Cassie woke up. No, maybe this was still a dream. She could see Phoebe's room, but everything looked fuzzy. She tried to stretch, but couldn't feel her arms. In fact, she was having trouble feeling her anything.
Then she remembered a bad dream would be better than what Allison did to her.
*UUUUUUGH! That's right, Allison used me as paint! I've lost track of how long I've been here! Why hasn't she restored me yet?!*
Phoebe opened the door and walked in. "Sorry Ally, I forgot to grab my purse! Ooooo, and I just love the way you painted my room yesterday! I still have to thank Cassie when she gets back."
*She still hasn't figured it out? UGH! At least she has good taste in colors.*
Allison called from downstairs. "I'm sure she'll love to hear that! Now let's go, the zoo opens soon!"
"Coming!" Phoebe grabbed her purse, and ran out the door. It caught in the door behind her, and Phoebe had to give an extra tug to get it through the doorway, sending some of its contents clattering to the floor.
Including a spare restoration beam.
The beam triggered when it hit the floor, zapping the fresh green paint. The walls quivered, and Cassie started dripping. Her goop swirled into a green orb of paint where the beam struck the wall. She fell, splashed, then rose up into her normal figure.
She held her head, still dizzy from her ordeal. "Well Phoebe, at least your clumsiness is good for something."
Cassie heard the car starting outside and looked out the window. Allison and Phoebe were leaving the house. "Now what did they say? They were going to the zoo?" Her eyes were twitching. Remaining calm was difficult after spending the night literally painted on the wall, but she tried to think. "With driving, Phoebe looking around, and let's face it she'll play with the elephants, I should have a few hours. It's high time I gave Allison's lab an inspection. Surely one of her toys will be a suitable tool for my revenge."
She left Phoebe's room to investigate the lab.
* * *
Five hours later, Ally and Phoebe returned home.
"But Ally, they were so cute! I had to pet them!" Phoebe walked into the house, her clothing dirty and disheveled. Her form was normal, but a dirty elephant footprint was covering her stomach.
Ally followed her into the house, laughing. "I know, and every time you do that I have to explain to the zookeepers that you're harmless. I'm just glad you had a good time. Get into something that hasn't been stomped by an elephant while I start cooking dinner."
"Okay!" Phoebe ran up to her room, singing along the way.
"That girl is too much sometimes." Ally shook her head and went into the kitchen. "Alright, what are we eating tonight..."
Phoebe's voice called from across the house, sounding scared. "Ally! Come up here, something's wrong!"
"What happened?" Ally forgot about dinner and ran upstairs. Phoebe was outside her room, pointing inside.
"The beautiful green paint is missing! Why would someone paint my room while we were out?!"
*Uh-oh...* Ally nervously looked over Phoebe's shoulder. "I'm not sure Phoebe, but I think we can figu-HURK!!!"
*WHAM*
Cassie attacked from a trap door in the ceiling, slamming a comically large mallet on top of Ally. Her body collapsed on itself, crunching to the floor under the hammer's weight. She was spread wide enough on the floor to be visible around the edges.
Cassie looked down upon her flattened foe. "Allison, we need to have a quick chat."
"Cassie! You're back! Now I can thank you for helping Ally paint my room yesterday!" Phoebe looked delighted to see her, and moved in for a hug.
Cassie pushed her away. "My dear Phoebe, you still haven't figured it out?! I WAS THE PAINT!" Cassie hefted the mallet over her shoulder. "The only reason you are not under this mallet, is you triggered a restoration beam for me."
Phoebe raised her hands to her mouth in shock, "What?! Really?"
"That explains it at least."
Phoebe and Cassie turned to see the pancaked Ally start wobbling and bulging up, until *POP* she returned to three dimensions. "Cassie, now that you got a squish out of your system, I trust you had some time to think about what you did to Phoebe?"
Cassie turned towards her with a look of pure disdain. "No Allison, I think we're going to talk in your lab about what style of red dress I look best in."
Cassie swung the hammer like a baseball bat, sending Ally flying towards the stairs.
*WHAM*
*SPLAT*
Ally was a squished against the wall as flat as a poster. Her arms were splayed out, her tongue sticking out, and her eyes spinning.
Phoebe watched, still confused about what was happening. "Cassie, what are you doing?!"
Ally grunted from the wall, still wincing. "It's alright Phoebe. Can you come down to the lab with us and find a machine labeled 'Party Supplies'? I think I'm going to be busy for a while." She peeled off the wall from her head down with a satisfying "SHLLLUUUUUUURP* sound. Her body rolled into a cylinder, fell off the wall, and rolled further down the stairs towards her lab. Her tube body made a hollow *THUNK*THUNK*THUNK* each time it landed on a step.
Cassie laughed before calmly walking to the stairs. "Oh, you can run Ally, but I've had some time to explore."
"Eek!" Phoebe was left confused and worried. "What is going on?!"
* * *
Ally rolled into the lab, still shaped like a tube, before vibrating and *POP* returning to her normal figure.
She turned to see Cassie stalking down the stairs, thinking her prey was cornered. *What is she thinking?! Does she not think I know how my own lab works? I need to talk her down before she causes real trouble.*
"Cassie, I know that was a little much. You got your shot in. Let's stop before something breaks down here and we're both relying on Phoebe to restore us."
Cassie's eyes narrowed "Do you know how much pampering I was supposed to get today?! I was scheduled for a massage, a manicure, trips to at least five clothing stores, and more. No deal!" She pulled a remote control from her back pocket.
Ally gulped, *Oh no, when did Cassie find that? At least she’s never been good with tech.*
*THUNK*, the lab's glass tube fell around Ally. She knocked on the tube from inside. "You'd think I would build a safety into this thing with the number of stories it's showing up in."
Cassie raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? AAAARG! It doesn't matter." She shook off her confusion and pushed a button on the remote, summoning the same flame throwers around the glass tube that melted her the day before.
*FWOOOOOOSH*
Cassie cackled. "That was too easy Allison! Soon you'll be a puddle, and we'll see how much you like decorating ME for a day!"
Ally had to think fast. *Okay, I need to throw her off. Cassie always was up tight about getting transformed...Oh, I know!*
She gave a relaxed sigh, "Ah well, I need to work the kinks out of my back after you squished me anyway." She felt her body starting to drip and melt in the intense heat, making a show of enjoying it. She stretched upwards as her legs began to sink and pool up to her knees. "You need to learn how to have some fun Cassie." She fell backwards, smiling, her backside splattering against the tube as she sat on the floor, leaving streaks of her colors while oozing into the bubbling pink mess of melted Ally at the bottom of the tube. "This feels gooooo-blrbblrbblrb," before completely dissolving into herself.
Cassie looked disturbed and confused by Ally's reaction to becoming a puddle. "Alright Allison. Don't think I'm letting you off with something so simple as painting Phoebe's room. Oh no, we have a lot of things to do. Now let's see..." Cassie hesitated, fumbling with the remote to send Ally into a bucket, "Which button was it..."
Ally took advantage of the distraction. Her puddle bubbled and yelled "Restoration Protocol 9357!"
"Huh?" Cassie watched as another tube came down from the ceiling and sucked up her melted adversary. "Hey, wait a minute!" Cassie found the button to raise the original glass tube. She ran towards the escape tube as it retracted back to the ceiling, watching pink goo flow to some other part of the lab. "How did she?...Hrumph. No matter, she couldn't have gotten far." Cassie huffed and crossed her arms, knowing she would have to hunt down Ally again.
*CLICK*
"Huh?"
She also pressed the remote against her arm, triggering the flamethrowers again.
*FWOOOOOOSH*
"YEEEEEEEEEOW!!!"
Cassie was left exposed to the flames directly without the tube to serve as a boiler. She stood charred to a crisp, completely blackened by soot. "Ooh...I should have been more careful with this thing." Cassie coughed once, and immediately collapsed into a pile of ash, with her blinking eyes and the remote on top.
* * *
Cassie stalked around the lab. Every time she came to a corner, she raised her mallet, hoping to strike.
"Come on Allison! I couldn't get my hair done this morning, so I need to show off something extra special tonight. All the boys love a lady in a red dress. I think I can get a beautiful white sash out of you too."
Cassie turned another corner without finding her prey. "Uuuugh! How big can this lab be if it's under my house?!"
She was answered by a low rumbling sound. She looked towards it, and the color immediately drained from her face. "How did I not find this earlier?"
*SQUOOOOOOOOOSH*
Cassie's legs were instantly flattened under a steamroller as her mallet clattered to the side. She struggled to scuttle away, but only succeeded in stretching herself out. By the time it reached her waist, she couldn't feel any depth to her legs. She pounded the floor in frustration, crying "Why does this keep happening to mrrrpppphhh!" before being silenced by the heavy steel drum.
Cassie looked ridiculous after the encounter. The machine's relentless force spread Cassie out against the steel tiles, reducing her to a ten foot Cassie poster with frayed green hair on the ground.
"Oooooow..."
Allison dismounted the steamroller and inspected her new floor art. "Okay Cassie, the first squish was free, but you need to learn to quit while you're ahead. Are you ready to relax? I was about to make chicken."
Cassie's flattened form glared at Allison, "Your chicken always comes out dry, and you owe me a spa appointment."
Allison sighed, "Well, at least you're predictable." She peeled Cassie off the ground and folded her in half the long way.
"Allison, restore me this inst-mmmpph!"
She walked over to one of the many machines lining the lab, and opened a hatch like a mail slot. "Look on the bright side, you'll be on time for dessert tonight!"
She fed Cassie into the machine.
*SQUIIIIIIIIIISH*
Rollers sucked in the flattened Cassie, stretching her even longer. Her body lost all definition as it was passed from roller to roller, eventually looking more like a long green sheet than any excuse for her former self.
*SQUIIIIIIIIIISH*
*Uuuuuugh how complex do Allison's machines need to be?!*
Cassie was still being passed between rollers, but she could feel herself getting softer. Her body was getting pulverized, and was sticking to the rollers as they passed her along.
She finally felt herself start piling up on top of her head, folding over herself as she landed in small container. "Great, where am I now?!"
*PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS*
The sound of steam made Cassie's sheet body tense up. "What is that?!"
*SQUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*
"AAAAAAAAAAAARG!"
A piston came down on top of the layers of Cassie sheet, crushing her towards the bottom of her new home. She could feel her body merging into itself, changing from a crumpled sheet to a gooey green mess. Once she was completely squished into a blob, Cassie was forced down a small tube at the bottom of her bucket.
"AAAAALLLLIIIIIIISSSSOOOOOOOONNN!!"
Cassie was screaming when she finally saw light in front of her. "Oh thank goodness I can get out of here!"
The machine had a star attachment, shaping Cassie as her body emerged with ice cream consistency. She landed in a large cup and spooled up, her eyes landing on top.
"I swear, when I get a hold of Allison..."
Cassie's monologue was interrupted by sprinkles getting dumped on her head.
* * *
Phoebe was searching another aisle of the lab. She was pretty sure by now Ally had sorted things alphabetically, and this was not a place she remembered exploring the last time she was down here.
"Okay, I need to find the party supplies. I think this is the P aisle?"
She could hear the sounds of chaos in the distance. "I still hear Ally talking, so Cassie hasn't turned her into clothes like me yet. I have to help Ally, but..." Phoebe looked unsure of herself, "Would she really do that to Cassie?"
Phoebe found a shelf with large crates. "Let's see, Pancake Mix, Paper Mache, Party Supplies, Pasta Maker-no wait Party Supplies!" She looked around, "How do I get this thing down?"
She found a keypad mounted on the post supporting the shelf. She studied it briefly before realizing she had no idea how Ally's machines worked. "Uuuuh just work and get me that box!" She started mashing buttons.
*BEEEEEEEP*
Machinery moved above her. A tray worked its way under the party supplies crate, and transported it to the floor in front of Phoebe. She raised her arms in triumph.
"Yes! Mashing buttons works again!"
The heavy walls of the wood crate fell open, revealing a large metal machine on wheels. Unfortunately, one of the walls landed directly on top of Phoebe.
"EEEEEEK!"
*SQUIIIIIIIIIISH*
The dust cleared, and Phoebe was gone. One of the walls on the ground started shaking, and the edge of a blue pancake started emerging. It took almost a full minute for the six foot Phoebe to waddle out from underneath. "Ouchies! Why did it do that?"
Phoebe's body wobbled and bulged, before popping back into a three dimensional shape. "Now, how do I get this HUUUURK!"
*SLAM*
*SQUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISH*
Crates crashed to the floor, sent tumbling by the robot and Phoebe's blind button mashing. The poor girl was splattered on the floor once again, this time under the Pancake Mix crate. Instead of a blue disk, it was a light blue batter that crept out from underneath. "Oooow! No fair!" The Phoebe goop struggled to slink away from the shelves, but the machine threw one last box at her.
*SQUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*
The box landed directly on top of Phoebe, light blue tendrils of Phoebe splatter visible from underneath.
"Ooooowwwww...I'm going to need a minute."
* * *
"WHERE ARE YOU ALLISON?!"
Cassie continued her hunt. It was insufferable that Allison could evade her this long after the hours she spent planning. The time it took Cassie to restore herself from soft serve only infuriated her more. Cassie wasn't even sure what she would do if she caught Allison anymore, only that she must have revenge.
"Hey Cassie, are you ready to cool off yet?"
Cassie turned towards the sound of Allison's voice. She was standing in front of a large storage tank. "Not quite." Cassie charged, hammer held high above her head, hoping Allison was not ready for a quick squishing strike. She leaped in hopes of the biggest Allison pancake ever.
"Okay, but I seriously think you need t-" Allison stopped talking to dodge to the side of Cassie's overhead smash.
*CRASH*
*SPLASH*
"To chill."
The tank behind Allison contained liquid nitrogen. Cassie's swing cracked the container and bathed her in the freezing liquid, transforming her to a statue of solid ice.
Once it was safe, Allison walked up and tapped Cassie's cheek twice. *TINK*TINK* "Look, I know it's been a rough day, but once your temper cools off I'm sure we can eat dinner and relax. Here, let me help you warm up."
Cassie's teeth were chattering. "So...cold..."
Cassie thought *Curse you Allison! Tricking me like that!*
Allison picked up Cassie and carried her to some of the heavy machinery. "I have to finish cleaning some things up, but I'll be back to check on you in a little bit. The heat vents should warm you up."
*Heat vents?*
Allison left, and Cassie started dripping. *Oh no no no, not again!* Unable to move in her current state, Cassie was forced to experience her body melting away drip by drip, shrinking as more of her joined the growing puddle of green goop on the ground. She was quickly surrounded by a puddle of green as her frozen body thawed. Eventually large chunks sloughed off and shattered on the floor. Losing her leg was jarring, but it was nothing compared to her melting arms dropping her mallet on her head.
*CRRRRSSSSSSSH*
What remained of Cassie's icy body shattered, shards of her body scattered into her puddle. Cassie's brain was completely scrambled, but at least her body was thawing out faster.
Once she completely melted down, Cassie's mind cleared. *Ugh! I'm too beautiful to be a puddle again! Wait a minute, Allison had some sort of melt restoration system. What did she say again?*
Bubbles formed on Cassie's surface. "Restoration Protocol 9357???"
The same clear tube from before descended from the ceiling and sucked up Cassie's body. She felt herself getting mixed up, and struggled to maintain focus as her green goop flowed through pipes above the lab. *Ally did this so it must be okay, do not panic Cassidy, do not panic!*
She was panicking.
Cassie was eventually poured into a large metal basin. As the last drops of her body arrived, she started to recognize the shape of her container as a human mold. *So that's how she did it. Clever girl.*
The top of the mold slammed down. Steam rose from the machine as it cooked the liquid inside into a human shape. After a minute, it opened.
"I feel funny."
Cassie climbed out and found her reflection in the machine's shiny exterior. She looked exactly like Allison, except with green hair, a denim tank top, and black shorts.
She jumped back, horrified. "Ack! I must fix this immediately! This is too...hmm."
Cassie reconsidered and looked at her reflection closer. She turned and posed to study her impression of Allison. "Well, at least now I know I pull off this look better than Allison ever did." Cassie flipped her short hair and walked away, focusing on returning her body to its normal shape.
* * *
Ally finished checking on another machine. "Okay, I think that covers everything. I don't see anything that needs immediate fixing. Time to-"
Plodding footsteps and the sight of her own shadow gave her pause. Cassie's voice came from around the corner. "Are you there Allison? We're not done yet!"
Ally face palmed, muttering "Oh not again."
She called back to her stalker, "Cassie, give it up! I'm going upstairs, come eat if you're hungry." She saw the shadow shake itself and morph into Cassie's shape as she walked away towards the lab's exit.
Cassie followed, "Allison! Stop!" She lobbed her hammer at Ally. She calmly sidestepped it to walk down a side passage, letting the weapon clatter harmlessly along the ground.
Ally chuckled watching the hammer, "Calm down Cassie, you're taking this way too-"
She realized she walked into a dead end. The only thing here was a buzzsaw setup for wood working.
"-seriously." She finished the sentence looking around, not seeing any side passages. She turned to change direction and saw Cassie, re-equipped with her hammer.
*Dang. She is persistent today. Let's see, what does this machine do again?*
"Allison, you're not taking this seriously at all! I expect you to pay for my missed appointment fees along with your share of the rent this month." She leaped at Ally, hammer held high.
Allison feigned a look of terror until Cassie swung the hammer down, slamming it into the ground. Ally dodged to the side, spinning, and gave Cassie a good push towards the buzz saws.
Cassie got her hammer on the ground and went into a baseball slide, stopping her momentum short of the threat. "Oh no, that worked once today. Not again!"
Ally crossed her arms. *Hmph, I guess it was too much to hope she would overextend herself twice. But how do I get away from her without creating a mess?* Ally's eyes went to the buzz saw. *It's been a while since Boo and I tried anything like this, but I guess I could try it.*
Ally raised her hands in a fighting stance. "Okay Cassie, but I still know more tricks than you. Get ready!" She charged Cassie, not expecting to connect, but it would be a nice bonus.
Cassie made a panic dodge to the side. She moved extremely early, making Ally strongly consider not intentionally missing. She managed her best surprised face and said "Oh no!" as she dove straight into the saws.
*BZZZZZZZZZZZT*
Cassie cackled, "You're not half bad Allison! Too bad you're not cut out for this."
Ally thought *Oh I'm getting her for that!* as the saws cut into her. She felt her body split into tens of chunks as she passed through the machine, but she could sense every one of them. The blades stung, but she concentrated on each piece of herself as it came out the other side, picturing her normal shape. She could feel each piece shifting around as it was spat out the back.
Cassie peeked around the corner of the machine to see what it was doing to her flatmate. Would she be getting ribbons? Mulch? Powder?
Instead she heard several copies Ally's voice, high pitched and impish, laughing hysterically.
Cassie was horrified. "What the heck?!"
At least 50 tiny Allisons ran around the corner. Many simply ran past a shocked Cassie before she could process what she was seeing. "How?! Allison you're actually enjoying this aren't you! Hrrrmph!"
Cassie started stomping the mini Allisons as they ran past. She couldn't get them all, but the ones she did spread out into bright red and white disks on the floor with a satisfying
*SQUIIISH*
*SQUIIISH*
*SQUIIISH*
After getting six or seven Whack-an-Allys, the rush stopped. Cassie turned to hunt for the rest. "Now where did you ... go."
Behind her, the mini-Allys were on top of each other's shoulders, forming six or seven towers of herself.
The mini Allys shouted in their impish voices, "Chaaaarge!" They ran forwards to shove Cassie onto the saw's conveyor belt.
"What?! No! How can you even move after thaaaAAA-"
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ*
"GYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"
A cloud of green saw dust emerged from the machine as the Allisons picked up their flattened comrades. They shook each other out as they went to inspect the damage to Cassie. She emerged from the saw's housing in her normal shape, but with several dark lines through her. She stayed hovering in the air until her whole body came out the other side, then fell to the ground.
On impact, her body split open like a sliced roast, each segment featuring a solid green interior.
"Oooooow..."
The Allisons started hopping on top of each other, reassembling back into one full sized Ally. Her voice got deeper as she restored herself, "Sorry Cassie, that was for the pun. I just...saw an opportunity."
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!" Cassie complained again.
"Hee hee" Ally laughed, "See you later, there's some glue on the bench."
* * *
Ally and Cassie continued trading flattenings and other transformations through the lab. As much fun as this was, Ally was starting to get tired. She really was hungry, wishing she just ordered dinner before playing this game instead so she wouldn't have to cook.
*SLAM*
Ally sidestepped another mallet smash, checked her watch, and called to Cassie. "Cassie, it's been almost an hour. Can we eat dinner now?"
Cassie pulled out the remote and pushed a button. "Sure, I'll turn on the oven."
The glass tube descended around Ally one more time. "This again? I already melted in this story, we can't re-use gags this fast!"
"What are...never mind." Cassie pushed more buttons on the remote to get the flamethrowers ready, "I think you'll find my plan is more well done than that."
Ally raised an eyebrow. "Well done?"
The flamethrowers roared to life. This time the glass tube got out of the way, leaving Ally exposed to the flames.
"Meep!"
*FWOOOOOOOSH*
Ally disappeared in the fire ten whole seconds before Cassie turned down the heat. When she saw Allison again, her entire body was burned to a crisp.
*Cough* Ally released some black smoke. "I did not see that coming." She tried to take a step forward, and crumbled to a pile of black ash on the ground, her two eyeballs blinking on top.
"AHHAHAHAHA! You've lost some weight Ally! That's a good look for you. Now, which one of these machines turns you into a nice long swath of red cloth for me."
Ally rolled her eyes, but was a little nervous. She never did get the hang of restoring herself from ash, and Cassie was still angry. Maybe she did go too far with the paint.
*Rumble*Rumble*
Both girls were surprised by the noise. Cassie, fearing her victory was in danger, looked around frantically. "What?! What's going on?! I-WHOA!"
Phoebe appeared with a large machine that was the size of a mall kiosk on wheels. She was pushing it with her head down, charging forward without noticing she knocked Cassie into an intake. "Hi Ally, I think I found the machine you wanted, and...are you alright?"
The Ally pile of ashes shook as it spoke, "Just push the green button on the end! And get me a glass of water."
"Okay!" Phoebe smiled, eager to help. She pushed the green button labeled "Confetti." The machine roared to life.
"GGYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"
A pole rose up from the machine as Cassie protested. Already cramped inside the small intake area, she was sucked into a narrow passage deeper into the machine by a roller.
*SQUIIIIIISH*
Cassie was desperately trying to pull herself out, but the machine was too strong. She only succeeded in stretching herself out, extending her flattening experience.
*SQUIIIIIIISH*
After getting rolled flat and stretched out, Cassie heard the tell tale click clack of small blades spinning ahead of her. "Oh no. No no no. This cannot happen to someone like mEEEEEEEEEEE!"
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ*
Phoebe was just returning from getting a glass of water when the pipe on top of the cart began firing green and Cassie colored confetti into the air, over the top of another nearby machine, away from Phoebe and Allie. She poured the water on Ally's ashes, which gelled into red goop. Ally sprouted out of it, shaking off black ash as she returned to her normal shape.
Phoebe looked up and smiled at the confetti shooting through the air. "Oh wow, that confetti is the same color my room was painted! It's so beauti-..." Phoebe stopped and raised a hand to her chin in deep thought. "Hey, Ally?"
Ally paused from stretching and testing her body out. "Yeah Phoebe?"
"Did you really use Cassie to paint my room?"
Ally rubbed the back of her head, clearly feeling a little embarrassed at having to explain herself. "I miiiight have volunteered her to be your paint. It seemed only fair that she do something to make up for giving you trouble last week."
Phoebe thought about this some more. "Oh. Well, what do we do next?"
Ally looked at the machine Cassie was thrown into. "I guess we get her out of the cube crusher and finally make dinner."
Phoebe's stomach rumbled, "Oh, dinner! I better get started marinating the chicken!" She ran towards the kitchen, but tripped into Ally.
Pushing her into the party supply machine.
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZ!*
* * *
Ally's red and white confetti fell into the cube smasher, scattered amongst Cassie's green. Her voice emanated from the red pieces, "Ow...that one stings a little."
The green confetti shook back, "Yes Allison. Yes it did."
Ally decided she had to do something she really didn't want to. "*SIGH*...Cassie...I'm sorry I used you as paint."
"Hmmph! You had better be! Do you know how long I was on that wall?!"
"Only about as long as it took to reconstitute Phoebe after you scattered her last weekend."
"But she..." Apologizing was not something Cassie did often. "Oh fine. I guess I can make amends with her later."
"So we're all square now?"
"I suppose. I have to go upstairs and reschedule all of the appointments I missed today. I was supposed to strut through the park again too you know."
A loud mechanical *THUNK* sounded in the chamber full on confetti.
"Hang on girls, I'll get you out of there! Ally showed me how to use this after the last time I was down here!"
Ally and Cassie simultaneously yelled "PHOEBE NO!"
*SLAM*
*CRUSH*
*SQUISH*
* * *
When the machine got quiet, Phoebe opened the chamber's door. She slowly backed away from the mist that emerged.
A large cube waddled out, with Cassie's face on one side, and Ally's on an adjacent one. They were mashed into a single three foot cube, with their features distinct on different sides.
Cassie looked *furious*. "Phoebe! We were having a moment in there until you did this to me! Get back here so I can squish you properly!" She tried to struggle forward, the Cassie sides of the cube tilting and even bulging towards Phoebe, but she didn't get far.
Ally rolled her eyes. "Ugh, calm down Cassie. Phoebe, can you just zap us with a restoration beam? Then, just maybe," she looked towards the Cassie faces, "we can make dinner before Sonia's special on Giants in Fairytales comes on."
Phoebe giggled at the cube before her. "Hee hee! Okay Ally. I always keep one in my purse."
She reached into her purse and dug around.
And explored.
"I know it's in here somewhere."
She reached her arm all the way in up to her shoulder.
She eventually held it up to her face, opening it wide with both hands.
"That's funny, it's not in here."
Ally gave Phoebe a comforting smile. "That's okay. We won't miss the show. I should have a spare beam near-WHOAWHOAWHOA!"
Ally's face rolled over to the floor as Cassie's sides jumped, outraged. Her sideways face was livid. "Phoebe you klutz! It's probably the beam you zapped me with this morning!"
"I still can't believe it's not here." Phoebe stopped searching and checked her watch. "Oh! Ally's right, Sonia's on soon, we can't miss that! Uuuuuh." She looked around nervously, not wanting to let her friends down.
"WHAAAAAAAH!!!" The cube rolled backwards, Ally's face pushing off the ground. "Phoebe, just carry us upstairs, we'll figure out the rest later. I don't want us to miss the show."
"Oh! Good idea!" Phoebe tried to pick up Ally and Cassie. "Ooooof. You two are heavier than you look."
Cassie's eyes twitched. She took a deep breath, struggling to maintain her composure. "Phoebe, can't we just use the DVR? I don't want to be a box all night."
Phoebe grunted, carrying the cube towards the exit as fast as she could. She struggled to get the words out of her mouth while carrying her friends. "Ally...always...programs it...for me."
"UUUUUUUUUGH!!!"
* * *
Phoebe was sitting on the couch, a bowl of popcorn on the cushion next to her. Her feet were resting on top of the Ally and Cassie cube, positioned so both of their faces were looking towards the TV. The solid red side of the cube was facing up, probably Ally's hair.
As the credits rolled and commercials came on, the Cassie side tried to jump, but Phoebe's feet held her down. "Can't you go find the beam now?"
Ally's eyes looked towards Cassie, annoyed. "Soon Cassie. Just enjoy the experience for a little." Her eyes looked up towards Phoebe, "You comfy up there Phoebe? Boo always claims I make a comfy ottoman, but he is a little biased. I need a second opinion."
Phoebe didn't respond.
"Phoebe?"
*SNOOOOOOORE*
Ally looked distraught. “Oh no...”
“Oh Allison, it gets worse. Look.”
A voice came from the television. “Are you the type of person that just HATES chopping vegetables? So are we! That’s why for the next three hours, we’ll be telling you how our product makes kitchen life EASY!”
Cassie finished her sentence. “Infomercials.”
"PHOOEEEEEEEEBEEEEEEEEEE!" Both yelled, but Phoebe was fast asleep.