Emi_the_Fairy

Welcome back everyone! We're starting with a few chapters to start. Planning to upload an a new chapter every Monday and Friday from there!

CW for this chapter

Spoiler

This chapter has instances of dysphoria.

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“Mmm,” a soft voice grumbled, sleep stubbornly rejecting the waking light of the sun. “Uhn,” the voice squeaked as the black-hoodied teenager rolled over, an audible crinkling emanating from the hoodie. “Hm?” They wearily opened their eyes and pulled their hand to their chest. “What?”

“Morning,” a red-haired woman cheerily called out as she entered the room from the adjacent kitchen. “Sleep well, Vivi?”

“Yeah,” the hoodie-wearing girl responded, her dark brown hair curling around her head.

“You might want to brush your hair,” the red-haired woman commented. “You have some really bad bed hair.”

“I guess,” Vivi responded grumpily.

“Something wrong?” Annie asked as the girl turned away. “Sorry. Just want to help.”

“I’m sorry, Annie. It’s just kinda hard to care, y’know? I mean, I’m back in boy mode again,” Vivi moped, her body shivering at the realization.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I think what you said about your different forms becoming one might be true.” Annie gave a knowing smile. Vivi tilted her head confusedly. “Well, think about it. I never bothered you about bed head before because it was too short. But today it’s long enough to be stroobly.”

Vivi’s eyes popped wide open, matching a jawbreaker in size. Annie couldn’t help but giggle. She found it rather fitting; her look was sweet enough to be candy-like, after all. Vivi pulled at her hair, trying to tug it down to see, a notion which felt absurd, her hair was never long enough to… She stared at the strands of hair. It was hard to see them, but she could see them. Before she finally realized it, she had a big toothy grin on her face, her arms tight against her body as she bounced gleefully on the bed. A muffled crinkling began to escape the inside of her hoodie, much to her surprise.

“Huh? What’s that sound?” Vivi asked, snapping out of her joyous trance.

“You don’t remember, do you?” Another woman’s voice giggled as a blue-haired mermaid rolled her wheelchair into the living room, a long white dress draping over her shimmering blue tail.

“Look at you.” Annie glowed. “You’re really getting the hang of this. You didn’t even need my help getting into it this time.” She leaned over to the mermaid before pulling her into a hug and kissing her cheek. “I’m proud of you.”

“Oh stop,” the mermaid giggled.

“Wait, Melody.” Vivi looked to the mermaid. “What did I forget?”

“Open your hoodie, and you’ll find out.” Melody giggled some more.

“Oh, right.” Vivi nodded before pulling at the zipper. Her eyes lit up as she looked upon the crumpled bags that had been kept safely hidden within her hoodie. “That’s right, before we transformed to fight Gunther, I stuffed these into my hoodie.” Vivi blushed. “Geez, I’m such a dork.” She hid her face in her hands.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Melody said with a warm voice, her ridged ears falling slightly as she watched Vivi. “I think you were quite witty all things considered.”

“Yeah,” Annie agreed. “You made a quick decision, and it worked.”

“I guess so, yeah.” Vivi blushed, shyly scratching at her cheek.

“Come on now,” Annie chuckled. “Go get dressed. We have some time before we need to take you home. So before we take you back, how about you finally try them on.”

Vivi looked at the bags again. She was so embarrassed that she’d nearly forgotten what was in these bags. Girl clothes. Not much, but a collection of some skirts, tops, and leggings that they’d managed to find for her while they were out. She hadn’t gotten to try them on back then, and all of the chaos from the previous day had all but eclipsed it, but she had clothes. They were hers. Bought for her. For her to wear. For her to feel and look like a girl. She grabbed a cyan skirt from the bag and pulled it to her face, sinking into its fabric, a quiet smile resting upon her face.

Vivi beamed as she carried a set of clothes into the bathroom to get changed. As she removed her clothes she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her heart sank a bit upon seeing the boyish mess standing, staring back, but she could also see the faint feminine touches to her body. A slight curve around her stomach, the hair tumbling around her ears, and a certain lingering softness to her body that she knew wasn’t there a month ago.

She eagerly started by putting on the sports bra that Annie picked out. At the time she was a bit uncertain, but simply wearing it filled her with glee as she quietly giggled. She next pulled on the white leggings she grabbed, looking in awe as they seemed to transform her legs, accentuating their natural curves and emphasizing their slender form. She next pulled on a wavy scalloped pink top, blushing at the mere idea of wearing something so girly, a feeling that only grew as she grabbed her cyan skirt. She looked at the piece adoringly. She breathed in. She had never worn a skirt before, at least not by choice, and now she was eager to wear one now. She took a deep breath, calming herself before putting it on.

Minutes passed as Annie and Melody eagerly waited outside, talking about the events of the past few days. “It’s hard to believe so much has happened so quickly.” Annie crossed her arms.

“No kidding,” Melody laughed. “It’s hard to believe that so much has changed in just over a month. First that strange mist transformed me into a mermaid and gave us all the power to become magical girls. Then everything with Gunther. And then there’s Vivi. She’s really come out of her shell.”

“Yeah, and you were gone for a lot of that,” Annie chuckled, Melody giving a small pout. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound like that,” she apologized. “But it’s incredible. When this whole thing started, we didn’t even know Vivi, or Carmen, or Ichika. Now I’m Vivi’s tutor, we’re all close friends, and Vivi…”

“You did good.” Melody smiled. “I’m glad you were there for her. I’m sure she’s still doing a lot of thinking and coming to terms with herself, but she does seem a lot happier now.”

“Yeah.” Annie nodded. “I’m glad I’ve gotten to help her.”

“Speaking of, she seems to be taking a bit,” Melody noted. “It might be a good idea to go check on her and see if she needs any help.”

“Yeah, you’re right, I’ll…” Annie fell silent as the two turned to notice the blushing girl in front of them.

“H-hi.” Vivi blushed as she nervously swayed in place, her skirt bouncing back and forth from her shifting. “Sorry I took so long. I just…” She smiled as she pulled her hands to her chest. It was kind of embarrassing really, but she quietly reflected on the minutes she spent staring at herself in the mirror. Maybe she was just being overly eager, but she felt rather flustered by the girl that looked back. It felt like her mind was spinning with lightning. A girl looked back in that mirror. SHE was the girl in the mirror. By the time she came to, she simply had to rush outside to see Annie and Melody, both of whom simply gawked at her. “Um.” She rubbed her arm nervously. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” Annie shook her head. “It’s just…”

“You look adorable,” Melody giggled.

“Yeah, you look amazing.” Annie’s smile felt like it was glowing. That must’ve been why her eyes were watering up. Vivi quickly tried to wipe away the tears, only to find them replaced by more. “Hey, now.” Annie frowned as she approached her. “What’s wrong?”

“I just…” Her voice shook. “I’m really a girl, aren’t I?” she sniffled.

“You sure are, sweetie,” Annie said, pulling her close for a hug. “And a really cute one.”

“I’m a girl!” She wept tears of joy as she hugged Annie.

Vivi tried everything in her small wardrobe in each and every combination. A skirt and tank top with leggings. Without leggings. With a cold shoulder top. With a shorter skirt that fell around her knees. And each time she’d emerge with a gleeful smiled and excited fascination snatching at her eyes as she thought of other possibilities.

Girl clothes were simply better. More colorful. More styles. More options. More comfortable. And most importantly, more her.

Alas, the time and joy felt all too fleeting. The hours of enjoying her clothes came to a quiet and sad end, punctuated with a heavy sigh as the time to come home quickly approached. Annie and Melody’s reassurance helped of course, their invitations to come over and dress up whenever filled her with joy, and taking a small stash to wear in private also helped. But it only did so much to stave off the empty feeling that ate at her as she entered the car.

“I’m sorry, Vivi,” Annie apologized. “I wish I could do more for you.”

“It’s okay,” she lied. “I’ll be able to handle myself.” She looked out the window. “I mean, I did it before, right?” She let out a heavy sigh. “I… I can keep going like this…”

The road quietly rolled by as Annie drove her home. Vivi looked at the lingering wreckage from the month before. It really was hard to believe how much had changed in these five or so weeks. It all began so unassumingly. She was with her best friend, Carmen, at one of the local malls when a strange mist rolled through the whole building. Her whole body felt strange, she could hardly focus, barely able to process that a number of the people around her were suffering similarly before each of them was subsumed by light.

For her that’s when it all began, changed into a small girlish form, becoming a pink magical girl, scared and confused by her sudden change. In hindsight, her changes weren’t that severe; after all, many people had their lives radically altered as they sprouted new limbs, or changed form. It was as if a large number of people had been morphed into creatures straight out of legends and fairytales. And many of those people were new to their newfound… perhaps humanity wasn’t the right term. Their newfound intelligence or sapience? Perhaps there was something more to it than any of that. After all, even plants and animals changed. In a matter of hours, magic had become an undeniable part of the world, altering everything and dissolving their sense of normalcy.

The world changed on that day. The carnage still filled the streets. Crashed cars, cracked streets, ruined buildings, even trusty highways were rendered unusable. It was difficult to accept that they were still in the same world. People were still left aimless and homeless, uncertain of where to go and what to do, not that that stopped the country’s insistence on maintaining operations. It was almost surreal how things both seemed totally different yet completely the same.

And in the middle of it all was Vivi, slowly realizing who she truly was. She smiled at her reflection. Sure, it hurt now. Being in this boyish body wasn’t a happy experience, and it wasn’t easy. But through it all, through all the trials and difficulties she faced, she had gained something irreplaceable. She looked over to Annie, her frustrated grumbles at traffic filling the car as Vivi giggled. Not something, many things. She’d found new friends who supported her, new strength to help others, and above all, she had finally found herself.

The car began to roll to a halt as they finally parked in front of Vivi’s home. She gripped at her hoodie as she mentally prepared herself. “Are you going to be okay?” Annie asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” Vivi smiled. “Thanks for everything Annie,” she said, giving her friend a grateful hug.

“Be sure to call me if anything comes up. Remember, Mel and I are always happy to have you over if you want time to be yourself.” Annie returned her hug.

“Will do.” Vivi smiled, grabbing her bag of clothes, concealed in a set of brown plastic grocery bags. “Safe drive home, Annie.” She waved before ascending the stairs to her family’s apartment. “Here we go,” she whispered as she turned the knob and opened the door. She peeked around, spying to see if anyone was around. She quietly sneaked in, taking off her shoes and closing the door behind her before sneaking towards her room. As she turned into the hall towards her room, she noticed her sister’s door was shut, breathing a sigh of relief as she proceeded to her room, closing the door behind her. “Geez, this is nerve wracking,” she sighed.

She quietly snuck her clothes into her closet before throwing herself onto her bed. She quietly grinned to herself as she excitedly thought about wearing them to the mall and being able to try on more clothes in the future.

“Finally,” she said, stretching on the bed. Just as she got cozy, a knock sounded from her door. “Yes’m?” she answered back.

“Jackie,” her sister’s voice answered, summoning a frown to her face. “Don’t think that you’ve gotten out of your chores because you snuck in,” Leah continued with an unamused tone.

“I wasn’t avoiding them,” she objected.

“Then go unload the dishwasher,” Leah replied.

“Ugh, fine,” she grumbled. “Not like they’re gonna get dirty again just because I’m being a little slow,” she muttered as she returned to the living room.

“Hello, dear,” her mom greeted her as she emerged from the hallway. “Please unload…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Vivi answered. “I’m doing it now.” She moved toward her mortal enemy. The dreaded dishwasher stood before her, full of the malicious assembly of despotic cutlery and haughty dishware. Their continued audacity always annoyed her, always demanding to be unloaded in the middle of her good time. In the middle of a cool boss fight? The dishes called. Watching the climactic final blow being struck in her favorite anime? The dishes demanded her presence. And even now, as she tried to relax, the dishes beckoned.

She dutifully stacked the plates and stacked them on the other plates in the cupboard. She stowed the cutlery in their pockets within the drawer. And then finally she set the pots to rest in their cabinets. It didn’t take long, but it was annoying and tedious work, and it was the last thing she wanted to do after getting home. At least that meant it wouldn’t bother her later, and she’d get some time to herself later.

“I’m done,” she gloated as she exited the kitchen, walking into the neighboring living room. “What’re you watching, Mom?”

“Just the news,” Mary replied.

Vivi watched as the news gave a variety of updates to a number of local events. A story on the miraculous recovery of a woman thanks to her abrupt transformation. Another story about a man going around and doing renovations for cheap with magic, and then finally… Vivi’s face dropped as she saw herself and her friends on the screen; “Police Comment on Prism Menace,” it read.

Vivi shuddered as she remembered what Annie and the others had talked about the night before. The police had labeled them vigilantes, effectively calling them criminals. It wasn’t fair, they were out there helping people. They’d saved Melody among others, and they had stopped a number of thefts. And then there was the fight being reported. It made no mention of how the mage, Gunther, was actively trying to attack a woman at the scene, Cleo. They’d stopped him, and helped her, and they’d stopped him from hurting anyone else. Why were they being labeled the bad guys? It wasn’t fair.

“Honestly, what are those girls thinking?” her mom, Mary, huffed, Vivi looking to her with a pained expression. “They get magic and suddenly they think they’re special and above the law and start picking fights. It’s not heroism, it’s senseless violence and grandstanding. They should just leave it to the police.”

“But they helped people,” Vivi pointed out. “They save people.”

“Dear,” her mom sighed. “I understand you may think they’re cool or something, but these girls are dangerous. You don’t know anything about them. They could be up to who knows what, doing any number of crimes.”

“Based on what?” Vivi countered.

“The acting Police Captain Hector Habernaker stated earlier today that the self declared ‘Prism Girls’ are the current suspects in a chain of thefts related from medical offices across the Valley,” the new reporter seemed to answer. Vivi frowned as she heard the report, she felt herself shake a little bit as the accusations rang in her head. They were accusing them of being the thieves? But they were the ones who were stopping them. And the report didn’t even mention Gunther. She shook her head as she fought back the tears.

“Jackie?” Mary called to her, snapping her back to reality. “I need you to call your sister to get ready for dinner,” she instructed.

“Yeah,” Vivi replied absently before shuffling off to the hallway.

“Oh, Jackie,” Leah looked at her precariously as Vivi passed her door. “Is something up?”

“Mom wants you to get ready for dinner,” she said in a hushed tone.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“I’m not feeling well. I think I’m just going to go to bed,” she explained as she brought her hands to her chest.

“Jackie…” Leah frowned as Vivi passed her by. “What’s happening with you?” she whispered.

Vivi entered her room, closing the door behind her and locking it shut. She silently changed into her pajamas before curling up in bed. She looked at her locket. The pendant that once posed her with so much hesitation was now her only quiet hope. Within it was the power to change herself into Prism Magenta, a girl who her mother looked down upon. She curled up, opening the locket, the magic tendrils waving over her, changing her into a fanciful girl, her white dress and pink leggings wrapping upon her soft curves and granting her comfort as she slipped into slumber.