AN: I just realized that the formatting was not working the way I wanted it to. I went back and added clearer scene breaks. Going forward, sections with different viewpoints will be separated by a horizontal line.


Princess Shelly's two burly henchmen struggled with her brother's dog, Sparky. One man pulled the dog's chain, and the other seemed to be trying lead the dog into a cage with a stick. Though very friendly and loyal, Sparky was of a very strong, fierce, and intelligent breed. He held strongly against the man pulling at his chain, and against the other, he would learn the man's patterns and bite him when he got the opportunity.

"Do I have to do everything myself?" Princess Shelly demanded. She grabbed the stick and screamed as she ran at the dog, brandishing her weapon. The dog growled at her, but a well-placed smack with the stick stunned it long enough for the three of them to push him into the cage and lock it. Sparky barked and growled from behind the bars.

"Go to the forest and capture anyone who tries to rescue this dog," said Shelly. "The person I'm looking for has dark hair and blue eyes. You are to bring them straight to me. No going through the guards or the castle, I'll meet you at our agreed upon location."


Stella woke up at dawn the next morning. She had been so excited for her second change that she hardly got any sleep that night. She didn't even bother to shave. She just threw on some clothes and rushed out through the house and into the garden. Sure enough, at the end of the orchard, that lone apple tree bore another shiny red apple on its branches. Stella grabbed the apple and took a bite out of it.

There was no choking. There were no sensations. In fact, nothing seemed to happen. Stella began to worry. Butters/New Kid had told her that the changes would be sudden, like they were the day before. But now, nothing. Stella finished the apple, but she still did not notice anything. New Kid would have an explanation.

Stella made her way back to the house. By the time she got there, she felt a mild itching on her skin. When she scratched her face, a good bit of the stubble from her cheek fell off. Stella felt relieved. She went back up to her room, and she felt itchy everywhere. She stripped off all her clothes. The thick, dark hair on her arms, legs, and chest started falling off. She spent a good portion of her morning rubbing her skin free of that hair. As the thick, coarse body hair fell off from her arms and legs, new, finer hair grew in its place. Stella's skin also felt softer and smoother.

Stella missed breakfast trying to get all of that hair off, but she scrubbed off all the hair that would come out at the moment. The rest, she presumed would have to wait. She grabbed some bread from the kitchen and drank some water. She felt like sword practice.

When Stella got to the training grounds, she saw Wendy practicing with the dummies again. Cartman lounged in the shade not far from her, eating nuts from a sack.

Stella greeted her. "Hey, Wendy."

Wendy turned around. "Hi, Stella."

Cartman laughed. "Oh, man, that voice with that body, seriously." Wendy shot him a stern look.

"Do you want to spar?" asked Stella.

"Oh, no, no, no," said Cartman. "I'm already helping Wendy, so fuck off."

"Lying down in the shade and watching me practice doesn't count as helping," said Wendy.

"Sure, it does," said Cartman. "I'm giving you moral support."

Wendy sighed. "Come on, there's a shed with some blunted swords and padded armor we can use."

They got ready and faced each other in the center of the training grounds. Wendy had a good stance. Stella recognized those moves from observing the soldiers from Larion during her time as a ward. Wendy certainly looked military-trained, but Stella was still male-bodied. She didn't want to hurt Wendy, so she took a less aggressive stance.

When Cartman called for the match to start, Wendy lunged. Her strike was quick, sure, and strong. It took Stella completely by surprise. She barely managed to parry that attack. Wendy used that moment to bring her sword back and bring it to Stella's side and hit her. Hard. Wendy finished her off by thrusting her practice sword into Stella's abdomen, knocking her to the ground.

Cartman hollered and laughed. "Kick her ass, Wendy!"

Stella got back up. Wendy was good, great even. She always knew when to hit Stella to get at her weak points, striking decisively like a snake, but, once Stella stopped underestimating her and really put her all in the fight, she started giving back as many hits as she took. Pretty soon, they were both sweaty and bruised as they both gave it their all.

"Ok, stop," said Cartman. They were in the middle of the fight. Stella was just about to block an attack from Wendy, who limply pointed her sword down as Cartman called time. "I need a break, I'm beat."

"All you did was sit there!" said Wendy.

"Well, I need a drink. It's hot out here!" Cartman stood up, taking his sack of nuts with him. "I'll be right back. I'm getting some chilled tea."

Wendy groaned as he walked away. Stella took a moment to catch her breath. She honestly wouldn't mind waiting a few minutes.

Luckily, Wendy seemed to be more in a talking mood now. "I've been meaning to ask. Are you really planning on following through with the prophecy?"

"Well, yeah, why shouldn't I?" asked Stella. "Shelly killed an innocent man and tried to kill me. She needs to be stopped if I'm ever going to get back home."

"I see. Do you have a plan?"

"Well, I was thinking of proposing marriage to Prince Kyle once I was done transforming. That will put me in a better position to act against Shelly."

"And you're sure that Kyle would go along with this?"

"I think I have a good shot. The marriage would be politically sound, and he and I have been best friends forever so…"

"I was talking about your vendetta against your sister," said Wendy. "Do you really think Prince Kyle would create a conflict between Zaron and Larion for you?"

Stella paused. It had crossed her mind once or twice. "I don't know. Probably not. But maybe if I were princess or queen of Larion, I could demand something from Shelly. Even if it doesn't happen…even if Kyle doesn't agree to marry me, I think he's still my best bet. I can't go back home, because Shelly's still there, and if I go home as a woman, she'll want me dead for sure. But if I went to Kyle, maybe I could stay in Larion. I can still send letters to my parents. Kyle and I were always there for each other. I'm sure he would help me."

"It sounds like you two are really close," said Wendy.

Stella smiled. She felt a warmth flood to her cheeks. "Yes, we are." She didn't know why that made her fell so warm inside.

"Stella." Wendy spoke slowly, as if considering every word. "If Prince Kyle does marry you, you will be queen of Larion. If that ever happened, could I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," said Stella apprehensively. "I can't make any promises though."

"I know," said Wendy. "I just ask that you do what you can."

"All right."

"Larion needs to allow women in its army," said Wendy. "And we need to be treated with respect. When barbarians attacked the border villages in Larion, I knew I needed to be out there with the troops. If I had been a boy, it would have been expected of me."

"I'll do what I can," said Stella, "but, like I said, I can't make any promises."

"There's more," said Wendy. "I can't go home either. The reason I left army was because someone found out that I had been disguising myself as a boy. The person who found out knew that I was a countess, so they tried to blackmail me for political and financial favors. He was going to tell everyone what I had been doing this whole time. Since I'm a woman, not only did I break the law, but a lone woman spending months from home surrounded by men would have been disgraceful. I wouldn't have been able to return home like that."

"Dude…"

"I ran away. It was the only thing I could do. I can't retake the identity I used to join the army, since technically, I deserted, and I can't go home because this guy has ties to the court and will try to blackmail me again. I just kept running. For days, I lived out in the wild, hunting and taking shelter where I could. Eventually, I found New Kid and her house. She took me in and told me that I wouldn't have to hide from people anymore, and that I could just be myself. It's a wonderful place, but I still think about going back home.

"So, if you find Prince Kyle, could you…?"

"Of course!" said Stella. "I'll talk to Kyle. I'm sure he'll clear your name. I promise, I will do everything I can to help you and every woman who wants to join the army."

Wendy smiled. "Thank you."

Stella took in a deep breath. "You know, I actually felt really bad for the longest time. I thought that the reason you left was because…ah...you know…after we've been together at court, that maybe we may have caused…an accident…" Stella blushed.

Wendy threw her head back and laughed. "You thought you got me pregnant."

"Well, yeah!"

"That definitely would have been a problem," Wendy said. "No, you don't have to worry about that."

"Oh good," said Stella. "Um…I mean good for you. I've…moved on."

"I've moved on too," Wendy said decisively.

Just then, Cartman came back to the practice yard holding a tray with three mugs on it.

"Sorry it took so long," said Cartman. "Butters went to go help Kenny with his dress while he was making the tea, so I had to go drag him back to the kitchen." Cartman gave one mug to Wendy before taking the other two with him into the shade. "Chilled tea with peach juice really hits the spot."

The next day, Stella ate the third apple. She didn't notice any changes. She didn't feel anything, either. No pain, no choking, no prickling sensations, nothing. She ate breakfast with the rest of the household. She sat besides Kenny, who sat at New Kid's left hand. He wasn't wearing his dress that day. Instead, he wore some really faded orange and brown peasant clothes. His short, blond hair poked through his hood.

"Hey, Kenny," said Stella, hoping to strike up a conversation.

"Hmm." Kenny didn't look up from his bowl.

"Is something wrong?" asked Stella.

"No," Kenny said tersely. "Just eating breakfast." He stabbed his bread with the knife he was using to butter it.

Stella was about to ask Kenny what his problem was, but Garrison spoke up. "Okay, children, we're out of mushrooms. I need some of you to go out into the forest to go get some. I volunteer Eric and Kenny."

"Aawww, why do I have to go?" Cartman demanded. "I always have to do everything around here."

"Eric, it's about god damn time you did something useful, so unless you want me to piss in your soup for the next month, I suggest you go out and get me some damn mushrooms," said Garrison.

"Hmmph." Cartman slumped in his seat.

"Can I go?" asked Stella. "I go hunting in my family's woods all the time. I can help get mushrooms."

"Well, I don't see why not," said Garrison.

"Does that mean I can stay here?" asked Cartman.

"No, Eric!"

Stella, Kenny, and Cartman headed off into the forest. Cartman complained the whole time, of course. He never really did any work, either. He just walked around and complained as Stella and Kenny picked mushrooms. Kenny wasn't much better company, either. He ignored Stella, and she could feel the hostility emanating from him.

"Okay, dude, what is your problem?" Stella asked.

"Fucking nothing, okay?" he shot back at her.

"It's not noth-"

"Just don't, okay?" Kenny snapped at her. "Let's just get Garrison his mushrooms so we can go back, all right?"

The rest of their time spent in the woods were just awkward and uncomfortable. Stella went to go pick mushrooms a little ways away from both her companions. Suddenly she heard a noise. It sounded like barking. Stella loved dogs. She went to take a look. She walked quickly towards the direction that the barking was coming from. As she got closer, she could tell that the dog was agitated and angry. She broke into a run. She hated the idea of that poor animal in distress.

She found the dog. It wasn't any dog. It was her dog, her loyal companion, Sparky, who, next to Kyle, was her best friend in the world. Sparky was in a cage. Two large, bulky men tormented him with a stick. One of them had spiky brown hair, and the other wore a brown cap.

"Whats'a matter, boy, thirsty?" asked the spiky-haired man. He opened his wineskin and spilled wine on Sparky.

"Hey, don't waste good booze on a dog," said the man with the cap. Sparky jumped at the cage bars. "Hey, get back!" The man with the cap jabbed Sparky hard with the stick.

That was enough to send Stella into a near-rage. She dropped her basket and stepped out towards the men. "You stop that right now!" she yelled.

"Oooooh." The cap head jeered. "What are you going to do about it?"

Stella clenched her fists. She had almost forgotten that she wasn't a prince anymore. Just a few days ago, she would have sent these cretins to the dungeons for daring to hurt Sparky. Now she was alone against two very big and dangerous men.

"Where's your manners?" asked the spiky-haired man. "It's a lady you're talking to." His voice dipped, and Stella could see the lecherous look in his eye. "And I haven't seen one of those in a long time?"

"Are you sure? She's really tall and bulky for a girl, and she's flat, too."

"Sounds like a girl to me. Plus, she's got okay ass if you squint really hard."

The two men laughed. Stella felt absolutely mortified. The way they talked about her like that, and while she was standing right there made her feel demeaned and humiliated. This has never happened to her before. Her hand went to her sword, and she pulled it out almost unthinkingly.

"Woah, relax, honey," said the one with spiky hair. "We'll let you have the dog. Let me just get that door open for you."

"Well, go on," said the cap head. "You want the dog or not."

Stella approached the door. Words could not explain how much she just wanted to get Sparky out of there and leave.

When she got close to the cage, the two men opened the cage door and shoved her in. Sparky tried to jump for the open door, but they slammed it his face. They laughed and jeered as they locked the door.

"What do you want?" Stella demanded.

"Nothing personal," said cap head. "It's just that we…"

"Don't tell her we're working for the princess, cocksucker."

"Don't call me a cocksucker, cocksucker."

Eric Cartman walked out from the woods. He was wearing Kenny's hood over his face like a shawl. It looked like he tore up his shirt so that the top of his large breasts were visible. Stella could also catch a glimpse of women's underwear under Cartman's shirt.

"Hi boys," Cartman said with a high-pitched voice. "Wanna see my tits?"

"Woah." The two men walked over to Cartman as if in a trance.

Kenny approached the cage door. He put his finger to his lip, indicating to Stella to be silent before he started picking the lock on the cage. Cartman kept distracting the two men while Kenny worked on the lock. Kenny opened it with a click.

"Hey!" shouted the spiky-haired man as the cage door opened rather loudly. Stella got out her sword and whistled at Sparky to attack. Stella engaged the man with the cap. He drew his sword just in time to parry Stella's first attack. Stella used the same trick that Wendy used on her and attacked the opening he created, slashing open his stomach. The man with the cap fell and convulsed for a moment before he died.

Sparky had the spiky-haired man's leg in his mouth. The man thrust his sword at Sparky, forcing the dog to let go to avoid the strike. Seeing that his friend was down, he ran away. Stella and Sparky chased him as he ran towards his horses. They were faster than him, but he was able to mount his horse. He grabbed the reins of his friend's horse before galloping away.

Stella whistled Sparky to come back to her. In an instant, the ferocious attack dog turned into Stella's loyal friend. Sparky jumped on her, knocking her down, and started licking her face profusely. Stella rubbed his head profusely, all the while telling him what a good dog he was. Stella then wrestled him to the ground and rubbed his belly. Sparky kicked his legs up in the air, his tongue wagging happily.

"Are you stupid?" Kenny demanded. Stella stopped playing around to look up at him. "You could have gotten killed. What the fuck were you thinking?"

"Okay, Kenny," Stella stood up and faced him. "You've been a dick to me all day. Just what the fuck is going on?"

Kenny did not back down. He looked Stella square in the face. "You really think you know what it means to be a woman? Do you know what these guys would have done to you?" Kenny sighed. "What the hell was New Kid thinking?"

With that, Kenny stormed off. Stella knew she would get no help from Cartman. Cartman just sniggered at the tiny spectacle Stella and Kenny were creating. They gathered up the mushrooms. It was not as many as Garrison wanted, but they were all eager to go home. They walked back to the house. Butters greeted them in the kitchen. Kenny slammed his basket on the table before storming off to his room. Cartman just wandered off to do his own thing. Stella put her basket on the table besides Kenny's.

"Hello, Stella," said Butters. "Woah, you look different."

"Really?" Stella looked down at herself. She still didn't notice anything. "Different how?"

"I don't know," said Butters. "I mean you look the same size, but something about your body looks like it changed somehow."

Stella stilled looked down at her body. "Butters, do you know why Kenny's being an ass today? He's just been a real dick to me."

"Oh," said Butters. He took the mushrooms from the baskets and started putting them away. "I don't know if I should tell you this, but, last night, Kenny went to New Kid and asked her to change him into a woman, too. New Kid didn't think it was a good idea, so she told him to wait on that for a bit."

"Why not?" asked Stella. "If Kenny want's to be a woman, just let him be a woman."

"That's what I asked New Kid," said Butters. "She told me that it was more complicated than that. She told me that some people are born a girl or boy, but it's not who they are on the inside. Some boys are actually girls on the inside, and they need to be able to express their identity because it's who they are. Some boys, like me and Kenny and Eric, well we like to do girl things, and in Kenny and Eric's case, dress like girls, but we're still boys on the inside, and it would be a big mistake to treat us like girls when we're not."

"I didn't get any of that at all. Why wasn't this complicated for me?"

Butters paused. "New Kid said that Kenny wants to be a woman. You are a woman. You said your whole life, you were meant to be something else. Kenny didn't really think of it until you started doing it. Now, New Kid says that she could be wrong about Kenny, and it could be that maybe he really was a woman inside all along. But New Kid didn't feel that it was the case right now, so she told him to wait."

Stella took a step towards the kitchen door. Sparky followed after her. "All right. I'll leave you to it then."

She went upstairs to her room. When she caught her reflection in the mirror, something did seem off. Standing in front of it, she still couldn't figure out what it was. She took off her clothes. Then she saw it. It was incredibly subtle, but now that she noticed, her body did look so much different. Her chest had actually gotten smaller. She had less fat around her abdomen and more around her thighs and hips. It made her body slightly more curvy. She felt a rush a joy. She remembered what Butters had just said. Kenny wanted to be a woman. Stella was a woman. She supposed she was. The thought made her happy.


One of Shelly's men made it back to the meeting spot. Shelly was furious that he came back without her brother.

"We found the girl," he pleaded. "Dark hair, blue eyes, just like you said."

"A girl?" Shelly demanded. "You found a girl?"

"W…well I think she was a girl. She was kind of tall and flat, but she sounded like a girl and kind of looked like one."

Shelly's stomach tightened up with fear and anger. So, her father had been right. Stan was transforming into a woman to come take her down. She could not let that happen. She would not let that happen.

"So," said the man. "Am I still getting paid?"

Shelly barely heard him through her rage and fear. She summoned a fire ball and incinerated him.