Chapter Text
It was a quiet night in the Museum of Natural History. The exhibits bustled under the soft glow of fluorescent lights, and the lifelike figures of historical personalities unfroze from their poses. Yet, among all the clamor of sudden life, two unlikely individuals found themselves in a whirlwind of mischief.
Jedediah, the rugged cowboy with a penchant for trouble, and Octavius, the eloquent but sharp-witted Roman general, had stumbled upon the Tablet of Ahkmenrah as they sought another night of adventure.
The allure of magic within the ancient artifact was simply too tempting to resist. “C’mon, Octavius!” Jedediah said, grinning widely. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Who could say?” Octavius was always more cautious, but Jedediah had a way of making him abandon logic.
“Ah, live a little. Ahkmenrah wouldn’t leave it here if it was that dangerous.” But with every word of confidence, the universe had other plans.
A flash of light, a deafening roar, a whooshing sensation.
When the world settled, they found themselves staring at each other from completely different bodies. Jedediah stood in Octavius's gleaming armor, while Octavius found himself in the worn leather garments of the frontiersman. Both men shrieked, but their voices came out in mismatched tones.
“What is this sorcery?!” Octavius shouted in Jedediah’s voice.
“Not sure, but it looks like we switched bodies!” Jed tentatively flexed his newfound muscles on Oct’s more athletic build. “This was not part of the deal!” Jedediah exclaimed in Oct’s voice, the usual smoothness made choppy by his western accent. The cowboy rubbed his new pale-colored temples, watching roman pride gleam at him from what used to be his own blue eyes.
Octavius watched, making his face alien under the soul of another. He wondered how it must feel for Octavius to see such a wild person in his body, wearing his brown eyes, so different from sky blue.
“This is… unexpected,” Octavius muttered, rubbing his new stubbled jaw.
“We need to keep this on the down-low until morning, when I bet it’ll wear itself off,” Jed suggested, pulling down on the “skirt” he now wore. “We’ll just need to play it cool. No one will know, right? Look, we gotta learn how to move and act like each other if we want to avoid getting caught. Larry won’t just send you home for this… he’ll split us up for good!”
“Right. Easy,” Octavius said, voice a weird melodic version of Jedediah’s. “Who’s going to believe we switched bodies?” Oct rolled his eyes, though there was a hint of curious excitement flickering behind them.
“So, how do we get away with this?” Jedediah pondered, glancing around the dimly-lit museum. “We can’t let Larry catch us like this!"
Octavius waved a hand dismissively, “You underestimate the power of Roman discipline! I shall teach you the art of command. Know this—if you do not learn the ways of discipline and honor, you shall never embody my form properly.”
“And I’ll teach you how to ride a horse properly while avoiding the urge to recite poetry constantly,” Jedediah shot back.
They sat in silence until he spoke again. “Discipline, huh?”
Then Jedediah sighed. “Might be the biggest challenge yer gonna face tonight, then.”
The plan was set: they would spend the night in each other’s bodies learning the quirks and mannerisms that defined them, all while trying to blend into the chaos of animated museum life.