Searing was bored. This was nothing new, since she'd stayed holed up in the hotel for over a month, leaving the penthouse only for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the workout room. The printer was fun, but she wasn't patient enough to really get creative with it. She was getting better with the pole workouts, and had even managed to stay off the floor with it for nearly an hour a few times.

"I'm bored," she said to herself as she lay on her bed. She was already used to the way the world seemed to work, and the constant smell of latex had faded to the background. She looked to the side and saw a phone guide that had been a constant feature on the nightstand. With nothing better to do, she picked it up and read it. "Pizza, seafood, clothes, enchantresses? Huh. Plumbing service, electrical service, room service, someone to talk to? Well, I could use that." She quickly dialed the number.

"Hello, Searing," the woman on the other side said with a mature, yet sweet voice. "How can I help you?"

Searing gave the phone a suspicious glance. "How did you know my name?"

"This is an internal hotel line, Sugar. Naturally, we have caller ID for that, and since you're the only one in the penthouse, it wasn't hard to figure out. So, how can I be of service? Need a sub? Dom? Maybe you want me to teach you some tricks?"

"What? No no no, I just. . ." Searing let out a sigh. "I just need to talk to someone."

"Would you like me to come to you or would you like to come to me?"

"I'll come to you. Where are you?"

"Just come to the front desk and one of the fine ladies there will show you the way. See you soon, Sugar."

"Alright." Searing hung up the phone and shuddered a bit. It sounded like the woman on the other end was flirting with her or teasing her. She hoped it was neither.

The dim office Searing found herself in was, to her surprise, homey, simple, and rather devoid of anything fetishy. She felt a bit better just by being there. At the back of the room were two high back chairs facing a faux fireplace. "Hello, Sugar," the woman from the call said. "Take a seat." A silhouette of an arm told her which chair was occupied. "Either one is fine."

Searing took the open seat, and she got to see the woman. Like every other woman, she had a healthy figure and the showy, yet professional outfit she wore fit her very well. Searing really didn't care all that much, though she suddenly felt a bit underdressed in only her regular athletic attire. "So, who are you?"

"I'm Moxxi, the owner of this hotel. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I'm used to everyone knowing who I am, and I'll admit that you not knowing is a bit exciting. But! We're not here for me to talk to you, you're here to talk to me. And I promise that nothing you say will leave this room. So, what's troubling you?"

"Well, it's a long story," Searing said as she gathered her thoughts, tried to organize her story, failed repeatedly, gave up, and went with the abridged short version. "I'm from a different world, I have no idea why my. . . Benefactor sent me here, though I have my suspicions, and. . . It's all so different here."

"How so?"

"Well. . . The latex everything, for starters. Then there's all the fetish stuff everywhere, and. . . It just makes no sense to me, which I should be used to by now, but no, I'm not. I just. . . I want to go back home, where things were so much simpler."

"Simpler or more familiar?"

Searing had to consider the question for a moment before giving a rather Discord-like answer. "Yes."

"I see. Maybe you just need to get out and do something."

"I don't have any money."

"Well, someone paid for your penthouse for quite a while, so you could get a job somewhere and earn some money that way." Moxxi spent a couple seconds admiring Searing's exposed body. "How about you go to the gym down the road? You look like you would make a great instructor there."

"Well. . . I. . . I kind of like fighting a bit too much to just instruct, if I'm honest."

"There's a dojo next to the gym. If you want to try for a position there, they might accept you."

"Thanks. And. . . What can you tell me about enchantresses? I didn't know magic was a thing here."

"It is a gift few possess, and it's never clear if someone will get it. My mothers are both top notch enchantresses, as are my sisters, but I wasn't. They all got easy jobs, and here I am, the richest of them all. Anyways, an enchantress can enchant clothes to work a certain way. Let's say you wanted to replace your legs with cat legs. You can get some tights or boots with the right design enchanted, put them on, and you'll be walking with cat legs. Simple, really."

Searing made a mental note of the description. "I'll have to look into that. Which way to the dojo?"

"Out the front door, go left, and follow the road. It'll be on the beachside."

"Thanks, Moxxi."

"It's no problem, Sugar. Good luck~"

When Searing walked in the dojo, she saw a class in session, practicing kicks, punches, and other moves. Inside, she smiled. "This is going to be great!" She thought as she walked up to the front desk and remembered her mission. "Excuse me, are there any job openings here?"

Everything went silent at the question and the receptionist looked up at her. "You want to teach here?"

"Oh yes," Searing said with an eager nod. "I'll do whatever paperwork I need to for that."

"Go to the training floor. Raven will conduct your interview."

Searing went to the mat covered floor, the women all letting her pass by. All except for one, whom she stood eye to eye with. Something about the woman's facial features and wavy black hair reminded her a bit of Yang, but she set those thoughts aside.

"So, you're looking to become an instructor here?" Raven asked. "Let's see if that toned body is the real deal or just for show. Class! Test her, and show no remorse."

Searing turned around just in time to get a fist to the face, the surprise staggering her more than anything. She recovered quickly, just in time to brace for a second punch to the face. "Is that it?" Searing boredly asked before going on her own offense. Grapples, punches, kicks, human shields, she used every trick she had, and she was smiling the whole time.

Once the whole class was down on the floor, Raven landed a surprise attack with a kendo sword, knocking Searing off balance and to the floor. "Is that all you have?" The tip of the wooden practice weapon hit the mat right next to Searing's face.

Searing did not answer with words. Instead, she grabbed the wooden weapon and rolled into the woman's legs, knocking her over and allowing Searing to claim the weapon as she got to her feet. "No, not really. Truth be told, I wasn't even trying that hard."

Raven suddenly started laughing as she got up. "You weren't trying? And what would that look like?"

"Hospital trips."

All mirth disappeared from Raven's face at the flat delivery of the answer. "Seriously?"

"Yes. So, the job?"

"Yeah, I guess you earned it. Go to the reception desk to get the paperwork done."

Searing decided to expand her horizons some more and see what else was in town. She had the day off and some money to spend, after all.

Her first stop was a dance club. The bouncer, a rather muscular woman that stood over Searing (mostly on account of some ridiculously tall platform heels) stopped her. "Hold it. Do you have a dance outfit?"

"Uhh, can't I dance in anything I'm wearing?" The bouncer pulled Searing over to a window overlooking the dance floor. Confusion overtook Searing as she tried to figure out the outfits everyone was wearing. The tight latex was no surprise, but the inflated hands, lower legs, and feet that every outfit shared was. "I. . . I don't get it."

"We have some to rent or buy if you're interested."

"I think I'll pass on that." With that, Searing left the dance club.

"Ooh, a petting zoo!" Searing went in with visions of petting all kinds of different animals and possibly even reconnecting with her inner equine, which really hadn't been allowed to show much thanks to Discord.

Her daydream came to a crashing halt when she came to a split. Off to the right was the actual entrance to the animals, and she could see some just past the admission booths.

On the left was the metaphorical reinforced brick wall that had made her stop. Just past the admission booths, Searing saw women, arms and legs bound so they were only walking on their elbows and knees, clad head to toe in animal themed outfits.

Searing let out a breath, turned around, and left. "Nope. Not happening."

"I hope this place is normal." Searing entered an aquarium and her hopes were quickly dashed. At the far end of the room was a group of visitors being suited up with mermaid outfits. When one of them was fully dressed up, she was put on a water slide that went down into the wall. Through the floor, she saw the woman land in the water and start swimming around. "Why did I hope for normalcy again?" She asked herself as she left.

An advertisement came up on the TV as Searing was doing a pole workout. It was one she hadn't seen before, so she paused to watch. "Do you need a contract written? Or maybe you have one you want looked at? Well, we here at Dewie, Cheetum, and Howe would be glad to help you with all your legally binding contracts." The woman walked over to a chair that appeared to be (and most likely was) a woman bound in a chair frame and sat down on the lap-cushion. "We break down the legalese into simpler terms that anyone can understand, even if they're fresh out of the tube. There is no contract we can't decipher or write, no loophole we'll leave open, and no possibility we won't consider. We can even help issue gag orders. Oh, those are so much fun~"

"Why am I still surprised by this world?" Searing asked herself as she went back to her routine. Before she could really get back in the rhythm, the lights flickered, then everything went dark in the room, the only illumination coming from the full moon outside. "That's not right." She went over to the phone, which still worked, and dialed the internal number for electrical service. "Hi. The power in the penthouse just went out. . . Oh. . . Okay. . . No, I don't. . . Yes, I can wait. . . Thank you."

Almost half an hour later, there was a knock at the door. Searing answered it and saw a woman clad head to toe in black latex with yellow lightning patterns placed around it to emphasize her shape. The woman's whole head was hidden inside a smooth helmet, concealing all her facial features. Behind her was a loaded utility cart, and as Searing looked over the myriad of tools and parts, she noticed the lightning shaped heels on the woman's feet. "Electrical, I presume?" Searing asked.

The woman nodded, said nothing, and brought the cart in. She started looking around the room, like she was scanning for something. It wouldn't be long before she got a lock on one wall, went over, and got to work.

Searing watched over the woman's shoulders, an easy task since whatever went wrong was near the pole. A section of the wall was cut out with a glowing knife and set aside. Searing was no electrician, but she could tell that the mass of sparking wires was very dangerous. "So, are you going to cut the power or-" Searing's question was answered when the woman started handling the live wires like they were plain strings, not bothered by the arcing electricity. It took a bit for Searing to make the connection. "Full rubber insulation. Of course." She looked the electrician's outfit over again. "That's actually a pretty good idea."

Searing picked up the phone and dialed. Naturally, someone picked up on the other end. "Hi. The water in my bathroom isn't flowing. . . No, nothing. . . The kitchen water works. . . Not super urgent, but I would like it fixed quickly. . . Yes, I'll wait for her. . . Thanks."

Twenty minutes later, Searing opened the door. The plumber was there, and she was clad head to toe in black latex with blue water patterns all over, from the fully concealing helmet to the heels on her feet. Behind her was a utility cart full of plumbing parts and tools. "Why am I not surprised?" Searing quietly asked herself. "Come on in."

The woman brought the cart in and started looking around as she made her way to the bathroom. When she got there, her body language suggested a sigh. She pulled out a tablet, typed out a message, and presented it to Searing. "Have you done any activities with these fixtures outside of regular use?"

"No, I haven't," Searing said. "Is that a common problem?"

The plumber nodded before typing out another message. "If you need to use a bathroom or take a shower, use another bathroom. This is going to take a bit of time to fix."

"Thank you." Searing picked up a bundle of her latex clothes and started making her way down to the pool. She knew there were showers in the changing room down there that she could use.

Half an hour later, Searing returned to the penthouse and heard running water. Curious, she went to the bathroom and saw the plumber in the shower, cleaning her outfit of a bunch of muck she could smell all the way from the open door. The plumber noticed Searing, held two fingers against the side of her helmet, and the tablet lit up. Searing picked it up and read the message. "Simpler fixes than expected, but very messy. Will freshen up the bathroom after cleaning up."

Searing gave the plumber a look, nodded, and went back out to the main area of the penthouse. "Well, I guess that's an advantage to latex suits for plumbing work."

Searing realized that she was about ten minutes early to the dojo, so she decided to take a look at the Fembot Gym that was next door. The gym was split into two areas inside, both with their own counters. To the left was a normal enough gym, packed with women working out. To the right, Searing saw something similar, though the women there were all moving rather mechanically, had a blank look to their eyes, and were all wearing headphones with an antenna on top.

"Are you interested in our hypnotic workout program?" The woman behind the right counter asked.

"Kind of? How does it work?"

"Well, you choose your workout regiment, put the headphones on, and let yourself slip back as your body goes on autopilot, letting you get all the workout without having to focus on it. Of course, there are numerous safety measures in place and you can cancel at any time you want."

"Ah. Huh. That's actually pretty clever," Searing admitted. "Not my speed, though. Thanks." With that, Searing left to go to work.

"Happy Hooves Trail Travels," Searing read when she saw the sign. "Enjoy a week with hooves on a venture through the forest." Not seeing anything with hooves, or a stable, Searing went in for information.

She got all the information she needed when a centaur woman approached her. "Hello. Interested in a travel session?"

Searing looked at the woman's lower half, and tried to figure out how her human legs fit in the equine legs, and how the back legs moved. "How does that work?" She asked.

"It's enchanted," the woman easily answered. "We have our own enchantress who customizes each set of centaur legs to your liking before the hikes, if you book far enough ahead of time. All hiking tour legs are equine, but we can make more individualized ones for personal use."

"Hmm. . . When's the next hike?"

"Hikes start every Sunday and last for a week. The centaur legs for the hikes have a special lock system in them that can only be engaged or disengaged here, so once you start, you're stuck with them until you return."

"Huh. That sounds interesting. How far ahead do I need to book for the customization?"

"Two weeks minimum."

"Thanks."

One Sunday a few weeks later, Searing returned. She'd done some research and had packed some snacks ahead of time. She even printed up a bright red sleeveless leotard with her cutie mark right between her shoulder blades just for the occasion. "Searing Victory?" The desk attendant asked.

"That's me," Searing said.

"Alright. Go talk to Vanessa and she'll go over the centaur legs with you."

Searing went in the indicated direction and found a woman waiting for her, already wearing a set of shiny black centaur legs. "Are you Vanessa?" Searing asked.

"I am," Vanessa said. "And you look like one of the hikers. Name?"

"Searing Victory."

Vanessa checked a tablet. "Alright, there we are. If you'll follow me, please?" Searing followed her, noticing how smoothly Vanessa was walking with the centaur legs, though the sway in the rear legs was a little too pronounced. "Here's your set of legs, Miss Victory."

Searing saw the bright red centaur legs with a blonde tail and knew she'd done well on the description. The legs were suspended in a rearing stance, and a set of stairs to the side lead right to where she would get in. She took a breath to calm her nerves at the mixed feelings she had about the situation.

"Nervous?" Vanessa asked.

"Just a bit," Searing replied. "Well, I'm here, better get it over with." She set the backpack on a side table and ascended the stairs to the opening. The area for her to get in had a silky texture, and felt nice on her legs as she went in. She tried not to think about how the enchantments worked. "Alright, now what?" She asked once she was in.

"Things are going to move for a bit. Stay calm." A moment later, Searing felt the opening close up against her. Glancing down, she saw it meld with her leotard, making one smooth surface. After that, she felt some kind of magic at work around her concealed hips and legs. It only lasted a few seconds, and once it was done, the machinery lowered her onto all fours. "That's all there is to getting the legs on. Now, let's go over walking, once you're ready."

"Just a moment." Searing experimented with her new lower half. She was taller than before and could still feel her human legs in the outfit. The front equine legs moved in response to her own legs' movements, in spite of the shape differences. They weren't as flexible as her unicorn forelegs, but they didn't need to be for this. Once she got a feel for her rear legs and moved them a bit, she stepped out. "I think I'll skip on the walking lessons."

"Sounds like you're taking to the legs pretty well. Head on out to the pasture and I'll get you when it's time for the trip to start."

"Alright." Searing picked up her backpack and put it on as she went outside. Having four hooves, even if they were only a facsimile, felt great. While she was waiting, she walked, trotted, and galloped around the large pasture, old motions coming back with ease before long. She actually found the legs to be easier to run in since she didn't have to breathe as hard or as much. "I could get used to this."

An hour later, Searing stood as part of a herd of hikers. Vanessa, sporting large saddlebags on her lower half, was on top of a rock in the pasture, giving out directions. "Here are the rules of the hike. First: everyone stays close together, within sight of the herd, especially me. Second: we will not deviate from the path I will be leading us on. If you want to see the sights at your own leisure, you can come back on your own time, buy or rent some legs, and go out on your own. Third: there are no bathrooms. If you need to go, you can step off the trail, let it out, and come back. Yes, the legs have that kind of function, and they are self-cleaning.

"Before we head out, everyone will get their own set of saddlebags. They are loaded with camping gear, water, and enough snacks for the week. We will set camp at different sites each night, pack up in the morning, and start hiking immediately. Are there any questions? No? Excellent, follow me." Vanessa leapt off the rock and led the herd towards a gate at the rear of the pasture. The gate was only wide enough to allow single file movement. Each hiker was given a set of saddlebags, which turned out to be rather easy to put on and take off without assistance, and was sent on their way.

Everyone was smiling as they headed out to the nearby forest, but Searing's smile was the biggest and most genuine. For her, things were going great.

Searing was one of the few not tired out by the hours of walking through the wilderness once the herd reached the first campsite, near a river. As those who were worn out rested and caught their breath, Searing started up a conversation. "Vanessa?"

"Yes, Searing?"

"Are there any dangerous animals out here?"

Vanessa hid a dainty laugh before answering. "Dangerous animals. Oh, that's cute. There are no dangerous animals out here. Why, there's a fuzzy bear just over there, coming this way."

Searing quickly turned around and saw the wild bear approach a bunch of the worn out hikers, then lay down next to them. They didn't bat an eye. "I. . . What?"

"Aww, it's adorable~" Vanessa casually approached the bear, lowered herself, and started giving it some ear scratches. "Oh yes, you are just so adorable~ Yes, you are~ You's a good little bear~"

Searing was grievously confused. "Do you. . . Know that bear?"

"Nope! I couldn't tell you one from the other out here."

"I. . . I'm just going to go stand in the river for a bit." Searing left to do just that.

As she stood in the waist deep part of the river, the sheer dissonance of what she'd seen wracking at her mind. A bear in the wilderness was no joke. A bear in civilization, except for Asada, was no joke, and even Asada was no joke on the rare occasions she got serious, so she heard. Bears in general were no joke. She'd never fought one, but she knew enough about them, and yet there was a wild bear in the camp. By the light of the campfire, Searing could see some of the other hikers playing with the bear and giving it snacks like it was just a giant dog.

The adrenaline rush from the sudden bear presence took a long time to fade away. Every fiber in her body told her to fight it, to neutralize the threat. The confusion, the sight of her temporary herd mates having fun, and the fact that nothing had happened, even after half an hour, did a very good job of holding back the impulse to fight.

"Why do I keep getting surprised?" Searing splashed her face with the cool, fresh, clean water of the river.

As she stared at her reflection under the full moon, Discord's reflection, and only his reflection, joined hers. "Having fun yet?" The reflection asked.

"Not now, Discord. Where have you been?"

"Here, there, somewhere, nowhere. You know, all the places that make sense."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hey, why the long face? I'm the draconequus, so that should belong to me." He got no response except for a tired look. "Come on, open up. I'll listen."

"I just. . ." Searing sighed before talking. "I'm tired of this trip. I'm tired of the distractions. I'm tired of being human so often. I'm tired of this weird fetish world. I just want to go home and see Yang again. I want to go back to Ponyville. Is that too much to ask?"

"Even if nobody can notice you?" The reflection put a talon over her reflection's lips before Searing could answer. "Give it some thought before you answer." Searing decided to make a biting motion and Discord's reflection reacted to it. "Ow!" He pulled his talon away and inspected it. "Words, Searing. Words!"

"You want words? Okay. Am I cured yet? If not, how much longer? If I am cured, how long have I been cured? How long until I can go home? Am I just some kind of plaything to you?"

Discord's reflection was full of arrows. "You have some pointed questions there, Searing. First, I'll have you know that, being a chaos spirit, deity, god, whatever, I am rather inclined to play with those around me with the same kind of discretion as a foal choosing which toy to play with. Well, more like a collector that brings things off the shelf regularly, but you get the idea."

"Cure. Update. Now."

"Alright, alright." The reflection pulled out a clipboard and looked at some papers on it. The back of the clipboard had a label on it from some proctologists, Proba, Kiester, and Wince. "Hmm. . . You're getting better. Bit by bit, you're getting better."

"How much longer?"

The reflection shrugged. "Who knows?"

Searing punched the water. When it smoothed out, Discord's reflection was gone. "Is a simple answer too much to ask for?" Away from everyone, Searing locked her legs and let the tears flow.

During the next day's hike, Searing stayed at the back of the herd and stayed quiet. After the bear and Discord's talk, she didn't sleep well or for long, so she was feeling too drained to enjoy her centaur legs or the scenery. She was able to, at the least, take a small degree of comfort from the fact that she was able to stay with the herd easily enough. Rough paths, small rock formations, hillsides, she handled it all as if she'd spent years with hooves.

Before she knew it, it was sundown and they were at the second campsite. Some of the hikers collapsed in exhaustion when they arrived, and Searing only afforded them a passing look of disapproval. While she was at it, she looked at the human halves of her centaur herd mates and what they were wearing. There was full latex coverage from the neck down, very low necklines, bandeaus, tube tops, athletic tops, various length dresses and skirts, corsets, side exposing cuts, and more in various colors, patterns, cuts, and combinations.

She set up her tent, which was more like a covered stall, and kept to herself as she had some trail mix and water. Even when the smell of s'mores wafted in, she didn't leave.

The third day started out sunny, then it became rainy before noon. Searing was one of the few hikers not complaining about the rain as they made their way up a trail along a mountain. Sure, it was cold, wet, and miserable, but it was better than cold, wet, and miserable with fur. Her human legs, which she'd forgotten about a number of times already, were well protected by and kept warm in the enchanted centaur legs. It was just a theory of hers, but the warmth in the legs may have been just the thing keeping her from feeling super cold.

Just as the storm intensified, Vanessa located a large, dry cave and ushered everyone into it. It wouldn't be long before she had some fires going, with everyone huddling around them for warmth. She had a phone and was texting with someone. After a bit, she addressed the herd. "If I may have everyone's attention, please?" She had everyone's attention. "This unexpected storm looks like it's going to last for a couple days. We'll rest up here, and once we're all ready, we'll make our way to the original campsite we were supposed to reach the day after tomorrow."

Searing's voice was not among the complainers. She was warming up, she had some snacks, and she'd faced worse things, though the echo of voices in the cave was quick to become a headache.

Before the hiker herd left the cave, Vanessa gave everyone a set of blinders. Searing was a little hesitant to put hers on, but when she did, she would see a bright yellow outline around everyone except Vanessa, who was highlighted with orange. Outside, the rain was falling in sheets, cutting visibility down quite a bit.

Searing was quick to blame Discord for the weather.

"Everyone, listen up!" Vanessa had everyone's attention. "We are going to power through this storm. I will lead the way, so keep me in your sights at all times. The ground will be wet, but that shouldn't stop you."

Someone raised a hand. "What's our route?"

"We are going to head further up from here, gather on a road, and take it towards our pickup destination. Getting up there is the tricky part, but I know we can make it. Now, let's go!"

Searing followed the herd. Even in the heavy rain on the trail, the blinders lit everyone up very well, so she wasn't lost for directions. The panicky screams and loud complaints, she could have done without.

They were walking through a partially flooded section of the trail, each miserable step slowed down by mud, when one of the women near Searing broke down. "I can't take it anymore!" The herd stopped to look at her. "It's cold, it's dark, it's raining, the water's running into my bodysuit, we're wading through mud, and-"

Any further complaints were cut off by a fast backhand to the face from Searing. "And what is complaining about it going to do?"

"H-huh?"

"We're all miserable, cold, wet, and mucking through mud. And now, we're all stopped because you decided to introduce some drama. Now shut up and get moving so we can get back sooner, or would you like to actually fight me on that and delay everyone even more?"

"You know what, I will fight you on that."

Searing responded quickly. After a slap to disorient, she hooked her arms under the woman's arms, reared up with her, and tossed her down on her side. Before the woman could start to get up, Searing firmly pressed a muddy forehoof on her ribcage. "No, you can't fight me." She took the forehoof off, got down, and pulled the woman to her hooves, her side covered in mud. "Now get back to walking."

"Y-yes ma'am. . ." The woman got back in the group and everyone was back to trudging through the weather.

Eventually, they came across a road. After a quick headcount and doing something with her blinders, Vanessa led everyone along the road at full gallop. Searing had no idea what their destination was, but she was ready to get there.

Their destination turned out to be an orchard. Vanessa led them to a large barn near the house, closing the large door once everyone was inside. "Everyone, I'm sorry that your hike turned out this way. When we get back, we will give out partial refunds to anyone that asks. We have a ride on the way to take us back to the shop. For now, let's rest up, rinse off the mud, and dry off. There are stalls further down that you can use, and they have shampoo and polish if you want to use them. I'd also like to collect the blinders while we're here."

Searing was quick to take her blinders off, return them, and head back to the stalls. The stalls only had enough of a wall to conceal the equine half of Searing's form, leaving her human half visible above the walls. She didn't really care and chose a random stall.

She was quick to rinse the mud off her hooves, and was just starting on washing her hair when Vanessa entered an adjacent stall. "Miss Victory, thank you for handling the complainer in the rear out there."

"Thanks."

"I couldn't see the whole thing, but the way you put her on the ground? So hot."

Searing leaned away from Vanessa a bit. "Uhhh. . . It was just a quick stun and grapple."

"And the way you move so. . . Naturally with those legs. I'll admit, it turns me on a bit when I see you moving with them."

Searing rushed through washing the rest of her hair, got out of the stall, and sat outside on the covered patio. The storm was still raging, though it had lessened a bit, but she didn't care about that. She'd just gotten a cold, hard reminder of what the world was about, and she didn't like it.

When Searing, back to her human legs, walked into the penthouse, she saw an unexpected, but really not surprising occupant laying on her bed. "What do you want, Discord?"

"Not even a friendly 'hello'?" Discord asked. "And I even went through the trouble of getting you a not really little gift." He pointed to a gift wrapped box in the corner of the room. "Go ahead."

"I'm going to take a shower." After picking out some clean clothes, she went to do just that.

In the shower, Searing relaxed. Taking the latex leotard off after being stuck in it for nearly a week felt really good. The mere sensation of air on her skin was blissful enough, and the warm water simply made for an exquisite experience of a mundane action. She knew she was succumbing to the ways of the world, but in that moment, she didn't care.

It would be over an hour before Searing came out of the bathroom wearing her preferred athletic set. "Well, it's about time you got out of there," Discord said.

"Shut up, Discord," Searing said with no force. "That gift?"

"Still there, but now a few smidgimeters to the left."

Searing went straight to the gift and started tearing it open. After some effort, she saw the present: her own set of bright red centaur legs. They looked sleek, strong, and were boldly emblazoned with her cutie mark on the flanks. "I'm not sure how to feel about this."

"What if I told you it had a battle mode?" Discord snapped and the piece started transforming. Parts of the body swung around to the forelegs and where Searing's waist would be, forming armor and giving the forelegs a humanoid shape. The rear portion of the lower half spun around before swinging up to the back and continuing to transform, the rear legs becoming arm and shoulder armor while the tail and a few other parts became a crested helmet and upper body armor. The cutie marks were proudly displayed on the shoulders, and the only gap in the armor that Searing could find was the partially open face. "Do you like it now?"

Searing poked the rubbery armor. "How tough is it?"

"Asks the one with aura and a durability semblance."

"What if I run out of aura?"

"Well, it's not going to stop much, but it certainly will protect you from the elements. And with a bit of work from the printer, why, you could make it look however you want." He snapped and the armor turned back into centaur legs. "Easy on, easy off with this piece."

"I'll try them later." Searing picked up the legs and moved them to a more discreet part of the room.

"You're sure you don't want to try them now?"

"Yes. Now get out, Discord. I want to take a nap."

"Make me."

"And stay out!" Searing threw the beaten Discord into the toilet and flushed, the draconequus weakly laughing as he went down the drain like it was a water park ride. Once he was gone, Searing realized she would not be getting her nap. With a groan of frustration, she went out to the main room of the penthouse, turned on the TV, and started on her pole workout.

Author's Notes:

The Fembot Gym is a reference/shoutout to a cool guy who's done some art for I Burn: SuperTechno324.