The party was proving to be a lot more popular than anyone would have expected. Practically everyone in town had shown up. It was starting to feel a little bit crowded, even though there was still plenty of space. Once Abby's parents had brought their dish to the food table, Abby and Sam headed out into the more open area. Personally, Abby couldn't believe her parents brought a sausage dish. It wasn't just that her new equine digestive system was repulsed by meat, but that particular dish had been one of her favorites before she was changed. There were a couple of times where Abby missed being able to enjoy meat. But then again, Samson had plenty of meat for her to enjoy.
"I can't believe how buff you're getting," said Abby, squeezing Sam's arm, "And you were already pretty ripped when you first got uplifted."
"Mr. Williams is a good coach," said Sam, feeling some pride that his mare was so into him, "He's been putting me through a lot of exercises that keeps my muscles growing. You're looking pretty good too. I think you've lost quite a bit of weight." Abby gave him an annoyed look at that. "Er, not that you needed to lose much weight. But you're looking more streamlined. Wait, is that something human girls want to hear?"
"I know what you're trying to say," said Abby, "Durga's been really helping me with my swim training."
"I'm still not so sure you should be alone with such a big predator," said Sam.
"She's just as civilized as you are. We're pretty good exercise partners. She helps me with swimming, I help her with running, though I eager to see which one of us is better at biking," said Abby, "We should find her and her mate. They ought to be around here somewhere."
"Well, it should be too hard to spot them," said Sam.
The two of them tried to look for the uplifted tigers among the guests. Instead, they found another pair they hadn't expecting. A familiar pair of mares approached them. "Hello Abigail, Samson," said one of them.
"Calamity," said Abby in an annoyed tone.
"Delilah," said Samson in a gruff voice, his ears tilting back. He had heard plenty of what his former mate had been saying to Abby. His feelings towards her when they were just horses had diminished a lot, especially by her recent behavior.
"Listen, we're not here to cause trouble," said Calamity.
"Believe it or not, we're here to apologize," said Delilah.
Abby lifted her ears and asked, "Apologize? Really?"
"Yes, we realize we've been really acting like a pair of rotten nags lately and we shouldn't have been so mean to you," said Delilah.
"We're sorry we insinuated that you weren't a true horse and you don't deserve Samson and that we were gonna humiliate you here in front of everyone..." said Calamity.
Delilah elbowed her friend and said, "Although, obviously, we don't intend to do any such thing now."
"And what would prompt this change of heart?" asked Samson.
"We found some new stallions," said Calamity happily.
"I hadn't heard of any new students being changed," said Abby.
"They weren't students," said Delilah, "They were fighting horses that ASPCA rescued. They were brought here and uplifted, but they're recovering in the hospital right now."
"Fighting horses?" asked Samson in confusion.
"There are plenty of people who'd like to watch two animals fight each other," said Abby with distaste, "Most often, it's dogs or roosters, but there are plenty of other animal rings."
"How do you get horses to fight like that?" asked Samson.
"They put two stallions in a ring with a mare in estrus within smelling distance," said Calamity with disgust, "The stallions will start fighting each other over her. And if they don't start fighting at first, the humans whip until they do."
Samson snorted and said, "That's horrible."
"Yes, I'm glad that Red Cloud was saved from that," said Delilah.
"Is that your stallion?" asked Abby.
"Yeah, they're both handsome quarter horses," said Calamity, "But my Thunder's part Appaloosa."
"How did you meet them?" asked Samson.
"Mayor Clara somehow heard about our plan to humiliate Abby for this party," said Delilah, "She's making us work at the hospital for six weeks as punishment. It's not so bad there, actually. I might get a job as a nurse there."
"The real punishment is that they won't let us mate for those six weeks," grumbled Calamity, "You have any idea how frustrating that is?"
"I can imagine, but you did get off pretty light," said Abby, "So, is there anything of interest at the hospital wing?"
"Well, there's been a lot of talk about the regenerating abilities of the Animalia virus," said Delilah. The virus was known to have several healing effects on those that became infected. Health problems usually went away upon exposure. It had also been known to heal the blind, the deaf, and the lame, making people able to see, hear, and walk without problem. But the virus was also known to make some organs regenerate, namely lost eyes or removed testicles and uteri (which was a great relief to former pets that had been neutered or spayed).
"What more does someone need to regenerate?" asked Samson.
"A lost limb," said Calamity, "The scientist are curious as to just how much the Animalian virus can grow back. I hear that next week they're gonna experiment with a bunch of volunteer amputees."
"Who would sign up for something like that?" asked Samson.
"Mostly veterans," said Delilah, "A lot of people have lost arms and legs in the line of duty. They're more than willing to get a double-dose of reptile DNA if it means they can get their limbs back."
"A double-dose of reptile DNA?" asked Samson.
"Apparently, lizards and snakes are the only vertebrates that can grow back limbs," said Delilah.
"But they only grow back their tails," said Abby.
"The virus might make it stronger than that," said Delilah, "But the scientist aren't sure if a single dose will be enough to make their limbs grow back. If nothing else, they'll at least get to be young again."
"I hope it turns out well," said Abby, "I've seen comics were experimenting like that goes really bad."
"Well, are you two doing anything right now?" asked Calamity.
"Oh, we're going to find Durga and her mate. They're tigers," said Abby.
The two mares flinched at that. "Er, maybe some other time then," said Delilah, "We still haven't had enough to eat." With that, the two mares hurried off.
"You think those two have really changed?" asked Samson.
"I think they're making a try," said Abby, "Hopes it works out with their stallions."
"Well, it had better, because I'm not giving up my mate," said Samson before kissing Abby's cheek.
"Oh, you sweet thing," said Abby, "Let's find Durga."