"How, what... Rick?!?" Emily screamed as she stared at the small tabby cat. The cat was a little fluffy tabby with bright red fur and a cute little face. Emily picked it up as the cat stared back, meowing non-stop. She didn't know how this was possible. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't and that this was all some kind of joke or something, but she just couldn't do it. She saw it with her own eyes. Emily then noticed it was wearing a collar.
She moved the collar and read the name aloud. "Ricki." She said flabbergasted.
Realizing what that meant she raised the cat above her head. As she had thought, the cat was definitely female. She felt a little dizzy with the revelation that magic was real so she put her former boyfriend down and sat down on the nearest chair. The cat awkwardly started to walk with its four legs and went up to her leg meowing.
"Rick, I can't believe this. Okay, two meows for yes, one for no?" She asked, almost not believing what she was doing.
The cat nodded and Emily asked.
"Are you really Rick?"
"Meow, Meow!"
Emily leaned back in bewilderment. She turned her boyfriend into a cat. How could this have happened? She realized there was only one logical answer as she glanced back at the camera. She picked it up and frantically began to examine it. To her surprise, there were now new words all over it that weren't there before. Stuff like "Gender" "Awareness" and "Reality alteration" as well as a bunch of other things that didn't belong on a camera.
As she continued to fiddle with it she accidentally moved her hand into something on the table that made a small ringing noise. Emily was startled at first but then grew extremely confused. She had hit a little pink cat toy with a bell inside. Emily didn't know where it had come from, but as she looked around, she realized that wasn't the only change.
Their apartment had changed slightly. Some of the furniture was slightly rearranged, some new items replaced existing lamps or blankets, but what shocked Emily the most were the new cat accessories all over the room. There were a few toys scattered about, a small food dish near the kitchen, and even a little scratching post by the door.
Emily and "Ricki" looked at each other in shock as they both began to realize just how powerful this camera was. Emily was beginning to become intrigued but Rick was having none of this. He had lost his thumbs his dick and his body and he wanted to turn back. He started trying to talk to Emily again but it still just came out as obnoxious meowing.
"I know Rick, just hold on. We can't rush whatever is going on here." Emily reassured him.
Emily wondered if the camera had just provided things that a cat might need, but she quickly found out exactly what "reality alteration" actually meant. The photos lined up on the shelf were now all changed. Originally, there had been three pictures on display. There had been one of Rick and Emily at prom, one of Emily in beach wear when she visited California, and one of a more serious couple selfie.
Now, there were four, and Emily was amazed by what she saw. The first one still had her at prom, but instead of Rick now stood Henry Adams. He was another guy who had gone to their school who Emily was sorta friends with back in the day. Emily thought he was a pretty cute blonde kid but not as cute as her fiery haired Rick.
Emily looked at the next photo and saw it was still her in the same clothes and a similar pose, but now under her arms was a small orange kitten with a pink bow on its head. The third picture was of Emily and an older looking Henry kissing, and the final one was a professional looking portrait with Emily in a dress sitting on a chair, holding "Ricki" the cat on her lap, and with Henry standing behind her.
Emily sat back on the couch and held her head. "Holy shit." She said aloud, somewhat to Rick. "This magic camera or whatever, changed reality itself." She looked directly at Rick and showed him the portrait. "Rick, you're a cat. According to reality you've apparently always been a cat. I'm dating that Henry kid, and this is apparently how things have always been. This camera changed our world."
Emily and Rick both sat in shock as they pondered what to do. Before either could come up with an idea, they heard the door begin to unlock. They turned to see Henry walk in in a casual flannel, and holding an animal carrying case.
"Oh, hey baby." He said surprised. "I thought you were gonna head out and see Miranda today?" He asked.
Emily was speechless. She couldn't believe this guy who she barely knew in high school was now dating her. She also had no idea who this Miranda girl was. Emily suddenly realized just how different the world probably was now. She followed Rick to his college, which probably meant she followed Henry to his. She realized that she probably also had completely new friends now.
Emily snapped herself out of it as she realized she needed to say something.
"Oh uh, sorry... baby. I forgot to tell you the plans were, canceled." She lied.
Henry shrugged it off and placed the crate on the table. Emily watched as he pushed the crate further in, and watched helplessly as the camera was gently pushed by it. Now Emily and Rick were both itching to grab the camera, but neither wanted anything to happen to it. Rick decided to stay hidden from view on the couch while Emily figured she had to play it cool.
"So Henry," She asked. "what's in the crate?"
"Oh sorry baby. It was supposed to be a surprise for when you got home. Remember how you kept saying you wanted Ricki to have kittens?" He asked as he opened the crate. Emily kept smiling but her eyes widened as Rick slouched further to make sure he wasn't seen. Henry pulled out an orange tabby cat that looked a lot like "Ricki."
"Say hi to Fuzz the breeding cat! I borrowed him from a lady at work, but she's agreed to split the money we get from selling the kittens."
"What." Emily sputtered, completely thrown off by everything.
"Oh don't worry, I know you'll want to keep one." He reassured her, misunderstanding her confusion. Just then, Henry spotted Rick's new tail peeking out just above the couch. He laughed as he picked Rick up before either Emily or Rick could react. "There you are girl." Henry laughed.
"Wait!!!" Emily screamed. She quickly cleared her throat and lowered her voice. "Wait. Let's not be too hasty here. We have to, uh... see if they like each other first don't we?" She asked.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Henry agreed as he picked up Fuzz and placed him next to Rick. Rick immediately decided he wanted none of this as his frustration grew. He managed to walk into the next room as Fuzz eagerly followed.
"Oh boy, looks like they're hitting it off!" Henry said as Emily watched in horror. She couldn't imagine what Rick must be feeling. She needed to do something now. Even if they didn't fully understand how the camera worked, it was better than letting Rick have kittens. Emily picked up the camera, and then...