Fluttershy was sitting on the couch next to Sunset Shimmer, playing another round of the squirrel game. She enjoyed playing the game with her, especially now that Sunset had gotten a handle on its mechanics. As she climbed the tree and put the last nut in the pail, Fluttershy set the controller on the couch beside her. It was the third round she had won in a row. And by now, her hands were beginning to cramp from playing for so long. So, she grabbed her plate and took a bite of the marble cake.
“Are you enjoying the party, Sunset?” asked Fluttershy.
Sunset Shimmer set the controller down and looked at the animal lover. “Yeah, I am. The party was great, and I am happy that I got to spend it with you guys.”
“Pinkie Pie does know how to throw a good party,” said Fluttershy as she set her cake down. “I should probably get going. I have to take care of the animals at the shelter now.”
“Okay. Thanks for coming by, Fluttershy,” said Sunset Shimmer, getting up and hugging Fluttershy.
“You’re welcome, and Happy Birthday,” replied Fluttershy.
Fluttershy let go of Sunset and walked out the front door. She got into her van and headed over to the animal shelter. Today she was supposed to meet up with someone who had recently signed up to volunteer. She was excited to have some help around the place and have someone who hopefully shared her love of animals. As she pulled into the parking lot, Fluttershy saw the volunteer sitting on the sidewalk. Turning off the engine, she got out of her van and walked over to the person.
“Are you Violet?” asked Fluttershy as the person stood up.
“Yes, I am Violet Night. I’m guessing you’re Fluttershy?” said Violet Night, approaching Fluttershy as they walked into the building.
“Yes, that’s me.” Fluttershy made her way to the front desk and grabbed the keys for the backroom. “Are you comfortable around animals?”
“Yes! I love animals, especially mice. They are so cute and delicious,” replied Violet Night.
“What?” asked Fluttershy, staring at Violet Night.
Violet Night’s eyes widened as she realized what she had just said. “I-I just meant that they are so cute that I could almost eat them up.”
Fluttershy gulped and stepped back from Violet Night, seemingly wary of her.
“That didn’t sound right either, did it? God, why do I always say the stupidest things when I am nervous?” Violet Night looked to the side, ignoring the nervous look in the animal lover’s eyes. “I can leave if you want me to.”
“N-no, it’s okay. I sometimes make mistakes when I get nervous, too,” replied Fluttershy as she walked up to Violet. “Besides, I could use the extra hands dealing with the cute husky and labrador puppies.”
Violet Night smiled. “Awesome, I love puppies!”
Fluttershy gave Violet Night a worried look.
“Not like that, I promise,” said Violet Night.
Together, the two girls made their way into the back room, where all the animals were getting held. The strong scent of dog food wafted towards them as Fluttershy pulled the door open. Violet Night followed behind Fluttershy as they both walked into the long hallway, trying not to focus on the animals’ scents. She hadn’t eaten yet and didn’t want her instincts to take over. The idea of Fluttershy witnessing her murdering the animals out of a hunger-driven bloodlust wasn’t the most appealing. And that helped to curb the desire, for the time being, that is.
“All I have to do is make it through this, and then I can feed later,” thought Violet Night as she walked past a kitten. “That shouldn’t be all that hard…”
Stopping at the end of the hallway, Fluttershy opened a small gate and walked past it. “This is the Puppy Palace. It’s where we keep the puppies when they need their playtime.”
Violet Night stepped into the small enclosure and kneeled on the ground. Almost immediately, she had gotten swarmed by a mass of cute, golden labrador puppies. She got toppled over as three of the puppies pushed against her chest. Violet pet one of the puppies that rested on her chest as she struggled to keep the rest of the fluffy horde off of her body. She tried to be careful with the labradors, but one of them accidentally stepped on her stomach. That made her involuntarily hiss at it, which caused all the puppies to freeze and stare at her.
“Damn it! Why did my mother have to make me half-snake? Why couldn’t it have been half-cat or half-dog?” thought Violet Night as she tried to comfort the scared creatures.
However, the hiss was enough to make the labradors not trust Violet anymore. Sighing, she got up off the floor and walked over to where Fluttershy was petting a husky puppy. The sight was adorable, and Violet couldn’t help but smile at it. Something about the animal lover and the way she handled animals was simply astonishing to her. It was like Fluttershy could understand what the animals were saying. As Violet watched Fluttershy give the husky some belly rubs, she noticed how beautiful she was for the first time. The way her light pink hair framed her cyan eyes made her seem like an angel. And the way her heart thundered in her chest every time she looked at her made her realize that she had started to develop feelings for the shy girl.
“Would Fluttershy be able to love me if she knew the monstrosity I am? Would she love me the way I love her?” thought Violet Night as her mind started to race. “Is it possible for her to reciprocate my feelings?”
“Violet?” asked Fluttershy, walking up to her and waving her hand in front of her face.
“Wha-? Oh, did I accidentally zone out on you?” asked Violet Night, blinking and looking at Fluttershy.
“Yeah, you did. I said that we should go and fill up the puppies’ bowls and put them in their kennels,” replied Fluttershy. “Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah, I was just thinking about how beautiful you are.” Violet Night’s eyes widened. “Did I just say that aloud?”
Fluttershy gasped softly and said, “Oh, my…”
“Can we pretend that didn’t just happen?” asked Violet Night, hoping the animal lover wouldn’t be scared off by her brazen admission of her feelings. “Please?”
“I-I didn’t mind the compliment, so you don’t need to be embarrassed,” said Fluttershy as she gave Violet a small smile.
Violet Night smiled back at Fluttershy, happy to see that her compliment didn’t unnerve her. As she looked at her, Violet felt her stomach grumble. Her hunger was growing by the minute, and being surrounded by the tiny animals only made it harder to ignore. She turned away from Fluttershy as two husky puppies walked up to her. The scent of their blood flooded her senses, and she struggled to fight the urge to kill them. Violet’s gumline near her lateral incisors began to ache as her fangs slowly appeared. She covered her mouth as she felt the hollowed-out teeth replaced her incisors.
“No, not now! I can’t let Fluttershy know that I am half-snake. She’ll think I am a freak of nature…” thought Violet Night as she tried to focus on something other than the huskies’ blood. “Besides, I don’t want to scare her off before I get to know her.”
One of the huskies jumped up on Violet, eliciting an involuntary hiss from her. As soon as it slipped out, she saw the husky step back from her. The fearful look in its brown eyes made her wish that she hadn’t come. She knew that she was a predator to many animals, and when she hissed at them, it often frightened them. However, it still hurt to see their fearful reactions whenever her snake side showed itself. In an attempt to console the scared puppy, Violet kneeled to the ground and held out her hand.
“I’m sorry little one. I didn’t mean to frighten you like that,” said Violet Night as she tried to keep her fangs out of sight.
The husky sniffed at her hand before letting out a soft whimper.
“No, no, I won’t harm you, I promise. Just because I happen to be half-snake doesn’t mean that I am a monster.” Violet Night pulled her hand back as she heard Fluttershy approached them. “Just, please, don’t tell Fluttershy about it. I know that she somehow understands you, and I don’t want her to know yet.”
The husky ran up to the animal lover, its tail wagging behind it. As Violet stood up, she saw her pick up the puppy and give it a scratch behind the ear. It hurt to see that the cute husky felt happier to be around someone else, but Violet understood that her snake side was terrifying. So, Violet resigned herself to getting the dog food, which sat in the corner of the room, as her fangs retracted. She walked out of the Puppy Palace and closed the gate behind her. The last thing Violet wanted was to cause more trouble for Fluttershy, mostly since she had already made a fool of herself twice. Just as Violet was about to open the bag, she felt a hand rest on her back.
“Is everything alright? Wilbert seemed a bit frightened of you,” asked Fluttershy as Violet turned around.
Violet Night cleared her throat. “Y-yeah, I just accidentally spooked Wilbert when he came up to me.”
“Are you sure that you’re okay? You have been acting a bit off since we came in,” said Fluttershy, a worried tone in her voice.
Violet Night turned away from Fluttershy as she felt her skin begin to itch. Looking down, she saw that her black and purple scales were starting to show. She panicked and quickly shoved her jacket sleeve over them. Her hunger was slowly bringing out her snake half the longer she fought it. Violet wasn’t sure how much longer she could stay with Fluttershy without exposing herself. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down and faced the animal lover, knowing that she had to answer her question.
“I’m o-okay, Fluttershy. Just a bit distracted by what’s going on with my family,” replied Violet Night.
“What’s going with your family?” asked Fluttershy as she grabbed a bowl from a nearby kennel. “If you want to talk about it, that is…”
Violet Night sighed. “My mom… left me after she made a few, uh, mistakes. And now I live with my grandparents. However, I miss my mom, and I wish that she didn’t just leave after she…”
“What did your mom do before she left?” Fluttershy asked as she grabbed a cup of dog food from the bag.
“My mom did some… experiments on someone, and she didn’t like the final result. After that, she called that person a monstrosity that she wished she’d never created before leaving them behind,” replied Violet Night. “I haven’t seen her since then.”
“Oh, dear,” said Fluttershy. “That sounds awful.”
“Yep. My mother wouldn’t be a candidate for Mother of the Year. I just wish that she had told me the truth about what she was doing to me,” said Violet Night.
"What?” asked Fluttershy, pouring the cup of food into a bowl. “I thought that happened to someone else.”
“Oh, yeah, um I meant to say that,” replied Violet night, trying to recover from her slip of the tongue. “God, how many more times will I fricken mess up? It’s seriously getting on my nerves.”
Fluttershy chuckled at what Violet said, remembering some of the times she had done the same thing. It was adorable watching Violet fumble over her words around her. She was surprised that she made someone so nervous about being around her. Usually, she was the nervous and skittish one, but not this time. As Fluttershy finished putting food in the bowl, she placed it back into the kennel.
“Can you grab Wilbert for me, please?” asked Fluttershy as she stood by the kennel.
“Sure,” replied Violet Night.
Leaving Fluttershy, Violet walked into the Puppy Palace and spotted Wilbert the husky. She slowly approached him and kept her scales hidden from his sight. Seeing him shake, Violet stopped moving and sat down on the ground. She didn’t want to add to his stress any more than she already had. Violet felt terrible that she had hissed at Wilbert earlier. Even though it was an involuntary reaction, it was hurtful to see the fear it caused. She held out her hand and gave the husky puppy a small smile.
“I’m sorry that I scared you earlier, I didn’t mean to do that. Please, don’t be afraid,” said Violet Night, hoping to coax the husky towards her.
Wilbert cautiously sniffed Violet’s hand before meeting her gaze once more.
“See? I’m not that scary.” Violet Night pulled up her sleeve, exposing her scales for a moment. “I’m half-snake, but I’m very friendly.”
The husky looked at Violet a bit longer before taking a few cautious steps closer to her. Its ears remained pinned against its head, but it allowed her to touch it. The feeling of her fingers running through its fur made it relax. It began to realize that there was nothing to be afraid of, not around Violet anyway. The husky started to lean into her hand, wanting more pets from her. However, when Violet pulled away, it looked up at her and let out a whimper.
“Look, I would love to continue petting you, but I have to put you in your kennel Wilbert,” said Violet Night. “But I will show you a cool little trick I can do if you go in your kennel, deal?”
Wilbert nodded and let out a yip of excitement.
“Okay, here goes nothing.” Violet let her tongue shift into that of a snake and flicked it out against Wilbert’s muzzle. “What do you think? Pretty cool, right?”
Wilbert barked and jumped into Violet’s arms, nearly knocking her over in the process. She chuckled and let her tongue shift back to its usual appearance before standing up. It was a relief to see that her attempt at showing that her snake half was friendly had calmed him down. She looked down and saw that his tail was wagging behind him. That made her smile as she pulled him closer to her body. With Wilbert in her arms, Violet walked out of the Puppy Palace. It was a struggle to hold the squirming husky puppy, but she managed to place him in his kennel. Once she made sure that Wilbert was comfortable, she closed the door and turned to Fluttershy.
“Well, that is one puppy in the kennel,” said Violet Night. “I wish I could stay to help you with the rest, but I have to go now. I need to get home soon, or my grandparents will freak out.”
Just as Fluttershy went to speak, the bell above the front door rang. Both girls left the hallway and walked out to the front desk. Standing by the doorway was Sunset Shimmer, the redhead who Violet Night had heard was the school bully before something happened, which caused her to change her ways. She had been attending CHS for about a year, so she wasn’t aware of what happened at the Fall Formal. However, Violet had heard rumors about Sunset becoming a raging she-demon. She wondered if there was any truth to them. Fluttershy walked up to Sunset while Violet remained by the counter, trying to keep her snake half from showing any further.
“Hey, Sunset, what are you doing here?” asked Fluttershy. “What happened to your birthday party?”
“Pinkie tried to blast several cupcakes through one of her confetti cannons in an attempt to make a cupcake cannon,” replied Sunset Shimmer, gesturing to her frosting-covered jacket. “It didn’t exactly go as planned. And now my apartment smells like chocolate and has a layer of frosting covering every surface.”
“Oh, my…” said Fluttershy as she saw the cake batter covering Sunset’s black jacket. “Pinkie sure does get enthusiastic about her parties, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah, and now my apartment is covered in a layer of evidence.” Sunset Shimmer noticed Violet standing next to the counter. “Shy, who’s your friend over there?”
“Oh, that’s-”
“I’m just about to leave actually,” said Violet Night, cutting Fluttershy off. “I was about to head back to my grandparents’ house.”
As Violet Night stood by the desk, she could feel her skin giving away to her snake scales. It wouldn’t be long before her snake side started to reveal itself fully. She shoved her hands into her pockets as she walked up to the two girls. Violet tried to remain calm, but her body was screaming at her to change and allow her snake half to feed. Her hunger was growing by the minute as she struggled to fight against her urges. However, just as she was about to walk out the front door, Fluttershy grabbed her arm.
“Thank you for helping me today, Violet. I am glad you volunteered,” said Fluttershy as she let go of Violet’s arm. “Will I see you at school tomorrow?”
“Y-yeah, and you’re welcome. It was nice to h-hang out with y-you and some cute puppies,” replied Violet Night, making sure to keep her hands tucked into her pockets. “I had a nice time with you, F-Fluttershy.”
Without waiting for Fluttershy to say something else, Violet Night left the animal shelter. As the door closed behind her, Sunset Shimmer said, “Wow, that was uh, interesting. And I’m pretty sure that the girl has a crush on you, Shy.”
“Uh, I didn’t notice, but I kind of like her too,” said Fluttershy as she turned away, hiding her reddening cheeks.
“Sure, Shy. Though I can see why you like her,” replied Sunset Shimmer as she raised one of her eyebrows. “Anyway, do you want some help with those puppies?”
“Yeah,” replied Fluttershy. “By the way, how is Ray doing?”
“Ray is doing good,” said Sunset Shimmer as she followed Fluttershy to the Puppy Palace. “I have recently taught him a new trick. And he’s getting pretty good at it.”
*** *** *** ***
Violet Night walked to her grandparents’ house, which was located near the same forested area as Applejack’s farm, hoping that her snake side would remain hidden. If her transformation happened now, there was no way she could hide it. On the side of the street, she was exposed and at risk of getting revealed to the world. Just as she turned onto her road, her stomach churned as her knees buckled beneath her. Beads of sweat began to drip down her forehead as her body started to ache. It took all of her remaining willpower to keep herself from shifting right there. Forcing herself back onto her feet, Violet stumbled her way into the surrounding woods. She needed to get somewhere private and fast before the changes overtook her ability to keep them at bay. Finding a small clearing a few minutes away from the edge of the trees, she stopped there and undid the button on her jeans. Before Violet pulled the zipper down, she made sure to kick off her shoes first.
“At least I won’t ruin another pair of jeans this time,” said Violet night as she pulled her feet out of the denim jeans.
The next things to go were Violet’s socks and underwear. She’d had enough of her grandmother questioning her about why so many pairs had gotten damaged. So, to avoid that, she started to take them off, despite the awkwardness of being naked. Violet hated feeling exposed like that, though it was better than having her grandmother questioning her. Besides, her grandmother didn’t know what her mother had done to her. And she had every intention of keeping it that way for now. The feeling of her bones and muscles shifting pulled Violet away from her thoughts. She looked down and saw her feet slowly fusing together as her body began to change.
“Gah, I seriously hate my mom for making this so painful! If you’re going to mess with my genetic structure, why couldn’t you implement something to make the transformation painless?” said Violet Night as she struggled to ignore the pain.
Violet Night bit down on her bottom lip as she tried to keep herself quiet as her ankles disappeared into what was now her tail. Black and purple scales slowly emerged from her skin and spread up her leg. Sure, they looked pretty, but every time she had to endure the changes, their beauty didn’t seem worth the trouble. And besides, it felt like a million little needle points were jabbing themselves beneath her muscles, which made the physical sight of the change all the more unsettling. Violet struggled to keep her hands from scratching at the newly formed scales as the itching sensation grew in its intensity.
“Why couldn’t I have been half-wolf or half-seal? Why did my mom have to be obsessed with snakes?” Violet Night tried to pull her calves apart, but her fusing skin kept her from doing so. “This isn’t what I wanted, especially when puberty hit me. The least my mom could have done was warn me about the shedding.”
As Violet fell onto the ground, images of her first shed played through her head. A wave of disgust washed over her as she recalled the sensation of her skin getting peeled off by her mother. That was worse than having her period for the first time. And the fact that her mother took a sample to examine it afterward made her feel gross. However, that was still nothing compared to the monthly shedding routines that began to replace what used to be her period. Being a teenager was bad enough, and Violet didn’t need that. Yet, her mother seemed not to care as she continued with her experiments and injections.
“Leave it to me to get the mom who is a scientist. And of course, she turns into a mad-Ahh!” Violet Night felt her thighs stretch and widen as her scales pushed further up her body. “Okay, that has to stop. Gah, why would my mother not think to at least make a drug to counteract this type of pain?!”
As Violet Night watched, her thighs began to elongate and form her massive tail. She screamed as she felt her muscles tear and pull in different directions. It felt like someone had a hold of her tail and was yanking it like a rubber band, which didn’t make it any less painful. And she knew that it wasn’t going to end for another few minutes. Just as her tail began to reach the two-foot mark, Violet felt her spine stretching to accommodate the new length of body mass. Her nails dug into her arm as she struggled to fight the urge to scratch. Slowly, the sides of her forearms and shoulders started to become speckled with scattered scales. That added to the itching sensation and forced Violet to remove her hands away for fear of pulling them off.
The silence of the surrounding forest only made Violet feel worse as there was no one she could cling to while her body shifted. Her mother had been there for the first few transformations, but then she was left alone for the rest of them. It was like she had become disgusted by what was happening to her daughter and no longer wanted to see it. And that didn’t help Violet’s confidence or acceptance of her situation. She never understood why her mother seemed to grow more distant as her changes continued to develop. Yet, Violet knew that it was because of her experimentation that she ran away when it got completed. And now, as a result of them, she got turned into a freak of nature. She inhaled sharply as the scales on her nearly finished tail started to inch up onto her waist.
Violet Night pulled up her skirt and jacket as she watched the black and purple scales push through her skin. “If Fluttershy ever sees this, she’s going to freak out. I just hope it's the good kind…”
Just as Violet Night finished speaking, her lateral incisors started to ache as her fangs began to push out from her gumline. She covered her mouth as her teeth got forced aside, allowing her venom-laced ones to take their place. The pain wasn’t as bad as the one in her tail, but it managed to distract her for a few minutes. However, that didn’t last long as she felt her stomach get covered in snake-like plating. Violet gritted her teeth as she tried to endure the building pain of her hardening skin. Thankfully, the heat and tightening sensations stopped soon after and allowed her to catch her breath. With her transformation mostly over, she slithered her way over to a nearby tree.
“Whew, I’m glad that the worst is over. Although, I should’ve fed before meeting Fluttershy at the shelter. None of this would’ve happened if I did that instead of wanting to help her,” said Violet Night as she grabbed her phone from her jacket pocket.
Violet turned it on and found that she had several texts from her friend Sasha.
Sasha: What’s going on? Fluttershy and Sunset left the shelter with no sign of you.
Sasha: Vi, where are you? Did you feed your snake half like you were supposed to? I swear, I spend a lot of time making a schedule for you. And what do you do? Ignore it.
Sasha: I’m serious, Vi. Where the heck are you?
Violet Night caught sight of her eyes changing in her reflection on the phone screen. She watched as her pupils changed from circular to slits in seconds, while her irises went from hazel to ice blue. The stunning and brilliant color shocked Violet, nearly making her drop her phone. Her reflection didn’t seem to be hers anymore. The scales on cheekbones, across the bridge of her nose, and a few on her forehead only added to Violet’s lack of self-recognition. Luckily, she managed to regain her composure and stop herself before that happened. She blinked and focused on texting her worried friend before she got any other messages.
Vi: Relax, Sasha! I’m fine, mostly. And to answer your earlier question, no, I didn’t. In hindsight, I probably should’ve.
Sasha: Yeah, I’ll bet. Where are you, Vi?
Vi: No ‘how was your time with Fluttershy’? Where’s the curious girl who told me that Fluttershy would like me? After all, you were the one who set up that little adventure. I’d thought you’d be curious as to how it went.
Sasha: Hey! I’m not the one who has a crush on Fluttershy but won’t talk to her. I hope that worked. And as much as I’d like to ask about your time with Fluttershy, you’re at risk of getting exposed. So, tell me where you are.
Vi: Fine, I’m in the woods at the end of my grandparents’ street. You know, the one where I first showed you my secret?
Sasha: Yeah, I remember that forest. It always creeps me out with all the scary snakes and bugs out there.
Vi: Hey! I am half-snake, and I take offense to that comment.
Sasha: I wasn’t talking about you. Besides, I know that you won’t hurt me. Who else will want to help you when it comes time for your monthly shed? Seriously, what was your mom thinking?
Vi: Okay, you do have a point there. And I have no idea.
Sasha: Anyway, go hunt, and I’ll meet you by the small creek that you’re always fond of.
Vi: Okay, see you soon.
Violet Night turned off her phone and tucked it back into her jacket pocket. Her stomach grumbled again as her mind thought about eating a deer. Her tongue shifted as her hunger grew at the thought of sinking her fangs into its body. There were several herds of deer that resided within the forest. She and Sasha had come across them many times whenever they went to the creek. They loved taking photos of them and admiring them from a distance. However, now they seemed like a tempting treat. Violet swallowed and forced any thoughts of hunting aside for the moment.
“Hopefully, I can keep from attacking anything else on my way to the creek,” said Violet Night as she grabbed her clothes.
Clothes in hand, Violet made her way to the small creek just a half-hour away from the clearing. The sound of rushing water guided her through the brush as she slithered towards it. She pushed past several bushes and found the creek just ahead. Taking a deep breath, Violet enjoyed the scent of the forest around her. It managed to calm her down and keep her snake side under control, for the time being. As Violet set her clothes down on the ground, she caught sight of her twenty-foot-long tail. It was strange to see the black and purple color of her scales. And having pink sprinkled throughout the design of them only made it weirder. She couldn’t figure out why that had happened. However, Sasha did have her ideas about why it occurred, with one of them involving the fact that she often dyed her hair with pink or purple highlights.
Just as she was about to touch her tail, the rustling of nearby bushes startled Violet. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw that it was just a small snake. As it slithered away, she remembered why she was out in the woods. She needed to hunt and soon before the sun set below the horizon. Violet looked around her, making sure that there was no one else around. Once she made sure that there was no one near her, she started down one of the trails, following a nearby deer’s scent. Her stomach growled, reminding Violet that her time was running out. And she was aware that her snake half wouldn’t remain patient for much longer, especially since she had waited for so long.
*** *** *** ***
Sasha had parked her car in a closeby parking lot and headed towards the woods where Violet Night was. She had come here many times, mostly because Violet couldn’t stand changing by herself. Though, at first, it was a challenge for her. Sure, she knew that it was her friend despite the growth of scales and a massive tail. However, it was still strange to witness Violet’s shift when her snake half became more present. And it took a while before Sasha was able to sit with her through it without having to take breaks. It helped that Violet had been patient with her during the first few times.
Just as Sasha was about to turn right, the sound of a twig breaking to her left caught her attention. Cautiously, she took a few steps towards the noise and said, “Vi, is that you?”
For a moment, there was no response. Then, as if whatever made that noise was frightened of Sasha, it quietly replied, “Yes, it’s me, Sasha.”
“Violet, why are you hiding from me?” asked Sasha. “What happened?”
“Nothing happened, I just don’t want you to see me right now,” said Violet Night, looking down at the bulge in her tail.
“Why? Did you just finish eating?” asked Sasha as she stepped closer to where Violet was hiding.
“Y-yeah, and I don’t want you to see how I look right now,” replied Violet Night.
Violet ran her hand down the side of her tail, trying not to feel disgusted at how her scales bulged outward. Bones of the deer that Violet had finished eating laid scattered around her. There was also the smell of blood in the air, which made her gag with every breath she took. Violet was shocked at how easily she had managed to restrict the massive animal. Slithering across the forest floor, she picked up two of the broken ribs. They had a series of cracks and fractures running on the length of them.
“Wow, I can’t believe I was able to do that by coiling around the deer…” said Violet night as she examined the bones.
“Well, one part of your snake DNA is from the Boidae family, so that makes sense. You are half boa constrictor,” said Sasha, leaning against a tree. “And your genus is Eunectes murinus, so your constrictor DNA is from a green anaconda. That doesn’t explain the strange colorations, though I blame that on your needing to dye your hair.”
Violet Night set the rib bones back on the ground. “Okay, okay, I get it. You’re a snake enthusiast, and you know a lot about my DNA.”
Violet heard Sasha move closer to her, which made her freeze up. Her body still showed the bulge of her digesting food. And she had refused to allow Sasha near her whenever it was time to hunt because she hated how disgusting her body was after a meal. The risk of her running was too high for her to jeopardize it. And Sasha hadn’t easily adjusted to her situation, and that only made her heart race faster. Yet, here she was not running away, and Violet was scared to turn around, not wanting to see her reaction to the state she was currently in.
As if sensing that Violet was scared, Sasha said, “Vi, please look at me. I promise that I won’t freak out.”
Violet Night swallowed and slowly turned to face Sasha, exposing her stomach and the bulge. She crossed her arms across her chest, feeling very embarrassed with Sasha looking at her. It was the first time someone saw her after she finished eating since her mother first started the experiments. And if Sasha couldn’t handle seeing it, Violet wasn’t sure that she would be able to face her. After a few seconds had passed, she looked away and started to move away. However, before she could get far, she felt a hand grab her arm.
“Wait, Violet. I’m sorry if I hurt you, but I wasn’t expecting it to be that…” Sasha trailed off, not sure if she should say more.
“Enormous? Yeah, I didn’t think it would be either. But I guess eating a deer does that to you,” said Violet Night.
Sasha looked at the bones scattered around her. “Wait. Did you eat one of the deers from the herd?”
“Uh, kind of. I couldn’t help it. My snake half wanted something more than a few rabbits,” replied Violet Night, her tail curling up behind her. “Do you think Fluttershy would be mad?”
“I think Fluttershy would understand, even if she would be upset about you killing a defenseless animal,” said Sasha as she let go of Violet’s arm. “Did you seriously think that your bulging stomach would gross me out?”
“Well, considering how you first reacted to me shedding, I was a bit worried, Sash,” said Violet Night.
“I came around, didn’t I?” asked Sasha, sounding a bit offended that her friend would think that about her.
“Yes, you did. Still, you’ve never seen me after a meal.” Violet leaned against a nearby tree as she waited for Sasha to continue.
“And who’s fault is that?” asked Sasha as she took a few steps closer to Violet. “Besides, I’m fine with it, though it’s an adjustment.”
Violet could tell that Sasha was nervous about getting close to her. She didn’t blame her, especially with the bones littered nearby. The sight had to be nerve-wracking for her, and trying to approach the person who caused the mess probably didn’t make it any easier. So, in an attempt to help Sasha, Violet moved her tail towards her. She slowly wrapped the end of it around Sasha’s hand and started to pull her towards herself.
“I’m sorry for pushing you away. I am still trying to adjust to having someone else know about this side of me,” said Violet Night. “And thanks for being okay with this.”
Sasha looked at Violet’s coiled tail, apprehensive of sitting down on it. “You’re welcome.”
“You can sit down on my tail, it’s fine,” said Violet Night, noticing that Sasha was wary of sitting down. “If I can handle a deer, you’ll be nothing in comparison.”
“That’s not exactly comforting, Vi. I don’t like the idea that you could squeeze me to death, literally,” replied Sasha, eyeing the coils of Violet’s tail cautiously.
Violet pulled Sasha closer as her tail tightened around her hand. “Relax, I’m not going to constrict around you. I know my tail is huge, but it’s not dangerous right now.”
Sasha remained tensed but reluctantly sat on Violet’s tail. The feeling of the cold coils surrounding her made her calm down a bit. However, she could feel the powerful muscles that allowed Violet to kill the deer beneath her. And that left her frozen as she tried to settle within the coiled tail. Sasha felt Violet let go of her hand, making her tense up again for a moment. She didn’t like not having anything to grasp. Yet, a few seconds later, Violet came up next to her and grabbed ahold of her hand.
“I can tell you’re nervous sitting on my tail,” said Violet Night as she squeezed Sasha’s hand.
“Y-yeah, you could say that. It’s bizarre to be sitting on the tail that just killed that deer and broke its bones,” replied Sasha. “Yet, there is a calming quality about it as well, despite the danger.”
Violet Night chuckled. “My tail can sometimes be calming, even though it’s painful when I get it.”
“How was your change this time around?” asked Sasha, lightly running a finger across Violet’s smooth scales. “I wish I could’ve been there to help you.”
“It wasn’t great, but I got through it. By the way, I want to know something. How did you figure out what snakes my DNA was composed of?” asked Violet Night.
Sasha reached into her jacket pocket with her other hand and pulled out one of Violet’s old fangs. “I had a friend who did some DNA testing on one of your teeth and some skin samples that I sent them. And it turns out your mom used two types of snake DNA to make her experiment work.”
“So, if one part consisted of a green anaconda, what was the other one?” asked Violet Night, now curious.
“That’s the odd part about it. Your mom somehow managed to find a way to combine DNA from Eunectes murinus with the DNA of Oxyuranus microlepidotus,” replied Sasha.
“Uh, simple terms please,” said Violet Night. “Don’t forget that I am not a snake enthusiast, so I don’t know the scientific names for all snakes in the world. And yes, I’m aware that’s ironic given my situation, Sash .”
"Simply put, your mom discovered how to combine the DNA of a green anaconda with the DNA of an Inland taipan,” said Sasha.
“Woah, that’s amazing, minus the fact that I was her test subject,” Violet Night said, her tail accidentally coiling a bit tighter in the process.
Just as Violet Night finished speaking, the sound of two other voices echoed through the forest. Both girls turned their heads in the direction from which they came. It was odd to have anyone else around there at this time of day. However, Violet was thankful that the clearing was far enough away that the two people couldn’t hear them. Sasha climbed off Violet’s tail as she moved closer to the source. Pushing past some bushes, she saw that it was Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy who were walking past. Violet joined her and listened in on what the two girls were saying.
“So, what do you think of the volunteer girl?” asked Sunset Shimmer. “I thought she was pretty cute.”
“She was cute, but a little awkward. She even talked about eating mice once,” replied Fluttershy. “That made me worry about Missy and her family for a moment, especially since they had given birth to a couple of baby mice.”
“Okay, that is a bit odd. I wonder why she said that…” said Sunset as she and Fluttershy stopped at a crosswalk.
“I don’t know, but she seemed sweet. I think I made her nervous because she stumbled over her words a couple of times, which was adorable,” said Fluttershy
“If you had an opportunity to tell her your feelings, how would you do it, Shy?” asked Sunset Shimmer, glancing over at Fluttershy. “I mean, aside from her odd behavior, she is pretty cute. And it does seem that she enjoys your company.”
“Well…” Fluttershy smiled sheepishly as she looked at the bushes behind her for a moment. “I would probably grab her hand and pull her into a kiss as I pulled her body closer to mine.”
“Wow, that’s bold, Fluttershy,” replied Sunset Shimmer. “Even for you.”
“I know, but for her, I wouldn’t mind making the first move. Besides, I’m not as shy as I once was, Sunset,” said Fluttershy.
Sunset Shimmer chuckled. “I can tell, and I’m happy to see you so confident in yourself.”
Violet Night heard enough and slithered back to the clearing where the deer bones sat. She knew that it was wrong to listen in on someone else’s conversation. Yet, her heart soared at the thought that Fluttershy found her stumblings adorable. And hearing that Fluttershy felt comfortable enough to kiss her on the first date made her blush. It also made her feel hopeful that she could handle her unusual genetics. As Violet reveled in the butterflies, Sasha sat down next to her.
“Well, Fluttershy seems to like you,” said Sasha, nudging Violet in the arm.
“Y-yeah, I just hope that won’t change when she sees this,” said Violet as she gestured to her coiled tail. “It’s a rather big adjustment to ask her to make.”
“True, but Fluttershy loves animals, so I’m sure she’ll like this part of you,” Sasha said as she grabbed Violet’s hand. “Just like I did. Also, I wanted to give you something.”
“Oh? What is it?” asked Violet Night, her attention entirely on Sasha.
“This.” Sasha pulled out two necklaces and handed one to Violet. “I had these made after I recovered from my top surgery.”
Violet took the necklace and examined the charm. It was a replica of her fang that had gotten carved from a ruby. It was also relatively small, just barely bigger than the width of her palm. The way the sunlight hit it made the gem glow with an ethereal light. And the deep red color made it all the more beautiful. She turned it over and saw her name etched into the side with gold filling the space inside. Running a finger along the length of the engraving, Violet couldn’t help but smile at the present.
“This is so amazing, Sasha. I don’t even have words to describe what it means to me. But why are you giving me this?” asked Violet Night, looking up at Sasha.
“Well, you’re the only one who visited me daily after my surgery was over and helped me recover. And you also acknowledge my change from Sean to Sasha without judging me or telling me that it wasn’t valid. Plus, I wanted to show you that who you truly are isn’t all bad either,” replied Sasha as she let go of Violet’s hand and touched the scales on her arm.
“Hehe, I guess it’s not really all that bad, is it?” Violet Night said as she looked down at Sasha’s hand. “And Sash, you’ll always be my friend, no matter who you are. I’ll never leave your side, not even if it meant that I had to die.”
“Good,” said Sasha, squeezing Violet’s arm. “I am considering getting the bottom surgery in a few years, and I need to know that I have someone who’ll help me during that.”
Violet Night’s eyes widened as she heard what Sasha said. “Wow. Are you sure you want to do that so soon?”
“I can’t live knowing that the body I got born into doesn’t match who I truly am, Vi. Every time I go to the bathroom, I get reminded that my body still doesn’t completely match,” said Sasha, looking away from Violet. “I hate having gender dysphoria, and I wish I didn’t have the reminder that I wasn’t born female.”
Violet Night didn’t say anything for fear that she would say the wrong thing. Sure, every time she transformed into the half-snake monstrosity she was now, it reminded her that her body had gotten changed without her approval. However, Violet knew that it was nothing compared to what Sasha endured every day. And she hoped that her support did a little to ease it, even if it didn’t do much. It still worried her to see that her closest confidant was bothered by something that she couldn’t do anything about, despite Sasha’s reassurances that she was helping. Sighing, Violet kept her gaze locked onto her slightly bulging stomach.
“Sorry for ruining the mood there, Vi. I just get so frustrated that my body doesn’t match who I am on the inside,” said Sasha.
“It’s okay. And you know, in a strange way, I get that. Every time I shift, I feel like my snake characteristics hide the fact that I am shy and scared of approaching people. Like, my physical appearance doesn’t match my personality,” said Violet Night. “However, I hate comparing my situation to yours because it feels so disrespectful.”
“Well, I don’t mind it. If anything, I’m happy that someone can understand what I am going through, even if it’s not the same thing exactly,” replied Sasha as she put on her necklace. “Anyway, shall we go to the creek and relax for a bit before heading home?”
Violet Night did the same and said, “Yeah, my tail is getting stiff just sitting here in one place. Besides, I left my clothes back there anyway.”