Story by  PhobosWrites cover art by me.

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Isabella hummed to themself as they tended to the garden. The weather was lovely, the sun was bright yet not overbearing with the heat. It was perfect weather for gardening, something that Isabella had already grown quite fond of over the time. It helped to just get their mind off things, to drift without much care or worry as they merely tended to flowers. Not only was it a great distraction, it also had the bonus of making for quite the pretty view outside. Sometimes they couldn’t help but wish that they could just garden forever, focus on nothing but it.

they flinched as they felt the sting. It hurt of course, but they were much more concerned about the poor bee than they were for themself. That is, until they noticed just how strange the sting felt. It didn’t just ache, it felt like it had injected something into them, they could feel it coursing through their body as blood pumped through it. A dizzy spell hit them, forcing them to take a seat by the flower bed as they tried to recollect theirself.

No bees they knew carried any toxins, at least none that would do this to someone their size. But there was no denying that something was terribly off about this sting. they tried to stand back up, only for their legs to threaten to give out on their right then and there. Instead they played it safe, staying on the ground and hoping that whatever was happening would pass. And, as the feeling seemed to dissipate, it looked as if they were getting their wish.

That thought was promptly dashed the moment they noticed some of the yellow on their body wasn't scales. There was a notable layer of fuzz growing on their body, much of it yellow but some of it came in black. they ran their hands through it, finding it soft and pleasant yet totally mismatched for their body. It spread quickly, rapidly painting over their form with a striped pattern that looked awfully familiar.

If the black and yellow stripes didn’t give it away, their arms surely would have not too long after. Not only did they darken, growing thinner and longer in the process, but a second pair popped out below the first. That was far from a pleasant sensation, akin to the pressure of bug bites for a moment before it bloomed out into the motor confusion of having two extra limbs to work with. Overwhelmed, Isabella just sat there with her four arms limp at her side. Isabella just watched as their body grew rounder, their classic uniform shifting into a pair of simple overalls in the blink of an eye.

They soon found their vision to be quite sharp, with a field of view much wider than they were used to. Without even looking they knew their eyes had grown big and dark, growing to match the rest of their rapidly changing form. There was a tingle of pressure on their head as two antennae grew out. Isabella wasn’t sure what they did or what purpose they served, but something about them just felt important from the moment they came to be. There was something delicate about them, just like their new, much thinner wings.

Finally Isabella stood, feeling the new heft of their abdomen on their new segmented body. They wobbled for a moment, taking a bit of time to fully settle upright. Once they were back on their two feet, they couldn’t help but pick right back up with the gardening, feeling all the more compelled to continue the work they loved so much. Not a negative thought crossed Isabella’s mind during the entire time, because what could beat getting to do even more of what they loved?