As Colin and his friends played sky soccer, the human-turned statue now known only as Desire in Ruby, stood at the roadside, seeming to beckon to any passer-by with her “come hither” look. She hadn’t received a lot of attention so far. There were a few idle compliments in the thoughts from the people walking; a “oh, is that a new statue? It’s kinda pretty, in a weird way,” here and a “is that carved from one gemstone?” there, as well as a prude or two who mentally scoffed about “public indecency,” but Desire took both the compliments and complaints it all in stride. She was true art, and she knew it, no matter how considerate or close-minded people could be.
“What is THAT?” Came a voice from down the path. A pair of teenage boys soon came into Desire’s view, a tall blonde one, and a shorter, dark-haired boy.
“I never saw any statues like this around before,” the dark-haired one said.
“Looks like some kinda dragon,” the blonde one said, as he stepped closer. “...Some kinda dragon with BOOBS!” He chuckled, reaching out and copping a feel of the statue’s ample chest.
While Desire no longer felt any greater pleasure being touched there than any other part of her body, she was still happy to bask in the attention. “Yes, such honest appreciation,” she thought, “My eternal appeal is enjoyed. And soon enough my new friend will understand my joy, too.”
“Dude, don’t act like a freakin’ furry!” the dark haired one rolled his eyes.
“How about YOU don’t act like you’re any better. I-” The blonde boy suddenly stood straight up, instinctively moving a few steps away from the dragoness statue. As he did so, his mind felt overwhelmed by a strange sense of jealousy toward it. Why couldn't HE have a perfect figure like that? HE should be immortalized in precious material, HE should be treasured just for standing there and existing!
Without even thinking about it, he reached down, pulling off every article of clothing he had, and tossed it aside. His dark-haired friend didn’t seem to notice or care, as if the blonde boy’s entire existence had slipped from his mind.
The blonde boy couldn’t help but think about what kind of pose he’d make if he was a statue, even attempting to focus on something else seemed impossible. He got on one knee and started flexing, his biceps beginning to bulge as he did. His body grew broader, his clothes straining as he steadily swelled to the size of an adult, and beyond. His abs and pecs became more defined, the flex becoming locked in as it became harder and harder to move his body. Or maybe he simply didn’t want to anymore.
He realized he was becoming a statue, and he was loving every second of it.
His breathing slowed to a crawl, then his heartbeat, before both went silent. His internal organs, bones, flesh and blood, all of it fused and hardened into a single solid piece. His skin turned a deep, transparent blue as his entire body became a solid mass of sapphire. Little etchings appeared in his body’s surface to give the appearance of scales, while his fingers and toes both grew thick talons.
“I’m gonna look strong and manly for the rest of time,” the boy thought. “Nobody’s ever gonna take this away from me. I’m never gonna need to eat or work out to look my best, and soon I’ll have a great Master to keep me in his horde.”
A cylinder of sapphire extended from the boy’s back, slowly tapering off over its three foot length, until, at the tip of the new tail, a spade shape appeared. A row of spines ran down his back, while two wide, shimmering wings grew from his sides. His mouth opened up as his jaws grew longer, allowing for his teeth to sharpen and jut out. His ears, nostrils, and mouth all sealed shut, while a pair of horns curled down from the top of his head. Tiny etchings on the sapphire bumps that had once been his eyes gave the impression of a narrow pupil. From his feet, a base spread out in a square shape, and he found he could sense when it was touched like any other part of his body.
He felt his new title being carved into said base, and knew his old name would no longer matter. “Might in Sapphire,” it read.
“This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me,” Might thought. “Being a work of art is better than anything I had to deal with as a squishy, jittery human!”
His thoughts were heard by his fellow statue, who responded in kind. “It was an honor to show you the light, Might. I am so grateful to our Master for that so-called ‘curse’ for freeing us from our struggles, and giving us a new, simple, yet powerful and wonderful purpose!”
“Yeah, Desire, I love that we get to be the stars of Master’s hoard. And I wanna get more people in here! I hope Jay gets the curse next! ”
The dark-haired boy, Jay shook himself out of the stupor he’d fallen into, having a little trouble remembering what was going on. He was taking a walk, talking to… himself? He felt sure there was somebody else… Maybe he was just imagining things. Zoning out in the middle of the park like that, he needed some rest.
His eyes wandered to the two statues in the park. “I heard about wealthy furries commissioning crazy art,” he mumbled, “but life-sized statues made out of gemstones? Eesh… Nah, there’s no way they’re actually made of gems.” He looked to the male one, flexing its oversized muscles, its jaws open in a roar. Something about it seemed vaguely familiar to the teen, but he quickly dismissed it.
The statue’s open mouth did give him a funny idea, though.
Jay got out his cell phone, set it up to take a picture, then stepped next to the male dragon statue, before slipping his head between the jeweled jaws and making an exaggerated face of fear.
The camera snapped, and the teen pulled his head out from between the jaws. He was just about to check how the photo came out, when he suddenly dropped his cell phone, feeling a distinct urge to strike a pose. Within moments, his clothing had been tossed aside, and the mental effect of the curse took hold, his envy toward the two statues was building up; they never had to do anything, nobody expected anything of them except that they stand around and look pretty, and he wanted that for himself.
He pulled on the sides of his mouth and stuck out his tongue, a post he hadn’t adopted since he was a kid, and his body began to shrink and stiffen. His feet turned a deep, transparent green, becoming completely immobile as they became made of emerald, his toes growing longer as claws extended from them. He felt a flat surface stretching out from under them, forming a circular base.
His excitement rose as he realized what was happening to him. “I can’t move? I can’t move!” He thought. “I’m turning into another statue! I’ll never be tired or hungry! I’ll never have to do chores or go to school or college! I’m free!”
“It’s awesome, right Jay?” Might said telepathically. “We’re gonna be part of Master’s treasure forever!”
Even as he heard this new voice, Jay could feel every part of his leg go from quivering flesh to solid, unflinching stone, as it inched further and further up, and could feel the little grooves imitating scales climbing up each newly changed surface.
“Yeah, it’s great! But… how’d you know my name?”
He was a mere four feet tall now, and still shrinking, his features looking more and more child-like as an emerald tail slinked out behind him, rising in a vertical, S-like curve. Scutes were carved into the front of his torso smoothing over any human features on his chest.
“Back when I was some weak human, we were friends, but the ‘curse’ that’s improving us makes other humans forget us. My old name doesn’t matter anymore I’m just Might in Sapphire now.”
“Good, I’d hate for my sister to come out looking for me and lecture me on being out too late. She’s too annoying to deserve this!” He was less than three feet tall now, his inner voice sounding much higher pitched. His arms gradually solidified into jewel, the surface marked with more faux-scales as his hands grew claws. Two small, bat-like wings sprouted open on his shoulders, as his head began to transmute into emerald. His hair flattened down onto his skull, becoming indistinguishable from it, while a pair of stubby beginnings of horns just poked through the top of his head. His ears became pointed, and longer, while his nose and mouth pulled forward into a snout, his tongue remaining out in his childish, mocking gesture even as its tip split, and the teeth around it became fangs.
“I can’t wait to get my new name!” Jay thought, as he felt something carving into his base, his transformation leaving him as little more than a carving of a dragon toddler.
Mischief in Emerald, was written on it, and suddenly, no other name mattered to him.
“Another addition to Master’s horde, and another human freed from their horrible, fragile life” Desire mentally cheered. “He’ll be so pleased!”
VVVVVV
Colin zipped through the air after the anti-grav ball, only for Rex to cut him off, and punt it straight over the bridge they had chosen to be the goalpost.
“That’s three-five in Team Rex’s favor!” Sally called. “Not nearly enough time left to retake the lead. Shall we call it a game?”
Jane shrugged. “Might as well.”
“Man, Colin,” Alister chuckled, flapping up next to Colin, “you’ve spent so much time working out your arms, it looks like you’ve been skipping wing day.”
Colin feigned a chuckle, as the group began to drop to the ground. “Yeah, I really oughta take balancing my exercise routine more seriously.”
“I think you looked good,” Robyn said, eagerly running up to her master.
“Thanks, Robyn,” Colin said, patting her on the head. She seemed to be fighting back an urge to squeal in delight at her Master’s affection.
“So,” Colin continued, “I’m feeling ready to head back home, what about-” he caught himself. “Do you guys wanna hang out in the park some more, see some place in town, or do you want to head back to my place for a bit.”
“I would enjoy a little rest after that tense game,” Sally said, “I’m for going back to your house.”
“Sounds good to me,” Allister said, “if you’re inviting, I wouldn’t mind taking a look.”
“I’m ready to return home,” Jane said.
“I suppose that option wins the vote,” said Rex, casually floating just off the ground.
“Great!” Colin said, “I’m just gonna take a quick detour to pick something up that I think I left here last time.”
“In the park?” Jane asked, cocking what would have been an eyebrow. “I doubt it would still be here, in that case.”
“It’d be a bit tricky for someone to get away with this item,” Colin said with a grin, as he started walking back down the path toward Desire, his friends, his Kobold, and his sister’s love doll all following behind him.
When he arrived, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself at the sight of three marvelous statues carved from pure gemstone, all of them his.
“You ‘just’ lost three life-sized statues from your hoard?” Allister blinked. “How’d you manage that?”
“I… they… fell out of my bag of holding.”
“Bag of holding?” Sally asked. “But you don’t-”
“Robyn!” Colin interrupted, “did you bring my bag of holding?”
“Yes,” she droned, a belt with a small cloth bag tied to it suddenly appearing around her waist.
“Good, give it to me!”
Robyn handed the bag to him without complaint, and he quickly started shoving all three statues into the tiny opening, somehow able to fit them all inside.
“How didn’t you notice them spilling?” Rex asked.
“Ugh!” Colin groaned. “Will you guys just forget about my losing them, and that this conversation ever happened?”
“Yes,” his friends all droned.
“Fine,” Sally continued, “if you don’t wish to talk about it, we’ll keep quiet.”
“Indeed,” Jane said, “We won’t speak of this again.”
Colin blinked as he shoved the last statue in his bag. They were technically answering “yes” to his question… Did the magic cause the change to be based on how the listener would interpret an answer of “yes” to his questions? That would explain why phrasing things as a negative didn’t always end up changing things. This would be WAY trickier to deal with than he thought.
Colin paused for a moment, considering what to say next carefully. “Will all of you LITERALLY forget about my dropping my hoard, and all of this conversation up to this point, including this question, after you next say ‘yes?’”
“Yes.” They all said at once, before blinking a few times.
“Okay,” he muttered, “let’s go home.”
As he and his friends walked back, enjoying the sights of the park, he thought about what to do with his power next. Maybe one more detour to change a park-goer or two would be fun, but at the same time, he still wanted to upgrade his parents to match his new species (and maybe change their home to better suit them all, as well).
He looked back at the animated male love doll he’d made for his sister. He hadn’t been much for talking, but he WAS capable of it, unlike the statues he’d made. Perhaps he ought to make his own love doll, that he could ask all sorts of strange questions to without worrying about it thinking he was strange, for it. The pleasure of its service, and making Robyn jealous, would be a nice bonus.
He also thought about his friend’s lack of kobolds, Sally aside. He would want to fix that before Alister went back home. Meanwhile, it might be fun to give “Princess” Sally a kingdom to rule over, or at least the start of one. “What to do next?” He muttered.