//------------------------------// // chapter 2 // Story: Life In Lace // by Harasha the Gryphon //------------------------------// Mirror, Amethyst thought in a panic. I need get to the bathroom mirror! Without a second thought, he rushed from his room to the bathroom. Opening the door, Amethyst sped over to a square shaped mirror and stared at the reflection looking back at him. Several minutes passed as Amethyst just stood there, taking in his new, feminine look. Along with the rounded muzzle and longer hair, his eyes had become almond shaped. This seemed to emphasize the brown in his eyes. The rest of his body was more elegant and supple in build, yet still clearly him. Curiosity overcame Amethyst and he began poking and prodding his new body. He started with the front part of his body and steadily made his way back. Pretty much everything felt the same way it always had, though his sensitivity to touch had increased slightly. Just the soft prodding of his hoof was enough to send Amethyst into a blushing fit. I can’t believe that’s really me, Amethyst thought. A smile crept over his face as he turned around to get a better look at the side of his body. His plump, round rump stood out to his eyes. Wow, Amethyst thought, wide eyed. Is that my plot? It’s as big as my sister’s. Temptation got the better of him, and Amethyst reached a hoof to his new rear end. Gingerly, he gave it a gentle poke. “Oh!” Amethyst exclaimed as the sensations of the touch rippled throughout his body. That felt good, Amethyst thought as he massaged his new hindquarters. The touch of his hooves was better than silk on his new skin, and the feelings it left were just as pleasurable. The sensations overtook Amethyst, and, once again, his face began to light up bright red. That feels spectacular. So lost was he in alien sensations, he didn’t notice precisely where he was putting his hooves. His tail flicked to the side, and his hoof touched his more feminine parts. “Ah!” Amethyst’s pulled his hoof away from himself, his entire face now a brighter red than before. “Wow that was just-, is that my voice?” Amethyst paused for a moment at the sound of his new voice. “It sounds so much like my sister’s voice. “ He began saying random things to test his new voice, giggling every once and a while at the oddity of the situation. A few minutes later, Amethyst stopped talking and started to think. I am a mare now, and it seems like its entirely physical not some illusion. What should I do about this? It’s obvious the figurine did this to me, so how do I undo it? But what if I can’t undo this, he thought. What if the effects are permanent? That last thought made the former stallion cringe. Calm down, Amethyst, don’t think like that. Right now, just close up the shop. Best not to let anyone see you like this. Amethyst rushed out of the bathroom and ran toward the front door. He cracked the door open slightly, and he used his magic to levitate the open sign back into the shop. Then he closed the door and locked it up tight. Ok, the shop is closed. Amethyst thought in relief. He wandered over to his couch and sat down, sighing. Nopony can see me now, but what if Misty comes home early? I don’t even want to think about what he’d do to me if he saw me like this. He shook his head, briskly. Get ahold of yourself. Just take this one-step at a time, as if you would any other problem. The first step to solving a magic based problem would be to determine the source of the magic responsible. Luckily, Amethyst kept many magical devices solely for this purpose in a cabin outside town. However, getting to them would require going outside, where there was the threat of being recognized or approached by somepony he knew. I‘ll go there under cover of night, Amethyst decided. Nopony will see me, and then I’ll be back to my normal self in no time. Satisfied with his conclusion, Amethyst decided to return to his bedroom and wait for nightfall. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The time was three PM. Closing time can’t come soon enough, Orchid thought to herself. The light green unicorn loved her work as much as the next pony, but this particular day had been very busy. So far, she’d made twelve sales, and there were still ten customers browsing her flowers. “That’ll be 2 bits sir,” Orchid said to a stallion holding a bouquet of daisies in his mouth. He placed the flowers on the counter and reached into his coin purse. “Thanks Orchid,” he said, tossing the bits on the counter. “My special somepony will love these,” Orchid smiled as the stallion walked away. It was always good to hear of a couple in love. Still, the thought made Orchid tug on her brown ponytail. She’d been in love once, with that pig headed pegasus who lived downstairs. Not that he’d loved her back; after their breakup, she’d seen him walking home with another mare by his side not half a day later. It was almost enough to make her think about moving her shop to the opposite side of town. In the end she decided against it, because, like the flower that was her cutie mark, she’d dug her roots deep. And nothing, not even an ex-boyfriend, was going to move her. The bell above her shop door jingled. Glancing to the door, Orchid spotted a white earth pony mare with a black mane walk inside. In her mouth, she held a wrapped package. She spat the package out and called out to the crowd of ponies in the store. “I’m looking for an Amethyst Shard; I have a delivery for him.” “He’s in the shop downstairs,” Orchid replied. The delivery mare frowned. “The shop downstairs is all closed up, and I need somepony to sign for this package.”   Amethyst closed shop, Orchid thought. Now that’s odd. He said he would be open today and it’s the busiest time, to boot. Something must be wrong.  “I’ll sign for the package,” she said to the delivery mare. The mare smiled and quickly produced a clipboard with a piece of paper and a pen chained to it. Orchid signed her name on the paper, and then levitated the package with her magic. The delivery mare took back her clipboard left without another word. I had better check on Amethyst as soon as I finish with these customers, Orchid thought to herself. She’d spoken to the treasure hunter a few times when she’d dated Misty. He was a nice enough guy, if a bit eccentric. He’d even tried apologizing for Misty’s behavior on the day of their break up. Orchid smiled. Truth be told, she’d be lying if she denied he wasn’t one of the reasons for remaining. Good friends like him were hard to find in the world. A few hours passed before Orchid’s shop was finally devoid of ponies. She trotted over to the front door of her shop and flipped around an open sign in the window to read closed. Afterwards, she lifted aside a loose floorboard. Beneath it were two golden keys: one for her shop, and one for Amethyst’s. He’d given it to her in case of situations just like this. He’d better appreciate the things I do for him, Orchid thought as she levitated them and the package in her magic. Quickly she locked her shop and headed down the steps that lead to Amethyst’s shop. Just as the delivery mare had said, the store was indeed closed. “Amethyst, are you in there?” Orchid called out. When nopony replied, she rang the bell beside the door. “Amethyst, a delivery mare brought you a package.” She stood there for several minutes waiting for a reply. When none came, she unlocked the door and headed inside. ”I’m just going to set the package next to the door.” She continued into deeper into the store until she arrived in front of the door that led to the attached house. Her ear twitched slightly at the sound of running water coming from inside. “Are you in there Amethyst?” Orchid asked. “Somepony sent you a package, and I signed for it for you. I just thought I’d better deliver it, as well.” “Yeah, I’m in the shower. Thank you for accepting the delivery for me.” The voice was Amethyst’s, but there was something off about it. It sounded like he was deepening his voice. “Are you OK in there, Amethyst?” “Yeah, I’ve got a bit of a sore throat,” Amethyst answered, followed by a dry cough. “Can I help you with anything?” Orchid asked. “No thank you, I’ll be fine.” Amethyst replied. “I could make you some-,” “No thank you.” Amethyst interrupted. “Could you please go so I can get some rest?” “Umm ok, if you insist,” Orchid replied in confusion. “Hope you get better soon.” “Thanks,” Amethyst said. Orchid then turned and left the store. I’ll make him some tomato soup, Orchid thought to herself. I’m sure that’ll make him feel a lot better. Orchid left the front door to Amethyst’s shop ajar and went back up to her store. Once there, she unlocked the door to her living quarters.The living room had a red couch, armchair, and blue wardrobe. The kitchen in this house was on the right, rather than the left like in Amethyst’s home. There was a single door on the far left side of the room. Orchid walked over to a cupboard in her kitchen and levitated out a can of tomato juice, as well as a large pot. She set the pot on the stove and opened the can with a can opener. Ten minutes later, after adding some spices and water to the mix, she scooped the soup out with a ladle and put it into a serving bowl. Satisfied with herself, she headed back down to Amethyst’s shop. Once she was downstairs, she quietly nudged the door open and went toward Amethyst’s house. “I brought you some soup Amethyst I hope, you-” Orchid stopped mid sentence. Standing before her was a deep purple mare with two bath towels wrapped around her body and mane. She froze when she saw Orchid, her face morphed into one of morbid terror. Orchid gently set the soup on the floor and scrutinized the sight before her. “Who are you and what are you doing in my friend’s home?” “Orchid, it’s me, Amethyst Shard,” the mare replied. Orchid chuckled dryly. “Good one; you even painted yourself up to look like him. You’re one of Misty’s marefriends, aren’t you? Did he put you up to this?” “No, Orchid, I really am Amethyst,” the mare pleaded. “One of my artifacts did this to me.” “Ok if you really are Amethyst, prove it. Amethyst has a scar on his left flank, just below the cutie mark, show it to me,” Orchid said with a grin on her face. She had to admit, this mare was a good actress. The mare turned her body sideways, presenting her left flank for Orchid to see. A small scar was somewhat visible just below one of the stars on Amethyst’s cutie mark. “See I really am Amethyst,” the mare exclaimed. Orchid paused for a second, then walked up to the mare. “OK, so your makeup designer is really talented. That still doesn’t prove anything.” The strange mare sighed and looked Orchid in the eyes. “Ok then, remember when Misty broke up with you? It was a rainy day and I was coming home from relic hunting in Clovis’s old castle. I saw you crying outside the shop and I went over to ask you what was wrong. Through the bouts of crying, you managed to squeak out that Misty had broken up with you. “You got somewhat mad at me because I wasn’t too surprised to hear the news. I wasn’t, because I know Misty too well. I sat out there for hours holding you and reassuring you that everything would be OK” “Amethyst and I were the only ponies out on the street that night,” Orchid whispered. She circled the mare, looking her over in explicit detail. “It really is you, isn’t it?” Amethyst nodded, and Orchid grabbed her by the shoulders. “Sweet Celestia, Amethyst, what happened to you?” Orchid asked. “You’d better sit down, Orchid,” Amethyst answered. “It’s a long story.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Orchid sat on the couch as Amethyst told her everything that had happened the previous day. The entire story took roughly ten minutes to explain, and Orchid looked dumbfounded by the end. At least she believes me, Amethyst thought. He’d feared his earlier paranoia was coming to fruition when she’s caught him exiting the shower. Luckily, Orchid was a very accepting mare. If it had been somepony else, however, he might not have been as lucky. “So some little figurine did this to you?” she asked, dumbfounded, when he’d finished his story. “I know you‘ve been affected by magical artifacts before but this is something else. It’s just so weird to see you as a mare, Amethyst.” “How do you think I feel?” Amethyst exclaimed. “My body is really sensitive for some reason. This morning I was touching my rump and it made me nearly-” “Wait, hold up,” Orchid said. “So, let me get this straight, you turn into a mare, and the first thing you do is feel yourself up?” Amethyst’s ears flattened against his head. “I, er, I was curious...” Orchid groaned and covered her face with a hoof. “Why am I not surprised that some of Misty rubbed off on you.” Amethyst couldn’t help but scowl at the comparison. Sure, he liked Misty as a friend, but he never looked kindly on Misty’s frisky lifestyle. Orchid must have seen his scowl, since Amethyst heard her sigh. “Sorry, that was uncalled for.” “It’s fine, Orchid,” Amethyst reassured. “This whole situation has me on edge as well.” “I can imagine,” she said. “So, you got any ideas how you’ll go about fixing yourself?” “I can’t do much until I can thoroughly analyze the device and myself,” Amethyst replied. “Ok, but do you know how long that’s gonna take?” Orchid asked. Amethyst hummed before continuing. “At least a few days minimum. I need to determine just what kind of spell changed me.” Orchid nodded. “Sooo, exactly how do you plan on not getting caught in that time?” Amethyst cocked his head at her. “What do you mean?” “Well, it’s rather fortunate that Misty is out at his big convention,” Orchid stated. “What are you going to do if he comes home before you return to normal?” Amethyst froze at the question, “Well, I’ll be sure to fix it soon as possible!” “Uh huh, sure,” she replied. “And how do you intend to live?” “ I can always do my work at night, I’m away most of the day and I have enough bits saved up to survive for a few months.” Amethyst replied as if he was thinking the whole thing out. “Then how about food? Or other necessities?” Orchid pressed on. “You might be a bit of a recluse, but many ponies around town know you.They're sure to take notice if a new mare with your exact same appearance starts walking about.” Almost robotically, Amethyst replied, “I’m Amethyst’s twin sister visiting from Canterlot.” Orchid’s eyebrows furrowed. “Seriously?” “Well, nopony here has even met my sisters. They wouldn’t be able to deny it.” “True, but do you even know the first thing about being a mare?” Amethyst stared at Orchid. “What does that have to do with anything?” Orchid’s mouth hung agape. “Amethyst, you can’t just go around pretending to have been a mare your entire life without knowing at least the basics! I mean, you don’t have to be into the same areas of interest, but there are basic social etiquettes you need to know about.” Amethyst swallowed heavily. “Well, what do you suggest I do?” Orchid smiled. “it’s quite simple, really. You can’t spend your life locked indoors, especially when you don’t know how long this change is going to be for. Now, as farfetched as your twin sister plan is, it could work if you had a second pony to vouch for you.” Amethyst’s eyes widened. “You’d be willing to help me?” “Of course I would,” Orchid said. “However, I’m going to need to show you at least the bare bones of acting like a mare. At least to fool everyone until you’re back to normal.” “I don’t know, Orchid,” Amethyst replied, uncertainly. “Come on, Amethyst, you’re a scientist.” she said. “Don’t you have a civic duty to explore new horizons?” Amethyst raised a hoof to correct her, but she cut him off. “Besides, how many stallions get turned into mares? If you didn’t at least try, you’d be wasting an opportunity. Plus, I need to show you there’s more to mares than just good looking bodies.” Amethyst thought for a few minutes. Growing up with five sisters there had been a few times when Amethyst wondered what it would be like to walk in their horseshoes. And, as embarrassing as it was, his little escapades with the mirror had certainly rekindled that old flame. “Ok, Orchid, I’ll do it,” Amethyst said. “But promise me you’ll hide me if Misty comes home.” “Of course, no need for him to know about this. It’ll be between us girls,” she said with a wink. “So, tomorrow I’ll treat you out to a mare’s day out. Nothing huge, just a quick visit to some of the places mares hang out. What do you think?” Amethyst nodded slowly, “Alright, just please, don’t leave me alone in any of the really girly places. This is still really uncomfortable.” Orchid chuckled. “Yeah, I understand. I saw plenty of stallions squirm at being in a filly’s clothing store back when I used to work in one.” She gasped, as if realizing something important. “Ah, you’re going to need a cover name while you’re like this.” Amethyst deflated a bit. “I hadn't really thought about that yet. Could you help me pick a name?” Orchid replied. “No problem, Amethyst, happy to help,” She tapped her chin in thought. “Hmm, how about Frilly Filly?” Amethyst shook his head violently. “Be serious Orchid!”  “Sorry, couldn’t resist,” she chuckled. “How about Graceful Dawn?”” “That doesn’t sound very much like me. Pick another.” “Twilight Sparkle?” Orchid suggested. “No, that sounds like a girl I knew in school,” Amethyst replied. “Shimmering Moon?” Amethyst smiled. “That’s better, but I want something that kind of sounds like my old name.” Orchid was silent for a minute before trying again. “How about Lavender Crescent?” “Lavender,” Amethyst said aloud. “I like it, but the second word is a bit too identifiable as a made up name.” Orchid groaned. “Well, you’ve already got the impossible to please part of being a mare down.” Amethyst blushed at the remark. “Ok... how about star? I can be called Lavender Star.” “It sounds believable,” Orchid said. Amethyst smiled, “That settles it then. I‘ll go by Lavender Star, at least until I turn back into a stallion.” Amethyst looked up at the clock. “Ah, you’d better get going, Orchid. It’s getting kind of late.” Orchid glanced over at the clock and her eyes widened. “You’re right Ameth- err Lavender. So, tomorrow, I’ll show you what life is like for us mares. It’ll be fun, I promise. See you tomorrow right after breakfast ok?” Amethyst nodded, and Orchid left through the front door. Leaving Amethyst or rather, Lavender to ponder what tomorrow would be like for her.