Christmas Come Early

Renee and Himiko walked side-by-side through the aisles of the toy store, marveling at the rows of wondrous creations. It was certainly one of the most unusual trips the girls had taken—and it had sprung from no less unusual circumstances.

They were two cheerleaders on the Alonzo High team, who'd just been invited on a shopping spree by their biggest rivals. Of course they'd expected it to be a prank, but when they had arrived at the address they'd been given, the girls had found a massive toy store waiting for them.

The only out-of place thing about it was that there was an empty diorama near the front, a small Christmas display without any ornaments. Renee had simply chalked that up to it being summer, and the owner just beginning to set up the display.

And while none of them really had any interest in buying toys; they couldn't just refuse a huge clearance sale, could they? So it was the French girl and her Asian friend found themselves wandering through rows of toy soldiers while the rest of their team checked out the Barbies.

“Oh, how cute!” Himiko smiled, looking at a little toy soldier that was holding a drum set. “You never really see that many drummers anymore, it almost makes me feel like Christmas has gotten here a little sooner.”

Renee grinned back at her. “Well then, tell you what. I'll buy it for you as a suitably early Christmas present.” She chuckled, moving to pick the toy up from its place on the aisle.

A loud scream halted her action in its tracks, the sound sending shivers up and down Renee's back. She looked over to its source, wondering if it was one of the other girls she'd been with.

A wave of dread and something she couldn't quite place swept along her body, and she looked back to Himiko worriedly. “Hey... Didn't that sound like Kate?” She asked, hoping that the sound had just been in her head.

To her distress, Himiko nodded. “Yeah...” She shivered as a similar tingle crept up and down her back, and a quiet gasp left her lips.

“You okay?” Renee asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Yeah... I'm... I mean... I feel a little funny.” Himiko said, a small flush on her cheeks. She didn't know why it was so hard to think right now; like there was a dim haze over her mind. But she'd listen to what Renee had to say and would follow her lead, that would help them get out of this.

“Okay...” Renee smiled at her friend a little unsurely, looking down the aisle. “Then I say we head down and find out if something's wrong. I'll pick up your toy later.” She started off at a brisk pace, her brow furrowed with concern.

“Yeah.” Himiko nodded absently, falling in line behind Renee. She didn't realize that her steps were perfectly synced with her friend's; she just kept focusing on the back of the blond's head.

Renee heard Himiko behind her and blinked in confusion, looking back to find the girl marching obediently at her back instead of at her side. It was odd, but hardly as concerning as the scream she'd heard earlier...

Still, if Himiko really was that set on following her, then Renee might as well give her a show. The girl chuckled and began to march like a soldier on parade, the first thing that had come to her mind.

To her surprise, Himiko began to follow her lead, perfectly in sync with her pace. And to her dread, she realized that she couldn't stop marching. “Hey... What's going on?” She asked in concern, trying to stop walking. This only succeeded in leaving her to march in place, and she turned to Himiko in worry.

The dark-haired girl smiled widely at Renee as she saw her look back. Somehow it felt really good to imitate her; and Renee's attention left her with an odd tingling in her stomach.

“Himiko?”

Hearing her name, Himiko blinked and realized that she had forgotten how to speak for a moment. “Sorry, what was the question?” Her back stiffened slightly as she anticipated a sharp response for her inattention.

“I was wondering if you thought that something was wrong.” Renee said, feeling a little silly just for saying it. Of course nothing was wrong; this was the natural state of order.

“No, ma'am!” Himiko chirped and saluted, a smile on her face as she continued to march in place, the timing of her steps perfectly synced with her friend's.

“Okay, good.” Renee smiled, turning back to the end of the aisle and beginning to march again, an odd tingling running along her body. She kept marching, trying to ignore it, but the blond couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was happening to herself.

Marching along behind Renee, Himiko had a perfect view of what her friend was feeling; and she gasped as the girl's clothes began to lengthen; her white shorts becoming white pants; her pink tank top becoming a red jacket; her sandals becoming black marching boots.

Renee turned again, having heard Himiko's gasp. “Is something wrong?” She smiled at Himiko, finding her Asian friend was wearing her uniform: a red jacket with crossed white sashes along its front with red-striped pants.

“Your clothes...” Himiko began, wondering what she was talking about. What was wrong with Renee's clothes, again? She couldn't quite place it, but she knew that something wasn't the way it should be...

Renee sent a glance down along her body to find her own uniform was immaculate, and she looked back up to Himiko in confusion. “What about it?” She asked, realizing what was amiss even as the question left her mouth: Himiko was wearing her hat, but Renee's head was completely bare.

Himiko realized this too, looking up to Renee's oddly bared head. It looked so weird to see nothing but hair on her friend's head; she really had to cover it...

As the thought passed through the Asian's mind, a weight settled into her hands, and she looked down to see that she now held a tall black toy soldier's cap. “Oh!” She gasped, looking up to Renee for permission.

“My hat!” Renee gasped, smiling at Himiko. “Thank you so much! Please put it on me.” Her smiled widened as the girl marched up to her, slipping the heavy hat on her head. It felt perfect and comfortable, and Renee flushed with pleasure at how perfect she looked now.

Himiko couldn't help but blush back, looking at her friend—no, her leader. She marched backwards to get a better look at her friend, the rosy red of her blush remaining on her cheeks as she did.

Renee nodded and turned again, back to the front of the aisle. With a slight start, she realized that she didn't remember where she was marching to. It was because someone... Screamed? Right! She was marching to the rest of her squad.

She lifted her right arm to get Himiko's attention, wishing that she had something to help lead her friend. Just as the thought passed through her head, an unexpected weight settled in her hand. She looked over to find that her baton had somehow wandered into her grasp, and she smiled and lifted it higher.

“March!” Renee chirped happily, setting off again and rhythmically lifting her baton in the air. The clicking of Himiko's boots filled the air behind her; then a rhythmic thumping followed it.

It was the sound of a drum, wasn't it? Renee blinked in confusion as she kept marching forward; then she blinked again, confused at why she was confused. Of course there was a drum behind her; Himiko was one of the drummers in their marching band!

The two of them made it to the end of the aisle, their steps perfectly in sync and Himiko's drumming in time with the lifts of Renee's baton. And, much to Renee's delight, she heard a similar drumming coming from her right; along with the sound of trumpets and a few scattered flutes.

Perfect; the rest of the band was here! Renee turned to see them only to scream at the sight of rows of female toy soldiers, all of them with identical brown hair and all of them holding the instruments she'd heard. Worse, despite the fact that they were identical, Renee could somehow identify each of the toys as members of her marching band.

Only they weren't her marching band, were they? They were her... Cheer... Her cheer squad! Why did she think they were a marching band; why did she think these clothes were her uniform; why couldn't she stop marching?

Her body stiffened and Renee screamed again, hearing her cry echoed by her friend behind her. “What's going on?” Himiko yelped, staring with wide eyes as the toys which fell into line around her, surrounding her in a marching formation. They were her marching band, but ehy were they all plastic and stiff?

“I-I don't know! I don't know!” Renee whimpered, her legs beginning to pick up pace once more. She quavered with fear as she turned for the front of the store and began to march again, lifting her baton for the rest of the band to follow her.

“I can't control myself!” Renee squeaked loudly, her heart aching as she started to make her way forward again, hearing the instruments behind her pick up once more. Her hands felt odd and she whimpered as they tightened into fists, her digits swelling and fusing into a pair of round balls.

Behind her, Himiko was feeling a very similar thing—though with a much different reaction. Surrounded by the other toys, she found that it was all too easy to let herself drift into their mentality; to want to be like them so she'd no longer be the odd one out.

She moaned happily as her dark hair lightened from black to brown; her tanned skin becoming a peachy cream. Rosy red lipstick spread across her lips, and the girl smiled happily as she became identical to everyone else.

Well, almost identical. Her joints stiffened as one of the last of her changes began to sweep across herself, plastic replacing her skin; her muscles and bones becoming gears and bars. She shivered with glee, perfectly in line with her other drummers and following her drum major.

In front, Renee's own heart was pounding has hard as it could. She quaked with horror, calling out to her friend. “Himiko! Please, tell me you're still there; tell me you're not one of them!”

No response came, and through a herculean effort she turned to look at the ranks of toys behind her. A small cry of dread escaped her lips as she realized that she couldn't recognize her friend at all from the crowd. Then she realized she couldn't even remember her friend's name, and she was starting to lose her memories of the toy being anything else than a drummer.

Renee whined, the last sound that would ever escape her mouth as her teeth clacked together, frozen forever in a plastic smile. The drum leader found her body turning against her will, all of her muscles aching as they transformed to rob her of any future movement.

She marched with the band towards a counter, all of their bodies beginning to shrink as they clacked their way forwards. With dread, Renee realized that she was leading them straight onto the empty diorama she'd seen upon entering the store.

Her cog-toothed heart clenched as she realized that her shrinking body was entirely plastic now, and with a mental sob Renee clacked her way onto a small ramp that led up to the diorama. Her footsteps grew ever-quieter as she marched up, and Renee fought hard to hold onto her memories as they began to ebb.

She clicked her feet into its position; her band following suit and all latching into their places. It was so hard to think of herself as anything but a drum major, so she let a few of her memories slip to hold onto her personality. She was Renee! She wasn't a toy!

The pressure on her mind grew stronger as she felt small gears in her feet latch onto parts within the diorama, and the girl fought to remember she was a girl. She was Renee! She was Renee! She was—

The pressure on her mind abated, and Renee found herself mentally jumping for joy. She fought it off! She could remember who she was! She... She remembered who she was and had no way of telling anybody.

Renee's spirits sank as quickly as they'd been lifted, and the girl began to scream on the inside even as a jaunty holiday tune began to play from the speakers built into the diorama, her new eternal home.