Foxglove pulled her wand from somewhere. She waved it and the curtain rose up to cover the stage again. As it disappeared into the ceiling, the stage was revealed to be empty, apart from the trio, who were still dripping, and three boxy looking shapes, each covered in a handkerchief.

“It appears we’re all washed up.” Foxglove said. “Fortunately, I have something prepared to get us all dry.”

Gadget spoke. “Oh, that’s okay, I can bring out the Hyper Hair Dryer 3000…”

Tammy looked worried. “Isn’t that the main thruster on the Mk 2 Rangermobile? I know your inventions generally blow people away, but that might do it a bit too literally.“

“Besides, this is my show, we use my gadgets, not Gadget’s gadgets.” declared Foxglove. “Now you each pick one.” A quick game of rock scissors paper gave Gadget first go, and she picked the one on the left, then Tammy took the one on the right, leaving Foxglove with the centre one.

Foxglove strutted over to the left hand device and unveiled it. It was basically a cardboard toilet roll tube decorated with wrapping paper, standing in an inverted jam jar lid. The top most section had a hole just big enough for someone to put their face out of, and had a seam at the bottom that connected it to the main section. This had a pair of doors running down to about half an inch from the floor. The very bottom of the tube had a couple of holes in just the right position for someone standing inside it to stick their hind paws out.

Foxglove motioned to Gadget. “Your turn first.” She opened up the doors with a flourish. “For madame, the Wringer, guaranteed to give you a real spin dry. Well come on!”

“Uh… are you sure it’s safe?”

Foxglove grinned. “Well, it should work with no problems.”

“Eep!”, was the blonde mouse’s only response. Somehow it always sounded more reassuring when she said it.

Gadget somewhat reluctantly got into the device and poked her face out through the top hole, and her feet through the holes at the bottom. Foxglove closed the doors and stepped up to the device, grabbing hold of the sides of the top part with her wing tips. She gently started to rotate the top section, as if unscrewing a lid. Gadget’s face went round, and round, until it was back at the front with a startled expression “Jeepers, that shouldn’t have worked.”

“Ready for some real revs?”, Foxglove asked and without waiting started spinning the head section much faster. Water started collecting in the jam jar lid. After the first few turns she slowed down and motioned Tammy over to take the other side.

“Getting harder to move it round.” she said. Together, she and the squirrel they put another few rotations into the device. More water collected in the jam jar lid. “There, that should do it!” She finished by sticking in a peg in the top part that latched the top section in place.

She moved round and opened up the front doors, to reveal a cream coloured barber pole with interludes of red at waist and chest height. Gadget’s legs and body were twisted around like a wrung cloth, with her tail poking out forward at about waist height and a pair of waving hands further up. She had a puzzled expression on her face. “Golly, I feel like a pecan maple twist.”

“Maybe we can go out for one afterwards.” Foxglove responded. Tammy was just smirking.

Foxglove closed the doors again, and pulled out the peg. Immediately, Gadget’s head started spinning the other way, the top part of the cabinet going round and round until it slowed to a stop. Foxglove opened the doors and Gadget’s body was there, restored to normal and completely dry. She stepped out, patting herself as if to check everything was back in place, which was exactly what she was doing. “Now that was twisted…”

Tammy spluttered with laughter. “Hahaha… No, you were!”

Foxglove turned a Mona Lisa smile on Tammy. “Just wait until you see what you picked. You have a pressing engagement.”

That wiped the grin off the squirrel’s face.

Foxglove went over to the right hand cover and pulled it back. Revealed was a mangle, two mechanical rollers.

Tammy backed off, shaking her head. “Uh uh… If I want a slimmer figure, I’ll go on a diet.”

Gadget grabbed hold of one of the handles, swinging it thoughtfully. “Oh, come on Tammy, you helped put _me_ in a spin. Surely one good turn deserves another.”

Foxglove stepped in behind the squirrel and glomphed her from behind, lifting her off the floor. Gadget stepped in and caught the tip of Tammy’s bushy tail, unfurling it. She fed the end into the rollers and gave them a turn before the squirrel girl could do more than squeak with surprise. Her legs waggled up in the air as she struggled to get free, but her upper torso was still enfolded in Foxglove’s wings, while the tail was quite clearly caught in the rollers.

“Time to become our flat mate!” Foxglove said from behind her ear, and Gadget started turning the crank.

More and more of the tail fed in, and out the other side came a paper thin equivalent. The tray below started collecting water. The texture of the resulting flattened material was actually more like crushed velvet. Eventually the tail had all been fed through and Tammy’s hindquarters rested against the rollers. Foxglove was still supporting her upper body, and her legs were still sticking up in the air, making running motions. Tammy herself was squeaking pitifully, but was clearly not in any pain.

“Your tail seems a little _depressed_. Well, you’re on a roll, now let’s do the rest.” Stated Foxglove.

“I don’t know which is worse, being turned into a squirrel shaped towel, or that pun.” Tammy groaned.

“Well there’s an easy way to find out. Gadget?”

Gadget started cranking again, clearly putting in more effort and Tammy’s legs were pushed up to rest on her chest as her rear disappeared into the rollers. A double layer of material started coming out the other side, her body and the tops of her thighs pressed down on one another. Her belly went next, then her chest still wearing her bikini top. Finally her head was pulled in, to come out the other side looking like a furry pancake, a surprised expression still on her face.

Sidenote: For those of you who are saying, ‘What the heck? They’ve experienced wild takes where they’ve been flattened, inflated or momentarily levitated as part of their normal life. Why should it be such a surprise when they experience it in a magic show? To which I answer ‘Wipe the rabid foam from your lips and chill. It’s only a fanfic, and a silly one at that.’

Tammy’s form had fallen into a tray at the front. It was folded over back and forth. Foxglove came round the front, and picked up Tammy’s flattened form by the head, lifting her up so she hung her entire length down to the floor… except for the long, almost beaver-like length of her tail which trailed out on the floor behind them. Her legs hung in front like a pair of sleeves on a drying shirt.

There was a muffled, but clearly audible, “Hey! What’s happening?” from the suspended squirrel.

Foxglove grinned. “Now, not only are you dry, but you can fit places you never could before, under doors, on a boat as a sail, and even in the air as a kite, no plane needed. Which only goes to show, flattening will get you anywhere.”

There were groans from Gadget and the seated boys, even the centre of attention herself.

Chip muttered to Dale, “You’ve corrupted that poor girl.”

“Uh uh, she came up with it all herself.” replied Dale, smirking. “Isn’t she amazing?”

“Gotta agree.” Chip said, nodding.

Foxglove has folded Tammy like a bath towel, head facing out on top, despite her muffled but loud protests. She put her on a stand that was tilted to allow her to see the stage. She covered the Gadget’s Twister illusion and uncovered the final one, a large flat open sided box with a set of large blunt spikes on a frame over it.

“It a-’pierce’ I’m the only one left who‘s all wet. So I get to try out the final device…” she flipped a switch on the side and the spikes started to glow red. “… my deep penetration hair dryer.”

She climbed in through one end of the box, and called Gadget over.

“Gadget, could you push the button there?”

“Sure I can, it‘s merely a matter of placing my paw on the top surface and applying a small amount of pressure, unless the button‘s stuck, in which case I‘d need my tool kit to disassemble it and repair it…”

Foxglove was the one to sigh now. “I meant, Gadget, push the button!”

“Well, golly, why didn’t you say so?” Gadget replied, and did.

The spikes immediately started sinking, the tips going through a matching set of holes in the top of the box, and down to touch Foxglove’s body. You could see the points of contact press down slightly before the spikes apparently penetrated, sinking right through her body and out of holes in the bottom surface of the box.

Warm steam rose from the box like a sauna, and you could smell a wash day radiator kind of smell, but Foxglove didn’t seem to mind the fact that she had a dozen glowing hot spikes through her body. She wiggled her feet, gave a little waver with her wing, and finally turned her head to face the audience.

“If this doesn’t open my pores, nothing will. At this point, I should really make pun about the heat as well. Unfortunately, my humour isn’t that dry, thought I am.”

The spikes retracted after a minute, and Foxglove pulled herself out of the head end, apparently none the worse for wear.

“Well that was refreshing…. But that’s about all we have time for…”

The dark red bundle of fur on the stand stared making protesting noises. “Hey, what about me?”

Foxglove looked around. “Oh yes, I almost forgot.” She walked over, plucked Tammy off the stand and let her unfold, then wrapped the flattened squirrel around her like a toga. “ Thanks for offering.”

“That’s not what I meant!” yelled Tammy, indistinctly.

Foxglove chuckled. “It’s okay, I was just having fun, because you really are easy to tease. You really have to calm down and just enjoy it, rather than flying off the handle.” With another twist and flick of a wingtip Tammy was unwrapped and hanging from her wingtip by one paw.

“Well, the shows almost over, so we need to get cracking…” Foxglove said, and flicked her wing tip again, snapping the flattened body of Tammy like a whip. There was a secondary popping sound, and Tammy was restored to her normal three dimensions, her paw still holding Foxglove’s wingtip.

Foxglove motioned Gadget to step in on her other side and take her wing, and the three took a bow.

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