Fate's Substitute
Chapter 4: Run

The bathroom door rattled on its hinges, the dense mahogany creaking and groaning under the strain of the security guard’s assault. Minutes had passed since the last transformation ended, and the hefty rent-a-cop had resorted to body-slamming the door.

I sat in shock on the cold, tiled floor, unable to do anything but gape at my new appendages.

‘Hooves, I have hooves now…’

From the beginnings of my withers down to my hooves, a fine golden fur covered every inch of my new forelegs. The hooves themselves were the same color as my coat and shimmered faintly in the pink light of the crystal, glistening from the remnants of my earlier excitement.

I was truly shocked, but as time ticked by the horror slowly abated as the carnal desire to finish what I started took center stage. My tail was hiked high in the air, the new muscles straining to lift it even higher as my nethers dribbled and winked in desperation. It would be so very, very easy to fall back into that welcoming haze of arousal, and my hips lightly bucked backwards at just the thought of scratching that itch.

My right forehoof trailed ever so softly up the velvety pelt of my inner thighs, sending wave after wave of pleasurable shivers up my spine. I moaned loudly as the edge of the hoof lightly parted my needful, aching…

A loud snap jolted me from my ministrations as a crack suddenly appeared in the door.

‘What the hell am I doing?’ I shook my head to clear my thoughts, ‘and why am I so damned horny?’ I desperately needed a cold shower, but I ditched that idea as a second crack shot through the door, letting a narrow shaft of fluorescent light into the bathroom.

The guard cursed in pain and leaned against the door, opting to give diplomacy a final chance. “Come on man, give up!” he half-heartedly pleaded as he tried to catch his breath, “The wood’s cracking and it’s only a matter of time, no reason to make this any harder on yourself… or me for that matter.”

My withers slumped, ‘Harder, he says… give up, he says… Maybe he’s right; it would be easier just to accept it.’

I flicked my long tail so that the end was draped over my lap, and calmly ran my hooves through the soft hairs. ‘How bad would it be to start a new life, even as a new gender?

‘Worst that will happen is that Sombra would gloat for a while, finish the transformation, and give me a good, solid fucking,’ I licked my lips at the mere thought of being mounted, ‘Lord knows I need it…’

My tail bristled and I slammed a hoof down onto the tiles, cracking a few in the process. ‘No. No, fuck that!’ I seethed, cursing myself for even considering that idea.

‘If I give in to that maniac, the rest of my life will be his to command. Every other surrender will be easier than this one...’ I grit my teeth, ‘The bastard would completely own me… and what’s worse, is that he knows it too!’ I picked up the first thing I could find and hurled it at the wall in frustration.

I resigned myself to yet another change as I watched my smart phone shatter against the wall. I groaned and swore a blue streak as the familiar tickling sensation of new fur engulfed my stomach, all the way up to my pecs.

“Oy! You alright in there, big guy?” the guard called, having heard the commotion, “You’d better not be breaking anything expensive!” He groaned and loudly popped his back as he lumbered back to his feet, preparing to take on the door again.

I quickly glanced around the bathroom, looking for any avenue of escape; but I knew from years of sitting upon the throne that there wasn’t one. If I was going to make a run for it, I desperately needed more time to cover up the changes before I made my public debut.

“Dave, right?” I guessed out of the blue, picking a blue-collared sounding name at random. I had never bothered to learn the names of all the help in the building, but sometimes if you act like you know their name but get it wrong, people will be a bit more sympathetic.

”Nah. It’s Bill, Mr. Medders. Dave’s down watching the front door, but that’s an easy mistake to make since Dave’s Irish and I’m not,” he was obviously insulted, “Mr. Lawrence told me that he wanted you cleared out of this office, pronto. He was very insistent that now really meant now. So, now that you’re not ignoring me, let’s pack it up and get moving.”

“Shit!” I swore under my breath. I looked down to see my shirt horribly wrinkled and dirty, my underwear soaked from my escapades, and my pants on the opposite side of the bathroom.

I faked a dry heave and splashed my hoof in the toilet bowl, hoping that the stooge would buy the oldest trick in the book. “Look… I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need another ten minutes,” I called back, trying to sound as pathetic as possible. “I’m blowing chunks the size of boulders all over the john and need some time to make myself presentable.

“Please…” I begged, subconsciously pawing the floor, “Please let me save this last shred of my dignity.”

The guard sighed, “Well, I feel for ya buddy. I really do… especially after I hurt my damn arm trying to get you out, but orders are orders. You’ve got a date with the sidewalk downstairs and I’m the matchmaker,” he grunted and stood away from the door, “I’ll give you twenty seconds to give up and get your tail in gear!”

I cursed and grabbed what clothes I could. It really amazed me that my hooves weren’t completely useless, but the fine control that a hand would have was completely lacking as my belt buckle proved nearly impossible to latch.

While I fought to stuff my tail back into my pants, the obnoxious rent-a-cop hit the five second mark. My heart shot into my throat; no matter what I did, this asshole was going to see the full extent of my changes.

“Two… One… Well, you asked for it, READY OR NOT!” I could almost hear the shit-eating grin in his voice as he thundered toward the door, “HERE I COME!” The poor, abused door buckled and split under the force of his charge, sending a shower of mahogany shards and a wheezing rent-a-cop sprawling out on the tiles.

The hefty guard floundered about on the floor, trying to find his footing as he fought to stand amongst the scattered debris. Once he was safely on his feet, he crouched into a sloppy fighting stance and swung around to face me.

His confident smirk was instantly replaced by confusion, which quickly morphed into horror as he backed away from the chimeric creature before him. His mouth flapped as he tried to form a coherent thought, but he never got the chance to voice his concerns.

As soon as the guard had exploded into the room, the white gem on my necklace began to pulse black with unholy power. Green and purple energy arced between the crystal facets as the entire necklace hummed with a tangible aura of malice.

A jagged bolt of black lightning shot out of the gemstone, splitting in two just before they impacted his eyes. The guard’s shrill scream cut off suddenly as the force of the blast propelled the unlucky chump back against the wall, holding him firmly above the floor. His mouth foamed, opening and closing in silent terror as the whites of his eyes turned black as night.

With a final pulse of power, the dark energy from the crystal released its hold on the man, and his body crumpled to the ground.

I hiked up my baggy pants and tried to keep my enormous shirt wrapped around my furry tummy as I slowly stepped forward to inspect the damage. Looking closely, nothing seemed to be physically wrong with the man, other than his entirely black eyes and the frozen look of pure terror on his face.

I stumbled away from the guard as something akin to a static shock clicked in the back of my mind. My blood ran cold as the monster’s rumbling voice echoed through my thoughts. ‘Oh my, this has been truly entertaining, pet! I must say though, I honestly expected these changes to take a bit longer,’ his voice grew darker, ‘But not all’s fun and games in my empire these days...’

“What did you do to the guard?” I blurted out, afraid of the answer but needing to know.

Sombra snorted in contempt, ‘The oaf’s dream in life was to write a cook book. Simple dreams for simple minds I suppose… All I did was show him a glimpse of a future where he actually attained his dream, except that no one cared.

‘You see… Whelps like him subconsciously crave a moment in the spotlight. They need to be the center of attention, where the world’s eyes are upon them and them alone, even if it’s only for a short time. Receiving zero recognition for a life’s work was too much for his poor psyche to handle, and he broke so very easily.’ His laugh boomed through my head.

Whatever humor he felt was quickly replaced by a steely resolve, ‘But further explanations can wait for a more… relaxed setting, I think. As it is, you don’t have much time, pet.

‘Something…’ he hesitated for a second, ‘Someone magical is on the move. I can smell the ebb and flow of magic through your gem, and whoever is disturbing the aether is moving your way.’

“W-what is ‘it’?” I stammered, my tail tucking subconsciously.

‘You could stay there and find out, if you wish.’

He laughed heartily as I bolted from the bathroom, nearly tripping over the brain-dead lump on the floor. I nabbed a spare sports coat that was lying on my office sofa and threw that on to try and cover most of my forelegs.

I raced out the door and turned left, sprinting down the long corridor leading to the service area and the hopefully empty service elevator. With one hoof keeping my pants hiked up and the other keeping the coat closed over my fur, there was no way I was going to walk out of the building without people seeing my hooves; but hopefully they wouldn’t see everything else.

I made it to the end of the first corridor and thanked god that the lunch crew hadn’t returned yet, but that still left more than a few people that could be in the office.

“So, what do I do if ‘it’ catches me?” I quietly asked as I peeped around the corner.

‘Rest assured, my fine piece of flank. I will always come to the rescue of my beautiful mare; but that would be tantamount to giving in to me, now wouldn’t it?’ He chuckled darkly as I started down the next hallway, ‘All you need to do is shout my name in that soon to be sweet voice of yours and I’ll gladly help you, like any true stallion would. Though I will exact a price… but I’m fairly sure that you would enjoy it far more than you wish to admit.’ I could feel the smug bastard leering at me through whatever spying device he was using.

All of the office doors were shut as I ran down the hall. Thinking I was home free, I rounded the final corner to the service elevator without looking and shoulder-checked someone into the wall. The grip on my pants and sports coat faltered as I tripped over his flailing legs and faceplanted on the million-dollar carpeting.

“WATCH WHERE… Medders?!” I froze in place. Carl Lawrence was sitting across from me, covered in the mountain of finance reports he’d been carrying.

“What the fuck is this? I thought I told you to take a hike, you piece…” he stopped and took a good, long look at the state of my body as I scrambled to cover it up, his eyes settling on my tail that waved freely in the air. “What the fucking fuck is wrong with you? I knew you were into those bullshit raves or something, but I never thought you’d go so far as to get hair extensions for your ass, you furry piece of shit!” He pushed himself off the floor and shakily stood, slapping away a few stray reports, “I’m fucking calling the cops if you don’t get the fuck out, RIGHT NOW!”

The safety of the service elevator was tantalizing close. I stood up to retrieve my lost pants, but Lawrence savagely kicked my leg out from under me before going on another tirade. “You know what, fuck it! I actually want to see what the cops would do to a pervert like you,” he kicked me hard in the stomach while I writhed in pain on the floor. “I never fucking liked you, Medders; never trusted you,” he kicked me again, “I always thought you were some kind of freak, so stay down while I call the fucking animal control!”

Any other day I would have pleaded with him to just let me go, any day but this one.

After everything I had done for the firm, all the boring meetings I had suffered through, all the sucking up to the partners… none of it had mattered when I was the one who needed their help. I had spent more than half of my life working for these assholes, and now I’d been tossed to the wolves without even a second thought.

White-hot hate burned within, ‘Even before this insanity, they treated us like animals… like pets…’

Carl went to kick me a fourth time, but his foot stopped mid swing as his entire lower leg was engulfed by a thick, reddish haze of magic. He howled in agony as orange and red flames burst up the sides of his leg, charring his pants and skin.

He tried to pull his leg away, but the red magic refused to yield, keeping his leg firmly suspended in the air. His screams rose in pitch as the fire bored deeper and deeper into his leg until only the blackened bones remained.

The anger I had felt quickly transformed to horror as I watched his leg turn to ash. Shocked at the sight, I took a half-step back and prepared to run, but the red haze followed right after me. The remnants of Lawrence’s brittle leg shattered as the blackened bones were wrenched about in the magic’s grip.

Without the physical support from the ball of magic, Lawrence finally pitched backward and fell hard to the floor, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he lost consciousness from the trauma.

I stood as still as possible, waiting for the clump of magic to go on the attack. I fully expected the evil haze to try and find a new victim, but it just sat there as it lazily cooked the last of Lawrence’s bones.

‘Come on… go burn something else!’ I silently pleaded with the fiery ball of death.

As soon as I asked, the ball of magic accelerated away and slammed into the wall above Lawrence’s body. The haze exploded outward, setting the wall and much of the surrounding hallway on fire. Globs of liquid flame rained down on me, but they instantly went out as soon as they touched anything of mine.

‘Oh god, it’s me!’ I realized with a start as I looked up to see red tinted energy swirling around a horn that hadn’t been there before.

The haze of magic dissipated as soon as I realized that I was the cause, but the hallway was still on fire. The sprinklers finally opened up and drenched the hallway with water, but the growing conflagration refused to be tamed.

‘W-what have I done?’ I thought as I watched Lawrence’s soaked body slowly burn away.

I averted my eyes from the horrific scene and headed for the elevator, the tendrils of fire moving out of my way as I walked by. I was about to mash the call button when I noticed a small, silvery bit of metal glint in the dancing light of the flames.

‘Car keys!’ I mentally exclaimed when I looked down to see that Lawrence’s key chain had fallen out of his pocket. I wondered for a second whether it was right to take them, but I’d probably be wanted for murder and arson after this… so why not add grand theft auto to the rap sheet.

‘Besides, he was an asshole!’ I justified the theft to myself as I stepped over his body and called the elevator.

The bell chimed almost immediately, and I thanked god that something was finally going my way. But just as I entered the elevator, Jerry Floch rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks, his brown eyes going wide with surprise.

Jerry was a tall man at about six and a quarter feet, and he was skinny as a rail. His owlish face and permanent scowl were great for intimidating lawyers, but his annoying sense of duty and lack of humor made him a bore to be around. We both started at roughly the same time, but we never really passed the point of acquaintances. So to say that I was shocked when a light blue horn shimmered into existence on his forehead would be an understatement.

I repeatedly mashed the button for the garage, wanting nothing to do with any more crazy, magical creatures.

Jerry’s look of surprise contorted into a rage-filled snarl as he took one look at my chimeric body and rushed through the flames toward the elevator.

His horn glowed as he ran, wrapping itself in swirling eddies of icy-blue magic. The steel doors of the elevator suddenly glowed the same shade of blue, but whatever it was doing failed as they kept on closing. He cursed in frustration as he tried to close the distance, but he was tripped up by what was left of Lawrence and fell to the floor.

He lifted his head to glare at me, a cold fire dancing in his eyes. I could taste his frustration, knowing that he wasn’t going to make it to the elevator in time. But just as the final inches of the doors were closing, he lowered his horn and shot a spike of ice right at me.

I barely ducked to the side in time as the icy missile missed my neck by a fraction of an inch, slamming into the back of the elevator with enough force to pierce the metal. I stumbled backwards and yelped as I fell on my tail, thankful that the doors had finally shut and the elevator began its descent.

“What the FUCK was that?” I asked, not really expecting an answer.

The static charge clicked in the back of my mind and I could almost feel Sombra’s frown. ‘That… That was another unicorn. A being like me… and you, apparently,’ he added with a half-hearted growl. ‘He merely hid away his true nature with a simple glamour spell, which was interrupted when he channeled his magic.’

The elevator was dropping fast, and I leaned against the side to catch my breath. I did a quick body check and found that the golden fur was now up to my neck and down to below my knees, but that’s not what worried me.

I could see the anger in Jerry’s eyes… The man had wanted to kill me.

“Alright, what the hell is going on? Why was one of my oldest colleagues trying to kill me back there?” After a few seconds of silence I threw my hands up in frustration, “I deserve to know what’s going on, you sadistic pri-,” The dreaded black haze emerged from the prison crystal and wrapped itself around my throat, cutting off any complaint. It then lifted me by the neck and slammed me against the wall of the elevator.

‘I would suggest you remember who you are speaking to. I am very fond of what you will become, but do not assume that my fondness will keep you safe from my wrath!’ he growled and let me fall to the floor before continuing, ‘I don’t know why a Solar Mage would be here, but rest assured that I’m going to get some answers… Do not bother me with any more questions as I’ll be quite busy for a while.’

I was suddenly left alone in my head as the connection switched off. I shuddered to think that my only friend in this madness could be the one who had put me here…

‘No…’I shook my head, ‘I just need to go with the original plan and find a safe place to lay low for a while. I don’t need anyone else’s help to do that!’ I nodded my head in agreement with myself, sure of a plan for the first time since my abduction.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors hissed open to reveal the highly coveted underground parking garage. Every senior manager was entitled to a single space and my classic Charger, which I barely used, was on the other side of the lot. I would have taken it, but my keys were stuck in the nth dimensional space of Sombra’s crazy crystal.

Hanging back by the elevator, I looked for any kind of movement between the cars. The last thing I wanted was to be seen by anyone else who might have a grudge against me.

Feeling that the coast was clear, I hefted the keys in my hoof and managed to click the panic button by biting it. The wail of the horn was obnoxiously loud and I jumped back in surprise when I saw the car.

There, safely nestled between two large SUVs was the means for my escape and deliverance from the black beast. However, I was both elated and mildly annoyed to see what it was.

As if the fates were laughing at my predicament, my escape would be in a Ford Mustang, and a late 60’s vintage one at that. The cherry red paint shimmered under the dirty fluorescent lighting of the garage, clashing oddly with the tacky flame decals on the hood and sides.

I managed to click the unlock button and shook my head as I tried to understand why someone would wreck a classic car with modern technology, but the worst was yet to come. The leather upholstery was decorated with hundreds of white skulls and even the gearshift had been replaced with a skull of its own. I sighed as I half expected it to have a set of balls on a fake trailer hitch.

‘Now I don’t feel so bad about killing him… That idiot deserved to die for buying this monstrosity of a mid-life crisis,’ I thought as I solemnly apologized to the car for the actions of its owner.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, I found that I could easily grip the wheel and the gearshift with my hooves and fetlocks, but the key chain presented a serious problem. I just didn’t have the dexterity to grab a single key and turn it.

I was steadily growing more and more frustrated as I wasted the precious little time I had, until I finally found a method that worked. I spread the keychain out on the passenger seat and clamped both hooves around the car key. After several tries, I was finally able to navigate the key into the ignition and turn it to start the motor.

A huge, goofy smile was plastered on my face as the eight cylinders roared to life, and I thanked all the deities that the moron hadn’t skimped on the car itself. For a few seconds, the world was as it should be. I was in control of own destiny, about to embark on a journey of personal salvation. Not God, Sombra, Lawrence, or even the Tooth Fairy could stop me, but my hope for the future came crashing down as soon as I looked into the rearview mirror.

Jerry was standing right behind the car, glaring at me through the rear window. Flanking him on both sides were two suits who showed almost no emotion.

The suits looked like your typical government agents from an action flick; wearing the standard black business suit and tie, close cropped hair, and dark sunglasses. Their faces were also nearly identical, and I doubted that I could have picked one over the other in a police lineup.

My grip on the wheel tightened when Jerry finally spoke up, “Come on, Aaron. Get out of the car… We need you to come in for questioning.”

I slowly inched my right hoof over to the stick, preparing to put the car into reverse.

“You saw what I could do to you if I wanted… You must come with us!” his tone was beginning to sound desperate, “We know about the transformation, we can help you reverse the condition, Aaron. We just need to know how you got a hold of your crystal.” He dropped the attitude for a second, “Look, you saved my ass on the Tycho merger last year. Please, let me return the favor!”

Something was horribly off about all of this. I sat there for a few seconds and considered what I had been told. ‘He’s been a friend, well, an acquaintance for years… what the hell has he gotten mixed up in, or me for that matter.’

Jerry kept trying to coax me out, but my focus switched to his friends. The two agents slowly inched to either side of the car as Jerry kept talking, trying very hard to look like they weren’t moving. The one on the right calmly fumbled for something in his coat while the one on my side reached for the door handle.

‘No, it’s not right… Jerry wasn’t trying to help me in the hallway, he was trying to kill me. There’s something else going on.’

I took a look at my face in side view mirror. Other than the horn on my forehead, red eyes, and the golden fur that was now encroaching upon my chin; that rugged, manly face really hadn’t been touched by Sombra’s magic. But now, if I wanted to live, I’d have to give up the last of my humanity… there just didn’t seem to be a way to stay free AND human.

A low growl escaped my throat as I watched the suits step ever closer, little smirks penetrating their practiced nonchalance. ‘They all deserve it, every… last… one of them!’

I hit the clutch and redlined the engine.

In the rearview mirror, I watched as the familiar blue light of Jerry’s magic surrounded his horn, far brighter than the last time. The suits on either side also glowed in their own colors, orange on the left and a very manly pink on the right.

No, the pink was from my own crystal, reacting to what I was about to do.

I wrenched the steering wheel to the right, shifted into reverse, and popped the clutch. The wheels engaged immediately, squealing as they fought to grip the cement.

The mustang lurched backward and the nose of the car careened to the left as the wheels finally found the traction they had sought.

The agent on my left tried to jump away, but wasn’t quick enough. His scream didn’t last long as the screech of grating metal drowned him out as the mustang ground against the SUV.

Having cleared the parking spot, I slammed on the brakes… and cursed as the car stalled. I swore to myself and threw the engine into neutral. It had been a while since I had driven a standard, and I had neglected to hit the clutch.

The normally dark interior was bathed in the red and pink light of transformation. I could feel my face deform as my hooves fumbled to turn the key. My vision blurred for a second as the car roared back to life, but it cleared just in time to see the driver’s side window glow blue and explode outward.

The white hoof of a blue-eyed pegasus wearing an elaborate set of golden armor shot through the open window and wrapped his fetlock around my lengthening neck. Sometime during my panic to restart the car, the other agent had dropped his glamour spell and gone on the attack.

I growled and grabbed the pegasus’ forearm with my left hoof before shifting the car into first gear. His large, blue eyes widened in panic as I revved the engine and popped the clutch once again.

The car accelerated down the aisle, dragging the former agent along for the ride. He tried to let go, but my grip was firm. He flapped his wings and fought as hard as he could, but couldn’t find the leverage to get away. With my free hoof, I turned the steering wheel to the left and scraped the pegasus off on a parked BMW as the mustang picked up speed.

My grin was mad and I felt truly alive as I quickly shifted from second to third, the car racing toward the exit and away from a very pissed off Jerry.

I chanced a look in the rearview mirror and saw his snarling face as he tried to help the downed pegasus, but my view in the mirror was suddenly blocked by the sight of a growing, golden ear.

‘Not much time left,’ I mused, seeing that the transformation crystal was still glowing strong.

The car careened through the exit and into the blinding light of the street. My heart skipped a beat as I swerved and skidded to a stop, nearly ramming a ladder truck that had taken up residence in the middle of the road.

The firefighters on top waved their arms, gesturing for me to get out of the way. I gladly hit the gas and sped down the road until I realized why the firefighters were there in the first place.

I stomped on the break and clutch with my new rear hooves and turned my elongated neck to look out the window. The top ten stories of the building were completely engulfed in flames, billowing smoke high into the sky.

The fire I had told to find something else to burn… it had. And now the firefighters were powerless to stop it.

Author's Note

After many months stewing on the back burner, this story has finally been resurrected. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 4!

Thanks go to Spacecowboy for helping me edit this beast!