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It was an evening after school, and today Nall the pine marten boy was on his way to see a friend! Scampering from tree to tree, jumping between when it was the quickest way, making the most of the sunlight. The brown fuzzy mustelid wore round glasses and a purple and black tee, green gloves and half-sneakers with his black toes poking through, scraping on tree bark as he landed in the next bough. Could be an exciting evening! His tail twitched with its black and cream tip, curling around a branch as along he went.

Coming through the forest was fun, but that wasn't the only reason. This was a visit to see Kit the roocoon -- a cute blend of kangaroo and raccoon -- and the two were always playing tricks on each other, so Nall was taking the sneaky way in. The marten had spent a week with pink fur, and even a weekend as a stuffed badger toy! Which was fine, Kit had been a lovely fluffy skunk for almost a month, and most of a day as a little pet mouse, aww. Actually, Nall giggled to remember, the last thing they'd done was end up as matching shoes together. It didn't always go as planned!

But today the little marten had a great plan that couldn't go wrong. Once he was near Kit's house, up a tree not far from the red bricks and nicely kept grass, he put it into motion. Digging through his pockets, he pulled out a little bottle of sparkly powder and a photo of them both. They were soaking wet, grinning at the camera with their tails still grey and black from a little bit of toony raccoon paint that hadn't been washed off yet.

Opening the jar, Nall had to be careful, his tail wrapping the tree tight so he didn't fall. The fairy dust had taken him weeks to collect, and a couple of full moons to reach its full potency, but here it was. Kit was not far away, judging by the sound of cartoons the marten could hear, so he thought the spell would work.

"Hehe, I think you should be my younger brother, yeah? Just a little magic with that in mind..." and, with that, he dabbed a dusty paw finger on the photo of Kit. A little flash and the dust was gone, his paws clean. He closed up the jar, pocketed his items and slid down the tree, very eager to see if this was going to work. Now all he needed to do was get a little of the fairy dust onto Kit himself, but that'd be easy enough!

Nall was shown to Kit's room, quietly dipping a few puffy marten fingers into the jar of fairy dust before heading in. Of course he was asked about pranks and he feigned innocence, even though it had been months of truce that surely couldn't last. Kids would be kids, after all, and they both seemed to enjoy themselves. The bedroom was its usual vivid blue and gold, bright colours and books and brick models of pirates and racing cars. Kit was sat on one of the beanbags against the side of his bed, pretty cosy with some snacks as old cartoons played on the TV in front of him. He was also brown and fuzzy a little like Nall, though with tall ears like a kangaroo, stripy fluffy tail like a raccoon, and with a mixture of features; big feet, patches around his eyes. Kit was mostly dressed, outdoorsy green and yellow top with his goggles on his head but wearing comfy pyjama trousers while sat down here being lazy.

"Hey Nall! Oooh, looking good! Been up to much?"

Nall flopped down on the spare beanbag, having left his shoes at the door. They were both fourteen, although they didn't go to the same school any more. But that just meant meeting up was even better when they did.

"I couldn't resist. One of my teachers is now a student, probably for a few days. Thought they could use a bit of perspective," he grinned.

"Aww man. Remember when we were teachers for a day. That nearly got us suspended," Kit added, grabbing some chips and leaving the bowl nearer his marten friend.

"Haha! Wow, that was awesome. Maybe when we get to college it'll be like that again?"

"Oooh, I dunno... I think we might need to get serious. You know, study and stuff."

"Bleh. It sounds awfully like hard work. Also I'm not grabbing any crisps until you eat yours," said Nall, sticking out his tongue. Bleh!

"Really? But food is too obvious! You're just paranoid," said Kit, also pulling out his tongue. Blaaah.

"Doesn't mean you're not out to get me. Old cartoons, old ideas..."

The young roo paused for a while, but then let his chips back into the bowl with a guilty smile. "Oh, Nall, you're too good at this. What, you don't want to be a rat for a week?"

"Course I do!" said the marten, giddy with having caught Kit out. "Now I've guessed it, I'd love a few days off. Good Kit, always thinking of me."

Just a little touch with his right paw, in the guise of petting his friend between the ears; that's all it needed. Both of them felt and heard the flash, and Kit's eyes went wide. "No way! How? What did you do?!"

"What, I can't pat my kid brother?" giggled Nall, preemptively, his tail flicking about casually. "I mean, don't lie, you always wanted a bit of looking after."

"Nuh uh! I d-don't need that any more," complained Kit, though he was a little red in the cheeks. "'S not fair."

"Aww. Better save the little talk for when you're little," began Nall, keeping an eye on Kit to see if he'd started changing. However, he was the one who felt oddly warm, giving a little dook of surprise to see the fur on his hands and arms getting more pale. The marten's ears felt itchy, and started to grow; his paws ached, also stretching in front of him. Uh oh. Kit sat back and looked wide-eyed.

"That's new! Did you use fairy magic? That stuff has a mind of its own!"

"I know, but, I mean, it seemed..." Nall was too distracted to finish that thought. Bigger feet. Bigger hand paws too, and his dark chocolate fur getting lighter and creamier. Dark brown stripes staying on his tail, shrinking as they watched. Small rounded ears started to poke upwards, longer and longer. His nose stretched out, and his clothing started to feel tight. Plus, odd thoughts trickled into his mind. Memories he was sure weren't there a moment ago.

"You look more like me," said Kit, poking one of Nall's ears with his paw, curious. "Like a roocoon! You've never been one before, ooh you're in for a treat! Kid brother, hm? Well, I'm not changing, so I guess that means..."

Sure, the newly changing Nall got the magic he'd asked for! Just not in the way he expected. Chirpy dook noises gave way to softer squeaks. His fur became a lighter greyish brown, except for stripes and patches round his eyes. Fingers changed, claws shrunk, and Nall grew taller, stretching out with a deep shiver beginning in his body. Soon he was a head taller than his brother, looking about nineteen and not very like a marten at all any more. Bouncy paws, chittery face, larger body, though still wearing glasses. With their paw digits and ears and darker tail stripes sharing the same colours, they looked more alike than not.

Shorts flowed out into long weathered jeans, and his T-shirt grew larger and baggy. The new raccoony roo felt warm all over, as thoughts started to change. Older. Wiser? Haha, maybe not. Still silly. Bigger, wider tail starting to bounce against the beanbag. Tight chest, which seemed to be from something compressive under her shirt. Oh! She was a girl, fitting nicely into the family as Kit's older sister. She had a pouch, even. It wasn't surprising for very long, soon it felt so natural like that's how she'd grown up.

"Naomi?" said her younger brother. Yes, she was Naomi. Both of them still had their usual memories, but this alternate life was feeling more prominent every second. "Oooh, you've gone really far this time, sis."

"Wasn't my idea," she admitted. "I guess I've learned about fairy magic now. Oh well, let's see what happens!"

This was their house, Kit was her brother, they'd grown up together. Ah, the stuff she knew! Well, as Kit realised, the stuff they both knew as family, suddenly present in their heads. All the secrets too: plushies under the bed. Kit's small stash of younger outfits, shortalls and colorful shorts and cartoon designs on the clothes, even including a couple of her hand-me-down dresses. The smaller roo had lots of ways of dressing up to feel a little younger than he was. It wasn't really something he'd tell Nall, but Naomi had been certain to find out, and as his sister in this timeline she encouraged it! Hey, she was full of mischief when she was his age, whether that was five minutes or five years ago...

Kit found himself in a tight hug. "Hey, not too tight, I mean, you- you're older than me now," mumbled the little teen. Family hugs were embarrassing.

"I always was, kiddo," teased Naomi. "It's not the first time I've had to babysit you. Mum and Dad are now out for the evening, so I guess it's just us."

"Aw, but I really don't need any looking after. 'S silly, I'm not that much younger 'n you."

"So are you telling me you don't want to get some of your cute clothes on, while nobody else can see? Maybe curled up on the big sofa in dungarees? Or your skunk onesie?" she said, making Kit squeak and go very red indeed. He didn't get out a response before she stood up, and started looking through the boxes under his bed. "Let me see what you've got that's cute..."

While she did that, Kit noticed Naomi's little jar of fairy dust and the picture of them both, which no longer fit in her pockets and had fallen out onto the beanbag. Sure enough, the photo didn't have a marten in it any more, and his sister was taller, but the rest of the situation was not very different. As for the jar, there was so much powder in there! Why had she made so much? Ah well, sneaky ideas were already turning in Kit's mind as he picked up the items, it'd be a shame to waste the opportunity.

Naomi stepped out into their front room, turning on the lights and the TV and sitting down on the big sofa, patting the seat next to her. "Come on Kit, it's really just us. All the curtains are closed, nobody is gonna see."

A few moments later, out came her brother, dressed in denim overalls with a colourful T-shirt of a punky skunk. Quite bashful, but he scurried up and sat down next to her anyway.

"Feeling good? Looking cute, aww."

"I... mmf, you said you'd make dinner and I could watch cartoons and stay awake as long as I like," Kit reminded her.

"Did I? Ooh, that doesn't seem like me," giggled Naomi, though she did find a channel of cartoons for younger kids for them to watch.

After dinner Kit felt good and relaxed, and eventually ended up cosy on cushions on the floor as Naomi used her phone and occasionally watched what was on. She didn't recognise it, but Kit did - it was a cute series set in a forest, mostly focused around a badger family but with plenty of other woodland critters: bats and rats, mice and squirrels, the occasional blackbird and fox and owl. Not very perilous, but pretty sweet.

That was part of his new plan, dipping a few fingers into the little jar of fairy dust and touching his sister on the foot. A tingle, and a flash, and his older sister was sitting up and looking about in surprise, taking a few moments to get the idea. "Eee! Kit, what are you up to?"

"I thought you might like this cartoon!" said the roo, ending up by the TV. "It's got a squirrel called Naomi."

It did indeed, with a young red cartoon squirrel with braided hair and a little green kid's dress. The squirrel had glasses, and she was written to be a bit geeky and precocious.

"I think she's about eight years old or so? Let's make you be her," giggled Kit, touching her photo and the cartoon on the screen with fairy-dusted hands.

"Wait!" Too late. Not that Naomi had any reason for him to wait, but the fairy dust disappeared in a flash, and the vivid brightness of the cartoon world started to creep into the room, first over the TV and then over the floor. His sister lifted feet up as the pool of colour ran under her, and then up the sofa, as she tried to get away from it, as if that might work. Where one of her feet splashed into the vibrant ink, it turned red and fuzzy. Even before the cartoon influence spread, Naomi began to shrink, appearing big in her clothes before they started to change along with her.

"No no no, that's my magic, it's not fair- nuuh, now I got three sets of memories, that's silly..."

Sounding so squeaky now, Kit giggled and sat back to watch. Naomi gained long slipper socks, and a sleepy purple nightdress with a tree and moon on the front. Her hair grew longer and styled, a pair of glasses perched on her muzzle. First she wore the clothing of an eight-year old, before ending up shrinking down to the size of one, smaller and squeakier. Her long roo tail got longer, bigger and floofier; her muzzle smaller and more rounded, her ears staying tall with little tufts. Each change came with a chitter or a squeak, as well as the toony effect that covered the sofa and the squirrel both. Simplified, four fingers and toes, brighter colours and stylised look, didn't the little squirrel make such a cute 'toon?

She was now smaller than Kit, as he came over and smiled at her looking huffy and surprised. The roo was still dressed like a younger boy, but she was the young one now, putting paws on her hips with a grumpy hmph.

"Happy now?" she asked, as their lounge continued to change; bright red sofa, wooden walls, photos hung up. The squirrel family house! Just as it was on TV, which now showed a different cartoon that Kit didn't recognise.

"Very much so. Looks like you're the one who needs babysitting, after all," he replied, giving her a pat on the head.

"Duh. Did you forget, silly face?" said Naomi, her big squirrel tail squirming about in surprise, giggling up at him. "My fairy dust spell made you my little brother! Still gotta be family even if you change me..."

Kit jumped up as his feet and tush started to be taken over by the toony influence, now that he was the last thing left in the room that wasn't simple and colourful. From his toes up his tail, right the way over his body to the tips of his ears, he was a toon! Colourful, painted, giggly giddy as though waiting for something to happen. His young clothes stayed as they were, dungarees and pawsocks and his cute punky skunk shirt. Around his waist felt plump and padded, with a pacifier hanging from one of the clasps. Naomi got to watch now as Kit changed into a squirrel in little bursts, from the eruption of a fuzzy squirrel tail to the wandering of reddish fur. Ears pulled up, muzzle and mouth, many squirrel teeth. A shiver and a tingle down his back.

"N-nuuuh, 's not fair, don't wanna be super tiny sqwirl, ohh nuuh I can't say sqwirl, eee help sis am gonna fall-"

Naomi stepped in to stop Kit ending up off his feet, and he shrank down and down in her arms, clothing and all. They were the same height, then they weren't, and soon he was her little brother again, only they were both young squirrels. The little toon rodents ended up back on the sofa again, where the cartoons continued to play. Kit got to relax and feel himself be very small and silly, still with his previous awareness but it all taking a step back to the here and now. Naomi was older, but neither of them were really babysitting any more, really.

That was fine, because in this particular world Mum and Dad weren't out for the evening. One of them would peek in every now and then, but wouldn't it be time for bed soon? Perhaps.

"Dunno about fairy dust," murmured Kit. "Super random."

"Shh. Bet you enjoy it," said Naomi, with a giggle. "Plus we still got some more as well. Dunno what to be! Gonna sleep on it."

"Nooo. Cartoons all night with sis."

It didn't take very long until Kit was fast asleep, and Naomi wasn't much more awake when Mum appeared to bring them both to bed. Up the stairs, not a creak from the wooden steps. Cosy, warm squirrel treehouse. He still had a cot, while she had a bed, and the young girl dressed down a bit further for the evening while squirrel mom sorted out her kid brother. Punky skunk blanket and a plush bunny, in the cot, while Naomi had all sorts of colourful toys.

Very busy day for the pair of them. The teenage part of her wondered how long this spell would last, certainly there wasn't any feeling it might come to an end by itself. Still, so long as the squirrel siblings had the fairy dust left over, they could get back to where they started. It could wait until Naomi and Kit had slept and the sun had risen, and so be a problem for another day.

-fin