So I've been chatting about body swap TF with  Corgwn lately, and couldn't resist the opportunity to write about one of the scenarios we came up with! Involves TF, memory overriding, and permanency :3

Cai tricks August into testing out a visor that will permanently TF them into each other...

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A Change of Perspective
By: Indi

There was plenty August could’ve been doing as he took a lazy stroll, but when the gray lion saw he was about to pass by Cai’s room he couldn’t resist an unannounced visit. After all, he was bored and his rabbit friend was always fun to tease.

The door slid open, and sure enough Cai was there. The rabbit was busy at his desk, hunched over a white-and-blue visor identical to the one he was wearing himself. He acknowledged August’s intrusion with a smile and a nod, not bothering to shoo him away.

“Working hard as usual, small bun?” August asked as he wandered in. He leaned over Cai, standing on his tiptoes just to give the illusion of their difference in height being greater than it actually was. “Oh, just another visor.”

“It might look just like my current visor, but this one is far more advanced. It’ll...well it’ll change everything.” There was a snicker hidden in his voice that went completely unnoticed by August. “Would you like to be the first to test it out? Get a chance to see what I see.”

With no reason to turn down the seemingly innocent offer, August agreed. He took his glasses off and placed them on the desk, then accepted the new visor. He gave it a quick look over—it certainly didn’t appear any different from what Cai had always worn. That didn’t stop him from putting it on.

August fumbled around trying to find a switch to turn the visor on, only flicking it once Cai helpfully pointed it out. Text rapidly scrolled down the visor’s screen, too fast and small for August to read. It was no wonder he missed the ominous line of text reading: “CaiTransfer.exe”.

Originally hoping to tease Cai about the visor, August begrudgingly felt himself liking it quite a bit, especially after spotting a reflection of himself in a nearby monitor. “Alright, I admit this actually does look really cool. Of course lions just naturally look cool! Still not sure how it’s an improvement on your old one, though.”

“You just have to know where to look,” Cai said as he activated a program on his own visor. “But I bet you’ll see it soon enough.”

By the time Cai had finished talking, August’s fur had started turning a lighter shade—and Cai’s had grown darker. The changes were subtle but Cai had been looking for them intently. As soon as he recognized the change he smiled.

“For instance, the two visors can be linked up, allowing us to send messages and files to each other.” Cai sent a video August’s way, ensuring the lion’s field of view would be dominated by something distracting to keep him unaware of what was happening to him.

The ploy worked perfectly.

While August focused on the video, Cai focused on the transformation his feline friend was undergoing.

Slowly August’s ears grew longer and his tail shorter. His flowing mane was shrinking, shifting from black to blonde. He was also losing some height.

The exact opposite was happening to Cai. Ears shrinking, tail extending, and the very beginnings of a mane were starting to form.

Eventually the video came to an end, and when August’s visor view cleared it was impossible for him to not notice the changes in Cai.

August snorted. “Dude, you might want to check a mirror or something! I think
someone might be pranking you”

The lion had expected Cai to look shocked or panic, to fret about being the victim of some kind of transformative joke. Instead he looked completely unfazed. “Now that I think about it, you’re looking a bit different yourself.”

Confused, August looked down at his paws. They were no longer gray. In fact, they were the same color as Cai’s paws—or at least the color they normally were. Slowly he became aware of the other changes that had occurred, from his long ears to his half-sized tail. There was worry in his eyes.

It only got worse once he felt the pitiful state of his mane.

“M-My mane!!”

Cai ran his paws through his new mane, the rabbit looking more and more feline by the second. “Oh don’t worry, I’ll have more than enough mane for the both of us soon enough.”

It was only then did August realize exactly what Cai was transforming into—him.

Having always gotten to look down on Cai, August was now looking up, shorter than his friend. There was little doubt in August’s mind that Cai was to blame for the changes occurring to them both. He was simply too gleeful to be an unwitting victim. Unfortunately August had no clue as to how to stop the transformation. August could only watch as gradually he became Cai, and Cai became him.

“Wow, it really is incredibly fun being a lion!” Cai gloated, shaking his head to emphasize his mane as much as possible. “Hope you’re enjoying your new form half as much, small bun~”

“Not funny Cai, turn me back right now!” August demanded, failing to look intimidating at all.

“But I’m not Cai, silly; you’re Cai.”

August frowned. “Cut it out!”

“Cai you’ve never had a problem with your name before, why now all of a sudden?”

“Because I’m August! I just look like you—you transformed me!”

“No, you look like Cai. And sound like Cai. And are Cai. You’ve always been Cai, don’t you remember?”

The actual Cai activated another program, and his grin grew wider. On August’s visor more text appeared, warning that all files related to AugustMemories.exe were about to be overridden by CaiMemories.exe. He didn’t like the sound of that all.

A wave of dizziness abruptly hit August, so bad he nearly lost his balance. He groaned, struggling to concentrate as sentences flashed across the screen of his visor.

“Wha...what’s happening Aug—I mean Cai,” August mumbled.

“Nothing to worry about, just helping you remember everything, Cai.”

The dizziness was getting worse, his thoughts clouded and jumbled. “I told you I’m not...I’m not...what did I tell you again?”

“You were just talking about your new visor, Cai. How proud you were of it, Cai. How long you worked on it, Cai.”

Each time the name was spoken August lost more of his memories. New ones were starting to take their place, those of Cai. Not that he recognized them as any but his own.

“I...ugh...my head hurts for some reason August,” the rabbit said. “Must’ve given myself a headache working on the visor for so long.”

All traces of August were gone, permanently overridden by the memories and personality of Cai. As far as he knew he’d always been Cai, had no reason to think otherwise. And of course the person in front of him had always been August.

“Well if it makes you feel any better,” the new August said, “the visor works wonderfully. Good job Cai.” He quietly deleted the swap program from both visors—along with every last file of August’s memories left in either. After all, they certainly wouldn’t be needed ever again.

August took off the visor and retrieved his glasses from the table, smiling as his vision cleared up slightly. “Well Cai I’m sure you’ve got plenty of work to do so I’ll leave ya be,” he gave the rabbit a pat on the shoulder as he walked by. “Good luck!”

“Thanks August!” Cai said back, before returning to fussing with his visors, utterly unaware of what had actually happened.

August nearly cackled as he left. Being a lion—being August—was already delightful, and it was impossible to hide his excitement about his new life. And best of all, he’d be able to tease Cai all he wanted, while also being the only one who knew the truth...