I stood out in front of it and read the sign aloud. "The Second Identity." It was worth checking out. I mean, I wasted so much time in the big stores I might as well check out this one. I opened the door and wondered why I even bothered in the other stores. Lining the walls of the store were some of the highest quality costumes I have ever seen. Each of them looked as if they could win any costume contest they were entered in.
I wasted no time checking out the costumes. There seemed to be quite a few dragon related costumes, which made since I guess. There were a lot of people that liked dragons and secretly harbored wanting to be one, even if it was just being in a costume.  I also shared this fantasy, but for some reason I still couldn't find what it was that I wanted.
"Can I help you with anything?" A voice said behind me. I turned around to see a man who seemed to be as old as the shop was. Stick a pointed hat on his head and he would fit the 'wizard' look perfectly. "Most people would have been here a few days ago, it's too late to get a costume for Halloween now."
I smiled. "Not if I am buying a costume for next year. I figured the stores would be offering a discount the day after Halloween."
The old man thought for a moment. "I can do that, but not for these ones. The ones I can discount are in the back." 
"Lead the way then"
The old man pushed open a door to another room filled with costumes. And if the other ones were high-quality, these ones looked like they could take themselves off the hanger and walk out of the store. I set to work again, looking through all the costumes. However, once again I failed to find the one I was looking for. I went over to the man. 
"I can't find anything that I want." I told him. 
"Well, that won't do. How about I make a custom costume for you?" He offered. 
"I would love to, but I don't have the money for a custom order" I could probably barely afford the ones here in the shop now. 
"Oh no, not for sale. If you could provide feedback on how you like the costume, that will be payment enough."
"If you say so." I was about to start telling him about what I wanted it to be, my online dragon character Arykh, but he cut me off.
"Trust me, that is not the costume you want. Besides, I make so many dragons that I need to try something else."
I blinked, creepy much? "Alright then, how long should it take to make this costume?"
"A week, maybe two, depending on how long it takes to make the extras to complete the costume."
Once again I started to tell him were to send it.
"Don't worry about that. I will get it to you." He said. Okay, there was something else going on, but there was no way I was going to turn down a free custom costume. "I'll include instructions on the care of the costume in the package, just remember to come by and see me afterwards. The sooner, the better." I nodded and left the store. I couldn't wait to see the result of this costume…
As I watched the young man leave the store, I made sure to keep track of his 'living essence'. There was defiantly a strong source that would be perfect to test one of my costumes, but the boy's essence was so unfocused that at this time it would be impossible to match it with one of my creations. I allowed myself a smile. This one would be interesting….
As the rest of the week went by and halfway into the next one, I almost drove myself insane wondering what costume the old man would send me. I drew out pictures of various dragons I had RPed as, even though the old man said that was defiantly not the species. The only headway I got with that was I liked a light bluish color. I tried drawing other species as if it would help decide what costume I would get. (I found out later that it actually did. The old man explained it was 'focusing my living essence', or something to that effect) But I was so glad when I came home from school one day to find the package on my doorstep. 
I quickly snatched it up and dashed inside, throwing my bookbag on the bed. I set the box on my desk and searched through my drawers for my small knife. I found it and quickly sliced the boxing tape sealing the package shut. 
Once opened, I saw a note lying on top of the Styrofoam peanuts. I picked it up and read it.
Arykh, before you put on this costume, make sure to remove all your clothes. If you must be modest, you can keep your undergarments on, but I wouldn't suggest it. When you are not wearing it, be sure to keep it in a safe spot. The costume is durable, but that is no reason to mistreat it. 
I hope you enjoy it.
Drethan
P.S. Remember to come by my shop with your costume after you had tried it on. It would be best if you were wearing it already.

I put the note to the side and reached through the foam peanuts until my fingers brushed against something soft. I reached my other hand in and pulled out the costume. It was folded up to fit in the package so all I saw was the light blue silky fur that covered the back. I had always through of myself as a scales kind of guy, but I was willing to try furry, especially for a free costume. 
I moved my bookbag off my bed and threw it into the closet as I set the costume on my bed to unfold it. My excitement quickly turned to confusion. It was a beautiful costume, no doubt, but it was also a female costume. Light blue fur covered the entire body. The lifeless arms ended in a normal, if not fur-covered, hand.  The costume had on a pair of dark blue pants that hugged it's legs. The chest had ample padding to create a small, almost medium sized bust –which is how I knew it was a female costume- that was covered by a t-shirt that only covered half the upper body, showing the white fur that covered the belly and part of the face. White markings in the fur made a ring around the arms and on the legs. The head and tail showed this to be an anthro fox costume.
I stared at the costume for a bit pondering. Did he send the wrong costume? He sent the note with my name on it with it. Should I try it on? 
As I thought, I remembered that he said he was going to make some extras to go with it. But something about the costume reminded me of something I had seen online. I spent less than 2 minutes searching when I found her. Krystal from the Star Fox series. I had never played the series, and didn't have a clue about who she was. So why would the old man assume this is the costume I wanted? And according to the pictures I had found, the costume I had was in the completely wrong clothes.
I glanced over at the costume. If anything, I could sell it later to a Star Fox collector, I'm sure they are not that hard to fine, and this was a really good replica. All I had to do to keep it was show up at that shop wearing it and answer a few questions. Besides, even if anyone I knew saw me in this costume, as long as they didn't hear my voice, they would never dream I would wear a female costume. I grinned. This might be fun yet. 
I took of my shirt and my pants, but I left my underwear on. I don't care what the note said; there was no way I was going to get into a female costume completely naked. The seam opened in the back of the costume, so I turned it over and picked it up by the shoulders, noting again, how smooth and real the fur seemed. I put my first foot through the tight opening of the leg and quickly repeated the same thing for my other leg. The feet of the costume felt weird, but I ignored it for now. I slid my arms through the 'sleeves' of the costume and my fingers into the fingers of the costume. All that was left was for me to duck my head into the helmet/mask thing that was the costume's head. 
The slight weight of the padded chest, and the uncomfortable tightness between my legs was a constant reminder that this was still a female costume. I jabbed the air a few times with my fists to test the movement of the costume. Not only did it not hinder my movement, it felt as if it moved with me. Somewhat like a second skin. I smiled, even though the expression was covered by the muzzle of the costume. 
I walked into my bathroom and looked at how the costume fit and looked on me. I was amazed at how it made me look like it wasn't me. It didn't even look like I was in a costume anymore. I turned in the mirror to see the tail. I hung behind me with just enough strength in the material of it to keep it off the ground. 
Satisfied with how the costume fit. I grabbed my keys and headed into town. Once I got there, however, I completely forgot where the store was. I figured I would just walk around a bit before I remembered which direction it was; so I parked my car and got out, glad that the pants that came with the costume had pockets. 
I was walking down the street in the Krystal costume, trying to make my feet retrace their steps to the store, when I found myself surrounded by three lug heads that reeked of beer and alcohol. I didn't even have to ask what they wanted, because for some reason I could 'hear' what they were thing, and what they were thinking wasn't good for me. They had to be really stupid, or really drunk -probably both- to believe I was actually a female. Though in their drunk minds right now, all they saw was a pretty costume. I backed a step, they took a step. 
Somewhere in that moment I got really ticked off. The next moment I was doing a backflip catching the chin of the guy in the middle with my foot. The one after that, I leapt from a metal pole behind me over the guy on the right, grabbing his neck, twisting as I landed to throw him backwards. Just before time started flowing normally again, I sweep-kicked the last guy in the back of his knees. I blinked and looked around. All of them were laid out on the ground, through it was clear the last one had it easy. 
Going around, I checked them all. They would live…. Unfortunately. However, I still couldn't believe that I took them all down so easily. There was no way I could have done any of those moves. 
I lucked out though, the Second Identity was across the street. I left the guys on the ground and crossed over quickly and pushed my way through the door. The old man was behind the counter polishing something with a rag. "Nice of you to come back, I see you brought the costume back. Good job."
"You have no idea what just happened to me"
"I have a good idea, but I have to explain a few things first. One, I'm not just some old man selling costumes. My name is Drethan and I am a centuries old wizard studying the magic of desire and wishing. Lately I have been studying the energy behind both of these, this energy is known as 'living essence'. These costumes I make, the ones in the back, use a person's living essence to spark a transformation. However, it doesn't work if the person wearing the costume doesn't want to become that costume. 
Do you like the costume?" he asked me.
"So you are saying that this costume was supposed to transform me into Krystal?" As I thought about it, being an anthro vixen with mad fighting skills sounded really cool, so why wasn't I transformed?
"Yes, but your living essence is different. It has no focus for me to make a costume to match it. You have experienced it beginning to bond with your living essence when you took out those men across the street, but it would not be able to do much more than that."
I actually felt a little disappointed at that. Drethan must have noticed my expression. "I never give out a half-completed costume." He handed me the thing he was polishing, it was a long metal staff richly decorated with markings. "I must warn you, this is something new, I have never made something like this before. What it is supposed to do is amplify your living essence and then focus it to the costume which you are wearing. Whether or not this is the outcome, as well as the side effects of that outcome, is unknown. I cannot except any responsibility for what happens."
"I understand" I grabbed the ordinate staff and it felt like lightning coursed through my body, but I couldn't let go of it. I felt my fingers grabbing the spear, fuse with the furry hand of the costume. The changes progressed up my arm as my muscles in my arm become smaller, but way stronger. The fur also continued to fuse to my skin, becoming my skin. The changes hit my main body and it just spread from there. The padding of the costume's chest fused to me and became flesh, which I was not very excited about. My waist thinned considerably and the tail behind me became my own. I dreaded the feeling as my 'stuff' was sucked inside my body to provide a place for the 'extras' of the costume to attach. My feet remained pretty much the same, just covered in blue fur. My legs were much more slender and shapely. 
As the changes finished, I staggered backwards, feeling a little bit weak. The staff was still clutched in my hands. 
"I must say, it is a new experience to see the transformation happen in front of me, but that just means you can answer the questions a little bit sooner."
I got my second wind and stood back up. "Shoot. What do you want to ask?" I told him, noticing my voice had picked up a British accent and was definitely female. 
"I don't remember ever having a costume that changed it's wearer's gender on them. How was that like?" He asked, holding a clipboard that I had not seen him pick up.
"When I make my decision, I'll tell you" Not really wanting to talk about that at the moment.
"Alright" he said understanding, "Since the trigger of your transformation was the staff, would you be so kind to set it down for me?" I had the sudden urge to keep the staff to myself and then wondered if I had gotten more from Krystal than her body. I set the staff down next to me, but I remained blue and foxy. 
"Interesting…" he scribbled something down. "Next question, do you feel any other presences in your mind?"
"What do you mean?"
"Sometimes when I make the costume, it develops its own conscious. It is extremely common in costumes that are already based off of a character like the one you have on now." 
"In that case I don't feel anything."
He continued his list of questions, but eventually he had to run out. "Thank you, that will help me out a lot with my research."
"What about the costume?" I asked, realizing I didn't want to give it up, I had gotten used to it while he had asked his questions. 
He smiled a little. "I told you, if you came in and answered my questions, the costume is yours."
"Oh thank you Drethan" I said, my tail wagging. 
He had to laugh a little at that. "Well, just make sure you don't reveal your transformation to the public, although if you know of anyone else that could enjoy one of my costumes, be sure to recommend my store."
I nodded quickly and picked up the staff, no my staff, from the floor where I had left it and walked toward the door, not quite knowing how to take the costume off, and not yet wanting to. The thugs that I had laid out across the street were gone. "Good riddance" I thought. 
As I was walking back toward my house in the simple clothes he had mailed with the costume (he had given me the two sets of clothes that Krystal has been seen in the games, but I didn't want to put them on quite yet) I noticed a poster on the side of a building. A took a closer look and almost laughed in the sheer irony. There was a Nintendo Games Convention at the Civic center across town, with costume/cosplay contests based on Pokemon, Donkey Kong, and you guessed it, Star Fox. I had nothing else to do today, might as well go win some free cash…