess Luna yawned, prompting a yawn from one of the two guards flanking her. The coffee Spike made helped keep her awake, but sleep was still beckoning her something fierce. Writing a letter to her sister and pouring over the paperwork needed to make Summer Storm a true pony in the eyes of the law required time, time that robbed Luna of valuable energy. But before the Princess of the Night laid down to rest she had one last mission in mind.

As she stepped into Ponyville’s General Hospital many of the ponies in the welcoming area bowed, those unable to lower their heads in respect. Luna gave them the acknowledging nod they deserved but quickly headed towards the stairs, speed outweighing decorum. Thankfully the rest of the journey towards the changeling prisoner’s hospital bed was mostly empty, the late afternoon hour meaning most ponies in need of care were already being tended to.

Instead, Luna braced herself for an interrogation session, something she didn’t enjoy but would pursue with the determination required. The changeling in question was the reason why Flurry Heart died and determining why it wanted the baby alicorn was a priority. If it was a move from Chrysalis that would mean the changeling queen was seeking revenge, if not that opened more questions.

Luna forced herself back into reality as she reached the door to the prisoner. On either side were two of her sister’s Day Guard, armored and ready to beat back an escapee. The two Night Guards who flanked her took a position next to their counterparts, allowing Luna to enter the room alone as she wished.

Inside was a single hospital bed with a changeling in it, bound to the bed by leather restraints around each leg. On its horn was a magic-suppression ring, blocking its ability to use its magic and hopefully shapeshift as well. As Luna approached the prisoner, she saw that it seemed to be asleep, its eyes closed and chest slowly rising and falling.

The changeling itself was different from the ones she saw during Queen Chrysalis’ attack on Canterlot. It looked almost a head bigger than normal and based on Twilight’s story it was also stronger and faster. Once Luna reached its bed, the changeling opened its eyes, revealing not the fully teal eyes of most of its race but instead, it had eyes like a pony, albeit teal and with slitted pupils.

“Princess Luna.” The changeling gave a low chuckle, its voice deeper than the changelings Luna met before. “It’s an honor. I’d bow, but I’m a bit tied up at the moment.”

“Perhaps we should skip the niceties then and get straight to the questions.” Luna cleared her throat, keeping her face in the practiced stoic mode reserved for dealing with particularly annoying subjects and prisoners. “First of all, what is your name? It would be rude to simply call you ‘prisoner’ during this whole exchange, no?”

“If you insist. You can call me Nightshade, Princess.” The changeling gave a low hiss of a chuckle.

Luna nodded and wrote her answer on the scroll, noting that the changeling seemed to be actually responding to questions. Previous interrogations from the Guard ended in the changeling simply remaining silent during the whole process.

“Who sent you to kidnap Flurry Heart?” Luna narrowed her eyes slightly as Nightshade responded by simply laughing in response. “What is so funny?”

“Do you really expect me to reveal the identity of my client so easily? Have some respect, Princess.” Nightshade chuckled, its mouth turned up in a toothy grin.

“Was it Queen Chrysalis?” Luna baited, expecting the same response as before. But worth a shot. If the changeling queen was planning a return that could spell trouble for Equestria.

Nightshade snarled, its face twisting in rage. “Do not mention that failure of a queen in my presence, Princess.”

Luna smiled internally, while not a clear name it did strike a name from the list. “Not a fan? Very well. Why are you so different from a normal changeling?”

“That is easy, I am a praetorian.” Nightshade rolled its eyes, its tone dripping with amusement. “Think of me as usually a guard for the queen or her voice when she isn’t around.”

“Interesting.” Luna wrote his response down, thankfully reaching the last major question. “Why were you attempting to foalnap Flurry Heart? Money, fame, magic?”

Nightshade simply smiled in response and closed its eyes, refusing to respond. After repeating the question twice Luna shook her head and left the room. No use in forcing an answer after all.

Twilight sighed as she packed, her mood somber and full of guilt. She fucked up hard this past month. Flurry Heart was dead and gone, and the pony now residing in her body was traumatized thanks to her shortsightedness. Luna and all her friends were angry at her. Even Shining Armor and Cadance were likely to turn against her for killing their foal, and for good reason.

I am probably going to end up banished, or worse. Magic kindergarten!

Twilight set another book into her bag and set the whole ensemble to the side. As always she packed light, after all, it was a trip to the Crystal Empire not the other side of Equis. Hopefully, if she was banished Celestia would let her return to pack and not just leave immediately.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door, it opening to reveal Spike. “Hey Twilight, you okay?”

“I-I dunno Spike. I messed everything up. Flurry Heart is dead, and Storm is hurt.” She flicked her ears back, tears stinging the corner of her eyes. “I don’t know what to do now. Everything I’ve tried backfired something horrible.”

“Yeah, I guess you did...” Spike winced and shook his head. “I’m sure Rainbow Dash and everypony else just need a few days to think about stuff. As for Storm...yeah I think she’s gonna need some time before you should try to mend things. But I am confident everypony will still be your friend, you just got to give them some time.”

“I hope so Spike, I really do.” Twilight sighed, rubbing her forehead with one hoof. “I just hope that Shining Armor and Cadance don’t kill me.”

Ch 21 - I Like Trains

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“Storm! Sweetie Belle! Dinner is ready!” Rarity yelled as she opened the door, her voice barely overpowering the sheer volume of the music. Unfortunately, the techno was ended by her lifting the needle from the record so the four dancing fillies could hear her. “Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, you should probably head home too.”

The two fillies yelled their goodbyes as they sped out of the Boutique, ready for dinner themselves. Rarity ushered me to the bathroom and made me wash my hooves before I ate, which I was prepared to do whatever but eh. I had been walking on my hooves this entire time so I couldn’t really complain. Couldn’t really eat with dirty hooves after all.

Once I zoomed downstairs I took my seat at the small dining table next to Sweetie Belle. Rarity came out of the small kitchen with three plates filled with pesto pasta. While delicious, Rarity took the opportunity to drill ‘proper etiquette’ into my head.

“Oh dear, you can’t lift your fork in your magic yet can you darling?” Rarity raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised at the fact that I was wielding my mighty utensil with a hoof instead of a magical grip like the two unicorns.

“Uh, no.” I offered a sheepish grin to the mare. “I haven’t really figured out how my horn works. Kind of fell by the wayside, to be honest.”

“Well, no time like the present then.” Rarity gave me a confident grin as she spun the fork in her arcane grip. “Try to imagine that you’re holding your fork with your hoof, but through your horn instead.”

I couldn’t help but frown slightly. “I tried that before with a door and ended up blowing the whole thing off its hinges. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Rarity sighed and got a thoughtful look. “I suppose your magic may be stronger due to being an alicorn...”

“But you won’t figure it out unless you practice!” Sweetie Belle chimed in, giving me a confident pesto-y smile. “C’mon, just try!”

I took a breath and tried to lift the fork using my horn. It glowed with a faint yellow aura and twitched, before slowly floating up into the air. I was able to get it to pick up a piece of pasta, but once it left the plate it shot up and embedded into the ceiling instead of floating up slowly.

“....maybe I should wait on that.” I grimaced, the fork looking well and truly stuck.

“Probably for the best.” Rarity grimaced herself, offering a new fork to finish the meal. “Maybe Luna should be the one to teach you magic then. Sorry.”

Within the hour Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and I found ourselves at the Ponyville Train Station. I didn’t really have much to pack, other than the hoodie that Rarity made for me and a stuffed bear, so my bag was small and light. The suit I asked for would take a bit to get made, so I didn’t have to bring it for better or worse. Twilight stood in a corner with Spike, a good few more bags next to her. The alicorn looked off into the distance dejectedly, while Spike sat on a bag and read a comic book.

The train in front of us was much, much larger than I expected. It towered over me, the steam engine itself a monster of an item. Behind it was several train cars made of simple steel embossed with dark blue and black designs, fitting for the Princess of the Night. Several Guards ran back and forth, packing the train up and getting ready for the journey.

“Oh, where is everypony? They’re going to miss the chance to say goodbye!” Rarity worried, pacing back and forth by the end of the platform.

“Goodbye? I was planning on visiting, not disappearing forever.” I tilted my head in confusion.

Rarity turned and gave me a gentle smile but continued pacing. “I am happy to hear that darling, but it is still bad luck to not wish a pony a safe journey. Especially as far as the Crystal Empire.”

“There they are!” Sweetie Belle yelled, pointing a hoof at a slowly rising dust cloud.

The dust cloud quickly dissipated once the group got to the station, thankfully not spraying too much dust everywhere. Getting dust and dirt out of this coat is a pain in the ass. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo scurried over to me and Sweetie Belle, happy smiles on their face. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy went over to Rarity, the four of them conversing quietly before heading over to Twilight.

“Yo Storm!” Scootaloo slid to a stop, her wings buzzing excitedly. “You’re planning on coming back to visit, right?”

I nodded, letting out a small chuckle. “Yeah, don’t worry I will. Can’t leave my best friends behind, can I?”

“Good!” Apple Bloom let out a huff before giggling. “Ah spoke to AJ and Big Mac, if ya ever need a place to stay when you visit we’d be happy to have ya.”

“Same goes for Rarity and I!” Sweetie Belle slid into the conversation with all the skill of a raging bull.

“Aww. Thanks, girls.” I gave the three of them the biggest hug my short filly legs and wings could provide. “I’m gonna miss you while I’m at the Crystal Empire.”

“Make sure you bring us souvenirs!” Scootaloo asked, a bit louder than I appreciated considering her face was close to mine. “I’m sure the Crystal Empire has some crazy stuff.”

“I’ll see what I can do, don’t worry.” I laughed and rubbed the back of my head with a hoof. “I don’t exactly have money but I’m sure I can come up with something.”

“I mean, aren’t you a princess? I’m sure Princess Luna or Princess Celestia could pay for anything you buy.” Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow in confusion.

I winced slightly at being called a princess but tried to hide it as best as I could. “I mean, I guess they could. Still, I am probably gonna try to pay for what I can. Think of it as personal pride.”

The three fillies looked confused at my very unfillylike response but simply shrugged it off, probably thinking I’m just being weird again. Thankfully I was saved by one of the passenger cart doors opening, revealing Aunt Luna.

“Storm, Twilight, Spike, it’s time,” Luna called out, waving us closer with a hoof. “Twilight and Spike, your cart is two doors down. Make sure you get some rest, we will have a long day tomorrow.”

“Yes, Princess Luna!” Twilight responded, waving Spike forward with one of her hooves. The dragon huffed and picked up two of the bags, waddling towards the designated train car. Twilight herself turned back to talking to her friends, which based on the worried and annoyed looks on their faces was a big one.

“Storm, come over so I can show you your cart!” Luna waved her hoof, gesturing for me to enter the cart with her.

“Okay, Auntie Luna!” I turned back to the CMC and gave the three fillies a big hug. “I’ll see you all soon. Don’t do anything too stupid while I’m gone, okay?”

“Ha! We aren’t that dumb.” Scootaloo argued while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rolled their eyes.

“Ya sound like my sister.” Apple Bloom snorted. “Ya take care as well, we ain’t there to help ya either.”

“I will try to limit my stupidity, don’t worry.” I chuckled, a small blush forming on my cheeks.

“Good luck Storm, we’ll miss you!” Sweetie Belle gave me a sweet smile.

The three of them hugged me back, thankfully not tightly enough to bother my still healing rib. I reluctantly broke the hug and picked up my bag, slinging it over my shoulder onto my back without too much trouble with my balance. Honestly, I felt like my balance improved by leagues the past few hours. Weird.

I headed over to Luna and attempted to hop up into the door next to her. I was short enough that I landed a bit awkwardly, my back right leg hitting one of the steps and sending me sprawling on the cart floor. Luna quickly looked down at me, her face draped with concern.

“Are you alright, Storm?” She asked, lifting me to my hooves with her magic.

I awkwardly brushed myself off with one of my hooves, blushing with embarrassment. “Yeah, I’m fine, I was just a bit reckless and thought I could make that jump. Stupid small legs.”

Luna let out a small chuckle. “Well, I am just happy you’re alright. Now come, it is time for you to get ready for bed.” My aunt nudged me forward, leading me through the entrance of the cart proper. I tried to dig my hooves in but my filly strength was no match for her actual alicorn strength. “I made sure you had your own room for tonight, between mine and Twilight’s.”

“B-but it’s only what, 9 o’clock? It isn’t that late! I haven’t gone to bed that early since I was like 14!” I wriggled and complained, my high-pitched voice turning it into more of a whine than I liked. For all my effort I ended up being simply picked up by the mare, carried under one foreleg like a sack of flour.

“Maybe back home you stayed up late, but you’re a filly now and you need lots of rest to grow big and strong.” Luna’s long legs (at least compared to mine) let her stride through what I assumed was the guard’s barrack cart. Barracart. The next cart was what I assumed was her cart, with a large four-poster bed, rack for her regalia, and a mirror.

As we approached the door to my cart I began to feel my heart fall into my stomach. Auntie Luna said that my cart was between Twilight’s and hers. The thoughts of waking up to Twilight doing weird magic or trying to ‘fix’ me again raced through my brain. Luna paused and looked down at me, her eyebrows furrowed in concern at the fact I was probably close to hyperventilating.

“What is the matter? If you’re afraid of nightmares don’t be, my presence is usually enough to dispel any ill dream, even when I am not actively patrolling the dreamscape.” Luna gingerly set me down on her super soft bed, allowing me to be almost at eye level with her. “Or is something else the matter?”

I swallowed hard, a little embarrassed at admitting I was terrified of even sleeping alone around a purple pony. I flicked my ears back and tried to avoid making eye contact as I mumbled. “I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.”

“What was that? You have to speak up Storm, it isn’t polite to mumble under your breath.” Luna used one of her hooves to lift my head back up. “I cannot help you if you don’t tell me your problem.”

“I-I don’t want to sleep alone tonight. Twilight is right next to me and I don’t want her to mess with me in my sleep again.” I blushed in embarrassment, not used to admitting to something so....unmanly. Usually, I was the one people went to for help when they had issues sleeping, not the other way around.

Luna smiled, using the fact that she still had my chin in her hoof to force me to actually look her in the face. “Storm, do you want to sleep in my bed?” I couldn’t help but shuffle my hooves a bit in embarrassment, but the sheer directness of her question was surprisingly nice.

“I-I, yes, I would appreciate that.” I slipped from her grip and hopped from the bed, stammering a bit in awkwardness. “If I’m not imposing, I mean I can just go to my bed and make sure my door is triple-locked and-”

“Storm, take a breath.” Luna’s voice cut through my own, commanding my attention. I shakily took a breath and turned around, forcing my mix of emotions to calm a bit. “Storm, hop on the bed. Tonight you can sleep with me, there is nothing embarrassing about wanting to not sleep alone. Especially after all you’ve been through.”

“I-I...” I once again took a deep breath and let it out, forcing my embarrassment and awkwardness down. “Okay. Thank you, Auntie Luna.”

Why are my emotions so crazy? I mean I’ve shared a bed with family members before, back in Utah I shared one with my little brother since there wasn’t much room. This is just sharing one with an aunt. I mean it is a bit awkward since I’m doing it because of Twilight not because of room but...

I saw Luna raise her eyebrow slightly and her smile deepen, which made me calm down a bit more. I slipped my bag off my shoulders and set it down in one of the corners of the cart for safekeeping. Thankfully there wasn’t much else I had to do to get ready, I had already brushed my teeth before leaving and I didn’t have to change into pajamas. Instead, I just hopped onto the bed while Luna took off her regalia and placed it to the side. The curtains were also pulled shut, cutting out the feeble light from the fading sun.

With a smirk Luna lit up her horn, prompting me to turn my head to the side in confusion since I didn’t see what she was controlling. So I let out a squeak of surprise as the blanket under me suddenly yanked down, spilling me up and over the fabric and landing me on my back on the mattress. A surprisingly soft mattress compared to what I was used to back home.

“Hey!” I yelped, rolling onto my stomach and pouting.

Luna giggled and crawled into bed herself, scruffing my mane with a hoof. I let out another futile cry of protest but begrudgingly accepted the attention of the mare. She pulled the large, silky dark blue blanket over the two of us, up to her side and my neck. I wrigged a bit to get comfortable and was quickly scooped up into a hug.

I thought about resisting but decided to allow myself to be the little spoon in this cuddle. I couldn’t really protest that much since I was almost half the size of Luna after all. So instead I made myself comfortable in the warm embrace and closed my eyes. Either from the nice soft bed or the gentle embrace of Luna, I quickly fell into the first truly peaceful sleep of my time in Equestria.

Ch 22 - A Bug's Life

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Two weeks ago

Nightshade couldn’t help but shiver in anticipation as she paced in her assigned room. The house itself was owned by a unicorn named Swift Tracker or something of the sort, a second-rate bounty hunter. The other resident was a pegasus mare that she hadn’t bothered to learn the name of, too annoyed by her incessant babbling about ‘her town’ or ‘our town’ or whatever it was called. As annoyed as she was, Nightshade couldn’t help but be thankful that the fallout of the mission would fall on another’s shoulders. She had spent too much time crafting her Mask, to have it all go up in flames would be...

No, now wasn’t the time to second guess. It was time to do the mission and get them back from her Client.

With a skill borne from decades of training the changeling spun on one hoof and slipped from the window in complete silence, her natural form replaced with one of a blue pegasus with a prismatic mane and tail. A very high profile and eye-catching form, enough that Nightshade would usually refuse to adopt it, but one that would put her mark at ease. Or if that failed at least the mark would hopefully not want to attack her ‘friend’.

The ‘pegasus’ slipped from the house into the town itself with relative ease, waving hello to the various townsponies as she went along. The true Rainbow Dash was off in Canterlot visiting friends, but the residents of Ponyville didn’t know that. So instead they treated the changeling like they would the prismatic daredevil: with friendliness and care. Was almost a bit much for her to be honest, but Nightshade had dealt with worse and so forged on.

Thankfully the Castle of Friendship - wow what a name - wasn’t too far away from the hideout. Once the ‘pegasus’ arrived at the mark’s home she couldn’t help but take a small breath in and out. While infiltrations weren't something new to her, such a rushed one wasn’t her usual method. But unfortunately, the Client didn’t give her much choice considering what was on the line. So despite her misgivings, the ‘pegasus’ gave a knock on the front door, hoping that the mark was actually home and not on some ‘friendship quest’.

The door creaked open to reveal a young purple and green dragon, his eyebrow raised in surprise. “Hey Dash, what’s up?”

‘Rainbow Dash’ gave a confident smile and waved a hoof nonchalantly. “Oh you know, the usual. Is Twilight around? I want to talk to her about something.”

Spike shrugged, pushing the door open a bit more to let ‘Dash’ in. “Yeah, she’s upstairs in her study. She just put Flurry to bed so make sure you aren’t too loud, don’t want to wake the baby after all.”

“Obviously.” ‘Dash’ patted Spike on the head as she flew in. “Thanks, Spike.”

As the ‘pegasus’ flew through the open door she felt a shiver run down her spine. A quick glance at her form showed that nothing actually happened to her form, but her senses were kicked into overdrive anyway. Changeling senses were special in the fact that they could more easily ‘see’ magic in a way. Or more accurately sense where strong areas of magic are.

“You good Dash?” Spike asked from below, concern thick in his voice. “You froze up for a second.”

‘Dash’ shook her head, refocusing on the task at hoof. She let out a confident chuckle and grinned at the young dragon, waving off his concern. “Yeah I’m fine, just had a shiver go down my spine all of a sudden. Anyway, catch you later!”

With that, the ‘pegasus’ quickly sped down the hallway of the castle. Even with her horn being unavailable, ‘Dash’ still could tell that something was cast on her. If not an active spell then some kind of ward or trap. Whatever it was probably wasn’t a good thing, so she had to act quickly and head home with her mate and child.

First I need to finish the mission, then I can think about that stuff. Otherwise, the Client will have their hides. Nightshade internally grumbled to herself.

Shaking that thought from her head ‘Dash’ continued down the endless hallways. Unfortunately, she wasn’t actually Rainbow Dash so didn’t actually know where this study was. So instead she began to open and check random doors in the surprisingly large castle. After what felt like an hour but was most likely just five minutes the ‘pegasus’ ended up in a kind of throne room. But instead of a singular throne, there were six crystalline thrones set around a circular table made of the same crystal. Each of the thrones had the cutie mark of one of the Elements of Harmony, while the table had a map of Equestria.

“Woah.” the false pegasus breathed out, honestly caught off guard by the beauty before her. On top of that, the sheer amount of magic sang melodies in her ears, almost completely wiping out the other two large magical signatures she was picking up.

“Dash?” A feminine voice rang out from behind Nightshade, prompting her to whirl around in the air. Twilight Sparkle looked up from the ground, her head tilted in confusion “Spike told me you wanted to talk, is everything okay?”

Nightshade flew down, her wings folding against her side. “Yeah, I just wanted to say hi and talk to a friend. I can leave if you’re busy with Flurry though.”

“No, no worries. I thought you were in Canterlot though?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, inching closer to Nightshade, causing her confident smile to diminish a bit.

“My plans changed, so I decided to visit you instead.” Nightshade tilted her head a bit, one of her eyes flicking back. “Plus I heard your niece was over to visit and I wanted to see her and say hi to the little one.”

Twilight frowned, her horn glowing slightly as she approached. “I’m sorry Dash, but my wards detected a changeling entering the castle. I have to check to make sure it isn’t you first.”

Welp, that throws a wrench in my plans. Nightshade thought, internally scowling. Hopefully it doesn’t work.

The alicorn got close enough to cast her changeling detection spell, prompting a second shiver to roll down Nightshade’s cyan back. Twilight winced and stepped away instinctively, allowing Nightshade to know that the spell did in fact work. Unfortunately.

“Sorry Twilight, but I gotta do this.” Nightshade sighed, shaking her head. “I’m sorry for what I’m about to do.”

With a smooth motion, Nightshade grabbed Twilight by her neck and slapped the alicorn into the crystal table. The impact visibly rattled her, her horn flaring with magic for a moment before whatever spell she was preparing failed due to her concentration being broken. Twilight staggered to the side a bit but Nightshade flared her borrowed pegasus wings and slammed both hooves into Twilight’s head, this time making the alicorn cry out in pain.

Nightshade winced slightly, not due to the fact she hurt a pony or that she was assaulting royalty but due to the fact that she didn’t want to kill anypony. Blood on her hooves was something that wasn’t new to her, but taking a life wasn’t something she truly enjoyed doing.

So instead Nightshade picked up Twilight by one of her wings and a foreleg and flipped her into the air. She flipped head over hind hooves straight into one of the thrones, where she lay dazed but not dead. And judging by the groans not dazed for too long thanks to her earth pony durability.

Nightshade flared her wings and began flying towards the other magical source, which was hopefully her actual Mark. Why He wanted an alicorn foal was beyond Nightshade’s imagination but she had more important things to worry about. Hopefully, it was just for ransom like what was happening to her now and not something more sinister.

Shifting her attention back to navigating the accursed castle was a small matter. Whoever designed the place deserved to get fired, none of the hallways or doors were labeled and almost all of them looked the same. If it wasn’t for the fact that Nightshade could pick up on what was hopefully Flurry’s scent, finding the foal would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

After the fourth wrong door, Nightshade’s search was interrupted by Twilight herself literally teleporting in front of her. The alicorn snarled and tried to fire off some kind of blast spell, which was easily dodged by just ducking out of the way. The wall behind Nightshade cracked under the force of the spell, bits of crystal flying back into her coat and tail.

“Really, do you know how long it will take to brush that out of my tail?” Nightshade dramatically whined, rolling her rose-colored eyes.

“Your tail?” Twilight shrieked with rage. “That’s not your body! That’s Rainbow Dash’s! I already know you’re a changeling, why don’t you just give up and stop parading around looking like one of my friends?”

“What can I say? I feel awesome in this form. Maybe I should wear rainbow hair more often.” Nightshade couldn’t help but give a small smirk as she spoke. “Besides, you can always just stop looking at me if it bothers you that much.”

Twilight let out another shriek of rage before charging her horn up to fire off another spell. This time instead of simply dodging Nightshade ducked down before ramming her right front hoof into Twilight’s jaw in a powerful uppercut. The alicorn’s jaw clicked shut and Nightshade could swear she felt a tooth crack as the blow connected. The spell being charged fired off prematurely into the ceiling, raining down dust and flecks of crystal on the two. Nightshade planted her other three hooves onto Twilight’s barrel before kicking off, her wings sending her back into the hallway while Twilight herself was knocked back into the room proper.

The princess once again dealt with for the moment, Nightshade turned to race down the hallway. She looked to both sides at the rows of doors before rolling her eyes and simply flying out of the window. If she couldn’t find the stairs to get up to Flurry, it was time to use what Chrysalis gave her and fly up to the foal.

Thankfully the outside of the castle wasn’t as complex as the inside was, and Nightshade was able to fly back into the correct floor with ease. The windows were surprisingly big, then again from what she knew of the actual Rainbow Dash that was probably by design so the daredevil didn’t break too many windows. Based on the shorter hallway leading up to the room containing the magical source, Nightshade assumed that this was the bedroom section of the castle.

Nightshade sighed before opening the door to Flurry Heart’s room. She really didn’t hold any malice towards Twilight Sparkle or Flurry Heart, she was here to get her own family back. And if it required her to harm a child she had to live with that.

The door opened with a small squeak, revealing a hastily put together foal’s room. Various foal products sat on a dresser and diaper changing station on one wall, while on the other was an empty bed. In the middle of the room was a crib with a sleeping Flurry Heart in it, her blanket kicked to the bottom of the bed while she sucked on one of her hooves. Even with all the coldness Nightshade forced herself to have to harden her heart for a mission like this, she couldn’t resist letting out a small ‘aww’ at the sight, reminded of her own child for a moment.

Nightshade forced herself to refocus on what she was doing. She wouldn’t be able to dote on her own child if she didn’t foalnap this one, and lollygagging wasn’t doing her any favors. Hissing in frustration at the task before her, Nightshade forced herself to step into the room itself. Flurry Heart stirred at the sound of her hoofsteps, opening her eyes with a coo.

Nightshade put on her most comforting, motherly smile and flew over to the waking foal. “Hey, Flurry Heart. It’s me, Auntie Dashie.”

The foal giggled and reached out her hooves to the hovering pegasus. Swallowing down any ill feelings about her task, Nightshade scooped the foal up into her forehooves, letting Flurry suck on one of her hooves. Hopefully, the cyan coat tasted better than changeling chitin did. Out of context, it was an adorable scene to be sure.

The moment was quickly ruined by the injured Twilight running into the room herself. She was bleeding from somewhere in her mane, and a bit of blood was leaking out of her mouth where she probably bit her lip. The alicorn’s wings were fully flared out and her horn was glowing something fierce.

“LET HER GO!” Twilight roared, her eyes full of such malice it was almost impossible that it was on a pony.

“Sorry Twilight, I can’t do that. Goodbye.” Nightshade sighed before starting to fly towards the window.

Unfortunately, Flurry Heart had other ideas and started to flap her wings to try to get to her Aunt Twilight. Nightshade hissed in frustration as this pulled her off course, the foal’s oversized wings giving her a bit more lift than normal. From the corner of Nightshade’s eye, she could see an approaching beam from Twilight’s horn, but the fact that Flurry pulled her around to face Twilight took too much of her attention to properly register that fact.

The beam hit Nightshade square in her hoof, causing her to scream in pain as the overcharged blast blew the lower half of her right foreleg to bits. The beam continued up and clipped her eye before simply colliding with the ceiling. Unfortunately, thanks to her attempt to go to her aunt Flurry Heart was between her hoof and the beam. Thanks to the attack the poor foal had a massive hole in her chest and was gasping for air.

Nightshade fell to the ground, too stunned with pain to maintain flight or her Mask. As her true form was revealed she couldn’t help but wince, not wanting other ponies to see it. Thankfully Twilight’s attention was firmly on the dying Flurry Heart, who quickly passed due to being sans lungs or a heart. Twilight wailed and teleported elsewhere, hopefully somewhere far far away.

With the current threat gone, Nightshade tried to pull herself up onto her other three hooves, her wings buzzing with the effort. However, a new threat made itself clear when Starlight Glimmer ran into the room, her eyes blazing with fury. Unlike Twilight, Starlight seemed to know enough about fighting to use a different spell instead of just shooting lasers everywhere.

The crystalline floor shattered as several vines grew from it, wrapping around all four of Nightshade’s limbs. The changeling hissed in pain from the vine pulling tight around her recently amputated leg, the pain stunning her enough to allow the vines to pull her down. Nightshade began to prepare a teleportation spell now that she had her horn, but that was dashed by Starlight Glimmer’s second spell: a hefty sleep spell.

Nightshade growled one last time as the last chance to save her family slipped from her hooves, sleep overtaking her with no mercy given.

Several days ago

“Who sent you?” One of the guards roared at Nightshade, the question heard almost every day for the past week.

Nightshade rolled her eyes, giving the guard the best poker face she could while strapped to a hospital bed. Not the best position to be in when ignoring questions, but there wasn’t much the changeling could do at the moment. The guard continued to yell questions while a second tried to use limited torture to help the process along. Unfortunately for them, Nightshade was familiar with torture so wasn’t too affected by an amateur like the guard.

After an hour of failed questioning, the amateur torturer guard left in a huff, shaking her head in frustration. She was covered in green changeling blood, the hue extra distinct on a white coat. As the door opened Nightshade heard a squeak as the mare ran into somepony.

Curious Nightshade turned her head to see none other than Flurry Heart sitting on the floor, bowled over by the much larger mare. She was somehow older, almost Flight School age, but 100% alive and well. For a second the filly and changeling made eye contact, the former’s eyes betraying the true age of the mind within.

The door immediately slammed shut thanks to somepony else’s magic, cutting off the eye contact. But the damage was done, and Nightshade couldn’t help but smile to herself. The foal actually lived, sure she was somehow older but she was alive.

Thank Celestia.

Present day

“Say, do you mind if I use the little filly’s room? Believe it or not, I do actually have to use the bathroom.” Nightshade whined, getting the guard’s attention. He rolled his eyes but did start untying the changeling so he could lead her to the bathroom.

Nightshade didn’t need to go, but she did have to get ready to take her leave from the hospital. The day before she had been questioned by Princess Luna herself, and she heard the guards outside talking about having her shipped off to Canterlot to stand trial. While meeting a princess was cool, she knew what a trial would end in for her.

Once Nightshade was unstrapped she was led by hoofcuff to the bathroom itself. The hoofcuff was designed to have enough length and slack in its chain to let a mare do her business in peace without the guard having to stand next to them, but fitting two ponies in a bathroom was always a bit cramped.

That cramped feeling gave Nightshade the opening she’d been waiting for: the guard was bored, having been used to walking her to the bathroom several times over the course of the past two weeks. He was barely paying attention to what she was doing and was most likely just counting down the hours until he could head home.

Unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t get that chance, Nightshade using the cramped space to boost her horn straight into his throat. The sharp curved tip easily pierced his skin, blood starting to trickle down her head from the wound. The guard himself reared back, shoving the changeling down and away from him.

Nightshade winced in pain as the trick did hurt her, horns were sensitive after all. But she wasn’t the one drowning in his own blood, one hoof trying to shove Nightshade while the other flailed for the handle of the door. Nightshade quickly put that to rest with a shove to the side, forcing the guard off his hooves with her superior strength and forcing him to topple to the ground. Now that he was weakened and dazed, Nightshade put an end to his struggling by ripping out his throat with her fangs.

Nightshade couldn’t help but grimace slightly, spitting out the bit of blood and fur stuck in her mouth. Thankfully the guard had a key to the hoofcuffs, unshackling her from the corpse. The suppression ring on her horn required a different key, but thankfully the guard also had that. The downside of all of those devices having the same lock and key was pretty clear to the changeling but she decided not to look a gift pony in the mouth.

Now free, Nightshade used her returned shapeshifting powers to adopt a simple Mask: a random pegasus she had seen countless times in Manehatten. Slipping out of the bathroom was easy enough, with a hop and a skip she flew out of the window to freedom. The Princesses really needed to hire better guards in the future.

Once a safe distance from Ponyville Nightshade adopted her preferred Mask, transforming into a pegasus mare with a black coat and mane, a gold streak through her mane and tail breaking the monotone color scheme. She put on a confident grin and resumed her flight home in Cloudsdale, the cloud city a familiar refuge for the past 15 years.

The key to getting in was hidden in the same place it always was, letting the homeowner in without so much of a squeak. Not that cloud-hinges could squeak, but Nightshade still took it as a point in her favor! The house was still the same too, albeit a bit dustier. Once the door was closed and locked she quickly rushed into the sitting room, a hopeful look crossing her face before being once again crushed by despair.

In the sitting room were three statues, the petrified forms of her family members. In the middle was her husband, while on the right side was his sister and Nightshade’s other partner. While most other ponies would find the thought of dating both siblings odd, Nightshade was thankful that she was lucky to have the two of them. The last statue was of her son, the four-year-old thankfully petrified in his sleep, hopefully not aware of what was going on.

Set on the table was a familiar note, freshly sent if the lack of dust was an indication. Nightshade picked it up in her hooves, trembling slightly as she opened it.

My dear Midnight Strike,

You failed in your mission. I asked for the baby alicorn Flurry Heart and you would have presented me with a corpse. For your failure, your family shall remain like this for now.

But your failure did entice more chaos than I originally planned. Instead of a simple fallout over a foalnapping you helped start a full-blown drama within the royal family. The repercussions of this event will be delicious to watch, and I have to thank you for that.

Rest now my dear, I will have another mission for you soon. If you manage to not screw this one up I will bring back your family, do not worry.

In the meantime, I would suggest speaking to Quick Fix. I am sure he has something that can replace your missing hoof.

Your wonderful client,

-G

Nightshade couldn’t help but snarl, her Mask’s name barely noticed. She was being led around like some mutt, hoping that the next opportunity wouldn’t also end in failure. Casting one last look at the three statues, Nightshade let out a small sigh and flopped to the ground. Despite her frustration, this was a second chance. This time she wouldn’t mess it up either.

For her family’s sake.

Ch 23 - A Meeting With The Sun

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“C’mon Storm, it’s time to get up!” I heard a voice sing over my head, insistent but not too commanding.

“Nuhhhh.” I groaned and pulled the blanket back over my head. “It’s too early to go to school, mom. Lemme sleep.”

I could swear I heard somewhere between a gasp and a squee from the voice, thankfully muffled by the blanket. I curled back up and started to drift back to the sweet embrace of sleep. But it apparently wasn’t to be as the blanket was pulled off my curled-up form, letting the light seeping in from the curtain hit me straight in the face. I let out a small whine and covered my eyes with my forelegs.

“You’re adorable Storm, but you do actually have to get up.” The voice rang out again, shaking my shoulder with one hoof. “We’re at the Crystal Empire! You’re going to get to meet your Auntie Celestia!”

I sighed and opened my eyes, unhappily admitting defeat in the war against waking up. Princess Luna was gathering the various things in the train cart I’d need to get ready, beaming down at me with an amount of love that made me both happy and embarrassed. Since, you know, it was weird to be a grown man and have someone look at you like a little kid.

I mean, to be fair I am a little kid again. So it ain’t that weird. Honestly, it’s kind of nice.

I rolled to my hooves and stretched out to actually wake up. Taking a page out of Rarity’s cat’s book I lowered my chest into the bed and stretched my flank upwards, hearing a satisfying crack from my back as I did so. I also stretched out my wings, enjoying the pops of my wing joints settling into place. Surprisingly, my wings felt alright this time, unlike the slight soreness I had felt from the hospital beds.

[You know anyone can see your ass like that.]

I immediately slammed my flank back down into the bed, my head swiveling like crazy to figure out where that voice came from. It sounded kind of like my dad’s voice, but it was also a whisper from a man who was a whole world away. Mom looked down with a concerned look from the corner, where she was fixing her mane with the help of the mirror.

“Is everything okay, Storm? You look worried.” Mom gazed down at me, a worried look on her face.

I blinked and shook my head, forcing my mind to refocus. “Y-yeah I’m fine.” I hopped from the bed and made my way over to her. “So I’m going to meet Aunt Celestia?”

Mom nodded, smiling. “Yes! She is very excited to meet you!”

“That’s good.” I offered a weak smile before clearing my throat. “Uh, what about my parents? I thought Mom and Dad lived in the Crystal Empire too.”

Mom blinked, her brows furrowed in confusion for a moment. “Yes, Cadence and Shining Armor are the rulers of the Crystal Empire. But at the moment it's currently...” One of her ears flicked to the side for a moment as she broke eye contact.

“Currently what, Mom?” I scooted over a step to the left to regain eye contact.

I could swear a flash of even more confusion and excitement flashed through her eyes before she sighed. “Some kind of dome is covering the Crystal Empire, blocking us from entering it.”

“Oh...” I frowned and shuffled my hooves against the floor. “Well, thank you for being honest with me. But, what will happen if we do get in? Will my- I mean Flurry’s parents try to take me or will I actually live with you?” I looked up, my eyes pleading.

Mom pulled me into a hug and nuzzled the top of my head, comforting me enough that I felt a lot of my stress almost melt away. “I plan on talking to my sister about this matter once she’s done meeting you. Do not worry, be it with me or with Cadance and Shining, you will be treated with all the love a parent can give a child.”

“I-I.” I stammered before I forced the words out. “If you say so. I trust you, mom.” I sighed, moving to step out of her embrace. “If we are already here I should get ready, huh?”

Mom nodded, letting me go and levitating over my green hoodie, now with a rainbow lightning bolt made of small gems emblazoned on the chest of it. “Yes. You should wear this as well, it is quite cold out there. You have pegasus magic that should keep you warm, but just in case. Don’t want you getting sick after all.”

I smiled and pulled the hoodie on, this time having an easier go of it. It fit rather snuggly, with holes in the side to let me pull my wings through. Now that it was set I tidied up my hair with a brush, letting my curls sit naturally instead of trying to straighten them. I gave a small grin to my appearance in the mirror. While not the face I was born with and wanted, damn I was adorable.

[Oh! Don’t forget your bow darling!]

My right ear perked up at the feminine voice that sounded exactly like Mom. “Oh, right! Thanks for reminding me!” I scooped up my bow and tied it, grinning at my even cuter look.

“Hmm? Reminding you about what?” Mom asked, her eyebrow raised.

“For reminding me to put my bow on,” I stated, looking at her through the mirror and I finished adjusting my clothes and mane.

“I didn’t mention anything about a bow.” Mom frowned slightly. “Are you sure you are alright?”

I felt a shiver run down my spine, but I forced myself to shake it off. “Yeah, I’m fine, don't worry. Let’s go, don’t want to keep Aunt Celestia waiting right?”

Mom kept her frown but slowly nodded. “Sure, let us go then. Follow me.”

It wasn’t that hard to tell which tent was Celestia’s, considering almost no other tent was as tall or wide as hers. I couldn’t help but trot a little faster towards the tent once it was pointed out to me, Mom was right it was fucking cold, even through my coat and feathers. Mom herself walked with all the grace she always had, albeit with a slight degree of added effort thanks to the snow on the ground. There was no sign of Spike or Twilight on the way there, but based on the footprints in the snow at least Spike was probably already in the tent.

Once I got to the large white and gold tent with Mom, she held out one of her wings to stop me from just bursting in. Instead, she lit up her horn and pressed it against the entrance flap, causing the whole flap to glow a faint gold. Mom smiled and stepped back, letting the gold glow fade as we waited. I let out a small shiver and stepped closer to the elder alicorn, the freezing northern air absolutely cutting through me.

Thankfully the tent flap once again glowed with a gold aura and opened, revealing the inside of the fancy tent. It resembled almost something from Harry Potter with the fancy four-poster bed, mirror, desk, and dresser. Sitting in the middle of the tent on pillows were Spike, Twilight, and a really tall and regal-looking white alicorn, her hair almost like Rainbow Dash’s. But more....flowy, like Mom’s, like an actual rainbow instead of just rainbow-colored. And she was tall! Even sitting down I could tell an adult pony would be to her what I am to that adult pony.

“Woah.” I breathed out as I stepped into the warmness of the tent. “You’re really tall.”

Mom let out an exasperated sigh while the tall alicorn and Spike both burst into laughter. Even Twilight gained a small smile and rolled her eyes in amusement.

“Thank you, my little pony. I am quite tall indeed.” She nodded to Twilight and Spike, a calm smile on her otherwise serene face. “Twilight, Spike, why don’t you two go explore the camp a bit? I would like to speak with Luna and Storm alone for the moment.”

Twilight and Spike both nodded and made their way out of the tent, passing by me and Mom. Spike gave the two of us a hug in hello/goodbye, while Twilight simply gave a sheepish smile as she passed. Once the two of them left the tent flap once again glowed with a faint gold hue that quickly faded.

“Huh, what did that do?” I tilted my head in confusion at the lack of weird runes like almost all the other magic I’ve seen.

“Just a small privacy spell, don’t want anypony listening in after all.” The white alicorn gave me a wink and motioned to the two pillows in front of her with one of her long forelegs. “Why don’t you take a seat Storm so we can properly get to know each other.”

I hesitated for a moment, a flutter of anxiety shooting through me. Thankfully Mom saved me by giving me a small side-hug and whispering into my ear. “It’s okay, she’s your Aunt Celestia. She won’t hurt you I swear.”

I nodded and stepped over to the offered pillow, taking a moment to actually settle down onto the soft pillow. Far softer than anything I was used to, but thankfully it was large enough that I could simply lie down on my stomach instead of trying to sit like a cat. Mom sat on the other one, a nervous smile on her face as well.

“So, you must be Summer Storm. I am your Aunt Celestia.” She once again let a small smile in through her stoically regal expression. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

I nodded and gave a similar if awkward smile in return. “Same here. Uh, I was wondering...” Despite my feigned bravery, I felt one of my ears flick back in worry. “Mo- I mean Luna was saying that you two would have to talk about what’s gonna happen with me?”

Celestia’s eyebrow twitched upwards for a moment but didn’t comment on my slip up. “Yes, I wanted to wait on that until we have a chance to include Cadance and Shining Armor in the conversation. Although that does lead me to one of the things I wanted to ask you: what do you want to do? You don’t have to answer if you don’t know the answer, don’t worry.”

I folded my other ear back as I closed my eyes in thought. After a few moments, I opened my eyes and let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. “I would prefer moving to Canterlot with the two of you. Otherwise...I don’t know. I enjoy flying, it would be something I would love to learn more about. That and being able to visit my friends in Ponyville.”

Celestia nodded, her smile growing a little more at the sound of me having friends. “I am happy to hear that. Have you tried testing out your earth pony or unicorn magic yet? I’m sure you’d find as much enjoyment from that.”

I shook my head, letting out an embarrassed chuckle. “No, I didn’t really have time to learn, er, earth pony magic. To be honest I am not really sure what that means. As for unicorn magic, uh, I tried but...” I waved my forehooves in exasperation. “Every time I try to move things I keep either putting too much force or too little force and making a mess. Broke a door, put a fork in the ceiling...”

Celestia and Mom giggled softly before Mom set a comforting wing on my back, almost engulfing my small frame. “Don’t worry Storm, you’ll get a handle on it. Just requires a bit of practice, especially with your magic being enhanced by you being an alicorn.”

“If you practice slowly it will come with time, all ponies struggle with even simple magic like that in the beginning. Even we did, although I doubt Lulu will admit that.” Celesia stuck her tongue out at her sister, a teasing smile on her face.

Mom rolled her eyes but giggled. “Yes, yes. Besides, once you get a handle on that we can teach you some other spells if you wish.”

“I mean I can try, but I wasn't really a good student back home.” I paused for a moment, a thought crossing my mind. “Wait, am I going to have to go back to school?”

Celestia nodded, raising an eyebrow. “Of course. Admittedly we wouldn’t send you to my School For Gifted Unicorns since you’re far behind with your magical skills, but...” Celestia rubbed her chin with one hoof, her brows furrowed in thought. “Based on the test that Ms. Cheerilee gave you, you could attend Canterlot Prep School, as long as you actually apply yourself. As for flying, you can learn from some of the guards, or if you really want you could always go to Summer Flight Camp.”

“And learned to read?” I ventured, a small blush forming on my face.

Mom chuckled softly, nodding. “Yes, but that shouldn’t be too hard. Don’t worry, you’ll do fine in school, you are a bright filly. You just have to apply yourself.”

“If you say so.” I shrugged, a weird motion to do while laying on your stomach as a quadruped. “I was pushed more towards sports than school back home. Learned the basics but as long as I passed my parents were too worried, after all not much need for that when you’re working on a ranch.”

Celestia frowned slightly at that, a strange and slightly intimidating look on her. “I disagree with that sentiment, but that does not matter now. You aren’t going to be living on a ranch anymore, unless you choose to in the future. If you are adopted by Luna or by Cadance you’ll be a princess after all. And be it a rancher or royalty, everypony deserves to have a full education.”

“A p-princess?” I stammered, my anxiety rising. “I don’t know about that, I’m a bit young and that is a lot of responsibility and I’d rather have a simple life...”

Aunt Celestia smiled and lifted my head with one of her hooves, lowering her own to be of equal level to me. “It is a title, not something that you have to embrace if you don’t want to. You are still growing up, we aren’t going to put anything you aren’t ready for on your shoulders. Once you are of age if you do not want to be a Princess like me or Luna or Twilight you don’t have to. There are such things as nobles who go into other fields like the Wonderbolts, fashion, or even diplomats.”

I relaxed a bit, feeling my shoulders sag as some of the tension bled out of me. “Okay. Uh, what’s happening with Twilight?” I looked up, my brows furrowed in concern and irritation. “I want her to be punished, but not like exiled or something. I know she was trying to help after all, even if she went around doing it in the worst way.”

Celestia let out a small sigh and smiled. “I am happy to hear your concern. I am planning to make Twilight get some training to fight, both to make her not so reliant on her magic and hopefully make her not stress out over little things so much. While it was adorable when she was younger, it has become a liability, unfortunately. But do not worry, she won’t be exiled or anything.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, which felt strange considering all the pain that Twilight put me through. While I didn’t want to deal with her, at least for a while, I didn’t want her to die or anything. An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind and all that jazz.

“Wait, you said you wanted to wait for Cadance and Shining Armor! I thought they were stuck in there.” I waved a hoof in the vague direction of the giant pink dome, almost accidentally smacking Mom in the process.

Celestia chuckled and rose to her hooves, stepping over to a map on her desk. “It took a few days but one of my librarians found a map of the mines below. One of them should lead up to the Crystal Empire unless Shining or Cadance decided to wall it off.”

I blinked, tilting my head in confusion like a dog. “Oh, I thought you were just going to teleport or something through the dome.”

“No, we tried and it didn’t work.” Celestia sighed in frustration. “Whatever is making the dome is quite thorough, no magic in or out.”

[Maybe there is a reason it’s keeping you out. They don’t want to see their zombie daughter.]

My right ear turned to the side in an effort to focus on the strange voice. I frowned slightly and tried to ignore it, though my wings did twitch a bit in nervousness. Mom must have noticed it through the wing she had wrapped around me since she looked down with an eyebrow raised and a concerned look on her face. I smiled and shrugged, turning my attention back to my aunt.

“Say, would it be alright if I tagged along?” I asked, prepared to bring out my puppy dog eyes if needed. “I’ve spent the past few days being dragged around, I want to help actually do something. If that’s okay, I mean.”

I felt Mom’s wing twitch against my back as she frowned. “No, you might get hurt again.”

“Lulu, it’s fine.” Celestia looked down at me with a kind smile and a twinkle in her eyes. Almost looked like pride for a second. “You were her age when you started joining me and Starswirl on adventures. Of course, you can join us, Storm.”

Mom gasped in indignation before sighing. “Well, just be careful okay?”

I smiled up at her, relieved that Celestia actually let me join. “Don’t worry, I’ll try to be.”

“I will be there with almost a dozen guards. There are no predators in the mines, we should be fine.” Celestia chuckled and gave me a nuzzle on the top of my head. “I was planning on going when we were done talking. Are you ready?”

I nodded and looked over to Mom. “Are you not coming with us?”

She shook her head sadly. “I cannot, somepony has to watch the camp while you two are gone. Good luck to you two, be careful.”

“Will do, Mom!” I grinned and gave her a big hug, giggling as I felt her nuzzle my head as she returned the hug. Once she let go I turned to Celestia and gave a salute with my wing. “Lead the way, Auntie!”

The entrance to the mine wasn’t too far from the camp, thankfully. While the hoodie helped a lot to keep me warm, it still left a good chunk of my back half uncovered and exposed to the cold. Next to me was Celestia, the warmth coming off of her making her immune to the cold northern air. The other 10 guards had cloaks over their armor to protect them from the wind, but their metal armor was probably still uncomfortably cold even with padding and a coat to protect them.

The entrance itself was a simple cave opening, with wooden beams to give the ceiling and walls additional support. As we entered I noticed several glowing crystals on the wall, giving off enough light to see where we were going. Two of the guards went ahead of the group, one an earth pony and the other a pegasus.

“Storm, this is a good chance for you to learn a piece of your earth pony magic.” Celestia smiled down at me, lowering her head so I didn’t break my neck looking up at her. “Close your eyes and focus your senses through your hooves. Feel the earth, let the crystals within speak to you.”

I raised an eyebrow but shrugged and did as she said. Trying to feel the ground with my hooves was a weird feeling since it made my hooves kind of tingle like they did when I was standing on a cloud. Not a bad feeling, just weird. In the darkness, I could hear the guards’ armor and hoofsteps on the worn ground, while all around us I could vaguely feel the hum of various crystals still buried under the dirt. Not a threatening hum, just one letting me know that they were there.

“Huh. It’s kind of a tingly feeling.” I opened my eyes and looked back up at Celestia. “Do all earth ponies have to do that? Seems hard to mine with your eyes closed.”

Celestia let out a small chuckle and shook her head. “No, most earth ponies learn how to channel that feeling unconsciously with experience. It also depends on what area they work, the Apple family is skilled at using their magic to help their trees grow, while the Pie family focuses on rocks instead.”

“Oh wow. That is pretty cool.” I thought for a moment before looking back up. “This is a lot of different magic I can do. Sounds complicated.”

Celestia nodded sagely. “It can be, our gift as alicorns is the potential to use magic from all three tribes. To use it well requires time and practice, even the most studious alicorn can’t just learn how to use all their abilities in one day. Don’t rush it and it will come to you.”

I nodded and went back to looking at the mine walls, noticing that the closer we got to the city itself the more mined out the walls were. In various parts the tunnel split off in other directions, requiring the scouts and Celestia to consult their maps to ensure we didn’t get lost.

I stuck close to Celestia, shivering a bit at the claustrophobic nature of being this deep underground. I wanted to spread my wings and flee, but I couldn’t since I was basically enclosed in how many feet of earth, crystal, and stone until we left the mine. Celestia noticed and scooped me up, setting me on her back in an effort to keep me calm. It somehow worked, with me wrapping my forelegs around her neck as I laid against her back, face buried in her flowing mane.

After what felt like an eternity of holding onto my aunt and not thinking about being trapped in the mine I heard one of the scouts return with word that he found the exit. As one the group ventured towards the exit, keeping an eye for any potential threats, be it living or structural. I carefully lifted my head from Celestia’s mane, noticing that the exit tunnel was massive, filled with mine carts, gear, and a giant wooden door blocking the way out. I couldn’t read the sign on the door but it didn’t look good based on the bright red lettering on the white metal.

“Storm, keep your head down. We are going to have to bust the door open due to it being locked from the other side.” Celestia raised her wings, shielding me as the sound of wood splintering echoed through the tunnels. “We also don’t know what to expect once we enter the city. If there is any danger we will retreat and get more help. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes ma’am.” I squeaked, both excited and nervous at being this close to more danger. I wanted to help, sure, but I also knew I wasn’t much help in this body if things got super dangerous.

“Good. Now, let’s go save some ponies.” Celestia grinned and ventured into the pink-tinged light of the Crystal Empire, her wings carefully extended to hide me from all but those looking from behind. I couldn’t help but grin, bolstered by her confidence.

“I got your back, Auntie.” I giggled as I once again took my place on her back, holding onto her neck for support with my forelegs.

Ch 24 - Crystal Clear

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The difference in temperature between the mines and the Empire itself was like night and day. Thankfully it wasn’t too warm for my hoodie, but it did feel like I somehow stepped into a house with interior heating. Suddenly it made a lot more sense why someone built a city this far north, this heating magic would make it a lot more habitable after all.

From Celestia’s back, I couldn’t see much just like no one could see me. Several buildings that looked like they were made of some type of crystal sat on both sides of what I guessed was a residential street. Based on how loud the metal shoes of the guards and Celestia were against the ground, I assumed the road was made out of crystal as well. Up in the distance, a massive spire-like building rose into the pink-tinged sky, nearly reaching the top of the pink dome encompassing the city.

It was almost deafeningly quiet, with no sounds of ponies performing their day-to-day errands and tasks. No sounds of animals either, just the wind blowing through the streets and buildings like an eerie howl. The sound of the metal shoes on crystal was the only sound that could be confirmed to be from a sentient creature.

After almost a minute of walking through the empty city, the group stopped as one, one of the guards muttering a curse under his breath. Despite the earlier warning, I poked my head over Celestia’s shoulder, craning my neck to see what caused us to stop. My own heart jumped into my throat as I saw what everyone else did: dozens of Crystal Pony statues. Or what I thought to be statues at first glance, but they were more like normal ponies frozen into a place in time.

“Auntie, are those...?” I asked, my voice tinged with concern and fear.

“Those are Crystal Ponies, yes.” Even without seeing her face, I could tell my aunt was scowling in displeasure. “I doubt these are simple statues, so tread carefully.”

I bit my lip but cleared my throat, causing Celestia to turn back to look at me. “Can I jump down? If everyone is a statue then nothing should hurt me.”

Celestia held her frown but sighed, nuzzling me for a moment. “If you wish you may, but stay close. Whatever did this may still be nearby.”

I nodded and went to hop down, my bare hooves making a far softer sound than everyone else’s metal hoof shoes. We continued to head towards the main spire, carefully avoiding all the Crystal Ponies frozen in their day-to-day activities. It was a haunting sight, like somewhere between a wax museum and a snapshot before a disaster. It was probably a good thing that Crystal Pegasi weren’t really a thing, otherwise, quite a few ponies would be hurt falling from the sky.

“What could have done this?” I muttered under my breath, my voice far more fearful than I usually would appreciate.

“I do not know,” Celestia responded, her hoof on my back jerking me back to reality. “This isn’t petrification but something unique. Please, stay close. I do not want anything happening to you.”

[This is all your fault]

“What?” I yelped without realizing it, cringing slightly as Celestia raised an eyebrow in confusion.

[You were the heir of this Empire, their fate is your fault]

“Are you alright?” Celestia moved her hoof from my back to lift my head up, her brow furrowed in concern.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” I pulled away from her, trying to swallow my panic down. This wasn’t just a one-time thing, whatever was whispering into my head wasn’t stopping.

[C’mon Flurry Heart, why don’t you tell her the truth?]

I hissed and shook my head, trying to focus my thoughts back in order. I rubbed my head with a hoof as I went to start heading towards the tall spire. “Can we please continue? I’d rather not stand around a bunch of crystal statues.”

Celestia nodded and motioned to the guards to continue marching, a frown still creasing her face. I felt my ears flick back in embarrassment and focused on the spire ahead instead of her. I could almost swear the statues felt like they were creeping in, but every time I looked back they were still where they were.

Thankfully the voices stopped during the rest of our trek, allowing me to focus on the walk instead of trying to tune them out. If everyone wasn’t frozen in place for some reason the Crystal Empire would be a beautiful place with all of its crystal buildings. It made every building look almost like an art structure, each piece adding to the bigger whole.

“Do you think they’re in there?” I asked, my ears still flicked back in apprehension. “What if they’re also statues?”

“Then we will fix everypony ourselves.” Celestia looked down at me and smiled comfortingly. “Do not worry, I am sure that Cadance and Shining Armor are fine.”

“If you say so...” I murmured, my ears flicking back upright as I tried to listen carefully in case anyone appeared.

Celestia turned to look back up at the spire for a moment, her eyes searching for something. She slowly lowered her head, narrowing her eyes a touch as she did so. Hopefully finding what she was looking for, she turned to the guards waiting for her orders.

“Stick close to us, I can feel we are close to the Crystal Heart,” Celestia ordered, her wings flaring authoritatively. The six guards nodded and formed a protective circle around the two of us, eyes roaming the quiet square for any dangers. As one the eight of us headed towards the open base of the spire, towards some kind of glowing heart-shaped crystal.

Wow, that is a pretty literal name. Then again I’m not sure what I expected of something called a ‘Crystal Heart’.

As we approached the Crystal Heart, Celestia motioned for the guards to step back, taking the lead herself. I quickly followed her, feeling a small tingle radiate through my coat as we crossed the boundary of the spire. I looked up at her with apprehension but either she didn’t seem to have felt it herself or was ignoring it.

The Crystal Heart flashed with a bright blue color for a moment, causing Celestia and me to freeze in place for a moment in apprehension. It then flashed brightly enough to blind me while the sound of crackling thunder bounced around me. I hissed and blinked the light away, shaking my head to clear the afterimages from my sight.

I looked around and saw that Celestia and the guards were also frozen like statues, a glossy almost crystalline coat over them. The guards looked like they were about to job into combat while Celestia looked horrified at the Crystal Heart. I hesitantly stepped towards my aunt and tapped her, the alicorn not even shifting from where she stood.

[Now you have even more blood on your hooves. You should have just let them erase you]

“No! SHUT UP!” I yelled, turning around to try to locate the biting voice.

Instead, I saw what had to be the one other pony who wasn’t a statue at the moment, another alicorn to be specific. She stood a little taller than Twilight was, but her short stature compared to Celestia and Luna did not diminish her power in the slightest. Her coat was a deep pink, almost a purple with its dark hue. Her mane and tail were a shimmering cascade of dark purple that slowly brightened to pink by the ends. Her eyes were a deep purple that shone with hunger, not for food but for...love?

“Oh my daughter, I am so glad you came home!” The unknown alicorn jumped forward, pulling me into a deep hug with her forelegs and wings.

“D-daughter?” I stammered, caught completely off guard. I forced myself far enough out of the stronger mare’s hug to stare up at her. “Cadance?”

She frowned, her eyes narrowing in displeasure. “It isn’t polite to call your mother by her first name. I will allow it this once, by the look of you, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. But from now on I expect good manners, am I understood?”

I grit my teeth but nodded, finally being released from the mare’s grip. “What happened Mom? Why is everyone a crystal statue?” I nervously looked at my aunt and her currently frozen, terrified state.

“Oh, that’s simple dear.” Cadance spun on a hoof and waved a wing at the Crystal Heart. “I felt somepony close to me disappear, and my heart broke so much I wished for it to never happen again. And somepony spoke to me in my dreams!” She gave an excited grin, wide enough to show that her teeth were replaced with fangs. “He told me how to make sure nopony would ever get hurt or leave me again. I would never be lonely due to somepony...disappearing.” She turned back to me, her eyes focused on me like a laser. “Does that make sense, Flurry?”

I nodded, hiding my displeasure with a smile, a skill I learned from having to deal with my human-father. “Yup makes sense! But...wouldn’t that make everyone else sad? What about Auntie Luna? She’ll miss Auntie Celestia!”

Cadence shrugged, turning her gaze to Celestia. “I always preferred Celestia to Luna. She raised me like her own niece, you know? Meanwhile, Luna sat on the moon, not sharing her love with anypony. How selfish.”

I used the chance to take a step back, my coat on end from dread. Whatever had happened to her drove her crazy, that much was clear. “S-so what now Mom? Are we going to go see Dad?”

Cadence frowned and used her magic to pull me close to her again, wrapping me with one wing. “No, I think we will spend some time together instead. Nothing like some good mother-daughter bonding time, right?”

I could swear I could see Twilight Sparkle standing behind Cadance, her mouth almost split in half by the wide predatory grin on her face.

[See? I told you that you’d feel better as Flurry Heart.]

I closed my eyes and roared in fury, my worry furthering the spark of anger into a burning inferno of rage. “Shut up! For the last time I’m not Flurry Heart, I’m Summer Storm!” I could hear Cadance gasp and suddenly felt myself falling.

I opened my eyes as my head almost smacked into the ground, barely rolling onto my shoulder in time. I winced at the impact and looked up in surprise, my ears flicking back for a moment in fear at the sheer look of rage on Cadance’s face. Her eyes seemed to bore into my soul with how focused she was on me, her grin turning into a toothy scowl.

“What did you say, Flurry?” she growled, her eyes narrowing slightly.

I swallowed my fear and stood up on my hooves, my mind made. If I was going to die again, at least I would die being the real me. “My name isn’t Flurry Heart, it’s Summer Storm. I’m sorry but it's true.”

“Then where is my baby?” She growled, taking a step towards me. I went to take a step back but her long legs meant she gained more ground than I did.

“She is dead,” I stated flatly, unable to give the truth with any rage or fear. Just exhaustion. “She died at the hooves of Twilight Sparkle, who tried to save her from a foalnapping bug-pony but failed.”

“A changeling?!” She roared, the air around her cracking with lightning for a moment before it grounded itself against the crystal spire. “If that is true, then you must be a changeling as well. But I can feel the love from you...” Cadence thought for a moment before her horn started to glow. “No. Now that you told the truth I can almost smell the deceit coming from you. How dare you take the form of my baby!”

“It wasn’t my choice! Blame Twilight!” I growled, taking a step towards her.

“First you say she killed my Flurry Heart, and now you’re saying that she is responsible for that shoddy disguise?” Somehow Cadance’s scowl deepened into sheer loathing and rage. “Maybe I shouldn’t give you the gift of eternal life like everypony else. A creature like you deserves a much more direct and final punishment.”

“What?” I blinked, barely having a moment to realize what was happening before the glow from Cadance’s horn turned into a beam that hit me in the chest. I gave a yelp of pain as I could feel my coat singe from the impact, the force sending me flying back. I tried to spread my wings to change my trajectory but I was going too fast for someone of my skill to fix, instead, I crashed into what was right behind me.

I felt my head hit the Crystal Heart, and with a cry of pain, for the second time today, everything went white.

Ch 25 - Hopes And Dreams

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I sat up from my bed with a gasp, my head pounding like a motherfucker. I winced as the light coming in from the window made my migraine worse. My body closed the closer eye in an instinctive effort to mitigate the pain. Once the pain subsided enough that I could think more clearly I took a look around, expecting to once again be in the hospital.

I wonder if I have a designated bed with how much I’ve been in the hospital the past few days.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion as instead of the sterile but comfortable enough conditions of the hospital I was met with the interior of a bedroom. My bedroom. The one I had back in Japan, back when I was...

I grit my teeth and shook my head, forcing the rising memory of my death(s) from my mind. A groan came from next to me, nearly making me jump out of my skin in shock. Looking next to me I was greeted by the dark brown eyes of Themis, her half-open eyes warming my heart with the love coming from them. She gave me a kiss on the shoulder and pulled me back into bed, her arms wrapping around me in a hug.

Was it a dream? If so Themis is right, I really gotta lay off the burgers

I lay there in her warm embrace, enjoying the feeling of quiet love radiating off her. I snuggled a bit closer to her, feeling my head slide into the crook between her shoulder and chin. If I had the choice I would have laid there forever, but a flash of purple stirred me back into that grey area between awake and asleep.

Shaking off the last vestments of sleep I rolled out of bed as quietly as I could, trying to not disturb Themis too much. Thankfully she only let out a small whine at me leaving her embrace, so I moved my pillow over so she could snuggle with that instead. I smiled at the adorable sight of her falling back asleep and silently went to close the blinds so the light wouldn’t wake her as it did me.

Now mostly awake, I dressed in jogging shorts and a simple shirt as quietly as I could before finally leaving the room. To not wake my siblings I tiptoed past their rooms to the front door, breathing out a sigh of relief as I was far enough away not to have to be so careful. One pair of shoes and set of keys later I left the house to do my daily exercises, a body like mine didn’t come easily after all.

Once outside I spent a few minutes stretching, waking up my muscles for the journey to come. I chose the scenic route for my jog, wanting to see the town I decided to make my own. After so long trapped in a weird pastel pony nightmare I almost forgot what it looked like. I took a deep breath of the (mostly) fresh air and went on my way.

While making my way to the park I could swear I kept seeing something out of the corner of my eyes. Thankfully there were no cars or anything out at this early hour otherwise I would probably have been hit by someone with how distracted I was. At the edge of the park itself, I took a moment to lean against a tree and try to clear my mind. Unfortunately, the complete silence had the opposite effect of what I wanted, as I could swear I could hear faint clicking from somewhere in the trees.

“God, what is wrong with me today?” I groaned and rubbed my temples in a doomed attempt to cut off a building headache.

I sighed deeply and tried to go back to jogging, enjoying the sun on my skin. A surprisingly cold wind blew through the trees, too cold for summer by far. I shivered and began jogging a little faster to escape the chill. My frown grew deeper and deeper as the temperature kept dropping and the clicking slowly became louder.

I spun around as the clicking got louder, morphing from a faint tapping to more of a clop. Of a rock hitting crystal, or...

For a moment I could swear I saw a flash of purple in the trees, a hint of a horn and wings. My breath caught in my throat as I stumbled back straight into the tree behind me. I grit my teeth hard enough to feel my jaw twitch in pain as I held my head in my hands.

“You aren’t real, you aren’t real,” I mumbled under my breath, forcing myself to not cry.

[How do you know that you are the one that isn’t real?]

I twitched hard enough to slam my head back into the tree, wincing with pain. “Go away. I am back home, I don’t need this.”

[You know this is not what you want, Storm]

I hissed under my breath and pulled my hands from my face, breathing slowly in an attempt to calm my rising emotions. “I know what I want, fuck off.”

“Storm, please, wake up.” I snapped my head around at the sound of Twilight’s voice, almost headbutting the alicorn ahead of me.

“What, you’re gonna tell me that I am not real either?” I growled, balling my hands into fists. “Fuck off Twilight Sparkle.”

“I am not Twilight Sparkle. She is merely the bearer I am most familiar with.” The alicorn stared at me, her gaze unblinking and emotionless. “Wake up.”

I opened my mouth to respond but instead found everything fading to white, with me falling into the void.

A giant shadowy figure stood before the grieving mare, tears dripping down her cheek. A singular stuffed animal sat in front of her, almost glaring with its beady snail eyes.

“What Do You Want?” The shadow whispered its voice more like two tectonic plates grinding together than a true mortal voice.

“I want her, I want my daughter.” The mare cried, closing her eyes. “I felt her love fall away, felt her...her...”

The shadow drew closer, enveloping the mare in its embrace. “I Can Grant Your Wish. But First...”

I snapped my eyes open to see myself falling through the air towards a giant mass of clouds. I quickly glanced around, seeing a few ponies on smaller clouds watching me fall, some even holding signs with my name on them. Looking down I saw a few circles made of clouds leading to the main mass, the sounds of cheering coming from there.

I grinned as the wind blew through my mane and wings, pulling the latter even closer to gain more speed. If it wasn’t for the goggles on my face I probably would have been blinded by the wind but I wasn’t dumb enough to not plan for that. A laugh escaped my throat, blown away by the howling of the wind around me.

My wings twitched slightly, every instinct telling me that I had to pull up now or I’d smash into the ground. Or the clouds, which at this speed may as well have been the ground for all intents and purposes. But I forced those instincts down, instead just focusing on making sure I was aimed at the right cloud-ring.

Right before impact, I let my wings spread free, using them to steer myself through each cloud-ring in quick succession. I twirled around, expertly guiding my momentum from a downward trajectory back to an upwards one. Once I was done twirling I headed towards a series of clouds, easily spinning around each of them fast enough that they almost fell apart behind me.

I ended my flight by sliding on a piece of asphalt, leaving a burnt streak behind me. My sweaty windblown mane hung over my eyes for a second before I pulled the goggles off, letting my mane fall back over my eyes for a moment afterward. My breath came in deeply, experience letting me know not to let my breath get too erratic after that much exercise.

The sound of hoofsteps on asphalt rang out, but before I could look up I was tackled in a hug by the pony in question. I giggled and hugged my mom back, amused at the fact she was nuzzling my sweaty mane. Behind her were my aunt Celestia and Uncle Shining, both with proud smiles on their faces. Even Twilight was there, although she kept her distance from the group out of respect.

The sound of someone sighing tore my attention from the ponies around me, forcing me to turn around to properly see the pony in question. Standing tall before me was none other than Aunt Cadance, even though her coat and mane were a lot darker than I remembered...

“Everything alright auntie?” I asked, my brow furrowed in concern.

[Of course not, you’re there]

My ear twitched at the sound of the voice, but I focused my attention on my aunt instead of taking the bait. Cadence looked down at me with a look of both apathy and frustration, the two emotions obviously battling within her.

“You aren’t my daughter.” She growled, taking a step towards me.

I blinked and tilted my head in confusion. “What are you talking about? Of course, I’m not your daughter, I’m your niece.”

“No. You are an imposter in her flesh.” Her wings flared out, blocking out the sun from shining upon me. “I can feel the love you feel for me, be it from whatever part of Flurry remains or sheer naivety. If you truly loved me, you would give me my daughter back.”

I scowled, the boiling frustration breaking whatever hold the illusion around me had. The other ponies, no, the entire world boiled away until it was just myself and Cadance standing in a white void. My wings twitched a bit in my frustration but I forced myself to stand tall, glaring back up at the elder alicorn.

“I told you, she is dead and gone and will never be coming back.” I felt the emotions I’d been keeping bottled up for so long boil up and over until they began to simply spill out. “Do you think you can force me to be whatever you want just because Flurry Heart died? Do you think you’re the only one who has lost loved ones and wishes they could come back?”

Cadence rolled her eyes, a dismissive snort echoing from her. “What do you know about loss? You’ve never lost your firstborn.”

“No, but I’ve lost just about everything else. I had to bury my mother, who died at the hands of my own father. I had to run away from everything I had ever known to protect my siblings from his growing insanity.” I growled and took my own step forward, never breaking eye contact with Cadance. “I also died. Now everything I worked so hard for is a world and life away, and I have to start all over again.

“Do you think I want to be in your daughter’s body? If I had my own wish, I’d be able to not just start again, but start again on a whole new page as myself. Not with Flurry’s body, but my own, as Luna’s daughter.” I sighed, sagging a bit as the rage flowing through me began to disperse. “As long as I could fly in that body I’d be happy. But I doubt that would happen.”

“I-I” Cadence began, her voice cracking a bit in surprise. “I did not expect that I will admit.”

“I figured. If your frustration is with me, just let everyone else go. Please.” I turned my gaze away from hers, a wave of exhaustion washing over me. “I can’t ask you to just move on, I know that someone close to you dying takes a part of your soul out of you. But you shouldn’t hurt others because of it. Trust me.”

I grit my teeth for a moment and went to hug the elder alicorn, wrapping my forelegs around her chest. Cadence flinched at my touch for a moment before pulling me in close, sobbing into my mane. We stood there for who knows how long in the darkness, forelegs wrapped around each other in an attempt to comfort each other. One who lost everything for a new life, the other who lost a life they wanted to give everything.

Eventually, the white void faded to darkness, the last vestiges of comfort before the real world broke in. It almost felt like reality itself vibrated as all of the love caged within the Crystal Heart broke free all at once, washing over everything and everyone in a rainbow tsunami.

“I Can Grant Your Wish, My Little Pony. But There Will Be A Price You Must Pay.”

The price was steep, but not unpayable.

“How do I know I will actually survive?”

“Do Not Worry, I Always Keep My Word. Otherwise, Who Would Make Deals With Me?. Now, This May Sting...”

Ch 26 - Aftermath

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To say Twilight Sparkle was not having a good day would be the understatement of the century. She silently made her way to the cafeteria tent for some warm food, Spike nervously jogging behind her. The snow made it hard for him to keep up, but Twilight was cognizant enough to simply slow down so he could keep pace instead of just throwing him on her back.

“Well, that could have gone better.” Spike sighed and shrugged. “At least she listened to your side of the story.”

“Spike, just because she listened doesn’t mean that I’m just gonna be able to walk free.” Twilight fought the urge to snap at who she saw as a younger brother. “Celestia said she wanted to talk to Luna and Storm first, not that she accepted what happened.”

“I’m sure it will be fine.” Spike put a claw on Twilight’s withers in an attempt to console her. “Princess Celestia didn’t get where she is today with being hasty after all.”

“I guess so.” Twilight gave Spike a small smile and nuzzled the top of his head. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Spike blushed and rubbed the back of his head with one claw. “Aww, thanks Twilight.”

“Princess Twilight?” A unicorn Night Guard stepped over to the two, breaking the moment. “Princess Luna wishes to speak to you.”

Twilight swallowed hard and nodded, using her magic to lift Spike up onto her back. “Very well, lead us to where she wishes to meet, sir.”

Stepping back into Celestia’s private tent was both a comfort and oddly worrying for Twilight. On one hoof, it was warm and inviting inside, kept at a stable temperature via magic woven into the very cloth itself. On the other hoof, Luna wanting to meet Twilight there was not a good sign in the slightest. Luna herself sat on the cushion that Celestia had taken just an hour previously.

“You wanted to speak with me?” Twilight asked, letting Spike slide off her back without any complaint.

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna nodded and gestured to the two smaller cushions in front of her. “Please, both of you take a cushion. I’d rather you remain sitting for this.”

Twilight walked over to her cushion, her throat as dry as a desert in apprehension. Spike scurried over to the cushion next to her, glancing at the two princesses nervously. Thankfully Luna took the helm, clearing her throat with one hoof against her muzzle.

“My sister and I spoke before she ventured into the mines with Storm.” Luna shifted slightly, not bothering to hide her irritation with such a decision. “Between the two of us, we have decided what your punishment should be.”

Twilight tilted her head slightly in confusion. “Celestia told me she was waiting to speak to Cadance before making a decision? Why the change?”

“We decided that involving Cadance and Shining Armor would prove...hazardous.” Luna gave a small huff of frustration. “It would be too personal for them, cloud their judgment.”

“I see.” Twilight looked down to the ground, her feathers slowly ruffling to match her anxiety.

“So, uh, what’s the verdict?” Spike interjected nervously, wringing his claws in anticipation.

“Cutting straight to the chase, Spike? Very well.” Luna nodded and turned her full attention to Twilight. “You will attend basic Guard Training, along with grief counseling.

Twilight blinked in surprise, a bit taken aback. “Grief counseling?”

“Yes.” Luna nodded and let out a small sigh. “As an alicorn you are long-lived, if not immune to aging itself. Unfortunately, this means you must be used to ponies around you dying and be prepared to handle it without cracking like you did with...with Flurry Heart.”

Twilight nodded slowly before facing the ground again. “I understand.” She frowned for a moment before giving a low chuckle. “I will admit, I expected a lot worse.”

Luna’s hoof touched Twilight’s chin, making her flinch slightly before allowing her head to be lifted. “When Celestia spoke to Storm, she was worried that you’d be banished or exiled. It was a little surprising hearing a concern like that from one so hurt, but it warmed our hearts as well. While our original punishment was quite a bit more...restrictive, we were persuaded to be more gentle with our decision.”

“I-I see.” Twilight frowned slightly, her brows creased in thought. “That is good.”

Luna nodded, a grimace slowly forming on her face. “Indeed. While not forgiveness, Storm is not quite as willing to write you off as we thought. Hopefully, time will help heal that wound.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, not bothering to hide her interest. “What about you and Celestia?”

Luna pulled back from Twilight and sighed, rubbing her muzzle with a hoof. “I will still respect you professionally, princess to princess. But I will need time before I can come close to forgiving you for Flurry Heart. As for dear Tia, I cannot say.”

Twilight nodded and gave a disappointed sigh, her ears flicking back in sadness. She opened her mouth to ask a new question but was cut off by a swell of magic. Both princesses felt their feathers ruffle slightly and their horns spark in response to the magic swell. Twilight and Luna whipped their heads towards the source of the swell, towards the Crystal Empire as the swell broke into a wave. Twilight flinched for a moment as a wave of love washed over and around her, bringing up old memories of her both being loved and giving love.

-A young Shining Armor sat on Twilight’s bed, reading her a bedtime story while her foalsitter Cadance tucked the filly in.-

-Celestia smiles as an adolescent Twilight giggles and hops in place, excitedly showing the princess the new spell she learned.-

-Twilight sheds a tear as she sits next to Flurry Heart’s hospital bed. The young princess gave her niece a kiss on the forehead and made a promise: she would fix her mistake and make her loved one whole, or die trying.-

Twilight grit her teeth and shook her head to clear her mind. A glance around showed that Luna was similarly breaking free of her memories while Spike still lay on the ground. Twilight began to cast a teleportation spell as she turned to Luna.

“That must have been the Crystal Heart, but that was a lot more energy than I’ve ever seen before. I’m gonna try teleporting into scope out the situation if you can follow behind with the guard.” Twilight requested from the Lunar Princess, her horn now glowing with a bright light as the teleportation spell fought against being held.

“Go, but be safe,” Luna responded, rubbing her head with a hoof. “Don’t do anything too hasty either, please.”

Twilight nodded and let the teleportation spell fire, disappearing in a flash to the Crystal Heart plaza.

With a burst of harsh purple light, Twilight appeared in the plaza near the Crystal Heart. A quick glance around let the Princess of Friendship absorb the basics of the situation. Celestia and Cadance sat nearby, groaning and rising from where they fell. Two dozen feet away six guards were similarly dazed, far more than the alicorns. Twilight glanced around in a panic, the lack of a certain pink filly making her imagination spin wildly.

A thestral filly lay by the Crystal Heart itself, groaning as she rubbed her head. Her coat was a simple grey with a few black stripes, while her mane and tail were far more colorful. They were composed of streaks of pink, light blue, and dark pink, ending with yellow and red. The near rainbow almost reminded Twilight of her friend Rainbow Dash to be honest.

“Storm? Storm, where are you?” Twilight yelled, trying to keep a level tone but panic still seeping in.

The thestral filly groaned in pain and irritation, her ear flicking towards Twilight. “What do ya want, Twilight? Ah’m sleepy...”

Twilight blinked and recoiled in surprise at a familiar voice coming from an unfamiliar body. Or well, a familiar voice with a strange new accent. Concerned but curious she stepped closer to the thestral, brushing some of her mane from her forehead. “Storm, is that you?”

The thestral opened her eyes wide in surprise at the touch, her eyes scouring Twilight’s face. Her eyes were pinkish-blue and slitted like normal for a thestral. “Wait, are ya the real Twilight? Not a fake one?”

“Uh, yes?” Twilight couldn’t help but look down at herself for a moment. “Last time I checked I was the real Twilight.”

The filly leaped up and tackle-hugged Twilight, causing her to fall over, unable to prepare for such a forceful hug. Nearly immediately she began to cry into the crook of Twilight’s neck, her forelegs wrapped around the alicorn’s barrel in fear and a need for comfort. Twilight awkwardly hugged back, a bit too confused to properly console the filly.

“Ah’m so happy ya’re here, Aunt Twilight. Ah thought ah saw ya when ah was talking to Cadance but ya looked like a monster and ah was scared and ah saw ya again but ya said ya weren’t ya and then a shadow thing turned ya into a rock and shoved ya in my chest and-” The filly rattled off with the power of a terrified child before Twilight was forced to cut her off to get clear answers.

“It’s okay, I’m here now.” Twilight stroked the filly’s mane comfortingly, wrapping ‘Storm’ in her wings for some extra security. “But first...you are Storm, right?”

The filly looked up into Twilight’s eyes with confusion. “Y-yeah, it’s me. Ah know it’s been a few hours but ya’ve already forgotten my name? Ah’m Summer Storm, not Flurry Heart.”

Twilight couldn’t help but frown slightly, her mind whirring at full steam. The filly claimed to be Storm and sounded like her, but everything else was all wrong. To be honest, the filly even sounded more like an Apple than anypony else. She opened her mouth to ask a bunch more questions but was once again cut off by the arrival of another Princess.

Luna crashed into the square with enough speed that even Rainbow Dash would be impressed. Before the dust even had a chance to settle she pushed forward, scanning the crowd with wide eyes. “Storm? Storm where are-”

Storm jumped out from Twilight’s embrace, the force of her hooves on Twilight’s stomach making the mare wheeze in pain. Once again the filly impacted an alicorn, this time however the alicorn was able to stay on her hooves. Luna looked down, her eyebrow raised in clear confusion but did not remove the thestral filly.

“Mom!” Storm cried out and hugged Luna, forced to stand at her full height to wrap her forearms around Luna’s neck due to the sheer height difference.

“Storm? Is that you?” Luna echoed Twilight, her eyes wide and jaw almost hanging open in shock.

The filly let go of Luna’s neck and landed gracefully on her hooves, pouting cutely in frustration. “Yeah, it’s me! Ah know Twilight got confused but that doesn’t mean ya should be!”

Luna blinked and cleared her throat, looking over the filly for a moment before responding. “If that is truly you Storm, what happened to your body?”

The thestral rolled her eyes and shrugged, gesturing to her chest with one hoof. “Yeah, ah know ah got hit in the chest by Cadance but that doesn’t mean ah look that different.”

“Storm, look down.” Luna gestured towards the filly’s chest with one hoof, one of her ears flicking back.

“What did it leave a brui-” Storm started before looking down and stopping what she was saying. “Wait, why am ah black? No, that sounds racist. Ah mean...” Her ears flicked back and she began to look over herself in a panic. “Oh my god, that shadow thing was real and not just another weird voice?!”

Luna set one hoof on Storm’s shoulder and lowered herself to the panicking filly’s level. “Breathe Storm, breathe. What happened?”

“A-Ah spoke to some weird shadow thing that offered me the chance to actually have my wish.” Storm frowned, prompting Luna to wrap her in her wings. “The wish to be what Ah would be if Ah was born as ya child, Mom.” Storm looked up with her sad filly eyes, fluffy ears fully flicked back. “Ah thought it was just another voice but ah guess it was real.”

Twilight stepped over carefully, nervous at the sudden attention from Luna and Celestia, who was watching carefully from the sidelines. “Storm, you mentioned that you saw me earlier. Have you been seeing and hearing things that aren’t there?”

Storm blinked and looked up at Twilight, her ears flicking back. “Uh, no, no ah haven’t.” One of the filly’s ears perked up for a moment and a frown crossed her face. “What? She won’t hurt me again. Ah think.”

Twilight gave an uncertain look to Luna, not wanting to force the issue herself. Luna nodded slightly and lifted Storm’s head with a hoof, giving her a calming smile. “What Twilight is trying to say is that you can tell us if anything is bothering you. If not now, then when you are more comfortable. Do you understand dear?”

Storm gave Luna a nod before tightening her hug. “Yes, Mom.”

Luna gave her daughter a small loving smile before giving a look up at Cadance and Celestia. “Good. Are you going to be okay hanging out with your uncle Spike for a moment? Mom has to talk with your aunts and uncle Shining in private.”

Twilight couldn’t help but gulp at the ominous choice of words.

“So...Spike the Hero eh?” I let out a small giggle, rolling my eyes a little. “Pretty cool ah’ll be honest. How did ya end up saving the Crystal Empire?”

Spike and I were sitting in one of the small side rooms of the tower-palace-thing while the ‘adults’ spoke in the other room. We started with just reading comic books, but the two Spike had on him were quickly run through so instead we started just chatting.

“Oh, that’s easy!” Spike grinned excitedly and waved his claws in a charade to match his story. “Twilight was stuck by some trap that Sombra put to protect the Crystal Heart, so it was up to me to make sure that it was safe! I grabbed the Crystal Heart with both claws and was forced to valiantly leap off the tower to the crystal ponies below.

“Sombra was rising up on some kind of dark crystal thingy towards me but I was steadfast in my defense of the Heart. Nopony was going to touch it while I breathed! I stared him down and was prepared to fight but Cadance swooped in and grabbed me before I could kick his flank. Once we landed I let her do her thing as Princess and banish Sombra.”

I blinked, my head tilting in equal measure curiosity and surprise. “Woah, that’s pretty intense.”

“Yeah, but it was no biggie.” Spike shrugged, waving it off. “I mean I’ve been in more death-defying adventures. This time I was just appreciated for my efforts.”

I felt one of my ears flick up as someone yelled angrily in the other room. Probably Shining Armor based on how deep the voice was. That was one cool thing about this weird bat-pony body, I had better hearing for better or worse. A door slammed loud enough that even Spike jumped a bit.

“That ain’t a good sign,” I grumbled.

“Yeah.” Spike blinked before rubbing his chin with one claw. “By the way Storm, what’s with the accent?”

I tilted my head, my brow furrowing in confusion. “What accent? Ah’ve always sounded like this.”

“Uh, no you haven’t.” Spike crossed his arms in irritation. “You sounded normal before, now you sound like an Apple.”

I frowned and narrowed my eyes at the dragon. “Are ya saying Ah ain’t normal?” My voice admittedly dripped with far more venom than I meant. Then again, he was insulting my manner of speaking so eh.

Spike was thankfully saved from having to awkwardly apologize by the door to the small side room slamming open. Both Spike and me whirled around to see a really pissed-off Shining Armor standing in the doorway. He glanced over Spike before staring me down with narrowed eyes.

“So, you must be ‘Summer Storm’.” Shining Armor stated flatly, raising his eyebrow.

I gave a nervous smile, my bat wings extending a bit and closing in a crude imitation of how I would have ruffled my feathery wings if I still had them. The stallion raised his other eyebrow, staring at my mouth for a moment. I remembered the incisors I had that other ponies didn’t and quickly closed my mouth.

“Y-yeah, Ah’m Summer Storm, sir.” I quickly got to my feet hooves and stood at the most respectful attention I could. He entered the room and looked down at me, forcing me to crane my neck to look up at him. Stupid child height! I saw him raise a hoof and-

[Watch out, he’ll hit you!]

I flinched, my mind going on autopilot as I stepped back and raised a hoof protectively over my head. As I waited for him to strike me I instead was met with silence. A gentle pressure pushed my hoof back down to the ground, the sound of something heavy hitting the floor making me whimper.

“Are you alright?” Shining’s voice came from a much lower place than I remembered. I carefully opened one eye to see him sitting in front of me, his angry look replaced with one of concern.

“A-Ah am, sorry sir.” I gave a nervous smile, my ears firmly flicked back. I saw him raise an eyebrow for a moment before lowering it again.

Shining sighed, rubbing his cheek with a hoof. “You don’t have to say sorry to me, Storm. I should be the one to say sorry. If I was there, if I didn’t have Twilight watch you, none of this would have happened. You’d still be...” He sighed again before suddenly reaching out his forelegs and pulling me into a hug.

I winced, expecting the pain of a broken rib but surprisingly didn’t feel the familiar pain. Instead, I just felt a sense of warmth and love from the hug. I slowly untensed in his embrace, enjoying it while it lasted. After a few moments I felt something wet drop onto my mane, so I looked up and gasped as I saw him crying.

“Storm, I know that you aren’t my...my little girl. But I will always be here if you need it, understand? I don’t know why Luna wants to adopt you other than...” Shining frowned and cut himself off. “Regardless, please write. Please visit.”

I smiled and resettled into the embrace, this time wrapping my own wings around him. “I promise, Uncle Shining.”

Ch 27 - Cleaning The Record

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Once the adults were done with their meeting, they split apart to get ready for dinner. Aunt Twilight and Spike went off on their lonesome, while Aunt Cadance and Uncle Shining Armor went off towards the kitchen. This left Aunt Celestia, Mom and me as the last group heading off to the guest bedroom section of the castle. I couldn’t help but stick close to Mom, feeling a bit safer so close to her rather than a normal distance like I was used to.

“So, Ma, how did the talk go?” I looked up at the Lunar Diarch, trying to ignore the fact I was so small compared to her. And even smaller next to Celestia.

It was hard to fully tell what her reaction was but even I could see Mom wince a bit in response to my question. “It went alright, dear. We can talk about it later, I want you to get cleaned up first.”

I blinked and looked down at my hooves in confusion. “Cleaned up? Ah ain’t tha’ dirty.”

Celestia let out a small chuckle and ruffled my mane with one of her hooves. “From where we stand you are covered in dirt and dust from the mine. I am sure a bath will fix you right up before we eat dinner.”

I scrunched up my muzzle a bit but sighed. “Ok, Ah’ll take a bath.”

“Good.” Celestia smiled down at me, making me feel a bit better. “Before we split ways, Storm, I was wondering about the origin of your wonderful accent. You did not have it before, after all.”

My muzzle achieved full scrunch as I looked up at my Aunt, my eyes hard. “Ah’ve always had this accent. Ah dunno why Ah didn’t have it when Ah was Flurry Heart but...”

“Did you have it back when...” Mom began before hesitating when I turned my glare to her. “...when you were a human?”

[They know your secret!]

I slowly let out my breath through my nose before nodding. “Yea. Got it from mah...from mah Father.” I felt myself bite my lip, my tiny fangs digging in a bit but thankfully not drawing blood.

Mom pulled me in close with one wing for a hug, her warm embrace making me slowly relax. I sniffled a bit at the bubbling memories but squeezed them back down to deal with later. I opened my eyes, not even realizing I had shut them in distress.

“A-Ah am fine, sorry.” I wheezed out, forcing myself to step out of Mom’s warm embrace.

Thankfully Mom nodded, giving a gentle smile to me before turning her attention to her sister. “‘Tia, I think questions like that can wait for a better time, no?”

I could swear I saw a slight frown crease Aunt Celestia’s face but she nodded. “You’re right Lulu. I’ll see you at dinner then.” She gave me a smile in goodbye before heading off to her own bedroom.

“So, uh, where is mah room?” I looked back up at Mom, a grin slowly growing on my face.

Mom gave me a gentle smile before leading me to another one of the rooms, opening the door with a casual flick of her horn. Inside was a simple guest room, or at least a simple one in terms of a royal guest room. The bed in one corner was a four poster bed with silken sheets, while the dresser and vanity seemed to be made of hand hoofmade wood.

I couldn’t resist letting out a small whistle in awe. “Wow, this is a nice room!”

“You should see the room I have planned for you back in Canterlot.” Mom let out a small giggle before nudging me towards a side door with one wing. “But first things first: it’s bathtime!”

I couldn’t help but flinch a bit, my instincts compelling me to push back. My ears flicked back a bit and I sighed, looking to the side as I did so. “Do Ah hav’ to Ma?”

“Yes you do!” Mom opened the side door with a flick of her horn, revealing a fancy looking bathroom. Or at least fancy to me, considering I was used to a more rural environment. “While the opportunity for a first impression is unfortuntely gone, this dinner will be a more...formal introduction to your Aunt and Uncle.”

I frowned a bit and moved to escape, a wave of rebelliousness washing over me. I turned to the door and was forced to watch it slam shut, the knob locking with a flash of Mom’s magic. I awkwardly turned back around to the tubm, which was large enough (or me being small enough) that it was hard to look over it. Mom reached over and turned a knob, letting a stream of hot water into the porcelain container. I awkwardly shifted from hoof to hoof, not having to strip due to my bow and hoodie disappearing during my ‘transformation’ for some reason.

Once the water reached about a foot and a half high Mom motioned for me to jump in. I frowned and turned my head, stubbornness washing over me. A faint tingling spread over my body before I felt myself lifted into the air by Mom’s magic. Immediately I flailed my limbs at the sudden levitation but couldn’t escape her magical grip. My soapy fate was truly sealed as Mom dropped me into the tub, causing me to land with a splash onto my chest. I glared up a bit as Mom hid her mouth behind a hoof, trying to hide a giggle.

With a grumble I sat down in the water, letting the hot water soak into my coat and loosen the dirt caked into it from walking around in a mineshaft. Taking the opportunity, Mom grabbed some shampoo and began working it into my mane with her hooves. A wave of comfort and pleasure raced through me at the contact, making me smile before I frowned again as a thought popped into my head.

“Uh, Ma?” I started, hesitating to finish my thought.

“Yes, my little raincloud?” Mom smiled down at me, continuing to work the shampoo into my prismatic mane.

I took a deep breath and looked up at her, as confident a look on my face as I could muster. “Ah’m sorry for acting like a scared foal earlier. Ah just woke up an’ was confused and disorientaed an’ Ah dunno. Ah dunno wha came over me.”

“Oh, sweetie...” Mom shook her head slowly, her tender smile growing a bit. “There is no shame in needing help or being scared. It’s part of growing up. I am just happy you went to me for help instead of hiding it.”

I grumbled in response, my cheeks burning with a blush in response to my embarrassment. I was forced to close my eyes as Mom poured water over me to wash out the shampoo from my mane. I raised a hoof and awkwardly brushed a bit of my mane out of my eyes before I tried to open them.

“Ya know, Ah think Ah need a haircut.” I grumbled, flicking my long mane back once the last of the shampoo was washed out.

Mom gave me a gentle smile as she got a washcloth ready with soap. “Not a fan of the long mane? I think it makes you look cute.”

I blushed a bit again but rolled my eyes. “It’ll only get in the way when Ah fly. Ah guess Ah could braid it instead but Ah dunno...”

Mom let out a faint chuckle as she soaped me down, cleaning all the dirt out of my surprisingly fluffy coat. “I would say speak to Rarity or the Royal Hairdresser, I’m sure they can help you with that.” She paused and pursed her lips before her tone dropped into a far more serious one. “Storm, you know I am being serious about coming to us if you have any problems.”

My head shot up, and I could swear I could hear almost a dozen separate voices yell from God knows where. “What do ya mean, Ma?”

Mom sighed and closed her eyes, opening them with a sadness only born of experience. “Rainbow Dash told you about how her and her friends vanquished Nightmare Moon, correct?”

“Er, yeah.” I nodded, my eyebrow raised in confusion at where this was going.

“Nightmare Moon was an evil born of my refusal to speak to my sister about the problems brewing in my heart.” Mom’s ears flicked back, but she maintained eye contact regardless. “I suspect is the same for your Aunt Cadence’s own corruption only a day prior. While you are no longer an alicorn, that doesn’t mean that you should let your problems fester in your heart.

“I am here to help you, as hard as that may be to believe. Celestia, Cadence, Shining Armor, even Twilight want to help you be the best version of you. Do not let the darkness stick in your heart when you do not need it to, it will only lead to pain further down the road.” Mom offered me a pained smile. “Speaking of darkness, try to not make deals with shadowy figures without me being there. Trust me.”

“Okay, Ma.” I felt my own ears flick back for a moment. “Ah thought it was part of mah imagination, not a real thing.”

“Would you be willing to elaborate?” Mom asked, soaping behind my ears.

“Well, the past few days Ah’ve been hearing voices Ah thought were ya or Twilight or someone else. But either they weren’t around or they didn’t say anything.” I looked back up at my Mom. “Am Ah going crazy, Ma?”

Mom gave a small chuckle and shook her head once. “I think we are all a little crazy. But no, I do not think you are going crazy, dear. Just that you need a touch of help.” She let out a small breath. “Would you be okay if I spoke to Celestia about this? I am sure she would be better than me at helping you.”

I nodded quietly as we finished my bath, the warm water quickly turning brown with dirt. I hopped out of the tub, my leathery wings spreading as I did so splashing water all over the mat. I looked up at Mom with wide eyes to ask for a towel but was cut off as two of them descended on me, each held in her magical grip. Within a minute my coat and mane were almost completely dry, although the former was now poofy from the static cling. My wings required a bit more of a delicate drying to not irritate them, they didn’t have feathers to lose but still.

Mom nudged me back towards the bedroom itself with a gentle hoof, letting out a small giggle as I staggered a bit on my hooves. Admittedly the sudden drying made me a bit disorientated, so I swayed on my hooves for a few steps. As I refocused I noticed Mom looking through various makeup pallets and such with a frown on her face.

“What’s wrong Ma?” I tilted my head, staring up at her with my wide filly eyes.

“Well, you don’t have a nice outfit to wear to dinner, so I’m trying to think on how to make you even cuter for tonight.” Mom responded, looking between the three pallets and me.

I scrunched my muzzle a bit in annoyance. “Ah think Ah’m cute enough without makeup.” I blushed a bit in embarrassment. “At least, Ah don’t think Ah need it right naw. Can’t ya just braid mah mane o’ somethin’ instead?”

Mom thought for a moment before shrugging. “Sure, a simple look is also nice.”

I stood still while she used her magic to brush out my mane and tail, cooing at the surprising amount of pleasure the rhythmic brushing gave me. Once they were brushed out a different brush was used on my coat, making it extra fluffy and glossy. My mane was put into a simple braid that hung over my right side, bound by a simple black tie.

Mom smiled warmly down at me, giggling a little. “Aren’t you an adorable little mare?” she nuzzled my cheek with her own, prompting an instinctive giggle from me. “Now c’mon, I don’t know about you but I am starving for a nice Crystal Pony dinner.”

I nodded, my cheeks blushing a little at being called adorable. “Lead the way, Ma. Don’t exactly know which way is which here mahself.”

Mom smiled down at me before opening the bedroom doro with her magic, leading me into the hall. While we were gone it seemd like the staff once agained took their assigned patrols and other duties, with maids and guards going about their patrols. Many offered bows or respectful nods to Mom as we passed, but a fair few simply raised an eyebrow at me. It didn’t bother me at all, after all I was still a new presence but was still something I noted.

A few minutes of walking later we reached a gold and crystal set of doors, guarded by two Crystal Pony guards. They bowed to Mom and opened the doors, revealing the diners inside. Around a priceless oak table sat Aunts Celestia and Cadance, along with Uncle Shining. I noticed that Aunt Twilight and Spike were missing, probably eating elsewhere to make a less awkward dinner.

As soon as Aunt Cadance noticed me she let out a small squee and trotted over to the two of us. She lowered her head to eye-height with me, her muzzle splitting into a grin I could recognize a mile away. “Aww, you’re so adorable and fuzzy, Storm!”

Shining chuckled from where he sat, waving a hoof at Cadance. “Let her sit down, you can fuss over her later dear.”

“B-but look at her adorable little fangs and fluffy ears Shiny!” Cadence wrapped me in a wing hug and gave wide eyes to Shining. “You can’t tell me she isn’t adorable! Right Storm?”

“Y-yea!” I echoed, sounding as confident as I could. I wasn’t used to being complimented like that, but I will admit it did feel nice.

Unfortuntately the moment was broken by my stomach roaring its complaints at being so close to food and yet so far. I blushed in embrassment while Cadance and Shining chuckled at the sight. Celestia rolled her eyes and smiled down at the two of us.

“Perhaps Shining is right, besides it wouldn’t do for your food to get cold.” Celestia gave a warm smile down at me before looking at the four other ponies in the room. “It has also been a long time since we’ve had a family dinner. Perhaps we should do this more often.”

Author's Notes:

Ironically, I just came back from a family dinner before I posted this chapter. While I am not usually a people person, nothing like seeing people you care about and having some good food every once in a while.

My apologies for the long, long delay with this chapter. It's been nearly...woof, a month since the last update. While I won't wax on about personal issues as that's not what you come here to read, it turns out hearing voices/seeing things isn't normal. I'm going to leave it on Storm as, to be honest, I added it since I am also dealing with it. I am getting help but I had to spend quite some time focusing on that (and work) and so was unable to write.

Thankfully I am doing a fair bit better now, but mental health is no joke. Take care of yourself y'all.

Thank you for reading, let me know what you think. Catch y'all in the next update!

Epilogue - Gliding At Midnight

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“Well, that dinner could have gone better.” Cadence sighed as she cleaned up before bed, wiping the last of her makeup off at the sink. She couldn’t help but frown at the reflected sight of her altered cutie mark, now with a faint purple splotch behind the crystal heart in a strange mirror of her Aunt Luna.

“What are you talking about? I think it went great, dear.” Shining poked his head into the bathroom, an adorably dumb grin on his face. “I mean, other than the obvious, but still.”

“Shiny, I don’t know how to feel about all this.” Cadence’s ears flicked back as she gazed into her husband’s eyes. “Our daughter is g-gone, and I almost killed her again because I couldn’t handle that.”

Shining stepped into the bathroom proper and pulled his wife into a hug. “Don’t worry Cadance, we’ll get through this together. I know it will take a while to get used to Flurry Heart being...being gone.” Shining kissed his wife’s forehead and nuzzled that same spot. “Celestia mentioned that she wants to make some kind of press release announcing Flurry Heart’s passing at the hooves of that damned changeling.”

Cadance growled slightly, her muscles tensing at the word ‘changeling’. “Yes, she told me too. I don’t like the fact that she’s not letting the public know that it was Twilight.”

“I don’t like it either, but with an alicorn dead I guess it wouldn’t do to shake the public’s faith in their safety anymore.” Shining shook his head in frustration. “It doesn’t help that the assassin escaped custody as well. I promise you, honey, I and my team are going to find that changeling and make sure nopony ever has to deal with her again.”

Cadance couldn’t help but blink owlishly in surprise before narrowing them in concern. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Shiny? She took down Twilight without a scratch and was able to easily escape custody.”

Shining laughed and shook his head, a small smile creeping onto his face. “I may not be an alicorn, but I can handle myself. I promise honey, I will be fine.” He kissed her on the nose, earning a scrunched nose from his pink wife in response.

Nightshade sighed in some relief as she once again stepped into her abode. Once the door was locked (an oddity in Cloudsdale) and the blinds were closed she dropped her pegasus form. The pain of walking on a limb that she no longer had was getting to her, so while the phantom pain lingered at least she wasn’t walking on a stump.

“For all the poking and prodding that Quick Fix did, he better come through with a nice prosthetic.” She grumbled, walking on her three legs with a bit more confidence than earlier that day.

With a huff, Nightshade passed into her living room to check on her petrified family, all three of them still sitting exactly where they were earlier. Where they’ve been since the beginning of that month. She couldn’t help but let out a tired sigh at the sight, her heart once again slowly breaking.

The changeling let herself flop onto the couch, its cloud cushions cradling her exhausted form in magical softness. There was another couch perpendicular to the one she was laying on, but she preferred this one for no real reason. Her harsh glare spat from her one working eye (and her now mostly blind right eye) to the framed photo on the living room wall showing the happy family on vacation to Sandy Shores.

Nightshade Midnight Strike stood in the middle, her face beaming with pride as she held her son North Star in her forehooves. The colt was trying to squirm out of her grip but thankfully once she flew up a touch to balance holding her foal and standing he calmed down. Her wife Ocean Sky sat on her left, smiling peacefully and holding a glass of wine while Nightshade’s husband and sister-in-law were much less peaceful. Sky Stinger had a foreleg around Lightning Dust’s neck, the headlock allowing him to noogie the younger pegasus at his leisure.

Nightshade let out a small tired sigh, closing her eyes and letting the exhaustion deeply embedded in her form carry her off to sleep. While napping like that was counter to her usual drive, it was needed for the next phase of her ‘errands’. So she drifted off into a fitful sleep, shivering in response to her dreams. Or, more accurately, nightmares.

“So, what do you think, Tia?” Luna asked her older sister in almost a whisper, one of her ears flicked back in nervousness. “I must admit, thou...you have more experience with fillies than me.”

Celestia closed her eyes for a few moments, the various options weighing on her mind as she decided which one to take. With barely a moment’s thought, she levitated her teacup up and sipped the calming concoction to help her relax and eventually go to sleep.

“It is quite a predicament Lulu.” Celestia opened her eyes, gazing down at her sister with a warm mix of love and concern. “Hearing and seeing things is not a situation most ponies would wish to be in. Thankfully there has been quite a lot of advancement in the field of Psychiatry, so once Storm has a chance to see a psychologist worst comes to worst we can make sure she gets the help she needs.”

“That is good to hear, sister.” Luna sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “I was worried it was some kind of harbinger of her own fall to her Nightmares, or simply her revival going wrong somehow.”

“I had a similar thought, what with her apparent deal with this... ’shadow figure’.” Celestia sighed, repressing the urge to rub her forehead with a hoof. “Between that and Cadance’s own account it sounds like the Nightmare Forces are making a resurgence. Although why it would make Cadance a Fallen Alicorn but simply turn Storm into a Thestral I do not know.”

“And where did her alicornhood go?” Luna shook her head, taking a sip of her decaf coffee. “This doesn’t quite add up.”

Celestia nodded and gave her sister a calming smile. “All we can do is wait and prepare for the best and the worst. For now, with us having to release Flurry Heart’s death to the public, I have a plan to make sure our Summer Storm doesn’t get too much attention from the press while she acclimates to living in Equestria.”

Starlight let herself into the Castle of Friendship, her body killing her after so long spent observing the Tree of Harmony in the Everfree Forest. Despite what Fluttershy may say, camping in the Everfree wasn’t as fun in the slightest.

“Twilight, I’m back!” She yelled, her voice reverberating off of the crystal walls.

Once Starlight slung her pack off her back she started heading deeper into the castle, a warm bath calling her name. Despite the several minutes it took to find the bathroom, there was no response from Spike, Twilight, or anypony else.

“Huh. Where is everypony?” Starlight muttered under her breath.

Underneath her professional stoic demeanor, Captain Gleaming Spear of the Solar Guard couldn't help but roll her eyes at the newest prisoner she was forced to lead to her new accommodations. One Night Glider, guilty of not just foalnapping but assistance to regicide. As insane as that was Gleaming knew that her Princess wouldn't lie to her, even if no alicorn had died in, well, forever.

The prisoner herself was an unassuming pegasus with a dark coat and light green-ish mane, currently growling around her muzzle and pulling tight against her bonds. While ordinarily, a prisoner of such low ability wouldn't call for a captain of all things to bring her to her cell, the recent escape of the other surviving member of the band meant that more security was required. After all, it wouldn't do if not just Nightshade escaped but also Night Glider.

Gleaming tossed the pegasus into her cell with a grunt, her superior earth pony strength winning out over Night Glider's own pegasus one. The prisoner slid into her cell with a hiss of frustration before laying in her coat, glaring at the guard. Gleaming rolled her eyes and gave a nod at the unicorn guard assigned to watch the cell itself.

"Have a good day, Private..." Gleaming narrowed her eyes slightly as she tried to remember the unicorn's name.

"Private Hope, ma'am." The unicorn nodded before assuming her normal guard position.

Gleaming made a mental note to remember the name before turning around, making her way out of the prison proper.

After a long talk with Celestia about how they can properly help Storm acclimate to her new life, along with writing and sending the required letters, Luna couldn’t help but feel excited to finally get some rest. While her duties usually required her to be up during the night and rest during the day, this week was...special and so required she take a break from her usual schedule. Thankfully her aides were able to deal with the majority of problems that come to her Night Court, while a few days' break from dealing with her subjects’ nightmares wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Before Luna could rest herself, first she had to check on her little raincloud to make sure she was sleeping alright. She gave the door a soft knock, and with no response opened it gently so as to not wake Storm. The alicorn poked her head in and gave a soft gasp at what she saw.

Storm was curled into a ball, shivering and whimpering in her sleep. Luna cautiously stepped over to her adopted daughter to see what was going on, what was bothering the thestral filly.

“いいえトワイライト、私の心が鼓動している、あなたは何の話をしていますか?” Storm muttered under her breath, her strange Apple-like drawl faint as she mumbled a language Luna did not recognize.

“That sounds like Neighponese...odd,” Luna muttered under her own breath, reaching out a hoof to pet Storm’s mane, hoping that soft touch would help alleviate what was hopefully just night terrors.

In response, Storm flipped over and wrapped her forehooves around Luna’s outstretched hoof like it was a lifeline saving her from drowning. Luna couldn’t help but frown a bit at the situation before simply shaking her head at her own foolishness. With some creative use of her horn and imprisoned hoof, she was able to nudge Storm over enough in the bed that there was room for the much larger alicorn to fit herself.

Luna used the newly made space to lay down in the soft guest bed, her wings outstretched towards her daughter. She used her embraced hoof to pull Storm into the soft embrace of her wings and other forehoof, wrapping her in a protective hug. Storm quickly buried her muzzle into her mother’s chest tuft, still shivering a bit but otherwise much more relaxed. Her breathing softened, going from the fast rush it was before to a much more leveled amount.

Luna let out a soft breath and nuzzled Storm’s mane, happy that her foal was much calmer and hopefully get some rest. Hopefully, these night terrors weren’t a frequent issue, but if it was she knew that they would get through it.

Together.

Author's Notes:

As with many things, all good things must come to an end. Or for this a partial end, as this is less of a proper epilogue and more of a bookend to the story of Storm turned to Flurry Heart. It didn't feel proper to continue Storm's story under the same title, after all, now that they are no longer Flurry Heart but now a Thestral with a southern drawl.

I am planning on posting the first chapter of a Storm of Emotions, the sequel, sometime next saturday so keep an eye out for that.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. As the first fic I've (mostly) completed in years looking back fills me with a bittersweet feeling. Happy that I was able to write to completion, but also sad that it is finally ending. But hey, it is the nature of the game. See you all next week!

A Flurry of Problems

by MelodyMori

Ch 1 - Waking Up In the Hospital

Ch 2 - WHO ARE YOU PONIES?!?

Ch 3 - Hay Is For Horses

Ch 4 - I Hate How Cute I Am

Ch 5 - Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?

Ch 6 - The Sadness Of A Chickenless Salad

Ch 7 - Dungeons and Foalnappers

Ch 8 - If A Tree Falls In A Forest

Ch 9 - Oh Hospital Sweet Hospital

Ch 10 - Sappy Times

Ch 11 - Dreamception

Ch 12 - Therapony

Ch 13 - Of Rabbits and Fillies

Ch 14 - Like Night And Day

Ch 15 - Up In The Sky

Ch 16 - Party x Party

Ch 17 - Storytime

Ch 18 - Castle of Crystal

Ch 19 - Dress Up Darling

Ch 20 - Bugs, Princesses and Fillies

Ch 21 - I Like Trains

Ch 22 - A Bug's Life

Ch 23 - A Meeting With The Sun

Ch 24 - Crystal Clear

Ch 25 - Hopes And Dreams

Ch 26 - Aftermath

Ch 27 - Cleaning The Record

Epilogue - Gliding At Midnight