My Super-powered Diary Chapter 38 Home Again By Amethyst When Maddock Ainsley gets involved in a rescue operation with his unit things go horribly wrong and his life is forever changed. Can the newly minted Merida cope with being a girl and a teenage super hero?

We were all pretty tired by the time that we arrived at the Headmistress’ Office and gave our report to Dr. Edwards. That report included everything that we had seen while there, Khestrid’s presence and her observations, and our thoughts on the Tainted, in particular Minira the Dark Queen. For the latter of these, we had been able to discern from our limited interaction with her projection and from what Khestrid had told us that she was a powerful magic user, crazy, power-hungry, determined to get her hands on the Chaos Gate, and had a willful disregard for life, even the lives of her followers.

Dr. Edwards was frowning as we finished our report and let out a long sigh before saying, “This Minira could be an extremely dangerous opponent. I want both of your teams to be very careful dealing with anything that you even think may be magic related from now on. That should be easier for you with both Mei and Lindsey learning the basics of magic his year. The nature spirit you mentioned seems to know quite a bit about her so have Jordyn report to me immediately if they do form a contract. I’ll want their thoughts on this and I’ll need to update her file.”

“Okay Dr. Edwards, “Lindsey agreed, “I’ll talk with her about it at home tomorrow and Khestrid said that she would shadow me until I could introduce them.”

“I’ll need to update Fawn’s file with her new ability as well, once we’re certain that it works. Michelle, I want you to keep every piece of cold iron from your shedding just in case. It’s not easy to come by in our modern world and it can’t just be reproduced. If we’re to be dealing with dark Fae then it’s a potential weapon and protective measure that we can’t afford to ignore. I’ll have Neuron come in to interview our captive once I’ve taken measures to ensure that she can’t use magic or her physical abilities while in a human sized form to hurt anyone.” The Headmistress sighed again and I heard her mutter, “This is going to be a long long-weekend.”

“Sorry for all the trouble Dr. Edwards, we should have read the signs that something wasn’t right earlier and just left, but we had other things on our minds,” Hiro said with a faint blush.

“I’m sure that you did,” the Headmistress replied with a weak smile. “Nobody could expect you kids to think there was that sort of danger out in the middle of nowhere and I’m beginning to think that you kids are just magnets for trouble. If you had left earlier though, then we wouldn’t have gotten what Intel that we did and you did a great job, under the circumstances. You can all go to your dorm rooms and get some sleep now.” We were all leaving the room when she quickly remembered to add, “Oh and Hiro, your mother wanted me to let you know that you should head to the medical center in the morning to see Dr. Ainsley. Your parents will be meeting you there at ten thirty to go over the results of your tests.”

Hiro looked nervous as we headed off toward Starfish Dorm, so I gently took his hand in mine. “If’n ya wan’ me tae, I kin come wit ya in the mornin’, fer support.”

“That’d be great Merida, thanks. I’m a little worried about this, what if it’s bad news?” he said softly, so I squeezed his hand reassuringly in mine.

“Well then you have a lot of friends to help you through it,” Lindsey offered.

“That’s right! And Fairies are friends for life,” Fawn said as she fluttered from my shoulder to land on Hiro’s and give him a tiny Fairy hug.

“We’ll all be there for you if you need us,” Michelle agreed solemnly.

We reached Hiro’s room first and after saying our goodnights continued on toward Michelle’s which was just down the Hall. Lindsey’s room and the one that Fawn and I shared were on higher floors. Before opening her door Michelle looked back in the direction we had come from before suggesting, “We should all meet for breakfast in the morning, our entire teams. I’ll text Garret before I go to sleep. Merida, do you think your sisters could be here too? So Hiro knows that all his friends are here for him before he goes into that appointment? We might not all be able to go in there with him and his parents, but we can definitely let him know that his friends have his back no matter what happens.”

“Aye, tha’s a good idea,” I quickly agreed. “I’ll see if any o’ them are still awake. If no’ I kin text ‘Nessa an’ le’ her in on the plan. Jus’ give me a second.” I had been able to feel the presence of the mental link that my sisters, our Fairies, and Mom all shared through Tasha as we had approached the city, a reassuring presence in my mind. Now I reached through it with my thoughts and asked, *Is anyone still awake?* It was far easier to ask in general than to direct my thoughts to everyone individually one at a time.

*I am Merida,* Mom’s voice replied. *The girls are all asleep already. I was just getting to know Rosetta better while hoping that you would call. Dr. Edwards said that you had a bit of an exciting day.*

*Who’s Rosetta?* I asked in confusion.

*Mei struck again,* Mom explained and I could almost sense her sighing. *She wanted each member of our team to have a Fairy companion and she thought that the Pixie Hollow gang just wouldn’t be whole without Rosetta. She’s still sleeping it off, but she promised no more Fairies or anything else that would cause Tara to have to create another identity. She does want to create a familiar for Lindsey though, with her permission of course.*

*Did we get another sister that I don’t know about? I thought you said no more strays.* I sent back in a bit of confusion.

*Rosetta is technically my Fairy companion and I like her, we’re planning on starting a garden together, but she will be going to school with you, your sisters, and the other Fairies. She’s going to stay in Brooke’s dorm room along with her and Vidia. Brooke will be just down the hall from you in Starfish by the way, and her testing revealed that her education is somewhat lacking for her age so she’ll have to start as a Freshman with you. So why did you want to talk to someone this late, I’d have thought you’d be going straight to bed after all the excitement.* It was hard to tell emotions in the mind-link sometimes, but it sounded like she was concerned.

*Hiro is worried about his appointment with you tomorrow,* I told her. *We thought that he could use some support, so Michelle suggested we all get together for breakfast in the morning to show our support. Could you tell the others and ask them to meet us in the Grotto at nine?*

*Aye, we have, but there’s something I want to ask you. One of the Tainted said that he sensed magic in me. I’m a bit worried about that, I’m having enough trouble controlling the powers I already have. Do you think he may have been right?* I asked, feeling a bit worried about that.

*I’m pretty sure that he was telling you the truth,* she replied, *but not because you’re a mage or anything Merida. You're quantum entangled with Fawn and have access to her passive abilities. Her abilities with animals and languages are magical in nature, so of course you have magic, but its focus is very limited, related to animals and languages. So, stop worrying about accidentally casting spells or something and try and get a good night’s sleep.*

*Aye, I’ll let the other’s know what’s going on and then Fawn and I are going straight to bed. Goodnight Mom,* I sent back before turning toward Michelle and Lindsey. “I talked wi’ Mom. I guess tha’ Brooke is worried tae, ‘er appointment is right after Hiro’s. She’s goin’ tae tell the girls wot’s up an’ tell them tae meet us a’ the Grotto at nine.”

“I hope that your mom can do something for both of them, the gender confusion is really taking a toll on Hiro I think, and I can’t imagine what it must be like for Brooke not to be able to feel anything,” Michelle said with a sad shake of her head. “Anyway, I’ll see you girls in the morning.”

“Do you think she can help them?” Lindsey asked hopefully as we walked toward the elevator.

“I dinnae ken, bu’ Mom did mention sumthin’ aboot treatment options, so I hope so,” I replied uncertainly. Then as we got in the elevator I turned to her and gave a weak smile as I added, “Oh an’ Linds, Mei wants yuir permission tae make ya a familiar, so I imagine she’ll be askin’ ya aboot tha’ in the mornin’.”

“Really?!” Her mood seemed to perk right up at that and she gestured to Peaches snoozing in her sling across my chest. “Do you think that she can make me a Feydragon like Peaches?!”

“Well she did make Peaches,” I responded, nearly giggling at her excitement. “No’ tha’ Peaches is a regular Feydragon, she’s go’ the best features o’ all the dragons tha’ Mei researched. So technically I guess she’s a new breed entirely. She could prob’ly make ya one sim’lar. An’ if ya were tae ge’ a male we could breed them when they’re older.”

“Oooh, we could make a killing selling them in the magical community,” she replied thoughtfully as we took the elevator upward. “Or we could give some to low-income magic students that are here on scholarships and can’t afford a magical creature for a familiar. That’s why I don’t have one yet, but I had my heart set on a Feydragon and you need to have some major cash to get one of those, if you’re fortunate enough to hear of someone selling an egg.”

“Well, ya may no’ ge’ a Feydragon, but ya jus’ may ge’ a Meidragon,” I said with a chuckle as we reached her floor. “G’night Linds.”

“Good night Mer,” she replied as she exited the elevator and left Fawn, Peaches, and I alone to continue up to the top floor and our own dorm room.

Thankfully, I had no nightmares that night as I slept in my dorm room, but then I was probably too tired from the excessive use of my powers and the long day to dream. I was awoken by the alarm clock at quarter to seven and sleepily sat up and parted the curtains of my bed to get up and go turn off the offensive device. I had had far too little sleep for my liking, but I wanted to have time to shower and make myself presentable before we met the others at breakfast at nine. “C’mon Fawn, it’s time tae ge’ ready fer the day.” I told my Fairy friend as I gathered some towels and my toiletries.

“Yeah Merida, before we do that though, should I try using the mark that Khestrid gave me?” she asked uncertainly.

I could tell that she was still a bit leery about it using her new ability so I tried to sound supportive as I replied. “Aye, then ya kin come take a shower wi’ me an’ we kin ‘elp each other wit’ our hair after. This could make our mornin’ routine easier ‘ere in the dorms, but ya may still wan’ tae use the shower in yuir little fairy house a’ home, since we have so many other girls in the house and no’ enough bathrooms fer us all.”

She took off her tiny night shirt and a look of concentration passed over the Fairy’s features before, in the span of only a few seconds, her wings vanished and she grew to human proportions. She looked basically the same, was maybe an inch taller than me in that form and still had her pointed ears, making her look like an elf. It was easier to tell her age too, she looked around fourteen or fifteen. “This is sooo strange,” she said in a near whisper as I passed her a couple of towels so she could wrap one around herself. “Everything seems so small and it’s weird not having my wings.”

“I’m curious, I wonder if…” I started to say as I powered up my force field. The same reddish glow covered Fawn so now at least I knew that it still worked when she was in this form. “Well, a’ leas’ yuir still goin’ tae be able tae fly a’ this size if’n we need tae. We should ge’ goin’ an’ shower though afore Peaches wakes up. I’m worried aboot her leavin’ her basket an’ getting’ intae mischief.”

“Okay Merida, let’s go then. I’m not sure what I’m going to do for clothes when I’m this size though,” she admitted as we took the towels and my self care products and headed to the door and then onward to the shower room for our floor.

“We’ll talk tae the Taylor’s, maybe Melanie ‘as a spell wot kin make yuir clothes change size when you dae. If no’ then they kin a’ leas’ make some new clothes fer ya when yuir this size.”

Fawn did have an easier time showering in her human-sized form, for one thing she didn’t have to worry about her wings getting wet in the process. Fairies didn’t have body hair so she at least didn’t have to worry about shaving like I did, I can’t imagine how awkward that would be at Fairy size. She did appreciate being able to braid one another’s hair after she showed me how. Even though I was a bit awkward and clumsy at first, it still saved time. It was weird for me, but I found it almost relaxing once I got into the rhythm of it, and Fawn seemed to like that we could do things like this for each other now.

Surprisingly, we were finished and dressed by eight o’clock. I was in my regular punk motif, and Fawn was dressed in one of the sundresses and a pair of sandals that Meghan had made me. The good things about the sundress were that Fawn was comfortable in it and it had built in support so Fawn didn’t have to borrow one of my bras, which would have been too big for her slighter frame. Since we still had an hour before meeting the others I put Peaches in her sling and we made our way out to the Taylors’ shop to drop in and see if they were open for business yet.

The Taylors weren’t officially opening until eight thirty, but since we got there while they were letting themselves inside and it was eight fifteen when we arrived, they let us in as well. Well, after they stopped gushing about Peaches and Melanie had inquired about where I had gotten the Feydragon. “So Merida, what’s my favorite punk girl doing here this early in the morning?” Meghan asked with a grin as she ushered us inside.

“I imagine it would have something to do with Fawn being human sized and not having wings at the moment,” Melanie teased with a chuckle as she passed her sister a coffee from the bakery. “You apparently need this more than I do this morning.”

Meghan stuck out her tongue at her older sibling at that. “Well I figured that Sis, but I was hoping that they might explain.”

“Well,” Fawn began after I gave her a brief nod and an encouraging smile. “I got a new ability yesterday that lets me change to this form from my usual one, but if I’m going to use it I’ll need clothes that can change size when I do.”

“It’s sorta like a magical tattoo,” I added.

“Hmmm, I could maybe try that… hopefully the two magics won’t interfere with one another,” Melanie mumbled with a pensive expression on her face. Then she nodded and her eyes focused on us once again. “If I can have a look at the tattoo I may be able to imbue an item she’s wearing with a spell that will work in conjunction with it to perform the size change on anything in contact with her when she uses the ability, it could probably even work for a purse or backpack, and its contents, as well. Maybe I could even create a second mark on her skin near the first one to do that.”

“It would probably be easier if you just made a second mark, then she wouldn’t have to worry about losing the item, or not having it with her when she really needs it,” Meghan suggested.

“Yeah, we should try that first,” the elder Taylor sister agreed. “Could I have a look at this tattoo of yours Fawn? Where is it?”

“I don’t mind you looking if you think you can help,” Fawn said with a relieved smile. “It’s on my ankle.”

“Okay Fawn why don’t you hop up on the sewing table, have a seat and let me have a look then?” Melanie said, gesturing to the large table in the room.

Fawn hopped up on the table and extended her right leg so that the magic user could look at the tattoo on her ankle. Now that she was human-sized I could tell that it did indeed resemble a fairy. Melanie looked at the mark in interest, her eyes going wide as she cast a small spell. “This is an old and powerful magic, I’ve never seen anything like it before. I don’t think that I could reproduce it if I spent my whole life trying. Luckily, I don’t need to reproduce it to help you. I’m going to add another mark that I will connect to this one to try and make it trigger whenever the Fairy one does do add the size change portion of the spell to anything you’re in contact with at the time. Would a flower be okay with you Fawn? I could make it look like the fairy is landing on it.”

“That could be pretty,” Fawn agreed with a smile.

With a nod Melanie began casting the spell and soon the fairy on Fawn’s ankle appeared to be alighting upon a daisy. It seemed to take a bit out of the magic user though, as she settled carefully into a chair after casting it. “That should work Fawn, it was a little hard to synch the spell with the other one, but I think I got it to work. Why don’t you go in the back, and get out of Merida’s clothes? We wouldn’t want to damage the dress when your wings emerge. Meghan, can you provide her with a new outfit to test with?”

“Sure thing Sis,” the younger Taylor sister replied with a grin. “C’mon Fawn, let’s go see if this works.”

While Fawn and Meghan were in the back I gave Melanie a carefully edited version of how I got my Feydragon, while she listened and fawned over Peaches. “I would love to get my hands on a Feydragon egg, they make the best familiars. If you ever decide to breed her I’d love to buy an egg from you.”

“Aye, bu’ you an’ yuir sister ’ave done so much fer me an’ my friends. So, ‘ow aboot I give ya one from her first clutch as a gift?” I suggested.

She smiled but shook her head, “I couldn’t, Feydragon eggs are worth a small fortune and that was all business, and you paid us well for that help. You Ainsley girls are good for business. How about a compromise? That spell was a doozy and it was custom made, which in magic circles can be expensive, so how about you give me the egg when you have it and we’ll say that the payment was the spell I just cast and the clothes that Megan is making Fawn with the standard enchantment I’ve been putting on all of yours and Fawn’s clothes? What do you think?”

“I think tha’ ya go’ yuirself a deal,” I agreed with a grin.

That was when Fawn and Meghan emerged from the back. Meghan was carrying my clothes and Fawn fluttered toward us in Fairy form before suddenly beginning to grow again. Then she was standing there in a ginger-hued hoodie with a gold crop top t-shirt underneath, tan colored low-rise jeans and a pair of white and orange sneakers. She looked down at herself and then squealed in excitement, “It worked!”

“Yup and you’re lookin’ good,” Meghan said, giving the Fairy a thumbs-up.

“Great, now since payment has already been settled, let me place the enchantments on those clothes for you and then you girls can head off for breakfast,” Melanie offered with a grin.