April 15, 2025 6:30 AM

Try to Salvage the Relationship (71%)

Elliot hadn’t gone out to rescue this girl, risking arrest and worse, only to give up on what they had together after the first sign of trouble. We’re going to fix this. We just have to last until then.

Things would get worse before they got better, but that was a problem for the future.

Elliot lingered outside the shower for a few seconds, either talking himself into something very stupid, or psyching himself up to do something daring. Not that it would’ve been difficult before, the transformation, but she hadn’t been a horse before. Or a she.

Ruby stepped into the water, and the heat began to rise through the bathroom, steam boiling out from inside. The heater was working then–for as long as the power and water held out. If Ruby hadn’t jumped out screaming, it meant there wasn’t sludge left in the tank. Small mercies.

Elliot braced on the nearby cabinet, leaning backward. Her own reflection looked back at her, inhuman as ever. And I’ll be looking at that face until I die.

If she concentrated, maybe she could still walk? Her arms didn’t want to be up that high, and her back felt incredibly strange when she tried to move it. Yet she found herself rising, until she was up entirely on her back legs. No longer feet, given the flat but not numb appendages on the end of each one.

Her tail flicked out on its own, perhaps in some vain struggle to keep her balance. It helped, but not much. She wobbled unsteadily towards the shower door, then caught herself against the glass. She was still way shorter than she should be, her hands barely on the handle instead of above it. She gripped it firmly, then swung the door open and stepped inside.

The old cabin had quite a large shower, with shelves along the tile covered by old soaps. She would have to be careful on that to avoid slipping off.

Looking up at her girlfriend was strange enough. The short splotches of yellow on her skin were even stranger–though nothing she was going to judge her over. “Ruby. We need to talk about something else.”

Ruby turned. There was no shock on her face, or even surprise. Maybe she’d seen this coming. “About you needing my help? Looks like you’re having trouble there.”

Elliot hadn’t said as much, but she felt it. Her legs were shaking to keep her upright. She rested one leg up on the wall to keep herself upright, and it worked, more or less. The warm water was nice, urging her deeper. She hadn’t had a proper shower since becoming this tiny horse thing.

“Not that. I know that’s going–can see how Peter ended up. I mean about us. She reached out with her other hand, or leg, or whatever it was, close enough to brush Ruby’s arm. “I don’t want to do this alone. When you’re melted into a horse, I don’t think you will either.”

Ruby looked down at her leg, expression unreadable. “Elliot. Don’t make me do this right now.” She turned gently away, sticking her head into the showerhead. Hot water splattered around them, only some of it splattering against Elliot. Hopefully there would be some left when she finished.

“I’m not asking you to decide anything now,” Elliot pressed, stumbling after her. She tried to put a hand on her back, but of course she didn’t have those anymore. She couldn’t hold her girlfriend the way she wanted to, or do the other things they usually did in a place like this.

“I know I look weird right now. I’m a freak. But in a few more days, we’ll all be freaks. Do you think we could be freaks together?”

Ruby caught her foreleg and held on with surprising force. She held close, then glanced down towards Elliot’s legs, and what was obviously missing. With Peter joining them, there could be no mistaking what should’ve been there. The alien horses didn’t work any differently than real ones in that regard.

“When you started changing, how soon could you tell?” Ruby asked. “That you were gonna be a chick, I mean.”

She winced. But there was no way to pull away now–she was already using Ruby for stability. If her girlfriend let go, she would fall. She couldn’t get away. “I felt smaller when I woke up. And Samantha looked bigger. Started the day I woke up after being super sick. Today for you, probably.”

Ruby reached touched her other hand to Elliot’s fluffy chest. “I can see why it would be easier for you, since you’re a dude. Were a dude, I mean. But I’m… just not into girls. I don’t think that’s gonna change. And you’re so new at this, you don’t know it’s not going to change for you either!”

Not a chance not a chance not a chance… Elliot’s back finally gave out, and she started to slip forward. Ruby caught her with relative ease, lowering her to the ground. She dropped to her knees in front of Elliot, right in the flow of steaming water.

“I don’t want to lose you,” Elliot stammered. It was just the water spraying over her face–she wasn’t crying. Elliot had never cried after a breakup before. She was stronger than that. “The world’s ending, Ruby. We don’t know if there’s even gonna be a tomorrow. Maybe the feds really use the nuclear option on the Midwest to stop the spread. We could be dead before sunset.”

Ruby slumped against the back wall, into a sitting position. She brushed a few curls of bright orange away from her face, staring back at her. “I know. I was hoping we could…” she stared down at her hands, flexing her fingers together. “Were you close with your sister?”

She hesitated, looking away. “Not since we were teenagers. Why?”

“You don’t want to be alone,” she said, speaking slowly. “I don’t either. But we’ve got bigger things to worry about right now than…” she gestured vaguely down at her chest. “This stuff. But if you wanted, we could be something else for a while. Sisters.”

Sisters. Elliot shook her head sharply. “Dunno if I could do that.”

“Girlfriends then,” Ruby said. “Like what Sam and I have. We’re close, just not that kind of close.” She reached over, running one hand through Elliot’s hair. Or mane, more precisely. It didn’t grow quite the same way as on a human being. The blue-green color didn’t help with the human illusion, either.

“You rescued me, got us away from the city, brought me to your home. I want to face this together. Can we do it together a different way?”

Could she? She didn’t care about Ruby less because of the transformation. We’re more than lovers, we’re friends. Ruby helped her understand the journal, and stood by her despite the legal risks and worse. Much more than a friend.

“I… I think…” she sniffed, and her voice shook. The shower did her another favor–her tears weren’t so obvious in here. Ruby could think it was the echoing room that made her sound stranger. “Fine. But don’t call me Elliot anymore. Elliot’s a dude. He’s your boyfriend. Strong and confident and brave and everything I’m not. Maybe we’ll get a cure, and we can go back to the way we were. Until then, I’m not him.”

She nodded solemnly, staring down at her lap. “Then what do I call you?”

“Elliot was your boyfriend,” she said again, more confident. She stood up straighter, facing into the heat. It did feel quite nice against her face. “I’m… Way.” Not exactly a name, but she wasn’t exactly a person now, either. “Way can be your sister. Older sister I guess. I’m still older.”

Ruby moved quickly, in ways Elliot no longer could. She flung herself forward, wrapping her arms around Way’s neck. “Thanks, E… Way. I hope you’re right, and we can go back to how things were. Until then…”

Sisters.

It did soften the blow, a little. It wasn’t like Ruby and Elliot had spent all their time together being intimate. Way wouldn’t have to go without her company. “Are you still gonna share the bedroom with me?”

Ruby released her, nodding slowly. “For you as much as me. Act as brave as you want, I can tell this is hard for you. Way needs someone around she can ask questions. What are those awful cramps all the sudden? What kind of foundation should you use if you plan on wearing a bright eyeshadow? Will you come with me out to the bar, I don’t want to walk home alone…”

“I don’t know if horses work like that, or wear makeup.” She looked up. “I’d accept your help getting clean now, though. In a… strictly platonic way. I’m not really sure how to wash fur without fingers.”

Ruby nodded, then stood. “Sure. How do you fold out this bench…”

Way felt a little better when she was dry. Something about being clean after something difficult helped bring the world back into focus and make stress seem a little less important. Elliot had lost his girlfriend of two years, but Way still had her sister.

There were more important things than sex, anyway. Ruby sat with her after, and helped brush the tangles from her mane and tail. She even seemed to enjoy the process. Way did too, though she wouldn’t admit it. Now the hair hung straight behind her, since she hadn’t been sure of what to do with it. Ruby wanted to braid the tail, but she wouldn’t allow that. “I’m not a doll. I’d like to see you try that when you look like me.”

“I probably won’t,” Ruby admitted, voice wistful. “Look at my hair. It’s turning so curly–not sure how I’ll manage it. Can’t use a straightener without fingers. Unless…” She touched Way’s horn with the brush. “Can you do that glowing thing again?”

Could she? Way tilted her head sideways, thinking hard. The urgency of getting into the cabin motivated her, but did she need to have so much pressure?

Maybe not, but she didn’t get anywhere right then. Way shrugged. “Maybe Peter knows.”

“Hopefully. Not exactly sure why he’s even with us. I assume you covered that while I was cooking in my own juices.”

She stood up, then made for the shut closet door. Maybe she could find something to wear inside. “You’re the one who told us there was something down in the supercomputer. That’s what they were studying: him. Taking measurements using this… awful machine. I think Peter knows more about this disease than he’s shared so far. Wants to stay useful.”

Ruby shrugged. “You talk to him. I think I’ll try to make a trip into town today. See if we can grab a few more supplies.”

They headed downstairs after that. Ruby fully dressed now, in clothes she’d borrowed from the closet. Way had considered doing something similar–but looking at her mom‘s clothes just made it too weird. Besides, her body wasn’t shaped remotely correct for anything tailored for a person. She’d need to learn to sew for that.

For better or worse, the others had all come to the same conclusion; when they reached the living room, Peter and Sam had abandoned any meaningful attempt at clothing. Peter still had the band around his neck, but that didn’t cover anything.

“Lucky you in the fancy bedroom,” Peter said, as they emerged downstairs. “Friend here was moaning through the wall all night. Thought he was getting eaten by termites.”

Sam emerged from behind the kitchen island, grinning up at them. “Pretty sure I’m finished cooking. But these hurt like a mother. Wish I had something stronger than Advil.”

Way opened her mouth to ask what he meant—then Sam spread a pair of huge wings, so large they almost brushed against the ceiling. Both were huge, reaching as far as his body was long, with feathers that could’ve come from any large bird of prey. They somehow matched the creamy color of his fur, blending in as though they were meant to be there. “I can see the lady is overwhelmed,” he continued. “That’s alright. I’ll be signing autographs all week.”

“You think you can fly with those?” Ruby said, circling around Way and into the kitchen. She was less overwhelmed by the sight—but she was still taller than Sam. For a little while, anyway. “Look muscular enough. Must lift with a build like that.”

Sam grinned—somehow Way could still read his expression, despite his face. Nowhere near as familiar as hers or even Peter’s—Sam had a beak. Dark and curved, with a few little openings for nostrils.

If Way didn’t know him, she’d probably run from something like this. Bigger than an eagle!

Peter slipped past him from the other side. “Yeah yeah, keep showing off. Never seen that bioform before, but I know it’s missing one of these.” He tapped his horn, then nodded to Way. “When I left, they were still studying how they work. But their abilities seem substantial.”

“Oh, I’ve got a horn too,” Sam said, his grin widening. “Can’t say that was on the agenda. But I’m sure Elliot knows how that feels.”

She said nothing, looking anywhere but under or behind Sam and Peter. Their quadrupedal body plans did make that easier, so long as she wasn’t behind anyone. “Ruby volunteered taking a trip into town to load up on supplies.”

“Not a chance,” Sam snapped, following just behind them. “Granite Bluff was blocked off, remember? We had to sneak in through the side-roads. If they figure out there’s infected here…”

“There might be already,” Ruby argued. She poked into the fridge, but of course it was empty. No one had brought in their camp supplies. Even when they did, none of it had to be refrigerated. “I don’t look that bad. I just need to borrow a razor for this yellow stuff on my face. Long sleeves, and I’m fine. What do you think, Way?”

She turned towards her, expression softening. “Everyone, I know you’ve already met. But this is Way–until she comes up with something that sounds more like a name. If anyone asks, she’s my sister.”

Sam choked back a laugh. “Sorry about your loss, Way,” he said. He lowered one claw past his chest, reaching back. He didn’t actually touch anything, but the implication was clear enough. “If it’s any consolation, Elliot’s best traits were never physical. Pretty sure Ruby liked you for being sweet–taking her to work, going hiking together, watching shitty romance movies and not complaining about it. Maybe Way won’t mind so much.”

She minded very much at that moment. If they were going to mock her–Way stood up again, with difficulty. But if she could balance in the shower, she could do so now, resting her arm on the kitchen island to help keep balance. Suddenly she was taller than the other two fully-transformed. “We should stay focused. Our priority should be:”

1. Stock up in the cabin with as much as possible before things get worse.
2. Focus on learning more about their condition.
3. Find a way to get online and learn how the disease is spreading.”