You are standing by a tree
There are 3 paths.
One appears to go to a jungle,
one appears to go to a cave,
one appears to go to a beach,
you could try and climb the tree,
there is a nearby shop you could go in,
or you could do something else.
So what's its going to be?
Written by catprog on 01 April 2003
In the shop
There is a table with a sign saying
<strong>Free Sample:</strong>
Take one
On the table there is a fridge with a range of liquids. Also on the table are various magical trinkets including costumes. What would you like to take, or would you like to buy something?
Written by catprog on 10 April 2003
Other
You decide to get something else. But what?
Written by catprog on 13 December 2005
A lamp
You take a lamp. Now what are you going to do with it?
Written by catprog on 05 March 2004
Transformation Genie
Just then, a huge puff of green smoke appears.
The smoke forms the shape of a humanoid, then finally materializes into a turquoise-skinned man who appears to be about 25 years old. You quiver with fear, staring at him (after all, you're not used to seeing turquoise-skinned men appear out of lamps).
"Who has rubbed the lamp of the Genie of Transformation?", the man asks in a light, yet stern voice.
"I-I did", you answer softly.
He steps closer to you and bows. "Thank You, Master, Thank You!", he says as he kneels to you.
"Master?"
He stands. "Yes", he says. "You have released me from the Lamp, and now you may have three wishes.
The wishes carry certain limitations, however..."
"Yes, like what?", you ask again, almost bursting with excitement (having your own genie and all).
"First, there are only three wishes, no more and no less, and this may not be changed by any wishes made. Second, all wishes made by the master should be precisely worded. If the wish is too vague, then I shall choose the remaining factors of the wish. And third, all wishes must be related to the change of the master, or of someone else that the master chooses. In other words, all wishes must be transformative."
Well what are you going to wish for?
Written by on 11 March 2004
The Results
You think back to your prime. You were pretty good at track, competing at school and often winning. As a career, though, it never worked out, and by now you feel old and slow. Single and unknown, you think of the wish, "I wish to run fast, be famous, and happily married."
"Done!" the genie cries, clapping his hands together with a sound like a thunderbolt. "I wish you well, master. Now, I go." Within moments, the genie has flowed back into his bottle. No matter how much you tug, you can't get the top off again.
"But what about my other two wishes?" you demand.
The genie's voice echos from inside the bottle "You already wished for three things. Three things equals three wishes."
You try to protest. "But that's not--" You are interrupted by the strangest sensation.
The change starts at your feet, as your shoes start to melt. They reform into a solid lump around your foot, looking something like a hoof. Then your hands clench, changing into hooves as well. You feel something push you in the center of your back and you stumble forward, and before you know it you are standing on all 4 of your hooves.
"What? No! This isn't what I meant! This isn't what I wanted!" you yell as you stare at your hands… your forehooves in shock and horror.
Your loud objections make no difference. The change flows up your arms and legs. More pronounced on the arms of course being that they have to change into legs. Your pants and shirt ripping and falling away. The horse tail growing out the back.
There is a surprise in store though when the change reaches your neck. It thickens and lengthens, a new human body being formed and pushing your head upright. Growing extra ribs feels very peculiar, indeed. You're relieved when new arms form, as well.
However the feeling is short lived when you look down at your chest and see the breasts growing along with the new feeling between your hind legs.
"What did you do to me" you yell into the bottle.
"I turned you into a horse so you'd run fast at the races. Famous... well, being one of the few centaurs would certainly do that! Married, now, that one I had to stretch to make it a transformation. Making you the bride was the only thing I could think of."
"But I don't want to be female!"
"Sorry, it's too late. The wish has been effected. Now I wish you well. Farewell," the lamp says as it fades away, moving to find its next victim.
Written by Catprog and Xodiac on 26 November 2013
At Home
Having nowhere else to go you head home. Luckily the shop is near your home and you don't need to drive. You're not even sure you could ride in a car now. You surely couldn't drive one.
Arriving home you are quite surprised to see the house. Where there was an apartment block there is now a single story home. Not only that, but several of the houses on one side have disappeared as well, replaced with a large field to run around in.
Now where would your key have ended up? You think for moment, but you actually have to resort to patting yourself down until you feel something on your chest. Pulling a cord from around your neck you find a keyring. On it you find the keys to your house and car, among a few others. They don't seem any different from the ones you had from before you became a centaur lady.
Inside the house, you find an large room, sparsely furnished. A few chairs and small tables are situated around the edge. The wide doors seem to lead into similarly open rooms. You have no trouble walking around as you explore your new home. It looks very nice, and you'd have no complaints if there wasn't a collection of rubber horseshoes in the bedroom in a variety of vaguely feminine styles for you to wear.
Still, there is probably nothing here to turn you back. Human OR male. You're not sure which is the more jarring change, but you're going to have to live with them both.
While you're looking over your new wardrobe (mostly tops, though there are some garments clearly made to cover your lower half as well), you hear a noise out front. A key in the lock? Then a voice calls out. "Hi, honey!"
Hubby's home! And he's a...
Written by Catprog and Xodiac on 27 November 2013
Human
“I got you the saddle you wanted.” he says calling into the house .
“Uh, thanks,” you call back. A saddle? Really? Was this for the race or something… personal?
“Now I can ride one of the horses when you go out running.”
“Oh,” you say as he enters the bedroom. You feel relieved. Well, mostly relieved. A pang of curiosity remains. “That’s good.”
Maybe later.
Wait... Are you seriously thinking of having a saddle put on you? You’re meant to be human! Are you starting to think like a centaur as well as look like one?
“So how was your day? Anything interesting happen?” he says interrupting your thoughts.
Written by Catprog and Xodiac on 28 November 2013
The Truth
“Well,” you say hesitantly, then plunge on. “I found a magic lamp, and a genie popped out. I accidently used up all three wishes at once and well now the whole world has changed. I’m a centaur, a star racer, and married to you.” You decide, for the moment, to hold back that you were male. There are limits.
“I... see,” he says. “I am not sure what to say to that.”
“I don’t blame you,” you say with a laugh that comes out more as a giggle.
“Genie lamps are quite rare. Good thing, too, or we would have more cases like this.”
“You… believe me?” You’re astonished, but he doesn’t seem to be acting like you’re nuts.
“Genies are well known as tricksters. That sounds like something right up their alley”
It looks like the genie’s making centaurs a known race brought other mythical races into the public eye as well. That sure makes things easier!
“So what were you before you found the lamp?” he asks you.
“Human. Er… and male.”
“Ah,” he says, shocked into silence for a moment. “So what are you planning to do? ” he finally asks.
“Well, maybe try to find a way to reverse the wishes” you say.
He nods. “Can’t do that without knowing what you wished for. The exact wording can be important. Do you remember it?” he asks.
When you tell him your wish’s exact wording, and as an afterthought add in that this one declared himself a “transformation genie” he shakes his head. “I’m not too surprised you got what you did. That wish was just asking for it.” Then he grins. “On the other hand, you did ask to be *happily* married. And I know *I’m* happy with *you.*” Aw… that’s so sweet, you think before he continues, “And if the wishes are reversed does that mean I stop existing?”
You hadn’t thought of that. “I don’t know…” You find the thought disturbing. You only just met the guy, but he seems nice enough. And you are supposed to be happy in this marriage. Maybe you should give it a try?
Written by Catprog and Xodiac on 29 November 2013
Working things out
Well it is not like you have to make a decision right this very second. You can find out more details first before you make your choice.
“So I am famous now?” you ask him. “That is what I wished for.”
He nods. “One of the fastest females in the six to eight furlong category. Plus you’re one of the few centaurs to have come out from the forest.”
“How many centaurs are there?”
“No one is certain of the numbers in the forest but maybe a hundred or so in the cities. The other races even less. The shapeshifters though , they are hidden so no one knows their numbers.”
“Well, they’re shapeshifters. Heck, for all I know you’re one!”
“I’m not, I promise.”
“Uh huh,” you say, your voice dripping with mock suspicion. “Anyway, let’s see if we can find that genie bottle again. If you become its newest owner then maybe we can undo this, and still have a wish or two for you!”
He smiles “The chances of finding it again are quite low. They tend to disappear when the wishes run out.”
“Yeah, this one did too. Hmm…” You try to think of a plan other than ‘find another genie lamp.’
“Sometimes though they stick around to watch the fun. They generally don’t give out wishes while they do though.”
“Or a wizard,” you say. If genies and magic are known, you figure there must be a few wizards around. “We could hire one of them.”
“Perhaps, you are a centaur and wizards would like to research them. They are so few though and mostly caught up in their war. Don’t worry, it is on another plane so we do not get many effects here. And if that doesn’t work there’s another possibility… though I’m kind of reluctant to suggest it.”
“What’s that, hon?” Hon? Where did that come from?
“A gypsy,” he says hesitantly. “They’re good at curses.”
“You want to *curse* me, now? Isn’t this enough?”
“No, no, hear me out,” he says. “Genie wishes are hard to undo. Everyone knows it. The magic is powerful. But curses are also hard to undo, as part of the nature of being, well, a curse. The power of a curse - a curse to be a male human - might be enough to overcome the genie wish that made you into a female centaur. Then again, it might not, and magic interacts badly at those levels when it doesn’t work.”
“How badly?”
“Real badly.”
“Oh.” You think a moment. “Hey, what about dragons? They might know a cure. They are probably the most powerful mages around, if we can find one and get it to listen to us.”
“Maybe. And there is a legend about centaurs. A man rode his horse through a river and when he came out he had been fused with his horse. All centaurs are said to be descendants of him.”
First time you’d heard that one. “Okay… so?”
“I’m sure it wasn’t just a regular river. But maybe if you find the right one and walk through it you’d separate? Or walk through it backwards, or… something,” he finishes, a little lamely.
“Well, it’s something to look into, anyway,” you say, trying to sound hopeful.
“So,” your husband says, crossing his arms. “Which should we try first?”
Written by Catprog and Xodiac on 30 November 2013
Over the river that made your race, to humanity you
"Do you have any idea of where the river is?" you ask.
He smiles. "Unfortunately, that legend is very old. It could be nearly anywhere on the planet."
"Well, I can’t just walk backwards through every river out there."
He nods sadly. "It will take quite a bit of research to try and find a large amount of hybrid creatures."
"Well," you say, feeling deflated, "I guess we’d better get started."
"Yeah. But… don’t you have a race tomorrow? Shouldn’t you do some training?"
"Well I don’t recall any of the races I have run so I will need you to tell me about them. And is there any library or something near the race?"
"Ah, yes I forgot for a moment about what you remember. If you want to run I can remind you of all your races."
"And maybe my memories will fill in with time," you say, nodding. After all, you’re already getting some rather equine… impulses, you think, looking again at that saddle.
Written by Catprog and Xodiac on 21 December 2014
Racing will be a good way of traveling
“We do need to make a living,” you say. “Racing will allow us to travel around to the various places while we still earn a living.”
He nods. Meanwhile, we can keep an ear out for local rumors and legends.”
“Are there any locations that centaurs and other hybrid creatures are in a high concentration?” you ask “that is a good starting place.”
“You’d know better than me,” he says with a wry smile.
“Hey, remember I wasn’t a centaur until about an hour ago!” you say. Though, oddly… you actually can recall some things out of this strangely twisted version of your world. You rack your brain, trying to “remember” things you heard.
“Oh yeah,” he says sheepishly. “Um… Do you know my name?”
You pause, thinking. “Rick?” you say hoping that it is correct.
“Your memories are returning?” he asks.
“I’m not sure ‘returning’ is the right word, considering,” you say. “But some things are coming to mind when I think of stuff I know, or should have known, if I grew up as a centaur…”
“Anything of use? Such as where the centaur tribes are? ” he asks hopefully.
“Europe,” you say slowly. “There’s a lot of centaurs in Europe, and most of our legends come from there. But for some reason India is kind of singing out to me…”
“Well, then, we know where to concentrate our bookings. I’ll go see if there are any competitions coming up in those areas. We can register for them, or try out, and look around as we’re there.”
“Sounds good!” you say, with a little wince inside at just how chirpy you sound. “Although... if we find a cure does that mean I would be male and then we won’t be together?”
“Er.” He looks stricken “ well if we can’t find a cure then you don’t have to make a choice. But you probably still want to at least try, and there might be the possibility I could join you.”
“Join me?” you ask.
“If the water made your race in the first place, it could make another centaur right?”
“You’d… do that?” You’re shocked. You don’t know if you’d have willingly given up your humanity, even if it meant being married to the perfect girl. That Rick might…
“Yeah.” He reaches over and pulls you close for a kiss. “For you, I would.” As you stare at him, stunned -- at the kiss as much as his words - he grins and heads towards his home office. “Now, just let me check those schedules.”
He returns twenty minutes later, looking triumphant. “We’re in luck!” he cries. “There’s a prestigious race happening in each place. But they’re both on the same weekend -- we can’t possibly do both, unless you want to do one of them next year. So, which should I apply you for?”
Written by Catprog and Xodiac on 07 January 2016
India
“India” you answer. “I have no idea why, I just have a feeling that there is something there.”
He nods “I will get everything set up. Do you want to research the area, hopefully your instinct will tell you what we need to look for.”
The race isn’t very long away. You’re surprised they even let you enter, but it seems you have something of a reputation -- a good one. Score one for the genie, you suppose. While it means you can get started on your search right away, it doesn’t leave much time to actually prepare for the race.
Written by Catprog and Xodiac on 10 January 2016