An oddly low-pitched shriek echoed from the hallway. A burly, long-haired man in a maid’s dress that barely contained his muscular body burst into the room. “Your Majesty! Are you unharmed?”

“Er… yes, strangely enough,” Felix said, frowning at the maid. “Er… Angelica?”

The man smiled. “You recognized me! No one else knew who I was anymore.”

Mouse and Felix exchanged a glance. Mouse cleared his throat. “Did it effect everyone in the castle?”

“Aside from you and me, that is,” Felix appended.

“Right, right, aside from us,” Mouse repeated, nodding.

“Only one way to find out,” Cel said, clapping them both on the shoulder.

Mouse crossed his arms. “I know who I want to check on first.”

Felix led the charge. Mouse and Cell followed him, sweeping down the hallway. With Felix’s eyes off him, Mouse subtly rearranged the padding under his dress to a slightly more comfortable angle, though the odd softness of his chest took some getting used to.

Cel noticed the shift and smirked. He narrowed his eyes at her, then leaned in as a thought returned to him. “Him or her?”

“Huh? For me?” Cel asked. She glanced down at herself and shrugged. “I’m still Celedestin under all this, you know. It’d be weird to swap to ‘him’ for… however long this lasts.”

Mouse nodded. “Makes sense.”

“You think it won’t be permanent?” Felix asked.

“Goddess, I hope not. Wild ma…er, it does seem like the kind of thing that would wear off,” Cel finished under her breath.

Mouse glanced at her. Is this the wild magic? No, I guess it makes sense. Oh, sure, I won’t have any trouble getting in the hot springs now, but what about all the other princesses? He twisted his lips. Damnable fae magic. Always fucking around, rather than just doing its job.

Felix looked at his hands, then up at them. “We have to find a way to reverse it.”

“Of course. Once we confirm the extent of the damages, I have many rare herbs in my room. I’ll work tirelessly to see if there’s a potion that can serve to undo it,” Mouse vowed. Wild magic has been dispelled by potions before, though as anything with wild magic, there’s no tried and true remedy—every case requires a new solution. Goddess only knows if potions will prove effective this time.

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“And I, in my study,” Felix agreed.

“I’m bigger!” Gawain shouted gleefully. She bounded around the corner, jumping from wall to wall. “Bigger! Bigger! I grew at last!”

Mouse ducked as the green ball blasted at his head, and Gawain vanished around the corner, out of sight once more.

“Do you think she’s noticed?” Cel muttered to Mouse.

“Let’s let her have her moment,” Mouse muttered back.

Felix paused, then, and turned back to Mouse. “Speaking of… Mouse, did you shrink?”

“Huh?” Mouse asked.

Felix moved closer and put his hand at the top of his head, holding it out to Mouse. It came up to his nose. “I feel like I was only chin-height on you before.”

“Must… be… oh, I’m wearing flats today! That must be it,” Mouse replied, smiling.

“Don’t you always wear flats?” Felix asked.

“Sometimes, a girl must wear heels,” Mouse replied firmly.

A huge, pale white woman hurtled at them, her blue eyes wide. She charged past Felix and grabbed Mouse, hands big enough to cover his shoulders. “Mouse, it’s gone. My pride and joy, my jewels, my d—”

“Everyone seems to have swapped sex, with the exception of myself and Felix,” Mouse said, quickly cutting off the panicked unicorn.

Spar froze. He looked around at Cel, then at the maids rushing around the hallways, all in various states of confusion or panic. “Oh. Huh. I er, I thought I got gelded…”

“No one’s going to geld you,” Felix said, taken aback.

“I think you’d notice that happening, anyways,” Mouse muttered.

“Wait, I’m a woman now?” Spar pulled his shirt open and grinned down at his newfound cleavage. “Hitherto unknowable pleasures, here I come!”

Mouse narrowed his eyes. “Spar…”

“What? A man… lady… uh, a unicorn’s gotta have fun!” Spar replied.

“You and Cel, honestly…” Mouse shook his head.

Cel frowned at him. “What? Why’re you lumping me in with the unicorn? I just wanted to go teach a few idiots what it feels like to fight a man when they’re women and I have the upper hand in raw strength!”

Spar frowned at Mouse. He leaned in closer. “You… didn’t swap?”

“No, I did not,” Mouse said flatly.

Spar reached out and pulled open the neckline of Mouse’s dress.

“Excuse you!” Mouse grabbed his dress back to himself.

“Ohhh. Got it. Right.” Spar winked at Mouse.

“Don’t touch her like that,” Felix snapped, pushing Spar away.

“Sorry, sorry. We’re all women here, anyways.” Spar winked again.

“That doesn’t mean you can touch as you please,” Mouse grumbled.

Felix wrinkled his nose, displeased.

“What’s all the noise about?”

The group turned, then looked around. Mouse squinted. Who…?

“Down here, down here.”

Low to the floor, the dwarf looked up at them, still as bearded and stocky as ever. Mouse glanced her over, but couldn’t tell a single difference. “Er… everyone’s sex was swapped.”

“Oh, was it?” The dwarf clapped her hands to her chest, then shrugged. “Ah, makes no difference to me.” She waddled off, uninterested once more.

Mouse watched her disappear around the corner, then shrugged to himself. Guess everyone has their own reaction.

He pointed ahead. “We’re almost there.”

“Where are we going?” Cel asked.

Before Mouse could open the door, the door slammed open. A shirtless and undeniably male Brittany flew across the hall and bounced off the paneling opposite. She pushed herself upright and turned to the door. “Clarita, darling. Let’s just give it a try, hmm? Think of it as another adventure.”

“Get the fuck away from me,” Clarita snarled in a basso voice. She stomped up to the door and had to duck through it, her hulking form covered in shaggy gray-and-white fur, dress half-done—though I’m not sure the back clasps would hold, as massive as she is, Mouse noted.

At the sight of the others, Clarita shrieked and yanked the door shut. “Don’t look at me! I’m hideous!”