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Just Another Day In Lunar City
By Whitestripe
"Come on you slowpokes. Hurry up. We're going to be late to the opening." Canis
grumbled in annoyance, looking back at his brother and their group of friends. Behind him, his
twin brother, Malis let out a sigh. The little black labrador boy shaking his head slightly at his
brother's exuberance.
Honestly, this wasn't all that big of a deal. They were just running an errand for
Barton. Their father had ordered some new furniture for his office and it hadn't arrived. So the
boys had gathered up their friends and were making their way to pick it up themselves.
Though, they had added a few new friends to their little 'collection' over the last two
weeks. First, there was the golden rat, Jake. Poor jake looked a tad bit out of place walking
along with kids half a decade younger than him, but he had a shy smile on his muzzle as he
was chatting with Woe, their owl friend over some sort of machine he had just learned about.
Jake had been brought to their attention after nearly being turned into nothing but a
feral wyrm by Renard, the riding instructor at the Lunar Academy. One of their friends had
saved him from the fate of a dumb, trained beast and brought him to their home to make friends,
and, hopefully, learn how to avoid such a fate happening again.
Just behind those two, Gabe, a young lion boy, was walking beside their other friend,
Jet, a fox. The two chatting eagerly about a brand new video game that had just come out that
they'd both gotten. The two hadn't been thrilled with being used as delivery boys. But hey, they
were friends, and this is what friends did.
But walking right behind those two, were the two pup's newest friends that had recently
joined their miniature gang. The oldest of the three was a muscular leopard teen, maybe fifteen
years old. He was clad in blue pants, with a matching band around his forehead. Lin wasn't from
Lunaris, and from what he had told the two pups, he wasn't able to talk much about his own
country, just that it was a small place that usually kept to itself. He'd been a nice boy and a fast
friend to all of them.
The second of the three was a large, chubby panda, clad in a beautiful red mage's robe,
with a large silver crescent moon stitched onto its back. Poko the panda, was, as Canis and
Malis called him, 'the sweetest, most adorable cinnamon roll on the face of the planet and they
simply needed to have him for themselves'. Thus, long story short. They had kidnapped him,
and taken him to an all you can eat buffet. And proceeded to stuff him full of good food as they
talked about all the different books and stories they liked.
Sure, the owner of the restaurant had tried to add 'them' to the menu halfway through,
but honestly. It'd been a great time all around.
And last but not least of the trio was Sarok. An emerald serpent, and the youngest of the
trio at only thirteen years old. He'd been a bit cold. Scratch that, he'd been absolutely frigid to
the two pups when they had first met. He hadn't trusted them at all, which, all things
considered....
Was rather a smart thing considering where they lived at. Trusting almost anyone in
Lunar City was a good way to vanish off the face of the planet, to end up as a piece in
someone's collection.
He was still cool to them, but then again, he was that way with just about everyone
except for Poko and Lin. He wasn't exactly....in touch with his feelings. But after a day-long
spar, he'd opened up enough to the two pups to at least talk with them without staring at them
as though they didn't exist.
They'd take their victories where they could get them.
And finally, taking up the rear of the group, was John, a large, brown-furred wolf. He'd
drawn the 'short straw' for the day and had been chosen to be the 'babysitter' for the group. To
try and manage whatever havoc they might be getting into.
Canis and Malis had politely not mentioned that if they wanted to cause havoc. Nothing
was going to stop them. Let the older boys and girls thing that they were safe.
It would just make it even more fun to prank them.
"We're coming, we're coming, keep your horses in. The stuff isn't going anywhere."
Gabe said with a smile, rolling his eyes at just how excited Canis was. Honestly, that had to
mean there was something else going on. Canis was 'never' happy having to do boring chores.
Behind the lion, the snake boy let out a grumbling sigh as he looked at Lin and Poko.
"Why are we doing this again?" He muttered under his breath. "There are more than enough
people to carry the furnishings that need to be picked up. And with the magic the dogs have.
They could likely do this on their own. So why are we here?"
Poko reached over and playfully gave Sarok a shove on the shoulder. "Because silly, it's
what friends do. They asked for us to help them out. And even if we didn't need too. It's the right
thing to do. Besides." The panda told the snake brightly. "It means that I get to spend more time
with you and Lin, instead of stuck studying. And time with you two is the best time."
A small blush came over the snake's emerald scales as he glanced away quickly from
Poko. "Oh, well, I see. I suppose those are acceptable reasons, even if it's troublesome. I guess
it can't be helped." He half sputtered.
Lin chuckled as he playfully ruffled his paw on top of Sarok's head. "Ahhhhh, you look
cute when you blush Sarok. Don't see that all that often." He said teasingly.
Sarok let out a hiss. "Silence you stupid cat. I'm not blushing. I don't know what your
seeing, but you're obviously mistaken." He growled at his friend.
Lin just laughed even harder. "Right, right, whatever you say Sarok." He said before
glancing towards the boys leading the way. "Hey, Canis, Malis. Where is this place anyway, you
two have been tight-lipped about where we've been going since we left the academy." He called
out to them.
Canis glanced back over his shoulder. "It's right around the corner. Trust me, once we
get there. You can't miss it. You'll all recognize it." He said brightly.
And true to his word, as they round the corner, they could see a massive store that
practically dominated half the block. "Lunar City Furniture Mart" was written in massive,
glimmering letters right in front of the store. Inside of the windows, they could see furniture set
up for display.
But many of the pieces were not normal. Not normal in the least. They could see a pair
of stools set up on either side of a table. But neither of the stools were made of wood or metal.
Rather, they looked like a pair of raccoons, resting on all fours, frozen, unmoving, just staring
out blankly ahead. And the table was no different. This was a massive, burly red-furred fox. He
rested on all fours, his back smoothed out, and his fur shone in an almost wavy pattern, shiny,
like the wood grain on a normal wooden table. His eyes were glazed over, vacant, empty. Like
nobody was home.
The whole group came to a stop as they stared at the store. Even the trio, new as they
were to Lunar City and it's hellish academy recognized this place.
"Canis, Malis. Is that really the Lunar City Furniture Mart?" John asked in a shockingly
calm voice.
"Yep, yep it is." Canis said in a very, veeeery cheerful voice.
"The same Furniture Mart, where around 90 percent of customers tend to be added to
the stock, rather than being, you know, normal customers?" The wolf continued, almost
casually.
"The very same." Canis replied, his smile growing even larger.
With a very long, suffering sigh, John spoke up. "Alright, I'll bite. Why are we here?"
He asked slowly.
"We're friends with the owner actually," Malis spoke up. "We ended up helping to save
him by accident once. You know how things can be. There was this idiotic komodo dragon, he
tried to turn us into some cub steaks for his dinner. We....may have.....well, asploded him, and
when we did it, we restored his whole stock of food. Kalrin isn't a 'good' person. But he'll keep to
the promise he made us. Plus, he owes us."
John, as well as all of their other friends, exchanged looks. The two boys had been
evasive in their answer. They had given an answer. But not the answer that had been asked.
That could only mean one thing.....
"Boys.....are you planning to prank us?" John growled slowly. "Because I have work I
need to get done, and I really don't need to end up as a chair, or rug or something for a week."
The wolf complained.
"What? Us? Prank someone?" Malis began.
"YES!!" Came a resounding cry from each and every one of their friends as they just
stared at the two.
Malis and Canis both began to cackle rather manically. "Oh no, no no no. We aren't
planning to prank any of you. Swear on my magic. You guys are, however, helping us with
pranking someone." Malis told them all. "See, Barton's expecting a delivery of furniture for his
office while he's out teaching classes today. And we're going to be that delivery. That's the
prank. Just imagine his face when he finds some of his favorite students turned into furniture for
his office. Oh god, it's going to be great seeing him freak out." He said excitedly.
Lin was the first to blink, just staring at Malis and Canis. "And.....you expect us to just
go along with this......why?" He asked slowly, tilting his head.
"Because if you don't, then we let the Basilisk petting zoo come back. We all
remember just how much fun 'that' shitstorm was, don't we?" Both Canis and Malis said in a
sing-song voice.
A collective shudder went through the whole group at that.
Not again. Never again.
"You do realize. That when all of this is over. I'm going to pay you both back, right?"
Sarok hissed softly as he glared at the two puppies. "It's bad enough practically everyone wants
to turn me into something, and now you just want me to roll over and 'let' someone take us?"
"Well, I mean, I do have them on speed dial. I'm sure I can call them to come back
and put on a show for the Academy again." Canis said slowly, reaching into his pocket.
"Whoa, whoa, let's not do anything hasty now," Lin said quickly, mediating as best as
he could. "Look, Sarok, it's nothing permanent, this is just for a prank, we can help out with
them. Just.....think of it like a vacation, okay?"
Sarok glanced at Lin and hissed. "It's embarrassing. I'm a warrior. A fighter, I don't
just give up to an opponent Lin." He said firmly. "You might be okay with it, but I'm not."
Poko stepped in at this. "Just think of it as training Sarok. As a way to go undercover,
even if you have to do things you don't want to do, besides......you can take the time you're
stuck as furniture to plot a fitting vengeance on a pair of puppies who may or may not deserve
it." The panda said with a wide smile, even as his own gaze promised payback to this.
A look Canis and Malis both returned with a small nod.
Let it be known, it was at this moment, the greatest prank war The Lunar Academy
would ever know was being plotted.
John sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Fine. Fine, I'm only agreeing to this because if
I don't. Then you two are going to try and turn me into furniture yourselves. But you two so owe
us all for this, got it?" John growled firmly.
Canis and Malis shared a high five with each other. "Course John. You don't gotta
worry. See, Gabe's parents were able to pull some strings and get us reservations to Chez
Predatoria. You know, only the richest, most exclusive restaurant in all of Lunar City, totally free.
We thought that might be a fitting place to go once we're back to normal." Canis told them
brightly.
All of them stopped at that, and, as one, started drooling lightly. Everyone knew of
Chez Predatoria. It was only the greatest restaurant in the world. Its dishes were said to be so
legendary, that a single meal was like having your greatest dream come true. To get in, there
was over a year's waiting list, and they were very, veeeeery exclusive over who they let in the
door.
"I was wondering why you guys wanted that so badly. Fine, fine, we're in. I think I
speak for everyone when I say that we'd all love to see just how good that food is." Gabe said
with a cheerful grin. "But if anything really bad happens. Remember boys, payback is hell." The
lion boy said sweetly.
Canis and Malis grinned before turning. "Well then everyone, let's get going. We're
not going to end up furniture ourselves."
"Ah, Canis, Malis. The two ever so adorable labradors. Yes, yes, do please come in.
Such a delight to have you grace my store." The deep, rumbling voice of a truly massive beast
reached their ears. A hulking, eight-foot-tall T-rex padding towards them, clad in a fine white suit
and golden tie. The deep reverberating voice of the creature seemed to echo through the huge
store. And all around, there were countless dozens.....no, hundreds of furs, all serving as the
'furniture' or decorations of the store.
"Hey there Kalrin. Good to see you again." Canis said cheerfully. "These are our
friends. You know about the order our dad put in for furniture, a whole new set for his office,
right?" The pup asked warmly.
"Indeed, indeed my boy. I'm afraid that I haven't had time to fill out the order quite yet.
Been quite busy you know. Very busy indeed." The massive beast said excitedly. "There was a
trade convention that took up my whole schedule last week. But, I promise I can get the items
gathered up for you within the hour if you'd like to browse."
"Oh, no, no, see, that's the thing. We want you to use 'us' to fulfill the order for our
dad. You know, that is, if your willing to do that." Malis spoke up quickly, waving his paw back to
his friends. "That's why we're all here. You can do that, right?"
Kalrin blinked, staring for a few moments, his mouth opening and closing for a few
moments. He.....he had never actually encountered this before. Sure, he had heard stories. Of
people actually 'asking' to be transformed. But never in his years of life had he seen such a
thing before.
"And....you are.....you are all okay with being made into some of the most beautiful
furniture in the world?" The t-rex asked slowly, his eyes scanning over the group.
"Grudgingly." Sarok hissed, before getting an elbow courtesy of a panda boy, though
the others all nodded slowly to him.
A low, squee began to escape the rex's jaws as he practically began to bounce on his
feet, clapping his hands together. "Ooooooooh, yes, yes, yes, of course, I will allow you to fulfill
the order. And I'll even complete it myself. My assistants and workers can watch the store.
Come, come. We shall get to work right this moment. Don't you worry. By the time I'm done.
You all will be wonderful, wonderful furniture. As though you have always been this way. I
promise I do amazing work." The rex said happily before leading the group through his store,
leading them to the back, to a private section where only a single wooden door rested.
"Now, this is my private workroom. I'm afraid that I am only going to be preparing you
all one at a time. Let's see, let's see.....who to begin with.....hmmm, ah, yes. Yes, you, serpent
lad. Yes, you." Kalrin said with a grin as he pointed at a surprised Sarok. "Come, come, this
way." He said firmly before opening the door and heading inside.
Sarok let out a soft grumble, shooting another glare at the twins. "I swear if I don't get
out of this. I'm taking it out of your hides, got it?" He grumbled before making his way into the
office after the t-rex, the door clicking shut and locking behind them.
Sarok looked around as he was led into the private room. It was fairly dark, and,
mostly empty except for a strange machine set in the center of the room, hanging right off of the
ceiling.
"Welcome to my prep room little one, it's quite simple. All I need you to do is come
right over here under this device, and it will do all of the heavy work with us. It'll use your own
magic to convert you into what you should have always been. And, once it's finished. Well, we
won't have to worry about anything hurting you again, I promise." The rex said with a bright grin,
waving for Sarok to come forward.
Sarok hesitated. This went against everything he'd ever been taught. Everything he
believed in. But.....but Poko and Lin seemed okay with it. So, maybe it was just some strange
mammal thing they did for each other. Maybe he could just treat this as another learning
experience. A way to learn about this strange, crazy world he had followed Poko into.
That thought helped to steel his heart as he nodded to Kalrin and slowly moved over
to stand under the device, watching the t-rex. "Alright, now what?" He asked slowly.
"Oh, nothing, nothing, just relax my boy. Just relax. It'll all be over soon." The t-rex
cooed gently to him, waving a paw as the device above Sarok hummed to life, and a pulse of
bluish light suddenly washed down over the snake boy, pulsing lightly, almost in time with
Sarok's heartbeat.
Sarok went rigid, worry and instinct screaming at him to move, to get out of this, but
he forced himself to relax. To not fight back. Slowly, a warm feeling washed through him, his
vision going white for a moment, as flashes of scenes not of his life passed before his eyes.
For a moment, he could see himself somewhere....it looked like.....like an office....it
was dark outside, but there was a warm, cheery light that was filling the office. Giving it an
almost homey feel to it. And.....and....was the light.....was the light coming from him?
But then....why....why wouldn't the light be coming from him? He....he was a lamp
after all. That was his purpose. What he had been built for. To light the darkness. To give
whoever turned him on light......This was his desk that he was resting on, where his owner had
set him after he'd been purchased from a store before, pulled out of his box.....he could
remember it like it was yesterday.....
As that vision washed through Sarok's mind, his body began to move on its own.
Slowly, the serpent boy crouched down on all fours. His hands resting just in front of his feet.
His tail coiling around, again and again around his legs, moving up and down them as they were
tied tightly together, to give him a nice, solid base. His clothes, his daggers, all of it dissolved
away under the pulsing blue light. Though the serpent boy showed no notice of this as he lifted
his head towards the ceiling, his jaws opening as widely as he could, and from his jaws a
radiant light began to fill the room, brightening it up considerably.
"There we go. Good, good little lamp. Such a pretty little snake style lamp. A one of a
kind piece of art you are." Kalrin cooed as he watched as his invention work over the serpent
boy. Draining away his magic, absorbing it, even as it replaced it with its own power, to fuel and
funnel anything that would normally require electricity.
"That's it, shhh, shh, fade, relax." The rex rumbled stepping towards the little serpent
boy as he could see his eyes glazing over, his scales growing shiny, as though they had been
painted and then put through a kiln. And as the machine shut down again. Not a trace of
movement could be seen from the serpent lamp. Little Sarok staring vacantly, blankly up at the
ceiling, body unmoving.
"There we are, all done. No more you. Just a nice, pretty lamp." Kalrin rumbled as he
moved forward, reaching out, and, almost as though his jaws were on a hinge, shut Sarok's
jaws, the light turning off as though he had flipped a switch. "Now, let me just get you your tag,
and then, we'll put you right, forever." He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a large
red tag and a pen, jotting down a price upon it before gently wrapping it around the serpent
lamp's neck.
As he did so, the machine began to hum and glow with a bright red light, before
suddenly releasing a pulse of ruby light from it. A vast wave suddenly rocketing out of the room
as Kalrin glanced up, before patting the serpent lamp's smooth, cool scales on his head. That
pulse had finished it. This little lamp, whatever it had used to be. No longer existed. As far as
Lunar city, no, rather, the world was concerned, he no longer existed. Indeed, he had 'never'
existed in the first place.
But that was the genius of his invention. Rather than just 'removing' the victim from
history and memory. It simply....twisted it. Now, whenever anyone who may have known Sarok
would try and think or remember him. They would not remember him. Rather, they would
remember a beautiful, emerald scaled snake lamp.
And that's all they would remember ever again.
Now, who would he choose next?
Poko gulped slightly as he stepped into the darkened room, the large, chubby panda
smiling shyly as he was led into the room before his eyes landed on a small, snake lamp. It
almost looked like a person crouched on all fours, the long serpentine tail wrapped tightly
around the four limbs to give it a nice stable base, it's head looking straight up as it remained
rigid and unmoving.
The panda stared at the lamp for a moment, before an almost eager smile came over
his face as he moved over to get a closer look at it. "Whoa.....it's....I mean, I saw the store but
this is....wow. I saw a lamp just like this one when I was a little younger, I think it was stolen by
a tribe of lizard people. One of them owned it in the hut they kept me trapped at. And I saw it a
few other times too. Actually, now that I think about it, I think I saw it a lot." The panda said with
a giggle.
"Oh, I'm not surprised, it's quite a common brand I believe. A very popular snake lamp
color." The rex said with a casual nod of his head. "Now my boy, I know you like the item I've
made, but we have work to do. Please, under the machine now my boy. It's time to see what
you'll be." He said firmly.
Poko blinked, as though just realizing that he was soon to be joining that serpent
lamp. "Oh, um, right, right. Okay." He said shyly as he slowly made his way over to under the
machine "Um, I'm ready sir. Go ahead."
Kalrin smiled and nodded his head, flicking his hand as the machine activated,
sending those pulses of magic down onto Poko, just as they had Sarok.
Poor Poko didn't know what had hit him. One moment, he was standing in the room,
the next, he was on all fours, in an office. But then.....then of course he was. Why....why
wouldn't he be in his office. This was his after all. His place. Where else would a Panda style
desk be but in his owner's office? Firm, strong, unmoving. He was the finest desk on the market.
Giving his owner a great place to work, and to store whatever he wanted on him.....ya....he
was....was....fulfilling his....purp-
Kalrin leaned forward, watching excitedly as Poko's clothes dissolved away. The
large, six-foot-tall panda dropping onto all fours. His large chub pressing against the ground,
giving him an almost boxy sort of rectangular shape, just perfect for what he was becoming. The
panda's back began to smooth out, as though someone was taking a rolling pin over it.
Flattening and smoothing out his fur along his rear, his back, and his head. His ears being
pushed down to either side of his head, like little decorations.
Before long, his back was smooth and shiny, as though it had just been waxed and
varnished. That same, shiny look starting to rapidly spread over the panda's body, sealing his
fur in a smooth, almost hard shell. The panda's expression being forever frozen in a dopey,
vacant smile. A nice, lifeless 'happy panda' brand table.
And as the magic faded away. The panda boy was gone forever, the pulse of ruby
light washing the boy from the world's memory. "Ah, beautiful, beautiful. Simply stunning my
sweet little table." Kalrin cooed happily as he strode forward, a price tag already made as he
gently slipped it over one of Poko's fangs. The panda not blinking, not moving in the slightest as
he was priced like an ordinary item.
The t-rex stepped back, taking in the sight of the new panda table, before tisking.
Something was just missing but what was.....oh, oh, yes, yes of course.
With a grin, Kalrin reached over and gently reached over and grabbed the serpent
lamp, and ever so gently, he put it onto the panda's smooth back, before opening its jaws,
letting light spill from its maw.
"There, that's perfect. A table is nothing if it isn't being used. Oooooh, you'll look
simply wonderful." The rex said excitedly, clapping his paws as he went to get his next victim.
"Heh, I gotta admit, this is a bit new to me. But I gotta say, you do really fine work." Lin
said, the leopard looking in amazement at the table and desk set along one side of the room.
Both of them looked familiar. Memories of being in an ancient temple. These....these almost
looked like items that he had been guarding.....right? Ya....that had to be it, just a coincidence
was all. There were probably dozens of these items in this city alone.
"Oh, you're making me blush. But I do believe in only the finest work for both them
and my customers. I give meaning to these items. A purpose. And believe me, if they were able
to think, I'm sure they would be very, very happy." The rex said, reaching out and casually
knocking his fist against the panda's head. It's expression never changing in the slightest.
Lin chuckled as the leopard moved over to the center of the room and stretched.
"Alrighty, do your worst. I'm ready for whatever you got for me." He said, before going rigid as
the machine suddenly activated and he was engulfed within its magic.
The leopard suddenly found his vision changing. He was.....he was laying in a vast
treasure hall, beauty and splendor surrounded him and he could feel.....he could feel his
master's feet resting on him......yes, his dragon master. The one....the one who had hunted
him.....caught him....skinned and tanned his hide.....made him...made him a nice, pretty,
handsome throw rug....that...that was what he was...his purpose. To be soft, to be fluffy and
warm for his owner's paws to rest on after a long day.....just....just a.....a ru-
With a flop, the leopard's body collapsed under the magic, his cloths vanishing as he
fell forward, falling spread eagle along the ground. His body seemed to deflate along the
ground, his arms, his chest, his legs. Everything but his head losing it's substance, as though he
was being hollowed out until nothing but his empty, soft pelt remained. The leopard's head
remained open, a silent roar frozen on his jaws as his eyes glazed over, looking almost like
glass.
And like that. Lin was no more. Reduced to nothing more than an ordinary leopard
skin rug. Every memory, every thought of him replaced by a perfectly ordinary, fur made object.
With a cheery whistle, Kalrin strolled over and tied a price tag around the rug's tail,
gently stroking a paw through his soft, silky fur. "Ooooh yes, a rug very much suits whoever you
used to be. I'm sure your new owner will love having you for his office." He said before scooping
up the rug and starting to roll it up before moving to set it on the table with all the other items.
Now, to the next.
John couldn't help but marvel at the items laid out in the back of the room. They were
all beautifully made, and even with only his magical sight, he could see that rather than being
made from people, they all were 100 percent ordinary objects. They'd never been people. They
must have all been hand made. Huh, he wondered if he would look like that when the rex was
done with him.
The wolf was drawn out of his thoughts as the machine above him activated, letting
out a soft yip as the magic suddenly cascaded down onto him, and like that, his vision changed.
He was in a busy hallway. But then, this was always where he was. Every second of every day.
He was sitting on all fours, proudly staring forward. His welcome sign hanging from his jaws.
Yes, this was his job. To be welcoming, to be a handsome, pretty statue. After all, he may have
'looked' like a brown wolf. But that was only because his maker had wanted him to look like one.
Yes....he was....was just a statue.....pretty.....handsome.....
John's clothes were seared away as the wolf slowly dropped onto all fours. His sleek
brown fur smoothing down, all across his body as he began to grow rigid, looking almost like he
was panting as a sign began to appear in front of him. It hung on a little bar that rested in the
wolf's jaws, suspended on either side on little chains. A bright, cheery "WELCOME" was written
out on the little slab of marble.
John's jaws closed around the sign, and like that, the wolf froze. His eyes glazing over
as all signs of life faded away from him. He showed no reaction at all as that pulse of magic
sealed his fate, wiping him from memory, from the world. To the world, he had never been born.
Only created all those years ago by an artisan, and sold to a pair of brown wolves, that had
almost looked like him before....before he'd been sold again....
A gentle pat on the head silenced the wolf's mind forever, as a tag was gently tied
around his ear. "Such a handsome, nice, little welcome wolf you are. And what a pretty shade of
brown. Whoever painted and sealed you truly knew what they were doing." Kalrin said with a
smile, before laughing. "Heh, but then, why am I talking to you? It's not like a statue can answer
me back." He said before flicking the statue's nose, scooping it up under one arm, and carrying
it over to set it up with the rest of the furniture and items for the office.
Jet and Gabe both stepped into the room. The pair of them had both been invited at
the same time. The two standing nervously in the center of the room. They'd practically fawned
over the furniture already set up. Apparently, Barton had a lot of furniture, and there just hadn't
been enough to cover all the needs, but this was fine. It wasn't like they were going to stay as
whatever he ma-
Both boy's thoughts were cut off as the machine activated and the magical power
began to bombard their minds and bodies. Both Jet and Gabe saw a similar scene, albeit from
opposite sides. They were......they were soft, comfortable, and firm, so firm. But then
again....they needed to be, didn't they? They were....they were good chairs. They needed to be
able to support someone....to keep them comfortable as they sat and did their work. And to
entertain guests to the office that was their home.....after all....without.....without
them.....then...they'd be on the floor......That...that couldn't happ-
Gabe and Jet's bodies both began to move slowly. Mirror images of each other. Their
tails seemed to twist and twine before hardening, forming a third 'leg' for the chair they were
becoming as they crouched down slightly. Lifting their arms to either side of them and holding
them rigid. Good little paw rests for whoever would like to sit on them. Their expressions
relaxing, growing blank as their eyes glazed over. After all....they weren't real animals.....they
were just....just chairs.....soft, fur-covered chairs.....to be even extra soft and comfy for
whoever....whoever....
A vast pulse of magic washed the pair away forever. Leaving a handsome lion and fox
pair of chairs. Perfect for whatever office or room would have them. Kalrin moved over, gently
placing a price tag over the right pawsrests of the new chairs, marveling at just how soft their fur
was. Oh yes, these two would be naturals. They'd be the softest seats for whichever lucky fur
they were delivered too.
And soon, he would have a full study full of furniture. It wouldn't be long now.
Woe let out a sigh as he stood under the machine. Honestly. He was a good friend.
But Canis and Malis were pushing it with this. He may have had a bit of shapeshifting magic.
But it was much more complicated when he was letting someone 'else' transform him. But
apparently, the man didn't have quite enough items for the order and was hoping he and the
twins could fill in until the items could be crafted and shipped out, and then he would be
replaced with the ordinary item.
That wasn't going to be that bad, right?
His thoughts were cut off though as his vision suddenly went white. And he found
himself on a desk. But....wait....no, that was wrong. That was silly. He'd always been on a desk.
His desk, this was...was his place. Right under the snake lamp that he rested up against......The
soft, calming ticking filled his mind. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. The gentle metronome helped
to sooth the owl clock. What was he thinking for, what was he worrying for? Nothing else matter.
No, nothing but the time. He had to keep track of the time for his owner. If he didn't....if he.....he
did-
The owl's thoughts crumbled away as he crouched down. A sleek disk forming right in
front of his chest, resting on his feet. On either side, his wings took hold of the disk as the gentle
ticking sound began to fill the air. The owl almost seeming to smile as his fur began to look
sleek and hard as he held tightly to the disk, a thin clock. His clock. After all, what sort of owl
clock would he be if he couldn't track the time?
But then....why did an owl clock even need to think in the first p-
The second pulse of magic finished Woe off. Sealing him forever in the fate of an
ornate, one of a kind owl desk clock. What he'd always been since he had been put together all
those years ago.
And of course......what he would always be again.
Canis and Malis grinned as they scampered into the room together. A mirrored smile
on either of their muzzles as they looked at the furniture that they had ordered from their father.
"Sweet, you really have everything he needs right here?" Canis asked excitedly as the two
came in.
"Of course, of course," Kalrin said gently. "Everything you asked for is right here,
ready to be shipped off once you give the okay." He said happily.
The two pups nodded. They'd come down today to check up and make sure their
father's furniture had come in. And here it all was, ready to go. Ooooooh, their dad was going to
be so happy with them. His office was ancient. Literally. The furniture and items hadn't been
replaced in like the last two centuries. So, they'd taken it upon themselves to see about getting it
renovated and upd-
Their thoughts were cut off as they stepped into the center of the room and suddenly
engulfed by an aura of blue light. The rex grinning from ear to ear as the two pups froze in place
as their minds were suddenly elsewhere.
They were resting back to back with each other. Like they always were. A pair of
fierce little puppies. Right now, they didn't have anything between them. But that was okay. That
meant they were together. A perfect pair. Exact replicas of each other. But then....why wouldn't
they be? They were bookends. They were meant to hold books on their owner's desk or
wherever he wanted to keep them. Right beside his clock and lamp. A handsome pair of
doggies to greet any visitor that arrived.
The two pups dropped down to all fours. Moving almost on autopilot as their clothes
dissolved away. They rested up against each other. Their backs pressed firmly to each other as
they pressed themselves down as far as they could, to make themselves smaller and more
compact. The perfect size to hold the large heavy tomes of their future owner. Custom made
for.....for......their.....ow-
Their thoughts fizzled away as their existence was wiped from reality. The two
labrador pups staring out blankly as their fur smoothed out, looking almost like textured stone,
rather than true, black fur. But neither of them noticed.
No.....they were just book-ends.....
"Ah. I always love having such satisfied customers." Kalrin said, gently putting a pair
of price tags around the pair of bookends necks. He scooped them up and gently set them on
the desk, stepping back to marvel at them before giving a happy nod. "Now, let's get you
delivered. And ensure that you'll never, ever come back." He said before pulling out his
cellphone to call his movers and get these items shipped out to their owner.
Barton let out a yawn as he walked up to his office, blinking as he saw a new item
sitting out right in front of the door. An almost full-sized wolf statue, sitting on all fours. A happy
smile on its muzzle as it held a welcome sign in its jaws. "Oh, oh, heh, I forgot, it seems my new
office order finally came in," Barton said happily to himself as he walked over, reaching out to
gently stroke a paw over the smooth stone surface of the wolf's head before he opened the door
and stepped in.
Despite knowing what he'd ordered, he couldn't help but let out a gasp in
astonishment. It was one thing to see it in a magazine. But to see it in person was breathtaking.
There, settle out in the center of the room was a large, beautiful pelt of a leopard, crafted into a
handsome throw rug. It was sure to be a wonderful item for his students to see when they came
to visit him. And there was his new desk as well. The large 'happy panda' brand desk had been
an instant hit with him. It'd been so very adorable, he simply had to have it.
And on either side of the table, where the pair of chairs he had ordered. Barton
rumbling to himself as he moved over and sat in the lion-shaped chair. A happy sigh slipping
from his jaws as he settled back against the soft fur, just basking in the feeling of the downy
softness against his body.
"Mhmm, perfect. Man, the pictures don't do these chairs justice." The badger muttered
under his breath, glancing at his fox chair before his eyes drifted to his desk. There were the
extra-large bookends he had ordered for some of his rarer magical tomes. Such handsome little
puppies. Whoever had carved them had done an amazing job. And then there was the beautiful
owl clock ticking away, resting up against the snake lamp he had ordered.
And the best part of it all was. The school had paid for everything. It hadn't cost him a
single thing. "Oh yes....yes, life is good. Life is good indeed." Barton rumbled before he heard
the door to his office open, and he saw his best friend Kugo coming in, pushing a large metal
tray.
"Oh, Barton, you wouldn't believe what I caught. This uppity rat here was screaming
and yelling about how you had kids. And where actually a 'good' teacher. Can you believe that?"
Kugo asked with a laugh. "I had Travis.....talk with him....and thought you could use a good
meal." The kangaroo said brightly, letting out a low whistle as he looked around the office.
"Wow, quite a good look. Love what you've done with the place. Hundred percent fur?" He
asked happily.
Barton snorted. "But of course, what else would I settle with? After all, ever since that
day you showed me the light and had me eat those people when Leogun and Whitestripe
vanished. Why would I ignore the best the prey have to offer me?" He asked as Kugo reached
him, the badger reaching over and pulling the top off of the tray, and grinning down as he saw
the large, golden rat resting on a dish, his eyes blank, glazed over with an apple in his jaws.
"Mhmm, fresh rat roast. My favorite." Barton rumbled, reaching over to grab the rat's
tail and casually lifting him up. "Down the hatch little rat. You're going to a good
cause....heh...my waistline." He growled.
Ommmmph.
"THAT. WAS. AWESOME." Came the pair of squee's as the two labradors stared at
the large mirror set against the wall, the images of Barton devouring the golden rat fading away
into a misty greyness.
Barton frowned as he looked at his two boys, as well as all of their friends gathered
together in his office.
"When one looks into the....." Barton trailed off for a moment. "The...... 'what if portal',
one doesn't tend to say 'awesome' when they see what their fates would have been in an
alternate timeline."
"Heh, well, dad always liked to know things. That's why he made it." Canis said with a
giggle.
"Be that as it may. That right there is what would have happened if I hadn't caught you
lot when you were going to skip class to go to that blasted furniture store today." Barton
growled, crossing his arms.
"Ah, come on dad, it would have been great. I bet it'd have been fun being furniture for
a few decades." Malis said sarcastically.
Barton raised an eyebrow. "Oh, if you wanted that, you could have just asked." He
said, lifting his paw, as Malis's eyes widened and he let out a squeak as his body suddenly
popped into a large, black, suitcoat that flopped over onto the ground. Barton casually moving
over and picking it up and dusting it off before speaking to the coat. "Considered yourself
grounded for the rest of the week. I'll turn you back after the Lunar Ball is done." He said before
looking at Canis who squeaked and backed up.
"And as for you Canis......I need a matching pair of pants......so.....you're grounded
too."
"No....please....mercy." Canis squeaked before a pair of soft, black, lab furred dress
slacks flopped onto the ground, much to the laughter of their gathered friends as the two pups
were finally given a taste of their own medicine.
"You know, after a good cleaning, I bet they wouldn't turn back," Sarok said with a
grin.
A pair of elbows hit the snake's gut.
"Ooof....what? I'm just saying."
-----------------------------------------
Just Another Day In Lunar City
By Whitestripe
"Come on you slowpokes. Hurry up. We're going to be late to the opening." Canis
grumbled in annoyance, looking back at his brother and their group of friends. Behind him, his
twin brother, Malis let out a sigh. The little black labrador boy shaking his head slightly at his
brother's exuberance.
Honestly, this wasn't all that big of a deal. They were just running an errand for
Barton. Their father had ordered some new furniture for his office and it hadn't arrived. So the
boys had gathered up their friends and were making their way to pick it up themselves.
Though, they had added a few new friends to their little 'collection' over the last two
weeks. First, there was the golden rat, Jake. Poor jake looked a tad bit out of place walking
along with kids half a decade younger than him, but he had a shy smile on his muzzle as he
was chatting with Woe, their owl friend over some sort of machine he had just learned about.
Jake had been brought to their attention after nearly being turned into nothing but a
feral wyrm by Renard, the riding instructor at the Lunar Academy. One of their friends had
saved him from the fate of a dumb, trained beast and brought him to their home to make friends,
and, hopefully, learn how to avoid such a fate happening again.
Just behind those two, Gabe, a young lion boy, was walking beside their other friend,
Jet, a fox. The two chatting eagerly about a brand new video game that had just come out that
they'd both gotten. The two hadn't been thrilled with being used as delivery boys. But hey, they
were friends, and this is what friends did.
But walking right behind those two, were the two pup's newest friends that had recently
joined their miniature gang. The oldest of the three was a muscular leopard teen, maybe fifteen
years old. He was clad in blue pants, with a matching band around his forehead. Lin wasn't from
Lunaris, and from what he had told the two pups, he wasn't able to talk much about his own
country, just that it was a small place that usually kept to itself. He'd been a nice boy and a fast
friend to all of them.
The second of the three was a large, chubby panda, clad in a beautiful red mage's robe,
with a large silver crescent moon stitched onto its back. Poko the panda, was, as Canis and
Malis called him, 'the sweetest, most adorable cinnamon roll on the face of the planet and they
simply needed to have him for themselves'. Thus, long story short. They had kidnapped him,
and taken him to an all you can eat buffet. And proceeded to stuff him full of good food as they
talked about all the different books and stories they liked.
Sure, the owner of the restaurant had tried to add 'them' to the menu halfway through,
but honestly. It'd been a great time all around.
And last but not least of the trio was Sarok. An emerald serpent, and the youngest of the
trio at only thirteen years old. He'd been a bit cold. Scratch that, he'd been absolutely frigid to
the two pups when they had first met. He hadn't trusted them at all, which, all things
considered....
Was rather a smart thing considering where they lived at. Trusting almost anyone in
Lunar City was a good way to vanish off the face of the planet, to end up as a piece in
someone's collection.
He was still cool to them, but then again, he was that way with just about everyone
except for Poko and Lin. He wasn't exactly....in touch with his feelings. But after a day-long
spar, he'd opened up enough to the two pups to at least talk with them without staring at them
as though they didn't exist.
They'd take their victories where they could get them.
And finally, taking up the rear of the group, was John, a large, brown-furred wolf. He'd
drawn the 'short straw' for the day and had been chosen to be the 'babysitter' for the group. To
try and manage whatever havoc they might be getting into.
Canis and Malis had politely not mentioned that if they wanted to cause havoc. Nothing
was going to stop them. Let the older boys and girls thing that they were safe.
It would just make it even more fun to prank them.
"We're coming, we're coming, keep your horses in. The stuff isn't going anywhere."
Gabe said with a smile, rolling his eyes at just how excited Canis was. Honestly, that had to
mean there was something else going on. Canis was 'never' happy having to do boring chores.
Behind the lion, the snake boy let out a grumbling sigh as he looked at Lin and Poko.
"Why are we doing this again?" He muttered under his breath. "There are more than enough
people to carry the furnishings that need to be picked up. And with the magic the dogs have.
They could likely do this on their own. So why are we here?"
Poko reached over and playfully gave Sarok a shove on the shoulder. "Because silly, it's
what friends do. They asked for us to help them out. And even if we didn't need too. It's the right
thing to do. Besides." The panda told the snake brightly. "It means that I get to spend more time
with you and Lin, instead of stuck studying. And time with you two is the best time."
A small blush came over the snake's emerald scales as he glanced away quickly from
Poko. "Oh, well, I see. I suppose those are acceptable reasons, even if it's troublesome. I guess
it can't be helped." He half sputtered.
Lin chuckled as he playfully ruffled his paw on top of Sarok's head. "Ahhhhh, you look
cute when you blush Sarok. Don't see that all that often." He said teasingly.
Sarok let out a hiss. "Silence you stupid cat. I'm not blushing. I don't know what your
seeing, but you're obviously mistaken." He growled at his friend.
Lin just laughed even harder. "Right, right, whatever you say Sarok." He said before
glancing towards the boys leading the way. "Hey, Canis, Malis. Where is this place anyway, you
two have been tight-lipped about where we've been going since we left the academy." He called
out to them.
Canis glanced back over his shoulder. "It's right around the corner. Trust me, once we
get there. You can't miss it. You'll all recognize it." He said brightly.
And true to his word, as they round the corner, they could see a massive store that
practically dominated half the block. "Lunar City Furniture Mart" was written in massive,
glimmering letters right in front of the store. Inside of the windows, they could see furniture set
up for display.
But many of the pieces were not normal. Not normal in the least. They could see a pair
of stools set up on either side of a table. But neither of the stools were made of wood or metal.
Rather, they looked like a pair of raccoons, resting on all fours, frozen, unmoving, just staring
out blankly ahead. And the table was no different. This was a massive, burly red-furred fox. He
rested on all fours, his back smoothed out, and his fur shone in an almost wavy pattern, shiny,
like the wood grain on a normal wooden table. His eyes were glazed over, vacant, empty. Like
nobody was home.
The whole group came to a stop as they stared at the store. Even the trio, new as they
were to Lunar City and it's hellish academy recognized this place.
"Canis, Malis. Is that really the Lunar City Furniture Mart?" John asked in a shockingly
calm voice.
"Yep, yep it is." Canis said in a very, veeeery cheerful voice.
"The same Furniture Mart, where around 90 percent of customers tend to be added to
the stock, rather than being, you know, normal customers?" The wolf continued, almost
casually.
"The very same." Canis replied, his smile growing even larger.
With a very long, suffering sigh, John spoke up. "Alright, I'll bite. Why are we here?"
He asked slowly.
"We're friends with the owner actually," Malis spoke up. "We ended up helping to save
him by accident once. You know how things can be. There was this idiotic komodo dragon, he
tried to turn us into some cub steaks for his dinner. We....may have.....well, asploded him, and
when we did it, we restored his whole stock of food. Kalrin isn't a 'good' person. But he'll keep to
the promise he made us. Plus, he owes us."
John, as well as all of their other friends, exchanged looks. The two boys had been
evasive in their answer. They had given an answer. But not the answer that had been asked.
That could only mean one thing.....
"Boys.....are you planning to prank us?" John growled slowly. "Because I have work I
need to get done, and I really don't need to end up as a chair, or rug or something for a week."
The wolf complained.
"What? Us? Prank someone?" Malis began.
"YES!!" Came a resounding cry from each and every one of their friends as they just
stared at the two.
Malis and Canis both began to cackle rather manically. "Oh no, no no no. We aren't
planning to prank any of you. Swear on my magic. You guys are, however, helping us with
pranking someone." Malis told them all. "See, Barton's expecting a delivery of furniture for his
office while he's out teaching classes today. And we're going to be that delivery. That's the
prank. Just imagine his face when he finds some of his favorite students turned into furniture for
his office. Oh god, it's going to be great seeing him freak out." He said excitedly.
Lin was the first to blink, just staring at Malis and Canis. "And.....you expect us to just
go along with this......why?" He asked slowly, tilting his head.
"Because if you don't, then we let the Basilisk petting zoo come back. We all
remember just how much fun 'that' shitstorm was, don't we?" Both Canis and Malis said in a
sing-song voice.
A collective shudder went through the whole group at that.
Not again. Never again.
"You do realize. That when all of this is over. I'm going to pay you both back, right?"
Sarok hissed softly as he glared at the two puppies. "It's bad enough practically everyone wants
to turn me into something, and now you just want me to roll over and 'let' someone take us?"
"Well, I mean, I do have them on speed dial. I'm sure I can call them to come back
and put on a show for the Academy again." Canis said slowly, reaching into his pocket.
"Whoa, whoa, let's not do anything hasty now," Lin said quickly, mediating as best as
he could. "Look, Sarok, it's nothing permanent, this is just for a prank, we can help out with
them. Just.....think of it like a vacation, okay?"
Sarok glanced at Lin and hissed. "It's embarrassing. I'm a warrior. A fighter, I don't
just give up to an opponent Lin." He said firmly. "You might be okay with it, but I'm not."
Poko stepped in at this. "Just think of it as training Sarok. As a way to go undercover,
even if you have to do things you don't want to do, besides......you can take the time you're
stuck as furniture to plot a fitting vengeance on a pair of puppies who may or may not deserve
it." The panda said with a wide smile, even as his own gaze promised payback to this.
A look Canis and Malis both returned with a small nod.
Let it be known, it was at this moment, the greatest prank war The Lunar Academy
would ever know was being plotted.
John sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Fine. Fine, I'm only agreeing to this because if
I don't. Then you two are going to try and turn me into furniture yourselves. But you two so owe
us all for this, got it?" John growled firmly.
Canis and Malis shared a high five with each other. "Course John. You don't gotta
worry. See, Gabe's parents were able to pull some strings and get us reservations to Chez
Predatoria. You know, only the richest, most exclusive restaurant in all of Lunar City, totally free.
We thought that might be a fitting place to go once we're back to normal." Canis told them
brightly.
All of them stopped at that, and, as one, started drooling lightly. Everyone knew of
Chez Predatoria. It was only the greatest restaurant in the world. Its dishes were said to be so
legendary, that a single meal was like having your greatest dream come true. To get in, there
was over a year's waiting list, and they were very, veeeeery exclusive over who they let in the
door.
"I was wondering why you guys wanted that so badly. Fine, fine, we're in. I think I
speak for everyone when I say that we'd all love to see just how good that food is." Gabe said
with a cheerful grin. "But if anything really bad happens. Remember boys, payback is hell." The
lion boy said sweetly.
Canis and Malis grinned before turning. "Well then everyone, let's get going. We're
not going to end up furniture ourselves."
"Ah, Canis, Malis. The two ever so adorable labradors. Yes, yes, do please come in.
Such a delight to have you grace my store." The deep, rumbling voice of a truly massive beast
reached their ears. A hulking, eight-foot-tall T-rex padding towards them, clad in a fine white suit
and golden tie. The deep reverberating voice of the creature seemed to echo through the huge
store. And all around, there were countless dozens.....no, hundreds of furs, all serving as the
'furniture' or decorations of the store.
"Hey there Kalrin. Good to see you again." Canis said cheerfully. "These are our
friends. You know about the order our dad put in for furniture, a whole new set for his office,
right?" The pup asked warmly.
"Indeed, indeed my boy. I'm afraid that I haven't had time to fill out the order quite yet.
Been quite busy you know. Very busy indeed." The massive beast said excitedly. "There was a
trade convention that took up my whole schedule last week. But, I promise I can get the items
gathered up for you within the hour if you'd like to browse."
"Oh, no, no, see, that's the thing. We want you to use 'us' to fulfill the order for our
dad. You know, that is, if your willing to do that." Malis spoke up quickly, waving his paw back to
his friends. "That's why we're all here. You can do that, right?"
Kalrin blinked, staring for a few moments, his mouth opening and closing for a few
moments. He.....he had never actually encountered this before. Sure, he had heard stories. Of
people actually 'asking' to be transformed. But never in his years of life had he seen such a
thing before.
"And....you are.....you are all okay with being made into some of the most beautiful
furniture in the world?" The t-rex asked slowly, his eyes scanning over the group.
"Grudgingly." Sarok hissed, before getting an elbow courtesy of a panda boy, though
the others all nodded slowly to him.
A low, squee began to escape the rex's jaws as he practically began to bounce on his
feet, clapping his hands together. "Ooooooooh, yes, yes, yes, of course, I will allow you to fulfill
the order. And I'll even complete it myself. My assistants and workers can watch the store.
Come, come. We shall get to work right this moment. Don't you worry. By the time I'm done.
You all will be wonderful, wonderful furniture. As though you have always been this way. I
promise I do amazing work." The rex said happily before leading the group through his store,
leading them to the back, to a private section where only a single wooden door rested.
"Now, this is my private workroom. I'm afraid that I am only going to be preparing you
all one at a time. Let's see, let's see.....who to begin with.....hmmm, ah, yes. Yes, you, serpent
lad. Yes, you." Kalrin said with a grin as he pointed at a surprised Sarok. "Come, come, this
way." He said firmly before opening the door and heading inside.
Sarok let out a soft grumble, shooting another glare at the twins. "I swear if I don't get
out of this. I'm taking it out of your hides, got it?" He grumbled before making his way into the
office after the t-rex, the door clicking shut and locking behind them.
Sarok looked around as he was led into the private room. It was fairly dark, and,
mostly empty except for a strange machine set in the center of the room, hanging right off of the
ceiling.
"Welcome to my prep room little one, it's quite simple. All I need you to do is come
right over here under this device, and it will do all of the heavy work with us. It'll use your own
magic to convert you into what you should have always been. And, once it's finished. Well, we
won't have to worry about anything hurting you again, I promise." The rex said with a bright grin,
waving for Sarok to come forward.
Sarok hesitated. This went against everything he'd ever been taught. Everything he
believed in. But.....but Poko and Lin seemed okay with it. So, maybe it was just some strange
mammal thing they did for each other. Maybe he could just treat this as another learning
experience. A way to learn about this strange, crazy world he had followed Poko into.
That thought helped to steel his heart as he nodded to Kalrin and slowly moved over
to stand under the device, watching the t-rex. "Alright, now what?" He asked slowly.
"Oh, nothing, nothing, just relax my boy. Just relax. It'll all be over soon." The t-rex
cooed gently to him, waving a paw as the device above Sarok hummed to life, and a pulse of
bluish light suddenly washed down over the snake boy, pulsing lightly, almost in time with
Sarok's heartbeat.
Sarok went rigid, worry and instinct screaming at him to move, to get out of this, but
he forced himself to relax. To not fight back. Slowly, a warm feeling washed through him, his
vision going white for a moment, as flashes of scenes not of his life passed before his eyes.
For a moment, he could see himself somewhere....it looked like.....like an office....it
was dark outside, but there was a warm, cheery light that was filling the office. Giving it an
almost homey feel to it. And.....and....was the light.....was the light coming from him?
But then....why....why wouldn't the light be coming from him? He....he was a lamp
after all. That was his purpose. What he had been built for. To light the darkness. To give
whoever turned him on light......This was his desk that he was resting on, where his owner had
set him after he'd been purchased from a store before, pulled out of his box.....he could
remember it like it was yesterday.....
As that vision washed through Sarok's mind, his body began to move on its own.
Slowly, the serpent boy crouched down on all fours. His hands resting just in front of his feet.
His tail coiling around, again and again around his legs, moving up and down them as they were
tied tightly together, to give him a nice, solid base. His clothes, his daggers, all of it dissolved
away under the pulsing blue light. Though the serpent boy showed no notice of this as he lifted
his head towards the ceiling, his jaws opening as widely as he could, and from his jaws a
radiant light began to fill the room, brightening it up considerably.
"There we go. Good, good little lamp. Such a pretty little snake style lamp. A one of a
kind piece of art you are." Kalrin cooed as he watched as his invention work over the serpent
boy. Draining away his magic, absorbing it, even as it replaced it with its own power, to fuel and
funnel anything that would normally require electricity.
"That's it, shhh, shh, fade, relax." The rex rumbled stepping towards the little serpent
boy as he could see his eyes glazing over, his scales growing shiny, as though they had been
painted and then put through a kiln. And as the machine shut down again. Not a trace of
movement could be seen from the serpent lamp. Little Sarok staring vacantly, blankly up at the
ceiling, body unmoving.
"There we are, all done. No more you. Just a nice, pretty lamp." Kalrin rumbled as he
moved forward, reaching out, and, almost as though his jaws were on a hinge, shut Sarok's
jaws, the light turning off as though he had flipped a switch. "Now, let me just get you your tag,
and then, we'll put you right, forever." He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a large
red tag and a pen, jotting down a price upon it before gently wrapping it around the serpent
lamp's neck.
As he did so, the machine began to hum and glow with a bright red light, before
suddenly releasing a pulse of ruby light from it. A vast wave suddenly rocketing out of the room
as Kalrin glanced up, before patting the serpent lamp's smooth, cool scales on his head. That
pulse had finished it. This little lamp, whatever it had used to be. No longer existed. As far as
Lunar city, no, rather, the world was concerned, he no longer existed. Indeed, he had 'never'
existed in the first place.
But that was the genius of his invention. Rather than just 'removing' the victim from
history and memory. It simply....twisted it. Now, whenever anyone who may have known Sarok
would try and think or remember him. They would not remember him. Rather, they would
remember a beautiful, emerald scaled snake lamp.
And that's all they would remember ever again.
Now, who would he choose next?
Poko gulped slightly as he stepped into the darkened room, the large, chubby panda
smiling shyly as he was led into the room before his eyes landed on a small, snake lamp. It
almost looked like a person crouched on all fours, the long serpentine tail wrapped tightly
around the four limbs to give it a nice stable base, it's head looking straight up as it remained
rigid and unmoving.
The panda stared at the lamp for a moment, before an almost eager smile came over
his face as he moved over to get a closer look at it. "Whoa.....it's....I mean, I saw the store but
this is....wow. I saw a lamp just like this one when I was a little younger, I think it was stolen by
a tribe of lizard people. One of them owned it in the hut they kept me trapped at. And I saw it a
few other times too. Actually, now that I think about it, I think I saw it a lot." The panda said with
a giggle.
"Oh, I'm not surprised, it's quite a common brand I believe. A very popular snake lamp
color." The rex said with a casual nod of his head. "Now my boy, I know you like the item I've
made, but we have work to do. Please, under the machine now my boy. It's time to see what
you'll be." He said firmly.
Poko blinked, as though just realizing that he was soon to be joining that serpent
lamp. "Oh, um, right, right. Okay." He said shyly as he slowly made his way over to under the
machine "Um, I'm ready sir. Go ahead."
Kalrin smiled and nodded his head, flicking his hand as the machine activated,
sending those pulses of magic down onto Poko, just as they had Sarok.
Poor Poko didn't know what had hit him. One moment, he was standing in the room,
the next, he was on all fours, in an office. But then.....then of course he was. Why....why
wouldn't he be in his office. This was his after all. His place. Where else would a Panda style
desk be but in his owner's office? Firm, strong, unmoving. He was the finest desk on the market.
Giving his owner a great place to work, and to store whatever he wanted on him.....ya....he
was....was....fulfilling his....purp-
Kalrin leaned forward, watching excitedly as Poko's clothes dissolved away. The
large, six-foot-tall panda dropping onto all fours. His large chub pressing against the ground,
giving him an almost boxy sort of rectangular shape, just perfect for what he was becoming. The
panda's back began to smooth out, as though someone was taking a rolling pin over it.
Flattening and smoothing out his fur along his rear, his back, and his head. His ears being
pushed down to either side of his head, like little decorations.
Before long, his back was smooth and shiny, as though it had just been waxed and
varnished. That same, shiny look starting to rapidly spread over the panda's body, sealing his
fur in a smooth, almost hard shell. The panda's expression being forever frozen in a dopey,
vacant smile. A nice, lifeless 'happy panda' brand table.
And as the magic faded away. The panda boy was gone forever, the pulse of ruby
light washing the boy from the world's memory. "Ah, beautiful, beautiful. Simply stunning my
sweet little table." Kalrin cooed happily as he strode forward, a price tag already made as he
gently slipped it over one of Poko's fangs. The panda not blinking, not moving in the slightest as
he was priced like an ordinary item.
The t-rex stepped back, taking in the sight of the new panda table, before tisking.
Something was just missing but what was.....oh, oh, yes, yes of course.
With a grin, Kalrin reached over and gently reached over and grabbed the serpent
lamp, and ever so gently, he put it onto the panda's smooth back, before opening its jaws,
letting light spill from its maw.
"There, that's perfect. A table is nothing if it isn't being used. Oooooh, you'll look
simply wonderful." The rex said excitedly, clapping his paws as he went to get his next victim.
"Heh, I gotta admit, this is a bit new to me. But I gotta say, you do really fine work." Lin
said, the leopard looking in amazement at the table and desk set along one side of the room.
Both of them looked familiar. Memories of being in an ancient temple. These....these almost
looked like items that he had been guarding.....right? Ya....that had to be it, just a coincidence
was all. There were probably dozens of these items in this city alone.
"Oh, you're making me blush. But I do believe in only the finest work for both them
and my customers. I give meaning to these items. A purpose. And believe me, if they were able
to think, I'm sure they would be very, very happy." The rex said, reaching out and casually
knocking his fist against the panda's head. It's expression never changing in the slightest.
Lin chuckled as the leopard moved over to the center of the room and stretched.
"Alrighty, do your worst. I'm ready for whatever you got for me." He said, before going rigid as
the machine suddenly activated and he was engulfed within its magic.
The leopard suddenly found his vision changing. He was.....he was laying in a vast
treasure hall, beauty and splendor surrounded him and he could feel.....he could feel his
master's feet resting on him......yes, his dragon master. The one....the one who had hunted
him.....caught him....skinned and tanned his hide.....made him...made him a nice, pretty,
handsome throw rug....that...that was what he was...his purpose. To be soft, to be fluffy and
warm for his owner's paws to rest on after a long day.....just....just a.....a ru-
With a flop, the leopard's body collapsed under the magic, his cloths vanishing as he
fell forward, falling spread eagle along the ground. His body seemed to deflate along the
ground, his arms, his chest, his legs. Everything but his head losing it's substance, as though he
was being hollowed out until nothing but his empty, soft pelt remained. The leopard's head
remained open, a silent roar frozen on his jaws as his eyes glazed over, looking almost like
glass.
And like that. Lin was no more. Reduced to nothing more than an ordinary leopard
skin rug. Every memory, every thought of him replaced by a perfectly ordinary, fur made object.
With a cheery whistle, Kalrin strolled over and tied a price tag around the rug's tail,
gently stroking a paw through his soft, silky fur. "Ooooh yes, a rug very much suits whoever you
used to be. I'm sure your new owner will love having you for his office." He said before scooping
up the rug and starting to roll it up before moving to set it on the table with all the other items.
Now, to the next.
John couldn't help but marvel at the items laid out in the back of the room. They were
all beautifully made, and even with only his magical sight, he could see that rather than being
made from people, they all were 100 percent ordinary objects. They'd never been people. They
must have all been hand made. Huh, he wondered if he would look like that when the rex was
done with him.
The wolf was drawn out of his thoughts as the machine above him activated, letting
out a soft yip as the magic suddenly cascaded down onto him, and like that, his vision changed.
He was in a busy hallway. But then, this was always where he was. Every second of every day.
He was sitting on all fours, proudly staring forward. His welcome sign hanging from his jaws.
Yes, this was his job. To be welcoming, to be a handsome, pretty statue. After all, he may have
'looked' like a brown wolf. But that was only because his maker had wanted him to look like one.
Yes....he was....was just a statue.....pretty.....handsome.....
John's clothes were seared away as the wolf slowly dropped onto all fours. His sleek
brown fur smoothing down, all across his body as he began to grow rigid, looking almost like he
was panting as a sign began to appear in front of him. It hung on a little bar that rested in the
wolf's jaws, suspended on either side on little chains. A bright, cheery "WELCOME" was written
out on the little slab of marble.
John's jaws closed around the sign, and like that, the wolf froze. His eyes glazing over
as all signs of life faded away from him. He showed no reaction at all as that pulse of magic
sealed his fate, wiping him from memory, from the world. To the world, he had never been born.
Only created all those years ago by an artisan, and sold to a pair of brown wolves, that had
almost looked like him before....before he'd been sold again....
A gentle pat on the head silenced the wolf's mind forever, as a tag was gently tied
around his ear. "Such a handsome, nice, little welcome wolf you are. And what a pretty shade of
brown. Whoever painted and sealed you truly knew what they were doing." Kalrin said with a
smile, before laughing. "Heh, but then, why am I talking to you? It's not like a statue can answer
me back." He said before flicking the statue's nose, scooping it up under one arm, and carrying
it over to set it up with the rest of the furniture and items for the office.
Jet and Gabe both stepped into the room. The pair of them had both been invited at
the same time. The two standing nervously in the center of the room. They'd practically fawned
over the furniture already set up. Apparently, Barton had a lot of furniture, and there just hadn't
been enough to cover all the needs, but this was fine. It wasn't like they were going to stay as
whatever he ma-
Both boy's thoughts were cut off as the machine activated and the magical power
began to bombard their minds and bodies. Both Jet and Gabe saw a similar scene, albeit from
opposite sides. They were......they were soft, comfortable, and firm, so firm. But then
again....they needed to be, didn't they? They were....they were good chairs. They needed to be
able to support someone....to keep them comfortable as they sat and did their work. And to
entertain guests to the office that was their home.....after all....without.....without
them.....then...they'd be on the floor......That...that couldn't happ-
Gabe and Jet's bodies both began to move slowly. Mirror images of each other. Their
tails seemed to twist and twine before hardening, forming a third 'leg' for the chair they were
becoming as they crouched down slightly. Lifting their arms to either side of them and holding
them rigid. Good little paw rests for whoever would like to sit on them. Their expressions
relaxing, growing blank as their eyes glazed over. After all....they weren't real animals.....they
were just....just chairs.....soft, fur-covered chairs.....to be even extra soft and comfy for
whoever....whoever....
A vast pulse of magic washed the pair away forever. Leaving a handsome lion and fox
pair of chairs. Perfect for whatever office or room would have them. Kalrin moved over, gently
placing a price tag over the right pawsrests of the new chairs, marveling at just how soft their fur
was. Oh yes, these two would be naturals. They'd be the softest seats for whichever lucky fur
they were delivered too.
And soon, he would have a full study full of furniture. It wouldn't be long now.
Woe let out a sigh as he stood under the machine. Honestly. He was a good friend.
But Canis and Malis were pushing it with this. He may have had a bit of shapeshifting magic.
But it was much more complicated when he was letting someone 'else' transform him. But
apparently, the man didn't have quite enough items for the order and was hoping he and the
twins could fill in until the items could be crafted and shipped out, and then he would be
replaced with the ordinary item.
That wasn't going to be that bad, right?
His thoughts were cut off though as his vision suddenly went white. And he found
himself on a desk. But....wait....no, that was wrong. That was silly. He'd always been on a desk.
His desk, this was...was his place. Right under the snake lamp that he rested up against......The
soft, calming ticking filled his mind. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. The gentle metronome helped
to sooth the owl clock. What was he thinking for, what was he worrying for? Nothing else matter.
No, nothing but the time. He had to keep track of the time for his owner. If he didn't....if he.....he
did-
The owl's thoughts crumbled away as he crouched down. A sleek disk forming right in
front of his chest, resting on his feet. On either side, his wings took hold of the disk as the gentle
ticking sound began to fill the air. The owl almost seeming to smile as his fur began to look
sleek and hard as he held tightly to the disk, a thin clock. His clock. After all, what sort of owl
clock would he be if he couldn't track the time?
But then....why did an owl clock even need to think in the first p-
The second pulse of magic finished Woe off. Sealing him forever in the fate of an
ornate, one of a kind owl desk clock. What he'd always been since he had been put together all
those years ago.
And of course......what he would always be again.
Canis and Malis grinned as they scampered into the room together. A mirrored smile
on either of their muzzles as they looked at the furniture that they had ordered from their father.
"Sweet, you really have everything he needs right here?" Canis asked excitedly as the two
came in.
"Of course, of course," Kalrin said gently. "Everything you asked for is right here,
ready to be shipped off once you give the okay." He said happily.
The two pups nodded. They'd come down today to check up and make sure their
father's furniture had come in. And here it all was, ready to go. Ooooooh, their dad was going to
be so happy with them. His office was ancient. Literally. The furniture and items hadn't been
replaced in like the last two centuries. So, they'd taken it upon themselves to see about getting it
renovated and upd-
Their thoughts were cut off as they stepped into the center of the room and suddenly
engulfed by an aura of blue light. The rex grinning from ear to ear as the two pups froze in place
as their minds were suddenly elsewhere.
They were resting back to back with each other. Like they always were. A pair of
fierce little puppies. Right now, they didn't have anything between them. But that was okay. That
meant they were together. A perfect pair. Exact replicas of each other. But then....why wouldn't
they be? They were bookends. They were meant to hold books on their owner's desk or
wherever he wanted to keep them. Right beside his clock and lamp. A handsome pair of
doggies to greet any visitor that arrived.
The two pups dropped down to all fours. Moving almost on autopilot as their clothes
dissolved away. They rested up against each other. Their backs pressed firmly to each other as
they pressed themselves down as far as they could, to make themselves smaller and more
compact. The perfect size to hold the large heavy tomes of their future owner. Custom made
for.....for......their.....ow-
Their thoughts fizzled away as their existence was wiped from reality. The two
labrador pups staring out blankly as their fur smoothed out, looking almost like textured stone,
rather than true, black fur. But neither of them noticed.
No.....they were just book-ends.....
"Ah. I always love having such satisfied customers." Kalrin said, gently putting a pair
of price tags around the pair of bookends necks. He scooped them up and gently set them on
the desk, stepping back to marvel at them before giving a happy nod. "Now, let's get you
delivered. And ensure that you'll never, ever come back." He said before pulling out his
cellphone to call his movers and get these items shipped out to their owner.
Barton let out a yawn as he walked up to his office, blinking as he saw a new item
sitting out right in front of the door. An almost full-sized wolf statue, sitting on all fours. A happy
smile on its muzzle as it held a welcome sign in its jaws. "Oh, oh, heh, I forgot, it seems my new
office order finally came in," Barton said happily to himself as he walked over, reaching out to
gently stroke a paw over the smooth stone surface of the wolf's head before he opened the door
and stepped in.
Despite knowing what he'd ordered, he couldn't help but let out a gasp in
astonishment. It was one thing to see it in a magazine. But to see it in person was breathtaking.
There, settle out in the center of the room was a large, beautiful pelt of a leopard, crafted into a
handsome throw rug. It was sure to be a wonderful item for his students to see when they came
to visit him. And there was his new desk as well. The large 'happy panda' brand desk had been
an instant hit with him. It'd been so very adorable, he simply had to have it.
And on either side of the table, where the pair of chairs he had ordered. Barton
rumbling to himself as he moved over and sat in the lion-shaped chair. A happy sigh slipping
from his jaws as he settled back against the soft fur, just basking in the feeling of the downy
softness against his body.
"Mhmm, perfect. Man, the pictures don't do these chairs justice." The badger muttered
under his breath, glancing at his fox chair before his eyes drifted to his desk. There were the
extra-large bookends he had ordered for some of his rarer magical tomes. Such handsome little
puppies. Whoever had carved them had done an amazing job. And then there was the beautiful
owl clock ticking away, resting up against the snake lamp he had ordered.
And the best part of it all was. The school had paid for everything. It hadn't cost him a
single thing. "Oh yes....yes, life is good. Life is good indeed." Barton rumbled before he heard
the door to his office open, and he saw his best friend Kugo coming in, pushing a large metal
tray.
"Oh, Barton, you wouldn't believe what I caught. This uppity rat here was screaming
and yelling about how you had kids. And where actually a 'good' teacher. Can you believe that?"
Kugo asked with a laugh. "I had Travis.....talk with him....and thought you could use a good
meal." The kangaroo said brightly, letting out a low whistle as he looked around the office.
"Wow, quite a good look. Love what you've done with the place. Hundred percent fur?" He
asked happily.
Barton snorted. "But of course, what else would I settle with? After all, ever since that
day you showed me the light and had me eat those people when Leogun and Whitestripe
vanished. Why would I ignore the best the prey have to offer me?" He asked as Kugo reached
him, the badger reaching over and pulling the top off of the tray, and grinning down as he saw
the large, golden rat resting on a dish, his eyes blank, glazed over with an apple in his jaws.
"Mhmm, fresh rat roast. My favorite." Barton rumbled, reaching over to grab the rat's
tail and casually lifting him up. "Down the hatch little rat. You're going to a good
cause....heh...my waistline." He growled.
Ommmmph.
"THAT. WAS. AWESOME." Came the pair of squee's as the two labradors stared at
the large mirror set against the wall, the images of Barton devouring the golden rat fading away
into a misty greyness.
Barton frowned as he looked at his two boys, as well as all of their friends gathered
together in his office.
"When one looks into the....." Barton trailed off for a moment. "The...... 'what if portal',
one doesn't tend to say 'awesome' when they see what their fates would have been in an
alternate timeline."
"Heh, well, dad always liked to know things. That's why he made it." Canis said with a
giggle.
"Be that as it may. That right there is what would have happened if I hadn't caught you
lot when you were going to skip class to go to that blasted furniture store today." Barton
growled, crossing his arms.
"Ah, come on dad, it would have been great. I bet it'd have been fun being furniture for
a few decades." Malis said sarcastically.
Barton raised an eyebrow. "Oh, if you wanted that, you could have just asked." He
said, lifting his paw, as Malis's eyes widened and he let out a squeak as his body suddenly
popped into a large, black, suitcoat that flopped over onto the ground. Barton casually moving
over and picking it up and dusting it off before speaking to the coat. "Considered yourself
grounded for the rest of the week. I'll turn you back after the Lunar Ball is done." He said before
looking at Canis who squeaked and backed up.
"And as for you Canis......I need a matching pair of pants......so.....you're grounded
too."
"No....please....mercy." Canis squeaked before a pair of soft, black, lab furred dress
slacks flopped onto the ground, much to the laughter of their gathered friends as the two pups
were finally given a taste of their own medicine.
"You know, after a good cleaning, I bet they wouldn't turn back," Sarok said with a
grin.
A pair of elbows hit the snake's gut.
"Ooof....what? I'm just saying."
While going to pick up their father's new furniture for his office. Canis, his brother Malis, and all of their friends get pulled into a trap by the owner of the local furniture store. Will the boys be able to figure out a way to escape.
Or will they end up being their father's new furniture?
Hello there everyone, hope you enjoy the story. Come, take a peak at something I've been eager to show off. The wonderful "What-if portal". I love my story and plotlines that I weave from story to story, but the problem with that is, it's really hard to put our characters into a situation where they actually lose, as, normally, a lose in this world is tantamount to a death sentence. So, I devised a magical way to let our characters see alternate timelines based on questions they asked. This tale is the first of such tales featuring the device, and hopefully, we will have even more to show you all to enjoy horrible fates happening to our band of heroes.
Shoutout to Skouter for letting me use his characters of Sarok, Poko, and Lin. It was awesome to finally be able to feature these three adorable fluffballs in my own stories, and, if you haven't read it yet, Skouter has started writing stories taking place in my own universe with the trio. I recommend anyone who enjoy's my tales to go check his out, believe me, you won't regret it.
Anyway, that's all from me everyone. As always, thank you everyone who comes to my streams, who follows me, and reads my stories. I couldn't do this without all of you. Please, let me know what you think of the tale, I always love talking with all of you.
See ya in the next story.
Or will they end up being their father's new furniture?
Hello there everyone, hope you enjoy the story. Come, take a peak at something I've been eager to show off. The wonderful "What-if portal". I love my story and plotlines that I weave from story to story, but the problem with that is, it's really hard to put our characters into a situation where they actually lose, as, normally, a lose in this world is tantamount to a death sentence. So, I devised a magical way to let our characters see alternate timelines based on questions they asked. This tale is the first of such tales featuring the device, and hopefully, we will have even more to show you all to enjoy horrible fates happening to our band of heroes.
Shoutout to Skouter for letting me use his characters of Sarok, Poko, and Lin. It was awesome to finally be able to feature these three adorable fluffballs in my own stories, and, if you haven't read it yet, Skouter has started writing stories taking place in my own universe with the trio. I recommend anyone who enjoy's my tales to go check his out, believe me, you won't regret it.
Anyway, that's all from me everyone. As always, thank you everyone who comes to my streams, who follows me, and reads my stories. I couldn't do this without all of you. Please, let me know what you think of the tale, I always love talking with all of you.
See ya in the next story.
Category Story / Transformation
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Any
Size 120 x 120px
Heh, it was a ton of fun watching this story come to life on the stream! I’m rather excited for the next one! Also, this story was rather great too! Keep up the great work! :D
Thank you very much for the kind words, I really enjoyed writing out this tale. And I hope you look forward to our next bad end story.
This was a really fun story to write. I'm also a sucker for bad ends, which is why I'm doing a bit of of an alternate reality band end series now. Mostly just showing the characters we know and love 'failing' and the consequences that come out of it. I think everyone's going to enjoy what's going to be coming next.
I like the "What-if portal" a lot, it's a great way to show things like this without any complications to the overarching story!
Yepyep. I do love me my bad ends. But I love my characters and character growth even more. So this is a great way to have our cake and eat it too.
As an artist, I have to say, you think the blank dead eyes look would turn off the surviving 10% of customers ... then again, given Lunar City's gruesome tastes in taxidermy (let's not mince words, where those transformed consciousness dies, it's taxidermy), it's likely many LIKE that look.
It wouldn't be so bad if the consciousness of the victim remained as the spirit of the creative work (retroactively thinking they'd always been so), but these monsters like eating up the spiritual essence of their victims more than anything. The sooner this predatory system can be torn down, the better.
Good writing.
It wouldn't be so bad if the consciousness of the victim remained as the spirit of the creative work (retroactively thinking they'd always been so), but these monsters like eating up the spiritual essence of their victims more than anything. The sooner this predatory system can be torn down, the better.
Good writing.
There's an irony.
In Bioshock, Andrew Ryan considered the slackers of society 'parasites' who just fed off the labor of others.
It never occurred to him that the same 'parasitic' attitude he despised so much could apply to wealthy elites who inherited their status and fortunes and business, and did nothing but take a cut of the profits while doing nothing to actually help the company along.
With this in mind, I wish someone would finally call out these 'predators' for the parasites they are. Feeding off creatures who can't even fight back.
In Bioshock, Andrew Ryan considered the slackers of society 'parasites' who just fed off the labor of others.
It never occurred to him that the same 'parasitic' attitude he despised so much could apply to wealthy elites who inherited their status and fortunes and business, and did nothing but take a cut of the profits while doing nothing to actually help the company along.
With this in mind, I wish someone would finally call out these 'predators' for the parasites they are. Feeding off creatures who can't even fight back.
I keep coming back to this story if only because it contains that rare "digging your own grave" type of TF where it's down to miscommunication between parties.
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