//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Spiral Swirl's Encounter // by Juke Denton //------------------------------// The sun slowly started to rise over the horizon to signify the start of a new day. Spiral Swirl opened her eyes slowly and blinked a couple times until she felt ready to start the day. She used her magic to lift the sheets off of her and to open the door from the guest room to the hallway. She made her way to the bathroom and splashed some water in her face to rub away any morning drowsiness. After brushing her mane, the teal-colored pony decided to go downstairs and see if there was any fruit in the kitchen. As the mare made her way there, she heard a noise coming from the living room and decided to check it out. Trotting to the living room, Spiral saw Maddie and Joey watching a series of pictures on the screen of a box set. ‘So this is television.’ The unicorn thought to herself as she noticed that the two children hadn’t seen the pony walk into the room as their eyes were glued to the screen. ‘It’s almost as if the television’s hypnotized the children.’ Spiral thought amusingly; making her way to where the kids were sitting and greeting them. “Good morning Maddie and Joey!” Spiral said cheerfully as the children turned around in shock as their new friend approached them. “Good morning Spiral!” Maddie replied giddily as she gave the pony a good morning hug. The unicorn chuckled at Maddie’s response and returned the hug. “Morning Spiral! Did you sleep well in the guest room last night?” Joey asked. “I slept very well, thank you. And how about you two? Did you sleep soundly last night as well?” Spiral asked as she was very interested to hear them respond to her question. “I had the best sleep I’ve quite possibly ever had!” Joey said with a look of blissful satisfaction written on his face recalling the dream he had last night. “Same here!” Maddie perked up while breaking the hug. “I even had the best dream I’ve ever had!” “Oh?” Spiral asked in pretend surprise. “Would you care to share this dream with me?” Maddie described in the best detail she could about how the three of them went on fun adventures, walked and talked, and play around with hypnosis. Joey was a little taken back with the dream his sister described and said, “You know, strangely enough, I had almost the exact same kind of dream as you sis.” “I guess great minds think alike.” Spiral said jokingly both to the children and to herself. The pony then looked at the television to see what was playing and then back to Maddie and Joey. “I’m sorry if I broke your concentration from what you were watching just now.” “Ah! It’s nothing.” The older sibling said in an assuring tone. “There’s nothing really good on right now anyway. Just a bunch of reruns.” Joey went to turn off the TV, then sat back down with the other two sitting beside him. “So what do you two have planned for today?” The unicorn mare asked with curiosity. “Well first things first, we have to have breakfast!” Joey began. “Then we were going to go back to the pond in the woods for a swim. And maybe afterwards, we can have some more fun with your hypnosis.” “Sounds like a plan to me!” Spiral said in agreement. Just then, footsteps could be heard as the children’s parents came into the room (still dressed in their nightwear) holding coffee mugs. “Good morning children.” The father said as he took a sip of coffee. “Morning Dad!” The siblings said in unison. “And good morning to you as well Spiral.” The mother added. “I trust you slept well last night.” “Oh, very much so. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me.” The pony said in gratitude while also thinking in her mind, ‘And for how easy you are to control and make things simple for me.’ “What are friends for?” Maddie replied. At that moment Spiral felt a huge tug on her heartstrings as she looked at the youngest sibling. Lots of thoughts were going through her head as she was internally debating on what to do. On one hoof, she just wanted to hug the little girl, forget everything she did to her and the family, and turn a new leaf. On the other hoof, she wanted to just push the thought aside and continue to exploit her powers on the family. Noticing Spiral acting strange, Joey looked at the unicorn and asked, “Umm…Spiral? Are you okay?” Hearing the oldest child’s voice brought the pony out of her train of thought and shook her head as she wore a smile on her face and responded with, “Oh, sorry about that. I was just thinking about the possible fun later today. I apologize if I worried any of you just now.” “It’s alright.” Joey said. “Maddie and I will definitely look forward to spending time with you later today!” The father decided to cut the moment short and asked, “Who wants breakfast?” “Oh! Oh! Oh! I do! I do! I do!” Maddie exclaimed wildly as she jumped up and down excitingly. “What’s on the menu this morning?” Joey asked in a laid-back casual tone. “Your favorite: Pancakes.” “YAAAAYYYY PANCAKES!” Maddie shouted with even more energy as the brother and pony both looked at each other and chuckled at the youngest sibling’s response. “Alright then! One order of pancakes coming right up!” The father said as he went to the kitchen to prepare. “Do you want anything Spiral?” The mother asked. “Some fruits would suffice if you have any.” “I’ll have a fruit salad made just for you!” The mother said as she went to join her husband in the kitchen. The two children soon followed suit and joined their parents to help with breakfast; leaving Spiral Swirl all alone in the living room in her own thoughts. ‘I’ll definitely have some fun with Maddie and Joey…when they’re under my control again. But for now, a nice morning meal is in order.’ After breakfast, the two children changed out of their pajamas and put on the same type of bathing suits from yesterday (with Maddie wearing a two-piece pink suit and Joey wearing a pair of orange swim trunks), along with their shoes. Following their change in garments, the siblings went to the kitchen and made a couple peanut-butter and marshmallow sandwiches for themselves and their new companion to take with them to the pond. Finally, the two kids put sunscreen on to prevent themselves from getting sunburnt. With everything in check, the children and unicorn were ready to head to the pond. Joey was holding a basket for the sandwiches, Maddie was carrying the towels, and Spiral had her saddlebags with everything she brought to this world along with some fruit provided by the mother. As they were heading out the backdoor, Joey shouted to his mom, “Hey Mom, were going to the swimming pond!” “Okay, have fun! Make sure you’re back before sundown!” The mother responded from across the house. “Don’t worry, we will!” The oldest sibling replied as he, his sister, and the unicorn went out the backdoor, closed it tightly, and made their way to the pond in the woods. The walk was quiet as the three were mostly in their own thoughts and enjoying the nice breeze. One thought crossed the boy’s mind and felt compelled to ask the pony about it, but decided to save it for later. A short while later, the group made it to the pond. Joey set the basket against a tree trunk and Maddie put the towels on the ground in a clumsy fashion. The brother looked at his sister’s antics and sighed in frustration. “Maddie! How many times have I told you that’s not how you set up the towels?” The younger sibling twiddled her thumbs and asked in a nervous tone, “Uhh...five?” “Many! I’ve said it many times!” The boy began, but looked at the pony watching them and calmed himself down before continuing on. “Alright, look. You don’t just throw the towels randomly on the ground. You lay it down, like so.” He explained as he took his own towel and gave it a wave in the air before laying it flat on the ground. “Now, you try.” Maddie grabbed her towel and tried to wave it in the same fashion as her brother, but ended up making it look wrinkled as it hit the ground. “Uhh...ta-da?” She asked again nervously. “Well...it’s a start.” The brother said in a defeated tone. The little girl felt disappointed in herself until she felt a hoof on her right shoulder. The youngest sibling turned her head and saw Spiral smiling at her as the unicorn used her magic to flatten out Maddie’s towel. The pony winked at the dark-skinned girl as she received a hug from her. ‘I could get used to this.’ The mare thought to herself as she returned the hug. ‘But I still prefer to be the dominant one.’ Maddie broke the embrace and took off her shoes; putting them next to her towel. She let out a sigh of relief as the little girl let her feet air out and laid down on her towel for a moment. The brother took off his sneakers as well, placing them beside his sister’s pair of shoes and went to take a dip in the pond. The younger sibling soon went to join her brother and waved to the pony watching the two of them. “Come on in! The water’s great!” Maddie yelled in a friendly manner. The unicorn giggled and responded by shouting, “No thanks, I’m good! Thanks for the offer!” The human girl went, “Aww…” in disappointment, but soon shrugged it off as she went back to enjoy herself in the pond. While the kids were having their fun in the water, the unicorn took out her pair of binoculars and went bird gazing, but made sure not to stray too far away from the pond. After about an hour of swimming, the children decided they had enough and went back to the shore to dry themselves. While drying off, Joey opened up the basket and got himself and Maddie a sandwich for lunch. They asked Spiral if she wanted one as well, but the mare kindly rejected the offer. With the pony’s answer, the two kids said a quick prayer and dug right in. The unicorn sat next to the children and took a bite out of an apple the mother gave her. Satisfied with their quick meal, the children laid on their towels and let the air dry off the rest of the moisture from their bodies. Ten minutes later, Spiral decided to break the silence and ask, “So...what do you two want to do now?” Maddie perked up at the pony’s question and shouted, “Oh! Oh! Oh! Hypnotize me!” Joey looked over at his sister and added, “Yeah, pretty much what she said.” “Alright then. Why don’t the two of you get comfortable and we’ll get started.” The unicorn said smiling as she went through her saddlebag using her magic and brought out her pocket watch. Joey and Maddie readjusted themselves on their towels to help with the induction with the oldest sibling sitting crisscross and the youngest sitting on her legs. While the two children eagerly awaited their unicorn friend to start the process, Spiral wanted to try something a bit different and decided to ask the children for some creative input. “Okay, before we start, I have a couple questions. First, do you want the hypnotizing process to be slow or fast? And second, do you have any specific requests of what you want me to do to you after you’ve fallen into a trance?” While Maddie was having a hard time deciding, Joey knew exactly how he wanted everything to play out. “Personally, I think it’d be more enjoyable to take your time hypnotizing us, because since you already make it as relaxing as possible for us, why not just drag it out? And as far as what you make us do, I don’t really care as long as all of us are enjoying it, so do whatever you want.” “Okay, and what about you Maddie?” Asked the mare. “I’m pretty much with what my brother said. So take your time and have fun with it!” ‘This will be fun indeed! With them trusting me completely there’s no limit to the amount of amusement I’ll get from this session!’ The unicorn thought to herself as she brought the gold pocket watch to the children’s eye level and said, “Very well, let’s begin. Just relax and watch the watch.” The hypnotic pony began to slowly swing it before the siblings’ line-of-vision. “Just focus all your attention on the pocket watch. Just watch it swing back and forth.” Right on cue, the children focused all of their attention on the pocket watch swinging before them. “You’re doing very good Maddie and Joey. Focusing on the watch. Letting your eyes follow it. They’re magnetized by it. The constant simple motion of the swinging watch is beginning to relax both of you. Just relax a little for me. Why don’t you start by slowing your breathing? Taking slow relaxing breaths.” Spiral Swirl said, continuing the induction. She smiled when she noticed that the kids were following along and had indeed slowed their breathing. Even Maddie who was highly energetic just moments ago, had begun to show signs of lowering her heart rate. The unicorn carried on in a quieter and calm voice. “That’s it. Now just relax some more for me. You’re beginning to feel calm. You two had lots of energy while swimming. Allow that energy to fade and just relax. You’re beginning to enjoy this experience. You’re beginning to embrace hypnosis as you relax even more for me.” The children started to feel the heavy effects of hypnosis kicking in as they just continued to stare at the entrancing watch and relaxing further as per the pony’s instructions. “You’re both being great hypnosis subjects Maddie and Joey,” Spiral said as she continued with, “Now as you continue to watch the watch I want you to notice the rest of the world fading away as nothing else matters anymore except for the pocket watch and my lovely voice. You just want to ignore everything else and continue to relax. Just relax completely for me. Your whole body is completely relaxed and it feels wonderful.” “Feels...wonderful...” The older sibling whispered as he found it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open. The younger child’s thoughts were already on board Cloud Nine as she could only stare and listen. “This wonderful feeling comes with something else,” The unicorn mare said, “A feeling of sleepiness. You’re beginning to feel very sleepy. And your eyes are beginning to feel tired from keeping a constant focus on my pocket watch. You just want to drift off and go to sleep. So now when I count down from ten to one you will close your tired eyes and drift off into a deep hypnotized sleep for me.” She then began the countdown in a more soft and inviting voice. “10...Letting my words guide you down into a deep trance. 9…Just drifting down deeper into relaxation. 8…So peaceful, sleepy and relaxed. 7…Your mind is calm and relaxed. 6…Your eyes are growing heavy. 5…You’re doing so very well Maddie and Joey. 4...You’re nearly there. So close to drifting off to sleep. 3...So close. You want to sleep for me. 2…Your eyes are closing. 1…Close your eyes. Fall into a deep hypnotized sleep for me.” Right when Spiral reached one, Maddie and Joey’s eyes blinked shut as their heads dropped down and fell into a trance. With the induction process completed, Spiral stopped swinging the watch and said to the two hypnotically sound children, “Lift your heads up and open your eyes, but stay hypnotized.” The two kids obediently lifted their heads and opened their black and white spiral, filled eyes as they stared off in the woods and waited to be given more commands. “How do the two of you feel?” Asked the pony as she put the pocket watch back in her saddlebag. “Wonderful Mistress...” The boy answered in a tired, monotone voice. “Like I could stay this way forever Mistress.” The spellbound girl said. The unicorn studied the two mesmerized siblings as she was debating on what to do next with them. “Hmm...” The unicorn said aloud as she rubbed a hoof under her chin and looked away from the human children. Just then, a light bulb went off in the pony’s head and a mischievous smile grew on her face. ‘Of course! Why didn’t I think of doing this yesterday?’ Spiral turned back to the spiral eyed kids and said, “Maddie! Joey! I want to listen carefully about what I say, because we’re going to play a game. I’m going to say the name of an animal and when I do, both of you will act like that animal until I say the name of a different one. But when I say, ‘Game Over’, you two will return to sitting on your towels as you currently are. Understand?” “Yes, mistress.” The two children said as they waited for their hypnotic friend to begin the game. Thinking for a few seconds, Spiral went through a mental list of animals, until she decided to start with, “Cow.” At the sound of hearing their mistress utter the name of the animal, the two entranced siblings got down on all fours, and went, “Mooooooow…” as if they were a real cow. Spiral was chuckling at the sight for a few moments, until she said, “Snake.” At once, Maddie and Joey got down on their stomachs, “slithered” around and hissed like they would for a real snake. The teal unicorn began to laugh harder at what she was making the children do as she said in her mind, ‘This is even more fun than I thought.’ After calling out a few more animal names, she decided to wrap the game up by saving the best for last with, “Monkey.” The mention of monkey from their mistress’ lips had the two kids overarching their backs, scratched their underarms with their fingers lazily, and screeched with, “Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!” Spiral was laughing hard at the way her hypnotized subjects were acting to the point where she was clutching her sides and nearly passing out. Her laughing died down after a minute and said to the two “monkey-minded” children, “Game Over.” When the siblings heard the phrase, they immediately stopped acting, sat back on their towels, and awaited their next command. Spiral meanwhile, was thinking of other fun ideas to do with the spellbound children. Another idea suddenly popped up and the unicorn grew a playful face as she said, “Maddie. Joey. I want you two to rearrange your sitting positions so that you’re sitting up straight with your legs stretched outward!” The entranced kids obeyed the pony’s commands and sat on their bottoms with their legs pointing towards their mistress. Spiral sat on her haunches and used her magic to gently lift Maddie’s right leg until her foot was in the unicorn’s hooves. A sly smirk drew on the mare’s face as she stroked a hoof against the bottom of the foot. The little girl started to burst into laughter at the ticklish treatment she was receiving and only amused her mistress even more. “Tell me Maddie, do you enjoy this?” Asked Spiral as she kept rubbing her hoof on the girl’s soft sole. “Yehehehehes...Iahahah... l do mistrehehehehessss!” The hypnotized Maddie laughed; continuing to stare at nothing and letting the unicorn play with her feet. “I’m glad you like this.” Spiral responded as she used her magic again to bring the youngest child’s other foot in for the fun. “It makes me happy that you enjoy this.” “AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I’M HAHAHAHAHAHAHAPPY...THAT YOU AREHEHEHEHEH HAPPY MISTREHEHSS!!!” Maddie responded hysterically. As the pony continued tickling the girl’s feet, she turned her head to the steadfast boy, still sitting in anticipation for what was to happen next. Spiral was chuckling at the oldest sibling’s non-existent, expressive face as he just sat and stared. ‘Oh don’t worry Joey, I haven’t forgotten about you. You’ll have your turn when I’m finished with your sister.’ A few minutes later, after more tickling and laughing, Spiral Swirl released the now panting Maddie and used her magic to set the girl’s legs back down gracefully. The mare then went over to the youngest sibling’s ear and whispered in her ear, “Shh...rest, relax, and let yourself fall asleep. You’re tired from the tickling and need some rest. So just lay down on your back and let sleep overtake you.” As the pony was filling the child’s mind with thoughts of sleep, Maddie’s short, quick breaths, began to die down and she slowly closed her eyes, lied down on her towel, and fell into a deep hypnotic sleep. The unicorn smiled as she brought her own towel over to the youngest sibling and draped her with it to make her comfortable. With the youngest child asleep, Spiral went over to Joey, sat in front of him, and just like what she did with Maddie, used her magic to lift Joey’s right foot up to her hooves and brushed her limbs against the sole. Joey’s reaction was just as funny (if not priceless as his sister’s), as he broke into uncontrollable laughter and tried to break free from the unicorn’s grasp. Spiral decided to tease him by saying, “Now, now, now Joey. You don’t want to accidentally hit your beloved mistress from all that flailing around do you?” “HAHAHAHAHAHA...NEHEHEHEH...NO...I...DOHAHAHAHAHAN’T...MISTRESS!!!” The spiral eyed Joey responded as he kept laughing up a storm with how sensitive his foot was against Spiral’s hoof. The unicorn gave a small, playful, evil smile with what she was about to say next. “Then your mistress commands you to be a good boy and be as still as possible. You may still laugh of course, but the rest of your body may not move at all until I say so or I move it with my hooves or magic. Understand?” “YEHEHEHEHEH...YEHEHES...IAAAAA...UNDERSTAHAHAHAHAHAND MISTRESS!!!” The hypnotic bound boy said as his body went stiff and was at the unicorn’s mercy. Spiral then used her magic to bring the oldest sibling’s other foot in her grasp and now had both feet in her hooves. “Say, ‘Ahhhh’.” The unicorn said playfully as she attacked the boy’s feet in the most ticklish manner. “AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” The vulnerable Joey laughed like no tomorrow as he could only sit still and let his mistress have her way. Needless to say, Spiral was having fun toying with the boy. After another minute of tickling, she let the boy have a breather from the torture session. “Alright Joey, lay down, relax on your towel, and sleep.” The unicorn commanded. As Joey was recovering from the ticklish onslaught, Spiral decided to let the two kids sleep while deciding what to do next with them. While she was thinking, a strange thought crossed her mind and at first simply dismissed it. But the more she tried to push it away, the more it surfaced until at last, she decided to satisfy herself and said to the two sound asleep siblings, “Maddie. Joey. I want you two to sit up and open your eyes but stay in your trances.” Without question, the two kids sat up on their bottoms, revealed their black and white spiraled eyes to the world and stared at their mistress – waiting for more commands. Looking over the two for a few seconds, Spiral then said, “I’m going to ask the two of you a couple of questions and I want you to answer them not as if you were under my spell but as if you were in a normal state of mind. Afterwards, I will let the both of you sleep for a little longer. Understand?” “Yes, mistress.” “Okay then. First question I have for you Maddie is, what do you think of me not as a hypnotist, but as a pony?” Maddie didn’t have to think twice before answering with, “I love playing with you and hugging you. Being around you makes me feel happy.” The unicorn couldn’t help but chuckle at her honest answer and said back to her, “Well I certainly can’t argue with that.” She then turned to the boy and asked, “And what about you Joey? What are your thoughts about me as a pony and not just your mistress?” Joey answered almost straightaway with, “I think you’re a fun pony to spend time with and kind of cute as well. Even without your powers, you’re a great friend to have.” Spiral blushed when Joey called her cute. But it was when he said that she was a great friend where she felt a little conflicted about that statement. She decided to push it aside for now and move on to the next question. “How would you feel Maddie if I wasn’t able to return to my world?” “I would feel sad that you wouldn’t be able to go back home. But I would be happy since we could spent all the time we can with each other.” The youngest sibling replied. ‘Well at least she was honest about it.’ Spiral said in her mind before asking Joey, “How about you Joey? What would you feel if I couldn’t find a way home?” “I would feel very sorry for you for not being able to return back to your friends and family and would do anything to help make you happy here.” The boy answered earnestly. The unicorn felt taken back at Joey’s response. She decided to ask one more question this time starting with Joey. “Joey, if you knew that I was just merely using you as a hypnotic slave, how would you feel?” “I would feel betrayed at the thought of just being used only as a puppet to be played with and not just as a friendly pastime.” “And you Maddie? How would you feel if you found out I was only using my hypnotic powers to take over your mind?” The pony asked in anticipation; waiting for the girl’s answer. “I would feel saddened that you weren’t really my friend from the start.” It was at that moment a sense of regret started to wash over Spiral. She then said to the spiral eyed kids, “Thank you for your honest responses. Now lay back down on your towels and drift into a peaceful slumber.” After the hypnotized children complied with the order, Spiral went for a walk in the woods to collect her thoughts.