“Hey Jen!  Guess what I just got?”

Jen looked from her coffee and arched an eyebrow at her friend.  “Crabs?”

“Hah, you’re just jealous ‘cause you don’t get the guys like I do.”  The cute brunette talking to Jen folded herself elegantly into the other chair at the coffee shop table.

Jen’s arched eyebrows became fully furrowed under an unruly fringe of mud-brown hair.  “You know why I don’t.”

“You don’t put yourself out there.  I’m going to fix that.  Hallowe’en is around the corner, and I’ve got invites to the craziest party yet.”

“Tamsin, you can’t just drag me to a party and expect me to hook up with someone random.”

Tamsin set two tickets down on the table.  They were printed on glossy card stock, with fanciful images of both costumed and obviously transformed people on them.  On the top was printed “Party on the Edge of Reality”, but it was the small print on the bottom that made Jen’s eyes go very wide.

“Are you kidding me?  Attendees will be transformed to match their costumes?”

Tamsin nodded eagerly.  “I’m going to go as Tinkerbell!  I know the people doing this.  It’s totally legit, they got a one-shot magic item that will change everyone who enters the room.  Don’t worry, it’s temporary.”

“Oh,” sighed Jen.  “Pity.”

Tamsin patted her friend’s hand tenderly.  “Hey, you get a night to be exactly what you dreamed of being.  You’ll find a way eventually.  C’mon, it’ll be fun!”

Jen laughed bitterly.  “Remember the last party you dragged me to, and how that ended?”

Tamsin winced.  “Right.  He was an asshole.”

“He was typical.”

“Well, at the very least, the people going here will be open minded, yeah?”

Jen sighed softly, knowing how this dance always ended.  “You won’t let go of this.”

“Hell no.  It’s going to be fantastic!”

Jen picked up one of the tickets.  “Any chance I could go as Mystique, and become a shapeshifter?”

“No superpowers.  Says so right in the fine print.  Think about what you want to be.  You could really be that for a few hours.  It’s a big place, there’s lots of little nooks to make out in...”

Jen fiddled with her half-empty coffee cup then glanced at the ticket she was still holding in her other hand.  “I’ll go.  Just gotta find the right outfit.”

“Eee!  Shopping time!”

Jen laughed along with Tamsin.  “You know me too well.  Isn’t there one of those fly-by-night costume shops here in the mall?”

“Yeah, but it sucks.  The best one is by the outlet malls.  I’ll drive.”

Jen tucked the ticket into her purse.  “Then what are we waiting for?”

Everything Halloween proved to be as amazing as Tamsin promised.  It was huge, and behind what seemed like acres of decorations, there were rack upon rack of costumes of every colour and quality.  In the back, Jen found a little counter selling what they promised was actual magic. She stared at the display of Ovid rings for far too long, but they were well beyond her budget.  To be fair, she barely even had a budget...

As she was wandering the aisles, a particularly brightly coloured bit of costuming caught her eye.  It was a basic catgirl set, just ears and a tail, discounted to half price because it was neon orange.   She scooped it up, and continued on.  She spotted an electric blue wig that would clash with it nicely, and thought of a certain acid green dress back home that would really complete the look... if only she had the upper body for it.

Tamsin found her then.  She had a huge grin on her face and was holding up a plastic bag with her purchase.  “Guess what I got for yooou,” she teased.

Jen’s eyes went wide when she saw the false breasts inside the package.  “Holy crap.  They’re huge!”

“Nah, just double-D.  You’ll look stunning in that dress you’ve been mooning over.  Ooh, and you’re going to wear all that with it?  You’ll be blinding!” Tamsin laughed.

Jen nodded.  “Still needs a little something.  I wonder if I can sweet-talk Frank into breaking out his body-paints.”

Tamsin giggled.  “As long as you’re willing to show enough skin, he’ll be happy to.  Especially if you let him get creative.”

Jen started to smile at the thought.  “You really think he’d do that for me?”

“Girl, you have got to get over this self-deprecating kick of yours.  Everybody who sees you sees a cute girl in frumpy clothes.  Dress up, stop slouching, and the world would be your oyster.”

Jen straightened up under Tamsin’s prodding, to her full six foot height.  “I just...  I mean...”

“And if Frank won’t, tell him I’ll let him use me as a canvas for his next shoot.”

Jen smiled then.  “Thanks.  I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

*** *** ***

Jen took the day before the party off, on Frank’s instructions.  Once he’d seen the outfit she had planned, he’d gotten stars in his eyes, and started muttering things about “neon catgirl” and “masterpiece”.

She arrived at his improvised studio with Tamsin’s gift in tow.  Frank helped attach the DD-cup breasts over her tiny little A’s, then blended the seams so that Jem couldn’t see where the appliances ended and her skin began.

“Were the heart shaped areolae your idea?” asked Frank, studying his handiwork.  It wasn’t quite a leer, Jen figured, there was an air of professional appraisal to it.

“Tamsin found them.  Cute, right?”

Frank chuckled.  “Yeah.  I’m thinking that a few rosettes in red would really set them off.  But first, we need to paint you orange...”

The spray was cold, and made Jen twitch when she first felt it, but soon she was getting used to the way Frank worked.  Once her arms and chest were done, she felt comfortable enough with closing her eyes so Frank could work on her face.  He spent far longer on it than she’d expected, and when he allowed her to open her eyes once more, she could see why.  With artful shading, he’d made it look like she had just a hint of a cat’s muzzle.

“Oh, it’s perfect.  Brilliant!”

Frank chuckled then.  “You do indeed light up the room.  Think you can sit for a few finishing flourishes?”

Jen nodded eagerly, and Frank started working on a spray of rosettes down each arm and over her chest.  Then a few more here, a few more there...  By the time he felt she was done, there were far more rosettes than Jen could count at a glance.  She thanked him profusely, and posed for dozens of pictures so that his work could be preserved.

Frank helped her put her dress back on, careful not to smudge any of his work.  She moved to give him a quick kiss, but he stepped back.  “Easy on the makeup until the party, hm?”

“Oh, right.  Will I see you there?”

Frank shook his head.  “Not my scene.  I like my fantasies to stay fantasies.”

Jen smiled at him brilliantly.  “I’ll tell you everything tomorrow.”

Frank saluted her with his airbrush, then she was off.  Tamsin was waiting for her impatiently by the door, with beautiful gossamer wings, green leaf dress, and a cute blonde wig.  They made it to the party in time to be fashionably late.

Their tickets were scrutinized carefully at the door, then they entered a large antechamber, with several trestle tables serving as impromptu coat-racks.  A table by the door had a stack of waivers, and a burly orc guarding the door would not let anyone pass until they’d signed.  “The device is in the next room, you’ll change as soon as you enter.”

He looked Tamsin over with a tusky smirk.  “Planning to fly?”

“Can I?” gasped Tamsin.  “That’d be fantastic.”

“Keep that in mind when you enter.  Be warned, though, there is a price.”

“Don’t care!  Flying, whee!”  Tamsin skimmed the rest of the waiver, signed, and darted into the room.

Jen heard a surprised shriek that rose dramatically in pitch, and hurriedly signed her waiver without reading half of it.  “Should I think of anything?” she asked the orc impatiently.

“Nah, you’re good.  Go see your friend, she’ll need the company.”

Jen darted into the room, looking about for Tamsin.  She barely registered the changes that rippled over her body, so intent she was on the search.  In the end, it was Tamsin that found her, fluttering straight into her and colliding with Jen’s chest.

Jen stared down at the doll-sized figure, taking a moment to recognize her friend’s face.  “Oh.  My.  God.  You’re tiny!  Are you okay?”

Tamsin nodded eagerly.  “It’s so cool!  I can fly!  There’s a bunch of other fairies on the mantel, I’ll probably spend half the party there, and half flying around.  Though...”  She squirmed a little where she was sitting.

“Yes?”

“Your new rack is really comfy.”

Jen only then realized that the inert weights of her breast forms were no longer inert.  She could feel Tamsin’s every move, and it was starting to make her cheeks burn and her tail swish.  Her tail!  Jen grabbed her tail and brought it around to look at it.  Instead of the flimsy bottlebrush tail she’d bought in the store, her tail was strong and solid, and fluffier than she’d expected.  The rosettes painted through it still showed up well, and the hot pink tailtip almost seemed to glow.  “Oh.  My.  God.  I’m really...”

“You are.  Congratulations.”

Tamsin stuck with Jen, riding in her cleavage as they made a quick tour of the house.  Jen waved and at Tamsin’s prompting said hello to most everyone there, boggled by the array of changes on display.  There were a half dozen other fairies Tamsin’s size, in various colours and wing patterns.  Wings were popular throughout the room, and even some fairy wings were to be found among those who weren’t interested in shrinking so they could fly.

There were numerous catgirls, running the gamut from ears-and-tail, to one that looked almost exactly like a black panther, only her emerald-green eyes betraying her humanity.  At least two couples had gone as conjoined twins, one at the waist, the other pair had somehow managed a body with two heads, three breasts, and a perfectly normal waist.

Tamsin giggled at the three-breasted couple, and offered to go find a couple of fairies to ride in their cleavages.  She flitted off, and left Jen talking with the couple for a bit.  They were praising how realistic her muzzle looked when Tamsin returned, with two purple-winged fairies in tow.

As the night wore on, Jen met and chatted with satyrs and ponygirls, some who actually had hooves for hands and could barely stand on their hindlegs.  Tamsin talked even more fairies into riding with the woman who had six breasts.  She seemed rather distracted by a leonine fellow with four tentacles arching away from his back, and shortly after Jen met her, the couple slipped off to who knows where for a little privacy and Jen could only imagine what else.

Once Jen was comfortable meeting and greeting all the weird and wonderful folk at the party, Tamsin flitted off to go find one of the few male fairies for a little “fun in the chandeliers”.  Jen found it easy to get involved in conversations, as her bright fur and rosettes always drew attention whenever she went.

To her surprise she bumped into an old acquaintance standing by the snack tables and grazing.  “Lucas!  How nice to meet you.”

He turned to her and smiled.  “Hey, J.  You’re looking fabulous.  Give me a little spin, will you?”

Jen obliged by turning a pirouette, using her tail to help her skirt flare.  “What do you think?”

“So very, very you.  Damn.  I know we had issues back in the day, but...  Wow.  You’re hot!”

Jen dimpled at him.  “How kind.  You look...”  She frowned.  “About like I remember, really.  No costume?”

Lucas gestured downward.  Below the waist, what Jen had foolishly assumed were dark pants appeared to be a shaggy layer of fur, ending in canine paws.  And then he turned sideways to show that behind him was the rest of a rather large wolf.

“A centaur?  Except...”

“Lupacentaur.  Half man, half wolf.  Well, my buddy Ray is the wolf half.  Coordinating the legs has been... interesting but fun.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” giggled Jen.  “You two were inseparable back in high school, too.”

They chatted and caught up on old friends and their doings, it had been some years since they’d last talked and there was much to cover.  There was more than a little flirting mixed in, and Jen found herself giving as good as she got.  It felt good to have someone at least pretend they were interested in her.  And with her colourful skin, ears and tail, Lucas wasn’t even staring at her chest most of the time.  He did have a tendency to talk at her ears, eyes going to them every time a random noise made them flick.  He apologized for it after a time, then suggested they find somewhere a little quieter.

Jen followed along, grinning madly as they hunted for somewhere private.  They found the laundry room unoccupied.  It didn’t have anything resembling a bed, but a fuzzy wolf-body on the floor proved a comfy enough place to cuddle.  Cuddling and talking soon became cuddling and smooching.   Rosette-tracing led to shedding of one acid green dress.  And then something long and hard was prodding against her leg.

Jen glanced down at it, her feline grin suddenly fading.  “Fuck, that’s huge.  What the hell?”

Lucas groaned.  “God damn it Ray.  You couldn’t think of something normal?  Well, so much for that.”

“Yeah, there’s no way in hell I’m breaking myself in on that thing.  However...”  Jen pushed her breasts together.  “I have boobs now.”

Lucas started to grin.  “Seriously?”

“C’mon, what girl can say she gave two guys a boob job at the same time?”

Lucas laughed out loud.  “You never really change, do you J?”

Jen pouted.  “I have too changed.  I was a total wallflower for years and years, but now...”

“Atomic orange.  No hiding,” agreed Lucas.  “Well, I’m game if you’re sure about this...”

Jen wriggled her way to Lucas’ distant end.  “I have no idea how to do this.  But damn... you do look ready for it.”

“Sexy naked chicks will do that to a guy.  Or a half-wolf-half-guy-monstrosity, as it turns out.”

Jen giggled.  “Yeah.  Really not used to being seen as sexy.  Say it again?”

“You are the sexiest thing in the room, and that’s saying something, ‘cause I’m hot.”

“That’ll do.”  Jen started rubbing with her breasts, gently at first.  “How’s this?”

“Rrrglh...  That’s...  Oh yeah...  Oogh, chafing a bit now.”

Jen eased off on the pressure a bit, then started undulating her wonderfully flexible body a little faster.  “Better?”

“Uh...”

Jen sat back abruptly.  “Wow.  That is...  That is a remarkable amount of...”

“Yeah.  Woof.”

Jen giggled.  “You did not just...  Woah.  I think it got bigger.  What’s that big round bit for?”

“Damnit, Ray!  Looks like a knot.  He went all in on the canine thing.  That means I’m going to be stuck like this a while.”

“I’m just glad that’s not stuck in me!”  Jen leaned forward again, running her fingertips along the oddly shaped shaft.  “Kinda cool, though.  So different.”

Lucas went incoherent again, and even more so when Jen started using her breasts to good effect once more.

Some while later, both were doing their best to clean up the mess they made.  Jen thanked Lucas for being a good sport about it all, and Ray for his work on Lucas’ tongue.

Someone came down the hallway calling out, “Time everyone!  Time to change back.  Head back to the great room to get restored.”

Lucas gave himself one last shake.  “We better move it.  I’d hate to get Ray stuck, despite all my bitching earlier.”

Jen smirked.  “Yeah.  It’d suck to be stuck... like...  Wait.  Wait wait wait.  Changing back... is optional?  Why didn’t anyone tell me this?”

Lucas shrugged.  “There was a huge thing about it in the waiver.  Didn’t you read it?”

Jen shook her head, following behind him slowly.  “I... no, Tamsin sounded worried, so I kind of rushed.”

Lucas slowed his pace to match Jen, but nudged her to keep moving.  “C’mon.  This way.”

As they reached the end of the hall, Jen planted her feet and stopped.  “No.  I can’t, Lucas.  I just can’t.”

“Look, I have to.  I’ll be back in a bit, and you’ll see, right?”

Lucas darted off, and as soon as he passed into the great room, Jen saw him stumble.  Soon there were two guys in shaggy outfits standing where one had been.  After unentangling themselves from the outfit and quick pat-down to make sure everything was in the right place, they returned to Jen.

“Hey Ray.  Nice beard.”

Ray grinned.  “Thanks.  It’s my best feature.  That’s why Lucas got to be in front.  Was that really you, earlier?  I had no idea you...”

Jen hefted her boobs, watching as Ray’s eyes followed them.  “I hope you’re not going to tell me I have to change back, too.”

Ray looked her over and whistled.  “Damn.  You look amazing.  But once you’re out in the sun, you’ll be blinding.  Are you sure?”

“You just want a real catgirl to date,” grumped Lucas.

“Yeah, and?”

“That’s not fair to her.  She’s the one that’ll be stuck.”

“Guys!” protested Jen.  “I want this.  I want this so, so badly.  I can’t go back.”

Tamsin stormed up then, back to full size, fairy wings fluttering lopsidedly behind her.  “What is this about not going back?  Jen, you have to.”

“No.  No I don’t.  If I stay out here until...”

“Midnight,” supplied Lucas.  “You have ten minutes left to think about it.”

“I don’t even need one.  I’m staying.  Tamsin, you know why I have to.”

Tamsin shook her head.  “This isn’t the way, Jen!  There’s all kinds of magic out there now.  You don’t have to be day-glo orange.”

“Yeah.  And when am I ever going to be able to afford that?  This body is right, and it’s here, and it’s now and NO.  I.  Am.  Not.  Going.  Back.”  Jen’s tail lashed behind her, bottling with emotion.

“Please, Jen.  Think about this.  How will you live?  What about your job?”

“Psh.  Retail.  I’m sure I can find a store that’ll hire me if the old one won’t put up with it.  I don’t have a driver’s licence, no hassle there.  As long as I can make rent on my dinky little place, I’m good.  The building allows pets.”

Tamsin growled and rallied more arguments.  Lucas took Tamsin’s side, and Ray stuck by Jen’s right to do and be what she wanted.  They were still at it when “last minute” was called.

“You’re the last one, now that we found the other lovedoll,” said the ex-orc, still wearing green facepaint.  “You signed the waiver, if you’re stuck it’s not our fault.”

“I know,” shouted Jen.  “I know what I’m doing.”

“On your head be it, then.”

The clock in the great room started to chime.  Once, twice, again.  Jen stood transfixed, counting off the peals.  “Twelve.  Done.  This is me, now.”

“Aye,” agreed the ex-orc.  “I hope you’re happy.  You’re going to stand out something fierce tomorrow.”

Jen broke down in tears.  “What have I done?”

Tamsin sighed, and pulled her into a hug.  “It’ll all work out, Jen, you’ll see.”

Jen hugged her back.  “Thanks.”  After a few more sniffs she straightened up once more, ears perking with determination.  “But I don’t think that name works any more.”

“Here we go again,” muttered Lucas.

“Call me Jem.”