Donna looked around the green room.  Not only were the six who’d been squabbling standing still as statues, so was everyone else.  Even Rowan.  Even Gwen, though Donna could feel that she was wriggling free of the effect.

Gwen shook herself free of the paralysis.  “What the heck was that?”

Cherry bounced into the room with a grin on her face.  “That was a hoot.  Uh, Neysa, you’re up next.”  She snapped her fingers in front of the still woman’s face.  “Shit!  What happened to her?”

Donna sighed. “I told everyone to stop.  Didn’t quite mean it so literally or broadly.  Is everyone outside OK?”

Cherry nodded.  “Yeah.  Can you free them up?  Neysa’s up next, and she’s not going to dance any better than Jim like this.”

Donna took in a deep breath, and raised her voice.  “You six, stay like that.  The rest of you... as you were.”

Suddenly the room was full of motion once more, except for Tawny, Carmen, and the four others frozen with them.  Everyone carried on as if nothing had happened.  Neysa waved to Cherry and headed up to the stage to take her turn dancing.  Rowan approached Donna.  

“Can you do something about these girls?” Rowan asked, gesturing at the frozen girls.  “Oh, that works.  For now.”

“How were you affected?” asked Donna.  “You usually wear silver.”

Rowan shrugged and smiled.  “I’ve enjoyed doing some dancing, too.  Pretty please may I have that younger body again?”

“When you ask so nicely, of... course...”  Donna’s eyes flickered to Gwen’s as realized that Rowan had started changing before she’d willed it to happen.

“Thanks!” called Rowan as she moved off to deal with some of the other dancers, growing slowly younger as she did so.

“Did you feel that?” hissed Donna.

Gwen nodded.  “Who else are you bound to?”

Donna closed her eyes, reaching out into the room with her other senses.  “All of them,” she whispered.  She frowned, and turned back to the six still women.  “All the regulars, anyway.  Those four, no.”

“We should probably let them go.”

Donna sighed, and pointed to the two in front of Tawny.  “You two.  You can move and talk again.”

The two girls twitched to life.  One picked up where she’d left off.  “But we want to be boobs, don’t you...  wait, why aren’t they moving?  Oh, right.  You told us.”  She smiled and turned to Gwen.  “Please can you change us back?”

“You... know what happened?” asked Donna.

The other girl nodded.  “Yeah.  You told us to stop, and, well...  Who wouldn’t?”

“That doesn’t seem odd to you?”

Both of them just shrugged, and Donna sighed.  “So if I told you to give up this crazy idea of spending your lives as someone’s breasts, you would?”

They looked at each other, and shook their heads.  “Nah.”

Donna chuckled.  “Oh good, you can say no to something.  Why are you so keen on it?”

The girls stumbled over each other trying to explain it, getting nowhere.  Donna roused the other four, cautioning them not to argue.  “Okay.  Who can tell me why these two...”

“Squish and squash,” Tawny offered with a grin.  “Their boob names.”

Donna sighed.  “Fine.  Tell me why squish and squash don’t want to exist.”

“I brainwashed them into it,” said Tawny, without hesitation, though her eyes widened at how easily she was giving up her secret. “Bounced them from people to boobs and back again with silver while talking to them like they deserved to be my boobs.”

“Does this change your mind at all?” asked Donna of the two.  When they shook their heads, Donna turned to the other two strangers.  “Can you two convince me, either way?”

“We want to try it for a month, not forever.  It was fun, Neysa was nice to us when we were hers.”

“I can do that.  Why don't squish and squash want to be human again afterward?”

That led to more arguing, and Donna used her command voice once more to stop it.  “I don't want to erase you two from existence, and it seems like that's what you're asking.”

“I wish...” started one of the girls, but Tawny slapped a hand over her mouth before she could finish.

“Don't!  That word works, here.  Donna doesn't like being forced to change people, and she already has blood in her eyes.  She would have erased you.  Gone, poof, not even boobs.”

“You can do that?” asked the other girl, breathless.  “Please?”

Donna looked to her companion, who nodded behind Tawny's silencing hand.  Donna rolled her eyes.  “As you will.”

Both girls started to shrink so rapidly that the air rushing into the space they were vacating made an audible noise like a drawn-out sigh.  In moments they were gone.

“Did you seriously just... disintegrate our friends, after all that stuff about not ending their existence as humans?”

“They're not disintegrated.  You saw them, I shrunk them out of existence.  They're not atom-sized either.  All the way to zero and beyond.  Even their minds are gone.”

“Like that's sooo much better.  At least as boob they'd feel something.  The pleasure of being pretty, and especially of being touched.  Now they're gone forever.”

“They aren't gone forever,” snapped Donna, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Then bring them back!”

“So we can go right back to the first argument?  No.”

“No?  But... please?  I want my friends back.”

Donna stared at the woman.  “At what price?”

She looked over to her friend.  “We'll do anything.”

“And you agree to this of your own free will?” asked Donna earnestly.

Once both had agreed, shimmering points of light appeared in front of them, settling on their brows as shining crystals the size of a raindrop.  “Your friends can see what you see, hear what you hear.  And if you're very quiet and still, you'll hear their voice by bone conduction.  Show them why existence preferable to the alternative.”

“Okay.  Um, for how long?”

“Come back next full moon.  Do your job well and I'll turn you and your friends into anything you ask.”

“Anything?  Even something you don't approve of?”

“For a maximum of one month, but otherwise yes.  Oh, except for Disney characters.  For some reason, I have to stay somewhat off-model to get them to work.”

“I think we can work with that.  See you next month.”

As the two women left, Carmen sighed morosely.  “I guess that means I lose the bet.”

Tawny petted her.  “I won't be as bad as you were.”

“Aww.  I was hoping you'd be worse.”

“Let me guess,” said Donna resignedly.  “Loser becomes part of the winner?”

Tawny nodded.  “I expected to lose, she had those two wrapped around her finger... well, her boobs.  But she played too rough, and they were also arguing about whose boobs to be, mine or Neysa's.”

“Assuming I'd go along with it.”

Tawny shrugged apologetically. “You always have before.”

“I suppose you're right.  No more messing with silver, though.  Messing with people's minds that way is out.”

Tawny and Carmen bowed their heads in unison and said, “Yes, Donna.”

Donna sighed and shrank herself back to normal size.  “I've done it again, haven't I?”

Gwen chuckled at Donna's chagrined tone.  “Yep.  That order is a good one, you should tell all of them.”

Donna sighed again.  “Let's settle this bet.  What are you going to make of Carmen?  Another tattoo?”

“Nope.  I was thinking...”

Gwen interrupted.  “Don't tell us.  Visualize the change and will it to happen.”

“Gwen!  What are you doing?” asked  Donna.

“Better they know about it.”

“We can change ourselves?” asked Tawny excitedly.  At Gwen's nod, she had Carmen stand behind her, back to back.  The changes started with their buttocks fusing together, drawing a yelp of surprise from Carmen, followed by wide grins from both of them.  “It's working!”

The rest of the changes progressed fitfully.  Carmen's limbs dwindled unevenly, first her arms, then her legs diminishing and getting absorbed.  Gwen helped Tawny stand while her balance adjusted.  Carmen continued to dwindle, her body getting thinner and thinner, but no shorter.  Eventually she was reduced to a thin cylinder of flesh topped with a tiny head.  Tawny's Carmen-tail grew longer, twining and writhing as it stretched longer than Tawny's body.  A dusting of pale fur marked the end of the changes.

Tawny ran her hands down the length of her new tail.  “That was harder than I expected.  But so cool!  Thanks for letting me do that.”

Donna smiled.  “Not so much a matter of letting.  The bond between us lets any of the regulars change themselves if they work at it.”

“Can we still ask for changes?  You make it seem so easy.  And I couldn't figure out how to let her talk.”

“Of course,” enthused Donna.  “I enjoy doing these things for and to you all.  Let's see about the speaking thing...  Ah.  She needs lungs.  And maybe a digestive system linked to yours so she can eat for you.”

Tawny bounced excitedly, making her tail swish and swoop.  “That would be so cool.  Can you give her some control over the tail, too?  I messed that part up, I was hoping for a tail with a mind of its own.”

“Done.”

Tawny cheered, shortly followed by Carmen's tiny, squeaky voice.

“I sound like a chipmunk!” protested Carmen, which made Tawny giggle.

“You sound so cute!  I want to keep you like this forever!”

“You have one month,” said Donna.

Tawny and Carmen both pouted.  “Only one?”

“To persuade me to let you stay that way for longer.  If Carmen agrees to it next month, you can keep her as long as you like.  Remember, no silver.”

“I don't think I'm able to forget that.  The very idea of touching silver feels repulsive.”

“Good.  Go have fun.”

Tawny didn't need to be told twice.  Soon Donna could feel her sharing the news with the other dancers, following her progress by the changes in her wake.  Most started by growing their breasts larger, making Donna chuckle.

“What's so funny?” asked Gwen.

“I seem to be out of the breast growing business.  If this means I only get the complex requests, I think this will work out great.”

“Until they figure out how to change each other, anyway.  They can get pretty competitive.”

Donna grinned.  “Sounds like fun.”  Suddenly she disappeared and a sparkling moon-shaped gem appeared on Gwen's forehead.

Gwen giggled.  “You're right.  It is fun.  Let's go make dreams come true.”

Rowan had a large stack of fantasies for them to manage.  Even with the girls learning how to change themselves, mimicking the voice and looks of celebrities required an experienced touch.  After setting up a series of celebrity fantasies, Donna emerged so that she could work with Nissa, who wanted to learn how to do them herself.  She was particularly eager to learn how to turn herself into Marilyn whenever she wanted, and proved an able student.

Vanessa was at least as eager, if not as able.  She learned how to reshape her face quickly enough, but the trick of getting a singer’s voice just so required more insight into how throats, mouths and vocal chords interact.  Donna worked with her for a good chunk of the evening between setting up other fantasies, to no avail.  She finally settled on improving Vanessa’s vocal flexibility and range.  Between that and her pre-existing talent at mimicry Vanessa was able to match almost any voice without the need of further magic, which thrilled her to no end.

Beth approached Donna partway through Vanessa’s lessons, bearing a fuzzy plush bunny.  Clarence asked ever so sweetly if he could stay with Beth for longer, and Donna agreed.  “Is this how you want to stay?  I’ll ask one more time next month, then leave you be.”

Clarence’s ears drooped and he hunched forward.  Beth looked briefly alarmed, and bent her head to whisper with him.  She started to giggle, and Donna swore she could see that plush bunny turn even pinker.  “Yes.  I would love that.”

Donna raised an eyebrow, and waited for more.

Clarence straightened up.  “I want to be able to... ah... satisfy Beth.  In bed.”

“Oooh, this will be fun.  Shall I make you taller or just...” Donna waggled shiny eyebrows, “bigger?”

Clarence looked to Beth who nodded encouragingly.  “Both?  Still smaller than her, and soft enough to stuff in a backpack for the trip home.”

Donna smiled at him.  “Of course.”  He started to grow taller as soon as she said it, at her will she was glad to note.  Beth watched and her mind yearned for an image strongly enough that it became her reality, growing out fuzzy floppy ears and a cotton-ball tail of her own.

Donna giggled as the changes finished.  “You two make a really cute couple.”

“Yeah!” said Beth.  “A couple of fuzzy bunnies.  It looks good on you, bunny-boy.”

Clarence gave Beth a big hug.  “Feels good.”

Beth winked at Donna.  “And we get home, it should feel even better, right?”

Clarence’s blush went all the way to his eartips, but he grinned and nodded.

Later, after a silly dance with Gwen that shifted through dozens of forms and ended with Donna turning into a shower of sparkling gems, Donna reformed and walked through the crowd to touch their fantasies.  Most had at best vague images, some derived from her dance, some from looking at Cherry’s vigorous follow-on act.  She was having trouble with her ruby-red high heeled shoes, but doing her best even so.

One woman near the bar had a sparkling mind, reflecting a cascade of varying fantasies at Donna.  Surprised by the vividness and variety of them, Donna approached her.  “What’s on your mind?”

The woman started, then favoured Donna with a tired smile.  “Just... this week, you know?  I want the world to go away for a while, or to escape or... I don’t know what I want.”

“Close your eyes,” murmured Donna.  The images grew brighter, flickered even faster with a glimmer of hope fueling them.  One in particular seized Donna’s attention, as it kept repeating in variations.  She brushed the woman with power, crouching before her protectively as she dwindled.  A broad bowl filled with dirt formed under the woman’s feet, and her eyes darted open.

“What?”

“Shhh.  Relax, you’ll enjoy this.”

The woman wobbled and nearly fell.  Donna braced her with a hand until roots had properly settled in the soil and a trunk was starting to from from fused legs.  As the changes progressed, Donna lifted the bowl up to the bar, setting it to the side where it wouldn’t be in the way.  The bartender nodded his approval.  “Looks pretty.”

“Thanks.  Open your eyes, little one.”

The tiny woman looked around, her face the only part that was recognizable.  The rest of her had become a miniature bonsai tree.  She smiled up at Donna, and mouthed her thanks before her face stilled and became just another knot in the trunk.

“That was beautiful,” breathed a voice from behind Donna.  “I wish...”

Donna turned and put a finger to his lips.  “Careful with that word.  I will do it.  If you ask nicely, I’ll even do it right.”

“Please?  Like her, but crystal.”

Donna smiled as he started to shrink, his skin becoming translucent.  “Much better.”  She scooped him up once he’d reached the same height as her previous sculpture, and set him on the counter beside the tree.  His bowl was filled with water instead of dirt, and once his form had set, fine channels within him wicked the water up to his head, where it welled out like glittering hair, trickling over his body and tinkling ever so quietly back into the bowl.  The noise was lost in the susurrus of the crowd, but Donna could hear it and knew her audience of two could as well.

Refreshed, Donna returned to the green room.  There she found a familiar blue-furred form.

“There you are!” said Ray, darting forward to hug Donna fiercely.

Donna chuckled, and returned the hug.  “Good to see you again.  How was your month as Cobalt?”

Ray pulled back from the hug, peering up at Donna then raising an eyebrow.  “Was this month just an extended hazing of the new girl?”