Agent carefully placed a thumbtack against the calendar, securing it to the wall of his room as best as he could. The new year would be rung in soon, and he wanted to ensure he had at least some semblance of a planner arranged for himself. All the better to schedule himself, after all.

As he flipped to the 'May' page, Vanessa had popped into his room, curious about what he was up to. “I haven't transformed you in well over five minutes,” she remarked. But her glance was diverted to the calendar, which she pointed to. “Why do you have that?”

“What, the calendar?” Agent asked, surprised. “I just want to keep track of my days.”

“Darling, time is dead in this manor,” Vanessa chuckled. “Or at least perpetually drunk in the basement, I haven’t checked in however long it's been. I don't know exactly how long since time is dead, or drunk.” She shrugged. “But I meant that.”

She pointed directly at the nineteenth of May, which Agent had drawn a small circle around with a couple exclamation points and a crude balloon. Agent nodded in understanding.

“My birthday,” he explained. All he received was a blank stare. “The day I was born.”

Another blank stare.

“Vanessa, do you not know what a birthday is?” he asked, tilting his head. “Or how humans are born?”

“I think I was spawned from the ether in an era long since lost to human records,” Vanessa explained, rubbing her head. “Or maybe I always existed. The author can never decide.”

“What?”

“So what does one do on a birthday?” Vanessa asked, curious, as she changed the subject. Agent shrugged.

“Depends on what one wants to do,” Agent explained. “A lot of people spend time with friends and family, blow out candles on a cake and then eat the cake, open presents, play party games, that sort of thing.” After a pause. “Sometimes a piñata. Otherwise, sometimes people, like myself, just want a day to relax and unwind a little, which you'd know if you remembered my own day.” He put a small emphasis on this last part. Vanessa purposefully ignored it.

“That sounds fascinating!” Vanessa chuckled. “Then I hereby declare today my own birthday. Let's go do that stuff.”

“Vanessa, that's not how birthdays work—” Agent protested, to no avail. Vanessa gripped Agent's shirt neck, dragging him with little effort downstairs to the main hall. The open space, as well as the dining room being accessible the next room over, would make this a prime party spot.

“First things first,” Vanessa remarked. “I know what a party entails. I could bring in some of our friends to join in.” She tapped her chin. “But what in the world is a piñata?”

Agent opened his mouth, then closed it immediately. He thought better of it; Vanessa liked to practice by doing, and seeing the purpose of a piñata would be to be broken with a stick, regardless of his recovery chances, he opted to avoid it. Vanessa, however, caught his wary glance and narrowed her eyes.

“Actually, never mind,” she said. “I think I know.”

Agent gulped. “Y-you do?”

Vanessa nodded, firmly. “Indeed. We probably could use a party planner for this.”

Even Agent was baffled. “What.”

“That's what a piñata is, right?” Vanessa asked. “A fancy ancient word for a party planner. Hang on, I'll browse…”

Vanessa conjured a magical and plot-relevant phone book, browsing the infinite pages for what she needed. Her finger rested on one entry, her face lighting up. “Perfect!” she decided.

She leaned the book towards Agent, showing off an advertisement for a smiling lad, waving for the camera. “Bash’s Party Planners”, it said. The description indicated that, for some reason, they had plenty of experience as a piñata, and thus would be the perfect candidate to arrange festivities.

“Huh,” Agent said, unsure how to react, given that it seems Vanessa's comical misunderstanding was indeed true in this instance. “Alright, this should be fine, then. So do we call him, or…?”

Vanessa, however, had it handled already. She clapped twice, watching as the advertiser dropped from thin air, landing on the ground with a small thump. He gently rubbed his rear from the force of the fall, groaning slightly, and Agent could see his features a little better.  He wore a colorful hoodie, blue-green with some yellow and pink stripes, and beige khaki shorts. His hair was streaked neon yellow and spiked at the top, and he had a slight part between his front teeth, as well as a small set of bandages on his left cheek. This was Bash, the party planner.

He took a look around, unsure what was going on. “This is new...” he remarked, seeing the state of the manor. Eventually his vision settled on Vanessa, and he awkwardly gave a wave. “Ah, hello. Who might you be?”

“I am Vanessa,” Vanessa introduced. “This is my minion, Agent.” (“Associate,” Agent interjected). “And I’m here to hire your services, Bash.”

“Oh?” Bash blinked, then gave a small grin, the space in his teeth evident. “Then you’re in luck! I’m able to help with any sort of festive occasion. Which, uh...” Another look around. “It’s a bit past Halloween, though.”

Vanessa chuckled. “So adorable,” she remarked. “Actually, I’m celebrating my birthday.”

“Oh, happy birthday!” Bash gently clapped his hands as he stood. “It is your birthday today, right?”

“Eh,” Agent shrugged in response, unsure how else to answer.

“Either way, I can help explain everything and set up what you need,” Bash explained. “It’s not the first time I’ve helped arrange a party on short notice, anyway.” He clasped his hands together, rubbing them. “So, where shall we begin? Do you have a specific theme in mind for your party?”

Agent stepped in before Vanessa could respond. “What about just a nice, relaxing party with friends?” he suggested, wordlessly miming ‘it’s her first birthday party ever’ for Bash to see. Bash wordlessly nodded in understanding. 

“A good starter,” Bash agreed. “Something simple, yet elegant. You look like a lady with taste, after all, so we can match something to what you enjoy.”

“I do have a list of friends,” Vanessa remarked. “I’ll borrow them today after everything is set up. But what sort of things does a piñata provide?”

Bash quizzically tilted their head. “Well, it's really a one job,” they explained. “Piñatas generally are strung up, then hit with a stick until it breaks and candy falls out.”

Agent paled at Bash's explanation, miming for them to stop talking, but Vanessa responded first. “How unusual,” she said. “A strange task for a party planner.”

Bash was even more confused by this comment. Eventually, they chuckled in realization. “Ah, you read the ad, then?”

Holding out their hand for the advertisement, Bash then pointed at their own. “I know the wording's pretty weird,” they said. “But I'm both a party planner and a piñata shifter. The two aren't synonyms, I'm afraid.”

“They aren't?” Vanessa looked surprised, shooting a penetrating glance at Agent, who was facepalming in anguish. “Then what exactly is a piñata?”

“I'd be happy to show you!” Bash elected with a grin and a flourish. They stood back, mentally preparing themselves for the process. It was always such fun to undergo their change, doubly so with a new audience. 

They concentrated, feeling their limbs stiffing up slightly. Their hands began to tense up, fingers merging into themselves, swelling up to create a single, large digit akin to a hoof. The same was true of the lower half, their toes contorting and their heels shifting to a more equine shape. 

Bash grinned, feeling their face push forwards into a small about, squared at the top. Their teeth were more pronounced now, creating a small buck-tooth at the end. Their ears, too, had stretched out, reaching above their head and growing to a better vantage. So far, the new features were akin to a donkey's—confirmed by Bash's elated, and slightly tongue-in-cheek, braying.

They dropped to all fours, stretching their limbs enough to be flexible, as their chest and stomach began to barrel out. They felt hollow now, their bones and organs having vanished and replaced with some candy within, but mostly air. A tail began to grow from their rear, frilled at the end, which Bash gently allowed to sway in the air.

The general shape was complete, but next was the coloring. To Vanessa's awe, her initial guesses were wrong, as Bash's body began growing not fur, but small paper bits. Hundreds of the substance had appeared on their skin, replacing the flesh with paper mache, glued together to form a hard shell that was nevertheless somewhat flexible to allow Bash freedom of movement. The colorful shapes matched their hoodie, which they still wore despite their quadrupedal stance. Once enough of them formed to create their colorful patterns across their artificial-esque body, they happily pranced about, giving another bray.

“And that, my friends, is what a piñata is,” Bash explained, satisfied. “A colorful bundle of fun and excitement that makes for a great party favor.”

Vanessa was clapping and giggling like a schoolgirl. “So adorable!” she called. “I love it, Bash, I really do. I’ll have to utilize that sometime.”

“The best part is that I can still get to work like this,” Bash added. “So now that I’ve given a demonstration, I can help plan out the party as requested. You said you can get the tables and stuff together?”

“Of course, darling, of course,” Vanessa chuckled, approaching Bash. “But if I may, I have one other thing to add...”

She bent down to Bash’s level, whispering into the were-piñata's ear. Agent stood to the side, growing ever paler at the sight. Nothing that Vanessa wanted kept secret could be good. What was she scheming with Bash?

…

To her credit, Vanessa’s behavior as she helped Bash arrange the foyer for a party was immaculate. She did not act abrasive to either helper, nor did she torment anyone as they moved tables and chairs into the room. Meals were served without turning a single person into the main course. Even the eventual guests—frequent witch friends of Vanessa’s, as well as previous victims of her chaotic spells of boredom, were spared from her antics as the party moved forward without a hitch.

It was all so unnerving.

Agent was definitely used to something happening with Vanessa, and the noticeable lack of anything immediate scared him more than if Vanessa had bluntly transformed him. It meant she had planned something, or set a trap, and that meant higher moments of paranoia.

Bash had approached Agent, hanging out shyly by the snack table on his own, and gave a small wave of his hoof. The planner was still in piñata mode, having a blast interacting with the guests and Vanessa herself, and had finally come to Agent. “Everything alright?” they asked.

“Yeah, just not feeling in a party mood,” Agent explained. “Never been much for parties. Or, you know...Never been good at them.”

Bash frowned slightly, concerned. “You don’t have to be ‘good’ at a party,” they explained. “A party is meant to be fun for all, after all. Regardless of how one thinks they feel at first.” They gently put a hoof on Agent’s shoulder. “I think I know how to help.”

“Really?” Agent asked, surprised. 

Bash nodded. “See, one thing that helps me get into the party mood is embracing the piñata within. So colorful and cute, always so happy. It’s a way for me to be myself.”

Agent pondered this statement. “I don’t know if I even have a piñata in me,” he explained.

Bash just chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll have you covered,” they said. They reached into their hoodie pocket, pulling out what looked like a wrapped gumball. Agent gently took what was offered, but stared at it in curiosity. “Just plop it in your mouth, and you’ll see what I mean.”

“Alright,” Agent nodded, clearly hesitant to try it himself. Nevertheless, he obediently unwrapped the gumball carefully, sticking the whole thing into his mouth. The moment he put his tongue on the hard, round surface, his face twisted into disgust, and he quickly spat it out. The flavor was unbearable.

“Yeah, it’s not all that great-tasting,” Bash admitted, as Agent scratched at his tongue, trying to get the taste out. “But a single touch is enough.”

“Enough for what, exactly?” Agent asked, unsure. He could feel his body tingling more and more with each passing second, a strange sensation of emptiness flowing through him. His bones and organs seemed to have vanished entirely within seconds, and yet he remained standing. He looked to himself, his body seeming to shift under him, piece by piece.

Most prominent was his size, as he felt the room getting somewhat bigger compared to how he was before. Bash was looking closer to his height now, the quadrupedal piñata almost level with Agent’s shrinking form. For that matter, Agent was feeling less like a “he” the longer this had occurred. Small bumps had appeared on his chest now, hidden by the shirt but still prominent enough for notice. He...she, rather, stood in curiosity as Bash quizzically tilted their head.

“That’s new,” they said. “I guess your inner piñata is female? I haven’t tested it on too many others, to be honest.”

Agent’s ears started to swell now, growing up over her head, rounding out, like a mouse’s. Her entire head was reshaping to that of a mouse’s in fact, with a mouth and nose pushing forward into a small muzzle. Teeth began to grow forward, especially in the front, a singular set of buck-teeth akin to Bash’s own, but less wide. A small, thin tail began to grow from her rear, pointed at the end and slightly frilled with new developing paper.

To that end, the paper covering grew across Agent’s body, primarily brown, but with some yellow and orange to break up the monotony. Even the shirt had grown some paper, red to cover the surface and add some extra flair. Her smaller hands and feet somehow kept her up, despite their more paw-like shape, their thin limbs...It was amazing the paper mache she was made of was strong enough to withstand this gravity.

She stood, in awe and amazement, twirling around in glee and bafflement, as Bash clapped their hooves, braying in satisfaction. “There you go!” they cheered. “Your inner piñata!”

“I feel so light,” Agent remarked, feeling their hard yet soft body. “So comfortable.”

“So adorable.”

Agent suddenly turned; Vanessa stood nearby, both hands clasped by her cheek, in amusement of Agent’s state of being. The party hat she wore was still atop her head, purple and black stripes. Evidently, she had just come back from grabbing a slice of cake, as her lips were stained with red velvet. Not that she minded much; she was far too in admiration of Agent’s mouse piñata shape.

“Look at you, all gutzied up for my party,” Vanessa declared. “That must mean you want to be the main attraction, right?”

“Uh, Vanessa...” Bash attempted to interject, but Vanessa was too busy lifting up Agent with levitation. Agent squealed, trying to get away, but the force was too strong. A string began to dangle from the ceiling, and Vanessa wasted no time in attaching her mouse friend to it, leaving her to hang from her position.

“Now then...” Vanessa said, lifting up an ornate stick. The party guests had crowded around to watch the show. “The presents have been opened; the cake eaten. Now it’s time for the piñata.”

Agent closed her eyes in fear, awaiting the sensation of being struck with the stick, broken in half on the floor. What she hadn’t expected was to be merely jabbed with it, lightly. She opened one eye, seeing Vanessa holding it out to her with one hand, repeatedly poking Agent.

“Come on, take it,” she said. “Don’t make me regift it.”

Agent, clearly hesitant, gently took the stick in her paws, holding it for herself. Lightweight despite its design, and made from a fine mahogany wood. The end, she found, was swirled with enough room for a spherical object. “I...don’t understand.”

“It’s your training staff,” Vanessa explained. “Granted, you’ll not be as awesome as I am, able to cast magic without it, but it’s a start.”

“No, I get that,” Agent shook her head. “I mean, thank you for it, but why the gift? Isn’t this your party?”

“About that...”

Vanessa gently clapped her hands, and the banners that read “Happy Birthday Vanessa” suddenly shifted to read “Happy Birthday Agent”. The guests cheered for the mouse piñata, who blushed heavily, giving a small smile.

“I figured that these parties were rather fun,” Vanessa explained. “And Bash suggested that I share it with you. I have to say, they were right.”

“It’s still not how birthdays work, but thank you,” Agent said. Tears were forming in her eyes now. “Really, it means a lot.”

And Vanessa gave Agent a hug, in full sincerity, earning another round of cheers. Bash especially was excited for the duo.

“I’m glad I could share the joys of parties with you two!” they called, starting to shift back into their human form, the ruffles vanishing, the muzzle shrinking. Their carefree human body stood where a donkey piñata once was. “It was truly a blast, from start to finish. I’ll have to get going shortly, but I do hope you’ll stop by to visit.” They gave a mischievous grin. “And be sure to invite me to the next party you two hold!”

With that, they gave a wave, with Agent and Vanessa waving back. The witch and witch’s friend—her “minion”, as she would say—were left between the crowd, as Bash walked through the double-doors, out of the manor and back to the comfort of their own home.