Before/After: Fantasy Fashion (Final Fantasy Clothing TF) (Patreon)

 (Contains Inanimate TF and occasional hypnosis)

"Sorry. Heroes only." The Bouncer said, his arm blocking entrance into the club.

The woman before him raised an eyebrow. "You don't think I'm a hero?" She asked, her tone gently warning.

He just snorted, and waved at her outfit. "No. That's a villain outfit. Get out of the line and let someone else pass."

She looked down at herself. Black heels and dark stockings, check. Black dress with deep cleavage cutout that still managed to conceal her body despite all logical or physical reason, check. Black pointed hat, balanced firmly on her lengthy blue locks, check. Broom, for flying purposes only, check. What was the problem?

"Are you trying to imply," she said, her words deliberately slow, "that witches can't be heroes?"

"Imply nothing. Witches are villains. End of. Get out of my line - You can come back when you've got a more suitable outfit."

There was a tension filled pause. The gears of the universe hesitated to tick over, unsure of what might follow. The Witch...

... Smiled.

"A more suitable outfit, hm? Yes... Why not? I know just where to get one..."

-

"I must say I'm impressed, Rydia," the Queen admitted, walking through the green valley at her friend's side. "You've really brought life back to Mist. It's practically thriving now!"

The green haired woman smiled. "Oh, is not just been my doing. I've had help from everywhere. Edge keeps showing up with more supplies... And of course, I wouldn't be anywhere without all the support I get from you and Cecil! I owe you a ton, Rosa."

"Perhaps it will go a small way towards making up for-"

"Ah!" The summoner's hand shot up, and Rosa suddenly found her mouth covered. "Now now. I told you, we leave the past in the past. We don't need to talk about what once was - here and now, Baron has been nothing but the pinnacle of support to Mist. That's all that matters."

The Queen sighed, and gently removed the offending palm as her friend giggled. "You're ever the paradigm of forgiveness and grace, Rydia."

"Well, I learned a lot from you, your majesty~"

That, of course, got a laugh from both of them. And then a confused blink at each other, as their laughter was joined by a third, unfamiliar chuckle.

"Oh my, you two are sweet," said the woman in a black pointed hat who had just appeared. "Adorable!"

"Excuse me?" Rydia frowned. There was definitely something off about this stranger.

"Can we help you?" The Queen was a little more polite, but no less suspicious.

"Oh definitely," the Witch grinned. "But first, I was going to ask - Queenie, do you consider yourself a hero or a damsel? I mean it's an important distinction, and you got kidnapped a whole bunch of times..."

"Wha-" Rosa's jaw dropped. Of all the...!

"How dare you!" Rydia growled, lifting her hands and summoning a magic aura. "I don't care who you think you are, no one talks to Rosa like that! Get out of here!"

"Hm." The Witch rubbed her chin. "Well, you have a bow. I suppose I can consider you a hero for now. If you don't work out I can just stick you in the closet..."

She stepped closer and raised her hand.

-

"I appreciate that you've come a long way," Queen Lenna Charlotte Tycoon said, trying mightily to contain her frustration. "But this is a private, family dinner, and I get to see my sister rarely enough as is. So if you could please leave, and speak with my steward if you must have an audience?"

"By which she means: Piss off." Sarisa Sherwil Tycoon, who much preferred to go by the name Faris Sherwiz these days, felt no such need for restraint, and glared at the woman who had burst in on the sister's private reunion. The elder sibling's more free spirited attitude showed in everything about her, from the wild way she kept her purple hair, to her loose and well worn way she kept her clothes, as opposed to Lenna's clean and carefully stitched royal garments and neatly combed pink hair. Yet despite this, if one really looked, it wasn't too hard to spot the resemblance between them.

"Well I'm just not sure who else to ask, is all," said the intruder, looking more annoyed at her own problem than cowed by the implicit threat of the pirate queen. "I mean I like the top, you see, but does the cloak match? I think so, but I might just be being kind..."

She gestured in turn to the green shirt that she wore, an elegant piece embroidered with shining dark green runes and magical emblems, held up by golden tassels over her shoulders... and then to the pale yellow, almost white cloak that she wore draped around her shoulders. Despite her concern the two pieces went together well, and indeed seemed somehow very attached to one another.

"They are fine," Lenna finally answered, trying to get this over with with minimal fuss. "Your outfit is lovely. Now please, would you leave us in peace?"

Faris, meanwhile, was starting to straighten up, and looked quite ready to throw the stranger out if she wouldn't take this last hint.

The Witch smiled. "Actually," she said, raising her hand, index finger and thumb brushing together. "There was something else you could help me with..."

-

It had been a hectic day for the passengers aboard the Falcon. Battles, traps, puzzles, the end of all magic, a race for their lives...

But now it was over. At long, long last, the battle that had begun with the Empire's discovery of Espers, and the terrible reign of Kefka Palazzo, had ended. The Returners stood victorious.

And exhausted.

So it was that, as the magnificent airship sailed through the skies, two battle worn, but far from soulless maidens found themselves in one another's company, sat on the deck, watching the clouds roll by.

"Are you sure you're okay, Terra?" Celes Chere, former general of the Gestahlian Empire, turned her head to check on her companion for the fifth time that hour.

Terra, the green haired former Esper, smiled, and waved off her friend's concern. "I'm fine. Really. Magic might be gone from the world, but I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," said a strange blue haired third woman, walking up with a careful strut. "But hey, before we get to that, how do these shoes look? Heroic enough? Or are they too Princessy?"

Said shoes clicked on the deck with every step, fanciful heels caught between the colors pink and purple - though if one looked close enough then they might think that the left shoe was closer to pink, while the right was closer to purple.

The two heroes blinked at her, exhaustion muting their surprise. "Uh. Sorry? Who might you be?" Celes asked. And then she frowned. "And what do you mean when you say Terra might be leaving?"

"Hm?" The Witch shrugged, shifting her top a little, white cloak fluttering gracefully in the wind. "Oh, well, I can't very well let such a cute little Esper like her lay around where anyone might take her. That would just be irresponsible!"

Terra's brow furrowed, and she quickly pushed herself to her feet, exhaustion forgotten as Celes did the same. "I can't say I like your tone. But whoever you are, you should know - I am no longer an Esper. Magic is-"

The Witch shrugged and snapped her fingers, and a pink aura blazed to life around the green haired girl as her half-magical nature reignited.

"-What?! How did you...?!" Terra looked at herself in shock.

"See?" The Witch rolled her eyes. "Irresponsible. But don't worry blondie, I'll take you as well." She raised her hand a second time. "You'll look good as a set."

Celes didn't need any more warning. This woman was clearly a threat. She grabbed for her sword. "Runi-!"

Snap

-

Tifa frowned as she poured out the drink. "Are you sure this is what you want? Seems like it'd have a weird taste. I don't think I've ever been asked for this kind of cocktail before."

"Eh." The blue haired woman shrugged. "It's popular back home - you develop a taste for it."

"Huh." The brunette shrugged and slid the glass over the counter. She'd heard of weirder, and the gil was good, who was she to care? She grinned. "Where are you from? I've traveled a lot, you think I'd remember something like this."

"Oh, far, faaar away." The woman shook her head. "You wouldn't have heard of it."

"You might be surprised." The bar was quiet tonight, and Cloud had taken Marleen and Denzel off for some silly game or other, so Tifa was quite content to strike up a conversation with her only customer.

The woman just grinned. "Maybe. But actually, if you've traveled, you might be able to help me with a problem..."

"Oh?" The bartender shrugged. Well why not?

The woman rummaged in a bag for a moment, before pulling out a small green orb, just about the size of one's palm, and a slender silver tiara.

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "Materia?"

"Yes!" The blunette pointed at her, excited. "That's the word! I've been trying to remember that since I got her. Thank you!"

"Uh, you're... welcome?" The brunette chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. How did someone forget the word Materia? ... Well, it could happen. "Was that the problem?"

"Huh? Oh, no, no, that's not it." The woman took a sip of her drink. "My problem is I kinda don't... know how to put... Materia... in stuff?" She laughed, embarrassed. "It's silly, I know. I though it'd be easy but it turns out, uh... More complicated than it looks?"

Tifa smiled. Ahhh, she'd heard that one before. "Oh, it's not so bad. There's a trick to it." She picked up the orb and the crown. "Hm. Are these the two you want merged?" The Materia was an odd one - not a type she recognized, but it should work like any other. And the tiara seemed capable of hosting it - it was light weight, a very fine material. Actually it seemed pretty valuable - was her customer richer than she looked?

The woman nodded. "Yeah."

"Well then." Tifa brought the two together in her hands, and let the mana flow. The two pieces slid together like they were meant to be - the green Materia sliding into the middle of the tiara and settling like a centre piece. "There we go. Wow, that might have been the smoothest I've ever done it."

"These two were made for each other," the woman grinned, taking the crown and sliding it onto her brow. "How do I look?"

"Good!" Tifa grinned. "It goes nicely with your top."

"Thanks! What about the cape? Does it work?"

She blinked. "Uh... Sure?"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Yeah. It's good. Works nicely with the whole ensemble."

The woman let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks. Oof, it's good to hear you say that, I've been wondering all day. Y'know they say capes are heroic, but I don't want it to be too much, you know?"

Tifa chuckled. "Sure, yeah, I get you. I know a few people who could sympathise. Actually one of them should be showing up soon - well, I don't think Yuffie's ever worn a cape, but she knows all about weird outfits, she could give you some tips."

"Hm." The woman tapped her chin. "Yuffie? That odd ninja girl?"

Tifa blinked. "You know her?"

"Oh, sort of." The blunette laughed. "I ran into her outside. She was very interested in my Materia."

Ah. "Uh. Oh! She, ah, didn't cause you any trouble, did she?" The barkeeper asked nervously. Yuffie had mostly given up her Materia thieving ways now, but old habits died hard and the girl was always causing mischief anyway...

"Oh no. No trouble at all." The woman flashed an oddly sinister smile, and patted her fishnet covered legs. "Actually, she helped me with a different problem..."

"She did?" Oh, that didn't sound like Yuffie. She loved the girl dearly, but Yuffie + problem solving did not add up in Tifa's brain. "What problem?"

The woman's smile didn't fade. "Just a little project." Her eyes drifted towards Tifa's chest, to the bartender's discomfort. "One I think you can help with as well, actually..."

-

"You look perfect," Quistis said, putting a calming hand on her friend's shoulder. "So calm down. This won't get any easier if you keep moving around like this."

"Sorry." Rinoa had enough decency to look abashed, despite her nerves. "It's just... wow, you know? I can't believe we're finally here."

"I'll say!" Selphie, by virtue of already being in her much less extravagant dress, felt no need to try to contain her excitement. "You're actually doing it! You're tying the knot, taking the vows, snuggling the handcuffs! You're actually getting married!"

"Handcuffs...?" Not for the first time, Rinoa wondered if Irvine really knew what he was getting into with this one.

Quistis just laughed. "Ignore Selphie. And of course you're excited, it's your wedding day. But we still need to get you ready, so hold still."

And indeed there was quite a lot of preparation yet to do. Rinoa stood dressed in the finest white gown money could buy, her 'assistants' still helping her sort out all the binds, ties, decorations and frittery that went asking with such a garment. Well, Quistis was helping. Selphie was... around, which was helping in her own way, really.

"Oh wow, you look like an angel," the hyperactive assistant said, clasping her hands in joy.

"Hey, she really does. Nice dress!"

Surprised, the three turned to find a blue haired woman entering their room with a wave.

Rinoa was the first to react. "Oh, hello there," she said with a smile. The woman wasn't Squall, after all, so she didn't have a problem being seen. "Are you from the church? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's just fine, Necklace." The woman winked. "Or I mean it is now. You know this outfit looks good, but I was kind of lacking in support, if you know what I mean." She patted her chest for emphasis. "All fixed now, and boy is she ever comfy. I think I have a new favorite! You must have the same problems in a dress like that, right?"

The group blinked. "Uh. I'm sorry, what?" Quistis frowned, unable to parse the woman's gibberish.

But Selphie came to the rescue. "No, I get it - She's saying she got a new bra, and asking if Rinoa needs one!" She clapped her hands. "That's pretty considerate! How are you doing on that front, Rinoa?"

"Um."

"She's fine." The blonde former teacher rolled her eyes. "Thank you for checking, I guess?"

Selphie wasn't done though. She zipped over to the blue haired woman and tried to peer through her green top at the black lacey undergarments beneath. "Well I could do with the help! You say this is the best bra you've ever had? Who's your supplier?" She asked in typical friendly fashion.

The Witch smiled and raised her hand. "Let me show you..."

-

"Gah!" The blue haired woman ducked, tumbling over herself in an effort to avoid the shining blade that sliced through the air just over her head." Hey! Knock it off! I just wanted your opinion on my outfit!"

"Beatrix, be careful!" Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the XVIIth cried after her General as the woman in question continued to slash at the Witch with her sword.

"Your Majesty, please, you have to get out of here!" The Paladin's tone allowed for no argument. "If she's powerful enough to breach your sanctum then-" Bamf

A pair of armored gloves clattered to the floor, and the blunette brushed back her hair in irritation. "Honestly. You serious types are no fun."

"Beatrix!" Garnet stared, eyes wide, as one of her strongest generals vanished without a trace - and despite her sacrifice, left her with no route to escape. "What did you do to her?!"

"The same thing I'm going to do to you, Queenie," the Witch said, gathering the silver gauntlets up and sliding them onto her hands, flexing the fingers carefully. "Well, not exactly the same." She smiled. "But don't worry, I'll keep you close together. Now let's see - your name was Garnet, right...?"

-

"It's very pretty. Did someone give it to you?" Yuna asked, half curious, half just looking for a topic of conversation. The club was pretty loud, and the rest of her group had gotten themselves quite distracted with their drinks - and though she wasn't quite the stick in the mud she'd been back during her youth, the High Summoner of Spira still felt responsible for keeping everyone safe, even on a girl's night out."

The gem covered ring sparkled in the dim light, and it's wearer grinned. "You could say it was a gift from royalty, yeah." She brushed it gently, the one finger on her hand not covered by her silver metal gauntlets. "And you know, magic rings are an important part of any heroic getup."

"Thash right!" Rikku giggled, suddenly leaning into the conversation. "We should get you a few, Yunie!"

"Rikku, please..." Flustered, the former summoner could only push her somewhat amorous cousin back into her chair.

"Like one from You-Know-Who, yeeeeah?"

"Don't be ridiculous Rikku." Lulu, as the designated older woman at the table, slammed her mug down. "He's got much more work to do before he's proved himself worthy of dating our little High Summoner."

"Wha?" The blonde pouted. "No way, c'mon! Paaaaine, back me up here!"

"Leave me out of this." Her fellow sphere hunter shook her head and sipped her drink quietly, having absolutely no desire to get involved in this little chat.

"Hmph. Traitor." Rikku stuck her tongue out, and was ruthlessly ignored.

"A-anyway!" Yuna, her face flashing far more red than was healthy, turned back to their new friend and valiantly attempted to change the subject. "You have a lot of nice jewelry, actually! Do you collect it?"

That got another grin. "Yeah, you could say that too." The woman reached up and lifted her necklace - a silver chain with a winged circlet as its point of focus. "I mean, I got Angel Wings here at the same place I got my glasses..." She let the medallion drop back to her chest and brushed her fingers against the thin golden frames she wore over her eyes. "So I guess they count as well? Same place I got some other clothes, actually, but it might be going a bit far to call those jewels." She shifted slightly, her yellow skirt rustling as she giggled.

"Well they're lovely."

"Yeah!" Rikku was back, and refuelled - presumably by the big swig she'd just taken from her drink. "You'll have to show us where to look for some for Yunie~"

"Rikku!"

The Al Behd giggled and then draped herself over her cousin. "Awh, it's okay Yunie. Even if you never get married, I'll always be there for you! Together forever~"

"RIKKU!"

The blue haired woman giggled and raised her hand, fingers ready to snap. "What a lovely idea. Let's see if we can make it come true, shall we?"

-

"Hm... Well, what do you think?" The witch asked, displaying her new clothes, one arm behind her head while the other rise in the air - a little pose, just to show off what she had so far.

The blank eyed blonde smiled, her gaze fixed on the woman. "You look wonderful, Mistress..."

The Witch giggled. "Oh, you only think that because I hypnotized you. But really, do you think these pieces match?"

"Hey!" The pair's talk was interrupted as a boisterous young woman with blonde pigtails burst into the room, a tall, dark skinned viera at her side. "Who are you? How did you get into Ashe's room?"

"Careful, Princess..." The tall rabbit woman spoke in a thick, precise accent. "She's dangerous."

"Oh hush," said the witch, snapping her fingers. There was a Bamf, and then a tinkling sound as two small pieces of metal fell to the floor. With a quick swipe, the blue haired woman picked them up and held them up to the light. Two small metal women dangled in the air from short chains, intricately detailed and yet no bigger than a thumb nail each. "There we go. I needed a set of earrings~"

Ashe didn't react, still smiling blankly as her new Mistress carefully equipped her new jewelry. "They suit you well~"

"Oh, you're a peach, Princess." The blunette chuckled, before checking herself in the mirror. "Yeah. You know, I think I'm pretty much done! Nice cloak, good top, solid bra, powerful tiara, decent set of jewelry, cute Princess shoes, sweet stockings... And of course, I just got these..." She patted her shorts, which meant patting her rear, "from a cute little Al Bhed! She wanted to stay close with her cousin - and of course, since her cousin was the head of their world's religion, I figured you couldn't get a purer pair of panties than that~" She wiggled her hips. "I have to say, it sounds wrong, but feels so right!"

The blonde Princess just nodded along. Oh, she didn't understand a word of it, but she didn't have to. As long as her Mistress was happy, all was well. It was a simple understanding, but her thoughts were all rather blessedly simple at the moment.

"Of course, I couldn't just leave their dour friends behind, so I made one a belt, and one a belt buckle. They seemed similar enough to stick together, so no problem, right? And they all go nicely with my skirt... Yeah, I think my heroic outfit's just about done!"

"That's wonderful Mistress."

"It is, isn't it? Hm... Dear oh dear, I might just have to leave you. I mean, if the outfit is complete then it's complete, isn't it?"

The heroine blinked at her Mistress, unsure of what to say. It made the Witch melt instantly.

"Oh, no, I could never do that. Hmm. Oh, I know. Here, Darling. Give me a kiss."

Now that order the Princess was only too happy to oblige. Eagerly she leaned in, her lips meeting her Mistress's in a way that she hadn't experienced since her husband had died. Heat flooded her body, and she lost herself to the sensation, happily, wantonly trying to please the woman who had tamed her mind.

She paid no attention to the hand rising beside her until she heard the Snap.

A moment later, and the witch was applying a sweet rose-colored lipstick to her mouth, smacking her lips before the mirror with smug glee. "There. What's a hero without her make-up, hm?" She chuckled, sliding the tube of Ashe-brand lipstick into a pocket. "Perfect."

-

"Okay, not perfect!" The Witch raised a hasty shield just in time to block a volley of magical bolts that exploded around her. "Would you just calm down!"

"Turn them back!" Lightning Farron was in no mood for games. The woman charged across the battlefield, her blade smashing the magical shield to pieces before she launched another volley.

"What? No!" The Witch stroked the blue and pink braids that wound through her hair protectively. "They look great on me, and a heroine needs her hair decs, y'know? I can't believe I was missing such an important part of my outfit..."

"They're not part of your outfit!" The heroine snarled, attacking once more even as her target dodged. "Fang and Vanille are people! Whatever curse you've stuck them under you're going to undo!"

"Temper temper..." The blunette just looked annoyed. "I'm not going to do anything of the sort. But... Now that I think about it - Woah!" She ducked under a lightning strike. "Y'know - there is something else I'm missing too..."

Lightning's eyes widened, and she hesitated - the woman unsure if she should retreat or hit harder for just a moment - and in that gap, the Witch raised her fingers, and snapped once again.

-

"There, I got you your precious sister," she muttered, sliding her slick lightning blade into its new sheathe. "Now stop being so fussy. See? Shhh..."

Gently she rubbed her fingers down the handle, trying to soothe the raging consciousness within. It wasn't as though her sword could think, exactly - none of her items could think. But it was resisting it's transformation, trying to hold on to its former identity with all its might. And that made it a pretty poor sword - so she'd been forced to find a reason for the blade to give in and accept its new position.

Tracking Serah Farron down and turning her into a sheathe had been a bit of a pain but given how protective the elder of the sisters was then... aha! Yes, there! The Witch grinned as she felt the rage in her sword falter for a moment and struck with impunity.

"There we go. Good sword. Let's just smooth you down now, shall we?" She said, her power slipping in through the uncertain cracks and wiping away the resistant, troublesome personality while it was weak. The blade tried to fight back, of course - she was ever a stubborn one - but it was far too late now. Helplessly, the heroine felt the last of her awareness fade away, and her soul conform to its new razor-sharp form. Any resistance left drained away into nothing, and the sword settled in its new sheathe.

"Good." The Witch grinned, petting the blade's handle. "Just a sword now. A nice heroic sword for me. And with that... My outfit is complete~"

-

"Sorry. Villains only." The Bouncer said, his arm blocking entrance into the club.

The Witch stared. “What.”

“Villains. Only.” The Bouncer repeated it slowly, as though he was speaking to a rather dim child. “That’s a Hero outfit. Hero night was last night. Tonight it’s Villain’s night. Try again next week with that getup.”

“… Villain’s night.” The woman breathed through her nose. She’d been out gathering clothing longer than she’d thought. “I did not know you had one of those.”

“Once a week.” He shrugged. “Better luck next time.”

She sighed. “Any Villain outfit will do?”

“Pretty much.”

The gears of the universe ticked over.

“Very well. I think I have an idea of where I can get one…”

-----

A quick idea that popped into my head and convinced me it would be written a lot faster than it ultimately was! Sorry, I did miss a few heroines out - I'dve loved to have fitted everyone, but I was honestly running out of room!