Anna woke up the next morning feeling ready to go. While her friends were doing their jobs as maids, she was going to find some way to make herself useful, too. She planned on going to the animal shelter she apparently owned, now, to see if she could work there. She’d always loved animals, after all, so it seemed like a good fit.
When she got to the breakfast table, she intended to ask Cassidy to drive her there. Even if Anna didn’t like being watched by Cassidy, the tigress’s ability to drive made things easier when Anna didn’t have any idea how to drive, even if she had a license in the new timeline. She’d need to fix that at some point.
She got to the breakfast table as Curt was leaving.
“Good morning, Anna. Do you have any plans for this afternoon?”
“Well, I’m gonna go to the animal shelter, but I’ll probably be back before you are,” she replied. “Do you have something in mind?”
“There was a change I was planning on making, and I’d like you to be there when it happens. I’ll tell you more later. I gotta go soon.” He waved to Marceline as he started making his way out of the dining room. “Hey, Marceline, before I go, may I speak to you privately for a bit?”
“Sure thing, Master!” The spider girl said with a smile, getting up from the table and following him. Anna guessed Curt might be testing her theory about how people made aware of the changes remembered those changed before them.
Anna sat down to eat her breakfast, enjoying a warm plate of scrambled eggs and sausage, idly watching the off-duty maids eating at the table shoot the breeze with each other.
About halfway through her meal, someone tapped her shoulder from behind. She turned around to see it was Pam. “Good morning, Lady Anna,” the panther woman said. “We’ve finished the background check on your new butler. He’s clean, and we told him he could come in at eight today.”
“New butler?” Anna cocked an eyebrow.
“I guess it’s been couple weeks since the interview,” Pam said. “His name is Leroy Hall. When he applied to work here, he asked if you, specifically, were looking for a butler.”
“Oh, right,” Anna replied, trying to hide her surprise. She didn’t really think she needed a personal butler, with all the maids treating her word as second only to Curt and Skyla’s, but if the new her had agreed to let this guy work for her, it seemed unfair to reject him on his first day. She looked at the clock. “I guess I’ll go meet with him after breakfast, then.”
When Anna finished her meal, she headed to the Foyar. What she found there surprised her: A tall stallion anthro stood at attention, waiting for her. He was naked, allowing Anna to observe his sleek black coat, and toned figure.
“Lady Anna! It is a pleasure to meet you again,” He said, bowing to her, his dark mane and tail swaying slightly as he rose up again. “From this day forward, I exist only to serve you, as your loyal butler. I will do whatever you need of me. I, Leroy Hall, live to serve.”
Now, Anna had never been into furries, like her brother or Skyla had. But whether it was a part of her being an anthro herself, a longing for a romantic relationship her parents wouldn’t risk letting her have due to her previous disability, her hobby for horses and hopes of spotting an anthro stallion this whole time, his good looks, or maybe it was a combination of all of these, but she suddenly felt VERY interested in Leroy.
She admitted that is was a little odd to hear a male anthro speaking to her with the same level of loyalty and deference as some of the maids from the kids’ rampage, especially since, as a male, he couldn’t have been zapped and made that way by the gun. So he must have chosen to be this way of his own free will. Still, she was enjoying getting that kind of attention from a guy.
“...Is there something you need, Lady Anna?” He spoke up again.
Anna shook her head, realizing she was staring. She reminded herself to focus on her original goal for now. There’d be time to take in the view later. “I was actually planning to go to the animal shelter. Would you like to drive me there?”
+++
“Ms. Evenson!” The man at the at the shelter’s front desk said, as the cat woman walked through the door, her new butler close behind. His name tag read 'Jacob Fuller.' “What do we owe the surprise visit to?”
“I wanted to see if could help out around here, in some way,” Anna responded. She sniffed unconsciously, the scent of dogs and cats was a lot stronger to her, compared to when she’d come to adopt Noni. Must have been part of her change.
“Have we not been performing up to par, Ms. Evenson?” Jacob asked, knowing the woman in front of him technically owned the whole operation.
“No, you guys haven’t done anything wrong. It’s just… Well, I like helping animals, but I want to get more hands on, if I can. Think of me as a volunteer worker, I guess.”
The man looked relieved. “Well, we could always use a helping hand, and I don’t think we’d need to spend too long training you. I guess there’s no harm in showing you around, at least, and see if you feel you’d be able to handle it.”
Anna nodded in agreement, and Jacob guided them through a door behind the desk. “First door on the right is our manager Ms. Schwartz's office. She mostly focuses on paperwork, and believe me there’s a lot of it. On the left is our vet’s office. He can usually take care of himself, but he can occasionally use an extra hand to help hold an animal in position.” Anna nodded. She knew from taking care of Noni that pets didn’t always cooperate. She remembered trying to talk to her cat on the first day she’d been changed, in hopes of being able to explain to Noni why taking baths or getting her claws trimmed was for her own good. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.
“The supply closets are where we keep the food, cleaning supplies, tools, and other stuff.” Jacob continued, pointing to a door on the right as they passed. He opened another door, the room behind it lined with kennels. “And this is where we keep the dogs.”
Barking could be heard as the three stepped through the door, some dogs curiously walked up to their kennel’s gates to investigate the new people visiting, others seemed indifferent, or growled as they passed. Given Anna was part-cat now, she was a little surprised that there weren’t more dogs trying to get at her. Maybe the perception filter affected them, as well?
Looking down the row of kennels, Anna could see a seagull woman dressed in the telltale black dress and white apron, giving each of the dogs their meals. “Hey Squirrel Breath, here you go. Here’s lunch, Trash Bag.” She said quietly as she fed each one. Her voice did not display any hint of malice, or even annoyance.
“Did someone really name their dog ‘Trash Bag?’” Anna quietly asked Jacob.
“Oh, that? Nah, that’s more her own little tradition. She gives the animals stupid-sounding nicknames in hopes it’ll make it harder to get attached to them and want to adopt them herself,” Jacob chuckled. “Try as you might, you just can’t help all of them, after all, and they’re only here for so long.”
“Has it worked for her?” Leroy asked.
Jacob laughed again. “Well, she has one dog, and three cats, named Flea Magnet, Mange Mane, Wall Eye, and Todd, so you tell me.” He paused, and went back to business. “Anyway, Anna, if you volunteer here, you’d be expected to help feed the animals inspect them to make sure they’re healthy, clean their kennels and cages, and make sure they get some exercise. You’d probably also be asked to help clean up the other parts of the building, too...”
Anna nodded as she followed along, resisting the temptation to try and play with some of the animals herself.
+++
Now that the fallout had ended, Skyla was finally able to re-familiarize herself with the mansion without worrying that it would suddenly change again in the middle of it all. Pam, it seemed, was most comfortable in the basement, since she still had her office/bedroom down there. Otherwise, it had been mainly used for storage, laundry, and other utilities.
Guest rooms and bedrooms for staff could be found on both the first and second floors. The first floor still had they foyar, playroom, and art gallery. The kitchen had gotten a bit bigger, and now had its own walk-in freezer. There was also a separate dining hall for staff, (probably a necessity due to the significantly increased number of employees,) though there still appeared to be no rule against maids using the “main” dining hall when guests weren’t around, if there was room. The parlor had also grown larger since she’d last seen it, and they now had a ballroom and a small theater with its own stage for concerts and plays, as well.
The second floor, in addition to having a game room, now boasted two “common rooms” for staff or guests, and two smaller kitchens on either side of the mansion for the staff’s personal use (Angelica the Quetzalcoatl and Celeste the dove had been baking cookies in one when Skyla had checked it out). There was also an indoor tennis court.
The entertainment room had been moved to the third floor, and a small movie theater room had been added alongside it. The study had been moved up to the third floor, as well, and had expanded significantly in size, practically becoming a miniature library of its own. There had also been a small gym.
Lastly, the fourth floor now had Curt and Skyla’s bedrooms and offices, as well as Anna’s bedroom, all of which had only grown larger. There was also a sizable rec room, and an observatory.
Skyla had only been a little surprised when she entered her grandmother’s new room on the second floor that afternoon, and found it completely different from any other maid’s room. Many of the maids that had moved into the mansion were content with with simple, easy to clean furniture, basic appliances, and personal nick-nacks and keepsakes, some rooms even looking downright spartan. Her grandmother’s room, meanwhile, boasted a canopy bed with an ornate carved frame, a large vanity with a chair that looked more like a throne set in front of it, a collection of wall scrolls depicting various mythical Japanese creatures, a potted bamboo plant in each corner of the room, and even a little fountain.
“So, how was your first day on the job, Grandma?” After all the heart stopping drama last night and everything else, Skyla was grateful for a normal day on the job, and ironically, grateful for no new maids to get to know.
“I had a lovely time, dear. Curt has such a colorful group of servants, doesn’t he? I spent some time with a sweet little trio of rabbits. Luna, Rachel, and Gabrielle I think it was? All of them were happy to help show me around, and tell me about their co-workers, the self-defense courses you gave them, their favorite activities on the weekends.” The older kitsune smiled. “It was such a nice change to not to be treated like a doddering old fool after spending years in that disguise. And that young kitten, Morgan? I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such a disciplined young girl in my life. It’s truly inspiring.”
“Glad you enjoyed it. By the way, Vincent texted me to say he’s almost here, and I’ve got an eager test subject who’s asked to help me practice my transformation spells. Are you ready?”
“A willing victim?” Grandma frowned. “Where’s the fun in that?”
Skyla winced, remembering her grandmother’s casual attitude toward the transformations she’d made at the party last night. She tried to come up with a more practical explanation. “I... wanted to make sure that we wouldn’t disrupt a maid’s schedule while she’s working for Master. The one that was available happened to already have an interest in transformation.”
Grandma got out of her chair, her frown remaining in place. “Right, we wouldn’t want to inconvenience Master. Still… were there really no other maids available? The mortals that actually want it to happen to them are always so… disgusting.”
Skyla wanted to object to that, given she’d been in that category before, but she suddenly realized a way to maybe change her grandma’s mind on the subject. “You… do realize that when Master and I became friends, one of the things we’d shared was our love of transformation, right?”
Grandma was dumbfounded. She froze in place for a moment, as if the realization of her indirect insult to her Master had broken her mind. After a few moments, she blinked. “He’s the exception, of course. I’m sure he has a very good reason to be interested in such things.”
Skyla smiled and shook her head. “Well, maybe I can try to find you a different maid for us to practice on.”
The two kitsune went outside, to a remote part of the yard. A canopy swing sat under the shade of five oak trees, obscured from the view of the mansion. Grandma took a seat on it as she waited for her grandson and their subject to arrive.
Skyla, meanwhile, had told her grandmother that she was going to ask another off duty maid to step in. In reality, she had gone to meet Marceline just as she was getting off duty, before she got within earshot of Grandma.
“Skyla! I guess you’re just as excited about this as I am, huh?” The spider asked as she pranced giddily toward their secluded meeting spot.
“Yeah… there’s just a bit of trouble,” Skyla said. “See my grandma doesn’t really like willing ‘victims.’ Honestly, I’d much rather have you do it, since I KNOW you’re comfortable with it, but to keep her from making a fuss about it, I think it would be best if you try to act surprised.”
Marceline stopped walking, put a hand on her chin, and folded her lower set of arms. After a few seconds, her eyes lit up. “Oh! I think I can do you one better! I heard you’ve got some mental magic, right? How about you erase my memory of agreeing to be your guinea pig and the real reason for our meeting, and then it’ll be a REAL surprise for me?”
“What?” Skyla was wide-eyed. “You want me to mess with your mind?”
“Sure! I trust you to be careful, and the thought of having a transformation just happen out of the blue is awesome! Go right ahead!”
“If you’re sure,” Skyla muttered, holding out her palm as a small ball of fire appeared in her hand, “then look into the flame.”
Marceline did so, her four eyes glazing over as she stared. Skyla focused, and closed her eyes, her instincts guiding her.
Skyla found herself in a mental realm. Above her mental projection, a giant cloud of little orange flames loomed above her, each tiny ball of fire representing a thought or memory of Marceline’s. A small handful of the glowing orbs stood within the grasp of the kitsune’s mental projection, those which Marceline had recently been focusing on. Occasionally, stray thoughts would drift down from the cloud to the smaller group, usually flying up just as quickly.
Looking over the spider woman’s recent thoughts, Skyla could see memories of Marceline carefully checking to make sure she’d properly cleaned the corners of of the rooms she’d been assigned, several bits and pieces of music she was practicing, and of course, memories of her agreeing to the transformation, and several thoughts anticipating what she might become and what it might feel like.
Skyla gently plucked the thoughts of anticipation, and cloaked them in a light fog. They’d have their use once the changes had started, but until then, the fog would ensure thoughts of changes wouldn’t cross her mind. Next, she reached for the memories of of Marceline and Vicky’s talk about the mugger that had become a statue, and the conversation with Skyla afterward where the spider had agreed to be her test subject, as well as their text message from this morning, and the conversation they had just had. She took each one and carefully squeezed them. A chain and a lock wrapped around each memory, and their glow dimmed.
Lastly, Skyla created a little ball of flame of her own, a false memory, of her asking Marceline to help her out with a personal project once they were done with work. A second, smaller ball of flame, contained a simple short-term suggestion; do not let anyone know she enjoyed transformation. She set the false memory and suggestion down among the rest of Marceline’s in-focus memories and thoughts, and abandoned her projection, finding herself back in the mansion’s yard again.
She snuffed out the flame in her hand, and Marceline’s eyes fluttered. “Oh… Sorry, Head Maid Skyla. I kind of zoned out for a bit there.”
“Not a problem. Let’s get going.”
When Skyla got back to the swing, she saw her new little brother sitting beside her grandmother.
“Hi Skyla,” Vincent said with a wave. “Hi Marceline. How’s it hangin’?”
“By a thread,” Marceline replied with a smile. She looked toward the nine-tailed Kitsune. “Hello ma'am. Are you one of Skyla’s relatives, too?”
“Oh, right, sorry, I didn’t think to introduce you!” Skyla spoke up. “Marceline, this is my grandma, Myra. Grandma, this is Marceline. She’s here to help me practice. Don’t worry, she doesn’t know what.”
“Wait a sec-” Marceline started.
“Excellent!” Grandma cheered, leaping from her seat. “Let’s get started! Take my hand, and I’ll guide you.”
“Can I get in on this too?” Vincent asked.
“Well, it will be a few centuries before you can perform this kind of magic, but I suppose there’s no harm in letting you go through the motions with us.” Grandma held out her other hand, and Vincent grabbed it.
“Should I be worried about this?” Marceline said quietly.
“Trust me, Marceline, it’ll be f-”
“Hush dear, savoring their reactions is part of the fun!” Grandma said, nine orbs of green fire appearing on her tail-tips. Skyla could feel the power flowing from her grandmother, “Now, focus your magic in this young maid. I’ll help if I think you need it.”
Skyla nodded, blue fire floating from the tips of her own tails toward Marceline’s body. Marceline stepped back, but it did nothing to stop the flames from touching her, and they seemed to slip right into her body. “C-could you please tell me what’s going on?”
“We’ll start with something a little bland, but simple. Picture her as a human, and imagine yourself molding her into that shape. Whenever you use magic on a living creature, their own soul will resist, at first, if they don’t want the spell’s effects, but at your level, it will only be truly significant if you try to change another mythic against its will. Once you’ve got enough going, the changes to her DNA should fill in the blanks.”
“WHAT?” Marceline cried, wide-eyed. Even in her panic over the strange situation, Marceline’s voice betrayed a hint of curiosity.
Picturing Marceline as a human was no issue for Skyla, given she knew what she’d been a week ago. She pictured the change she had seen back then reversing, minus the sex switch, and held her hand, and tails, out toward Marceline, focusing intently. She could feel a slight ‘push back' in magical force, likely a part of Marceline worrying about if this wasn’t the transformation it seemed to be leading up to, but compared to the resistance from the man that had attacked them in the alley, it was nothing.
Slowly, the yellow fur covering the spider woman’s skin began to recede, and her abdomen seemed shrink down into her body, shifting her balance. Marceline held out her hands, watching as the claws on her top set of hands shrank back, fingernails growing out to replace them. Her lower set of arms shrank away to nothing. Her front legs grew human feet and toes as they shrank and straightened up, while her back legs retreated. Her second set of eyes closed and sealed over, her fangs flattened, her ears widened from the simple holes they had become, and the pedipalps vanished, as well.
A naked, silver haired, blue eyed woman stood in front of the three kitsune, shakily adjusting to her new center of gravity, and looking over her form in awe. “So this is what it’s like…” She whispered. She looked behind her back for any trace of her old abdomen, and, not finding any, sat down to look at her limbs more closely, wiggling her fingers and toes experimentally. She felt over her changed skin, wondering if she was dreaming. Still, she couldn’t help but grin, even if, in the back of her mind, something told her that it’d be better not to let on that she was actually enjoying this.
Skyla felt a little odd seeing a naked HUMAN out in the open, and treating it so casually. The gun’s changes to Marceline’s view of nudity as a taboo must have still been in place.
Grandma cocked her head to one side. “Hm… Curiosity, that’s an uncommon reaction. Ah well, it’s bland if they all react the same. You remember how to do mental changes, right? At least, the ones within your ability?” She whispered to Skyla.
“Yes.”
“Good, I suppose we can save changing her mind to fit her body for later, since she’s not making a fuss, for now. Next, let’s try a non-anthro animal, shall we?”
Skyla nodded, and held out her hand and tails toward Marceline again. Her confidence boosted by the success, combined with Marceline’s interest in the changes virtually annihilating her soul’s resistance, made the next change even easier, even if it wasn’t quite as effortless as the changes her grandmother had made last night.
Marceline shivered slightly, then looked down, moving her hands to scratch an itch. She gasped when she saw red, black, and white scales growing on her side, and slowly spreading further from there. She felt over the smooth surface, taking in the unusual sensations, before her fingers and toes started to feel stiff. Turning her focus to them, she watched as the rest of her limbs started to shrink and lose definition, as well. Looking up, she suddenly noticed that the trees and kitsune were looking larger too, which could only mean one thing; she was shrinking!
Marceline could tell where this was going, and was finding it more and more difficult to keep her growing excitement a secret. First a human, now a snake? Sure, she would’ve liked a little more time to try out the new body, but she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth! She laid herself on her belly as her arms shrank away, and her body stretched longer, thinner, and rounder, her spine becoming far more flexible.
Her head flattened and stretched forward, and her ears shrank away to nothing, causing sounds to become far less distinct unless she kept her head on the ground. Her hair fell away as scales covered her head, and her eyes moved to the sides of her head as they turned a solid black color, her vision becoming blurry. Her teeth shrank as her jaws stretched forward, and her tongue became thinner, splitting at the tip. Flicking it out, she found her sense of taste far stronger than she had ever known! She began to move toward the nearby flowers, to see how they would “taste” to her new tongue. Her slithering motions were awkward at first, but they quickly started to feel more natural as she went.
“Excellent work, Skyla!” Grandma smiled. “Honestly, you’ve always been such a natural with transformations, I’m surprised you even needed a refresher. It certainly doesn’t look to me like you’ve lost your touch. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could even manage to add your own little creative touches, at this point, even at just five tails.”
“Creative touches?” Skyla asked, keeping an eye on Marceline so she didn’t wander off in her excitement.
“Oh, you know, adding extra limbs, giving a lion an eagle’s head; changes to living things that aren’t ‘natural,’ so you can’t fall back on their new DNA helping you out. Would you like to give that a try?”
“Uh… Alright. What would you recommend?”
“How about giving our little snake friend a pair of wings? Don’t worry, if something goes wrong, I’ll be able to reverse it quickly, and numb it until it’s fixed, should it be painful.”
“I don’t want to risk hurting her…”
“That’s why I’m here to help, dear.”
“I know you can do it, Skyla,” Vincent said with a grin. “You’re great at this sort of stuff!”
With that little bit of encouragement, Skyla held out her hand and focused once again. Even without any resistance from Marceline’s soul, it felt like it was taking everything she had, but slowly, a pair of limbs began to stretch out of the garter snake’s back, about a fourth of her length down from her head. The snake turned its head to get as good a look as it could at its new wings, as they began to grow little white feathers. Recognizing the feel of the new growths, Marceline quickly guessed she had grown wings, and began gleefully flapping them.
Sadly, the effort seemed futile, as she didn’t go anywhere.
“Oh, so close,” Grandma said, with a hint of pride, shrinking the wings away with a flick of her tail. Despite her face being less emotive, Marceline somehow looked disappointed. “Don’t worry about them not being functional right now dear, the fact that you managed at all is quite promising. Functional wings are one of the more difficult creative touches to make.”
“Th-thanks…” Skyla said, taking a few deep breaths. Even on such a small creature, that spell had taken a lot out of her.
“Do you still want a refresher on turning a living thing into an object and back, as well? If not, I understand. Attempting a spell your body isn’t ready for can be a draining experience.”
Skyla took another deep breath. “I’d like to try.” She nodded.
“He he… I should have expected that answer.” She directed a few of her own flame’s into Marceline’s serpentine body. “We should probably give her a form worth preserving in stone, then. Her original form did have a certain innocent charm to it.” With a wave of her tails, the snake rapidly grew to human size, scales receding to be replaced by yellow fur, the end of her tail swelling into a large abdomen, and four arms and legs growing along her body’s length. Her upper body took the shape of a young woman’s, and her head took a more human shape, her snout seemingly being absorbed back into her. Her silver hair grew back as her eyes turned blue, a second pair opening alongside them.
Marceline stood up again, slowly regaining her bearings. “Whew, this has been a lot to take in…”
“Oh, we’re not quite done yet, little maid.” Grandma turned to Skyla, whispering instructions to her. “A statue spell should be simple practice. Reach into her matter with your magic, and shift her cells to stone.”
Skyla nodded. “Strike a pose, Marceline,” She said with a grin, before focusing her magic once more.
“Do what, Head Maid Skyla?” Marceline cocked two eyebrows. Suddenly, the spider woman realized she couldn’t move her legs. Looking down, she saw her yellow fur hardening into white marble. “A statue?” She cried as she looked down. She was just about ready to defy that little voice in the back of her mind telling her not to show her excitement. Still, if she couldn’t openly show it, maybe she could still find another way to express it. “If you wish for me to pose, Head Maid, then I will.” Marceline said in her most proper sounding voice. She reached back to her spinnerette, pulling out several strands of webbing just before her lower body finished solidifying. She clasped her lower set of hands as they started to petrify, while her upper arms weaved the webbing in the shape of a harp, which she pretended to pluck as her arms turned to stone. She closed her eyes and tilted her head as if she was listening to her own music. A subtle smile was permanently fixed on her face as her she became completely still as a stone.
For a finishing touch, the ground below her was turned to marble as well, becoming a base for her. Carved into the front of the base were the words:
Curious Musician
By Skyla Winters
“Wonderful work, dear,” Grandma said. “And her willingness to follow your orders… I must say, maids that well trained are a rarity WORTH preserving. To inspire that kind of loyalty and professionalism shows that Master couldn’t ask for a better Head Maid, or wife!”
Skyla knew it wasn’t her work that had brought that attitude, but accepted the compliment anyway. “Thank you, Grandma. At the Evenson estate, we live to please.”
Grandma patted her granddaughter on the back. “So, does this maid have any more work to do today?”
“No.”
“Well, let’s make sure she enjoys her time here before her next shift, shall we?”
“Wait, Grandma,” Vincent spoke up, “you’re not going to-”
Grandma grasped both of her grandchildren’s hands, and projected herself, and them, into Marceline’s mind. The cloud of thoughts hovered above them, and in front of them were Marceline’s “in-focus” thoughts and memories, just as they had been when Skyla had been here earlier. Her thoughts were more active, since she wasn’t in a trance this time, and thoughts flowed into and out of focus more regularly, but it was otherwise unchanged.
“Grandma, what are you doing?” Vincent asked.
“Oh, don’t you worry dear, I’m hiding our thoughts from her mind, she won’t hear anything we do in here.”
“No, I mean, you can’t just mess with a mind without their con-”
“Oh Vincent, please, I’m doing what’s best for her, right now. It’s pointless to try to explain things to mortals. They’d never understand what you’re talking about. And this is just to make absolutely sure she doesn't suffer or get bored out of her mind with a still mostly flesh and blood mind in a stone body. If you don't change their mind enough, it's like glorified bondage and leaving them squirming in their own mind. If you put them 'to sleep' you might as well be freezing them. And erasing their consciousness? That would make me a monster. You might as well be displaying corpses.”
Skyla wanted to tell her grandma she’d already planned for that when changing the physical makeup of Marceline’s brain, but she imagined she wouldn’t get through to her.
With a snap of her fingers a mass of chains appeared around all of Marceline’s thoughts and memories, in AND out of focus, and her mind went dim.
“Now, a few simple thought processes to keep this young statue focused.” With that, Grandma created a few orbs of thought, each one containing a short message.
“I am a statue, Curious Musician. My beauty will inspire awe and admiration.”
"I love my creator, Skyla Winters."
“I always have been, and always will be a work of art.”
"I am eternal. Death holds no claim on me."
“Displaying my beauty, and the skill of my creator, is my only joy and purpose. All else is vanity.”
Those thoughts alone echoed in Marceline’s mind.
"I'll admit it's much more fun to lure around thoughts and play on their desires until they start reshaping themselves, but if you're going for a quick job, this works well enough."
Her work done, Grandma ended the projection, and all of the kitsune found themselves in front of the statue again.
Skyla spoke up. “Grandma, I-”
“Don’t you worry, dear, I know Master will probably need her working tomorrow, and I know a mental shift of this scale is beyond your ability to undo right now, so I’ve made a charm to restore her.” A green flame appeared in her hand, and formed into a golden key. “Just hold out that key when you project into her mind, and all her thoughts will return. Undoing the statue transformation is a simple as repeating the spell in reverse.” She smiled. “I hope you enjoyed the lesson, dears.”
Skyla sighed. She’d have to wait until Grandma was gone to undo this. But, in the meantime, she had another question she wanted to ask.
“Grandma… Is it possible to change people’s ages with magic?”
“Well, to an extent. It’s a little above the kind of magic a five tailed kitsune can do, but it is possible to make someone a different age in all but lifespan.”
“All but lifespan?”
“Well, yes. Every mortal creature, even if they somehow never get sick or injured, will eventually reach a point where their bodies simply cease working. Even giving them the body of a newborn baby can’t stop that.”
Skyla looked down. “I see… Is it possible to make a human into a kitsune? Or a dragon or unicorn?”
Grandma sighed deeply. “Oh dear… This is about Master Curt, isn’t it?”
“...Maybe…”
Grandma frowned. “I suppose this really IS the first time you’ve found someone you love, in four hundred years…” She whispered. “Oh, if only there were more good male kitsune in the world…”
“Well, is it possible?” Skyla asked.
“You can make a human into a lizard with horns and wings, or a fox with many tails, or a horse with a spiral horn… But they wouldn’t have that spark of magic, the wisdom that can only come from a mythical creature, or our lifespan.”
“Why not?”
“It’s similar to why we can’t make a feral animal a human or anthro in both body AND mind. Animals have spirits, but lack souls. Humans and most anthros have souls, but lack the touch of the higher beings.” She sighed. “When I was a little girl, there was an old story of a nine-tailed fox that attempted to make a human she loved like her. For all her might, her attempts to help him only broke him further, and in the end, she wished she’d never even tried.”
“But…” Skyla wanted to object, but what could she say? That she’d find a break the laws of the universe? Sure, she’d kind done that with Grandma, but the ray gun could never be used on Curt.
“Skyla…” Grandma put a hand on the Head Maid’s shoulder, “I understand how easily one can get fond of humans, but their lives are dust in the wind. None of them stick around long enough to make a meaningful difference in the world, even if they had the power or intellect for it. Turn one into a table, or some witless animal, and have you really altered the course of history that much? Some other human will step in to take their place.”
Against her will, Skyla remembered the drug dealers who had slipped into the shoes of their predecessor with each one retconned into a fox maid.
She shrugged. “It’s a good way to remind you not to get attached.”
“What about Curt, or Anna or-”
“You should serve them, as any proper maid should. Just because they are mortal doesn’t give you a reason to shirk your duties. I certainly don’t want either of you thinking that just because their existences are simple and brief that it’s alright to be cruel! I would never hurt a human! At worst, I just like to spook them a little, or shake up their short, plain lives. It's not like I'd turn one into a roll of toilet paper or a fireworks rocket or something to make their brief time in this world EVEN SHORTER. As say a harp or everflowing fountain, they'll outlive their transient peers.”
Skyla was dumbfounded. Did her grandma really not even see herself as remotely like humans, or even the non-magical anthros? Was her perspective so different that she couldn’t grasp how drastic her “shake ups” were?
“Can I… Can I have a moment alone, Grandma?”
“I suppose some of that was difficult to hear… If you wish, doodlebug.” Grandma nodded, and walked away.
Skyla fell back onto the swing with a deep sigh. ‘And here I thought there might be a way to keep him alive.’ She thought.
“Skyla?” Vincent asked. “I… Well… uh…” He looked down for a moment. “Sorry, I don’t really know what to say. I mean, it’s something that’s kinda been in the back of my mind for a while too; this frustration that once I’m finally old enough to use my magic, all the friends I’d want to show it off to won’t be around, but it always seemed so far away to me… I guess with how long you’ve been around, you’ve had to deal with it a lot already. And in your case it’s someone who’s more than just a friend, too…” He sat down beside her. “Sorry… I’m probably not helping you feel better, am I?”
“Heh…” Skyla smiled weakly. “Don’t worry, I appreciate the thought.” She gave the male kitsune a hug. It still felt odd to think of him as her brother, but at the same time, it sounded like he was genuinely trying to encourage her, and she didn’t want to come off as cold.
Vincent hugged her back. “Just… Try not to let what Grandma said get to you. She’s just old fashioned. I think that unicorn girl you work with… Emma? I think she has the right idea. If you just ignore or neglect everything just because it won’t last as long as you, you’re gonna miss out on a lot.” He leaned back. “Gotta say, though, it was clever of you to use Marceline as your test subject. She wouldn’t complain once it’s all said and done.”
“It was actually her idea, she volunteered for it.”
“She did? She looked genuinely surprised, though.”
“She also volunteered to have her memory of volunteering erased.”
“Huh.” Vincent blinked. “I always knew she was a bit of an oddball, but I’d never guessed she’d be fine with something like that.”
“Well, she didn’t want to disappoint Grandma and her desire for an unwitting victim.” Skyla chuckled. “Speaking of, we’d better get her back to normal.”
“As ‘normal’ as Marceline can be.” Vincent smirked. “Mind if I watch?”
“Not really.”
Skyla projected herself into Marceline’s mind once more. Right off the bat, she reached out for the overpowering ‘suggestions’ her grandma had left as the only thing on Marceline’s mind, and converted them into simple memories. Next, she held out the key her grandmother had given her, and in a flash Marceline’s mind lit up once more.
A new thought dropped into focus, and Skyla could hear the spider’s voice echoing. “Woah… Those were some pretty intense mental changes…”
Skyla smiled to herself, and then undid the changes she had made earlier, first disconnecting the false memory and the suggestion to hide her excitement, then unlocking the memories she had sealed off. “There we go.” Skyla said.
Skyla could hear a gasp as dozens of thoughts rushed into focus.
“Skyla! I can hear you in my head! That’s you, right? That was AMAZING! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I never dreamed I could experience one real transformation in my life, but you gave me three on the same day! Thank you so much!”
“Take it easy, Marceline, you’re welcome! I just hope my grandma’s brainwashing didn’t do any permanent damage to your mind.”
“Nope, can’t do any damage to a statue’s mind, my only purpose is to be admired and-”
“Oh no…”
“Ha ha! Got ya!”
“Marceline!”
“Sorry, sorry! Seriously, it was a pretty… interesting... experience. I mean, mental changes have always been my favorite part of TFs, but going from full awareness to just mindlessly chanting forever was… Well, I wouldn’t say I disliked it, I certainly don’t want to forgot it or anything, but if I’m gonna be changed for longer than an hour, I’d like my mental changes to be more than a thirty second loop, so I’ll have something to look back on when I’m normal again.”
“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. So, was transforming everything you thought it would be?”
“Oh yes! I’ll admit, I would’ve liked a little more time between changes to try things out, but it was just so awesome, getting to see what it’s like to have just four limbs, or to slither around guided by taste more than anything… The wings were a pretty cool touch, too! Why’d you get rid of them so fast?”
“That was just… a much more difficult spell than I was expecting. Sorry if I disappointed you.”
“It’s alright. I’m glad I got to try it at all. And honestly, being a statue is pretty cool, too. I had no idea what to expect for that one, but it’s actually pretty calming. I don’t know how to explain it, but… It’s like, I can’t move, but I guess since my brain’s made of stone right now, I don’t really feel like I need to, or even want to. I feel like I could just sit here with my web harp, looking at those trees and that swing forever, and never really get bored of it. And I could still hear you guys talking out there, and-”
“You could? Um… How much did you hear?”
“Sadly I can’t remember that much. When I became human, you guys were mostly whispering, and when I became a snake, I could only really hear you guys when my head was on the ground, so I missed a lot. I could hear you guys talk for a minute after becoming a statue, but once your grandma changed my mind… Well, I could still listen, but I ignored anything that wasn’t admiration for me or my creator.”
“It’s probably better you didn’t hear it.”
“Okay, if you say so. Anyway, I’m surprised by how I can still hear, see, feel, and smell like this, not that I’m complaining. It’s kinda cool, I can feel the harp I made, and the base below me like they’re a part of me now, even down to the little etching labeling me a ‘Curious Musician.’ I even feel like I might be able to sort-of reach out to other people’s minds and inspire them like this. He he, I guess it’s true what they say about art leaving an impact when it has a soul!”
“Glad you enjoyed it. I’ll get out of your head now, and get you back to normal.”
“What, already? Didn’t your Grandma say she’d keep me this way ‘til my next shift? Was I so oblivious while under her brainwashing I didn’t even notice the night coming and going? Is my concept of the passage of time different as a statue?”
“No, I just kind of figured you’d want out so you could practice with your band tonight.”
“Aw, I was kinda hoping it’d be one of those last two, it’s a lot more interesting that way. But you’re right, a proper maid doesn’t go back on her word. I’ll have to make sure to leave more time open the next time I volunteer to be your guinea pig.”
Skyla laughed softly, and ended her projection.
“Good news,” she said to Vincent, “She’s still herself in there.”
“I guess that means she was disappointed when you told her you’d change her back?”
“Yep.” Skyla held out her hands and tails for the last time, directing her blue flames into the statue in front of her. As they seeped into the marble, it began to soften and fill with life, the rigid material shifting to hair, flesh, and exoskeleton, while the base became dirt and grass from the lawn once more.
Marceline took a deep breath as her body went back to what she was used to once again. “Hi again, Skyla, Vincent. And thanks again for letting me do this, Skyla!” She tossed aside her ‘harp’ and wrapped all four arms around the Head Maid.
“No, thank you for being such a good test subject.”
Marceline eagerly shared her experiences with a curious Vincent, and after that, the three chatted about this and that for a few minutes, until someone else showed up.
“Skyla, there you are” Curt said. “Your grandma said I might find you here. Oh, Marceline, Vincent! Hi to you too.”
“Hello, Master,” Skyla said with a bow.
“Hey Curt,” Vincent said.
“Hi Master!” Marceline said. “Today’s been great! I know you were never as big on inanimate TFs as me, but you have GOT to let Skyla turn you into a statue at least once! It’s an incredibly relaxing experience.”
After taking a moment to process that suggestion, Curt chuckled. “I guess your magic lessons were a success then?”
“Yes, Master!” Skyla said, standing straight and tall, with her tails fanned out behind her. “It went perfectly.” She paused. “You wanted to see me? What about?”
“It’s nothing urgent. Anna and I just happened to have something to take care of, and you were on the way there. It’s for your ears only, though. But again, it’s nothing urgent, I can come back later if you’re in the middle of something.”
“It’s alright, Master,” Marceline said, “We were basically finished anyway.”
“Yeah, I’m not about to get between you and my sister,” Vincent added. “Talk to you later, Skyla.”
“See you later, Master, Skyla.”
“Well, some good news,” Curt said, once the two were out of sight, “I restored Marceline’s awareness for a little while this morning, and it seems like Anna’s theory was correct. Even if you make them aware of the changes, a person you changed will still think everyone that had been changed before them was always an anthro, unless we give them reason to think otherwise.”
Skyla breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, so I’m not forgetting anyone’s human identities besides Anna and Viki’s. That’s a relief.”
“That’s kind of related to the second thing I wanted to ask you,” Curt continued. “Would you… like to forget your old life, lose awareness of the changes, and remember your new life?”
“Curt? Are you really…”
“Well… I’ve just been thinking; sure, by making you a kitsune, I’ve given you hundreds more years to live, if you aren’t just straight-up immortal, now. But I’ve also sort of taken four hundred years from you, too. And not only that, when you changed your grandma, those four hundred years likely were filled with who-knows-how-many precious memories of time with your family, including your new brother! I just… I want you to be happy, and live your life to the fullest, even if it might mean not having you as a confidant like this. Would you like to have your memories of this life back?”
Skyla looked to where Marceline had been standing as a statue moments ago. “You know… If you’d asked me that a few days ago, the only reason I’d say ‘no’ was because I didn’t want you to burden yourself with being the only person to know the truth. Well, Anna aside. But after seeing how… indifferent to humanity grandma became when she’s lived with magic for hundreds of years… I think I want to remember what it’s like to be human as long as I can.”
She put her arms around Curt, and he hugged her back.