Casper whispered the answer of the extra numbers of latex anthros to Ashley.
"What are you two whispering about?" Becky asked.
"Oh nothing," Casper said.
"Didn't sound like nothing."
"Don't worry about it Becky." Ashley said to the stunningly beautiful sphinx cat balloon.
" . . . if you say so."
Casper and Ashley both considered telling Becky she was pregnant, but it was possibly Becky already knew, and if she didn't know, how where they supposed to explain that THEY knew?
Casper thought about Becky, while he and Ashley had been given complex memories by the changes in reality done by the ring, Ashley hadn't mentioned Becky before in the last few days since they had first met in the old reality.
A part of Casper wondered if Becky herself was another customer of the wizard's shop who had asked for a magic trinket that would give her friends. Oh well, if it was the case or not, it didn't change anything. Becky was Ashley's best friend NOW.
And she had the honor, though she'd never know it, the 500th Synthetic to be brought into existence. Though 499 by the ring's magic. One of those 500 having NEVER been human, having been conceived that way, true, technically according to reality none of them had been human, but Casper knew that life had no human life to fall back on if someone tried to 'change them back.'
He thought of his Pre-calculus teacher who was now a red rubber shire with an orange mane and ivory hooves, the two ladies at the fast-food place last night, the family at the theater, and the guests and parents of the seven year old's birthday party (who Casper had merely asked the ring to 'grant the girl's birthday wish', he hadn't actually chosen their forms).
He almost wondered why he hadn't run into any 'clones' yet if their species and colors were based on what he knew they were, but then again, the fact every Synthetic seemed to be unique perhaps prevented that (even Casey and Janet and the other pairs he had created were not identical). He imagined the unique colors and forms had to do in universe with the Synthetics wanting more individuality, since as a product, they were likely produced to be identical looking, cheaper to make and easier to identify that way, until they'd gained recognition as people.
Absentmindedly, Casper pushed in the bulge between his legs, it going in without resistance, he was nothing but air and rubber after all. Casper didn't feel anything he felt like when he touched his nozzle. It was no different from the feeling when he pulled on one of his floppy rubber ears.
Touching himself between the legs got some looks from humans that quickly made him stop, but he didn't get nearly any looks from Synthetics around. Then again, their nozzle was their 'fun center,' apparently. The bulge and breasts themselves seemed to be more seemings, that they were divided between males and females again seemed to be mostly to make them more like their creators. Referring to something as 'it' when it was legally supposed to be a person could get awkward.
He wondered what the internal reality reason was for making them being animal like and brightly colored . . . but he realized it was likely uncanny valley effect.
If they had been made with the same technique to be very similar to humans, it would have made them look inhuman in comparison rather than non-human. Like store dummies in a horror movie. By making them each different bright colors and based on animal, they were a lot more endearing to humans, likely something their creators thought up in their 'product testing' phase.
And while carrying his and Ashley's child's essence instead of her didn't disturb him, the idea of losing his bulge and having breasts did, he knew they served absolutely no purpose from the looks of things, but at the same time, he didn't like the idea of losing his bulge anymore than the idea of losing his horns.
"I'm just looking after your safety," said a male voice.
"You're treating me like a glass doll!" Replied a female voice.
"And you think he's going to treat you better?"
"At least I can trust a lady to look after herself," said a gruff male voice.
The wild neon colored sheep man turned his head along with the yellow and green lizard girl and sunset colored beauty goddess.
Three friends were arguing at a nearby table, and they seemed to have concern at how many people were watching.
Casper thought about it. He had 500. That should be enough right? Still . . . maybe it was the ring's instinct to be used, or maybe he didn't want the game to end, or maybe he truly thought he was doing them a service. After all, he already had a rule in place to keep him from completely wiping out the human race, right?
Maybe he should instruct that unless he directly specified, to NOT have the ring change someone whose favored animal wasn't within the ability of the ring. Still . . . he knew there'd be a lot more otter Synthetics in town after the next swim meet if he had anything to say about it.
Casper took one look at the trio of the table over. A young man was shouting at a young woman was sitting across from the table next to an older man.
Casper used the ring.
The older man became a white and gray rubber wolf balloon, while the young man became a brownish orange and white fox sage, and the young woman had became a blue and white vixen. Their molding lines, barcodes, and nozzles all came into view as they were all suddenly naked and didn't bat an eyelash. Their tails sways in the air and their ears twitched. Then the blurring effect happened again like it had with the peacock woman. Suddenly the three were not arguing at all, and the blue vixen was now sitting next to the orange fox rather than the gray wolf.
505.
Casper narrowed his eyes, what just happened.
The ring spoke. She had been playing extreme sports with her boyfriend when an accident left her in a body cast for months, and months more in therapy. Now that she was a Synthetic, the accident had been an annoyance and almost part of the thrill, rather than something that had could killed her. And so the lad had never developed a overprotective attitude towards her, and so she had never begun to drift towards the other who promised not to treat her as fragile.
Casper was a little humbled, being reminded that Synthetics were NOT human, not in the least. Still, at least everything had once again worked out for the best. Maybe the ring sensed that he wanted things to turn out for the best and nudged the ripples in reality in the right direction.