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A fun story commission for my pal 
cogs90210 featuring his adorable trans girl Alexis and Matts having just a bit more than a crush on her, using some clever technology to his advantage.
Hope you enjoy!
The chocolate coloured bat swayed from side to side following that jeweled pendant as Matts swung it before her eyes, head wavering slowly to follow it back and forth without so much of a care as to how she looked, slouching over with trained eyes.
“Now then, when I arrive tomorrow night, you’ll be ready to let me in without a word or question, right?” The blue canine spoke as a fact, not a question.
“nhh… yes sir.” Mumbled Maddie in response, her eyes never leaving the perfect rhythm of the pendant as she answered. Stepping forward, Matts cupped her chin and dangled the gem ever closer to her gaze, making sure that she was focused on nothing but that motion and his words. Those dark brown wings were lazily folded against her back hanging slightly limp, unable to muster the energy or willpower to hold them closed.
“Now when I snap my fingers, you’ll head back to your bedroom to sleep, and wake with no memory of this until you hear me snap again.” A wicked smile spread over his muzzle, taking glee in observing the sharp, obedient focus Maddie was displaying for him, only nodding in response to his words.
“Good girl. See you tomorrow.”
Snap!
Maddie’s eyes fell shut, her posture snapped up right and her breathing became as silent as a feather falling through the air. Her wings folded back tightly against her spine as if she was standing for inspection, before she turned around and steadily marching back toward her room, not a thought or facet of awareness for what just happened.
…
A few hours later, on the other side of the wall to the room Maddie had passed out in, Alexis rose with well rested yawn and rolled over to turn off her phone’s alarm. Kicking off the sheets and running a hand through the rainbow highlights in her hair, she began her routine same as every morning, untangling her locks from that cream coloured unicorn horn on her head. A few good brushes to let those white curls of her mane fall lusciously across her neck, and Alexis moved on to breakfast, taking a moment to peer in to Maddie’s room to check if the bat was still asleep. Sure enough she spotted her roommate face first on the bed as usual in the mornings, but strangely it looked as if the bat had simply collapsed; not even bothering to fall asleep under the covers, and to Alexis’ surprise was still dressed in her clothes from the previous night. The equine cocked an eyebrow; it was unlike Maddie to pass out so abruptly, even with her nocturnal habits. Deciding that her friend was fine enough and snoring more than soundly, Alexis shut the door quietly to avoid disturbing her sleeping roommate and went about making breakfast. As the unicorn woke up and her brain kicked in to gear, a faint memory played in the back of her mind, the noise of doors shutting late in the night just loud enough to stir her from sleep for a few moments. First the front door, followed shortly after by the door to Maddie’s room, before the house fell quiet enough again for Alexis to pass out. The memory was so brief it almost felt like a dream, but the more it lingered in her mind the more clearly she could recall those brief minutes.
The questions kept growing in Alexis’ mind long after she’d finished eating; curiosity mixed with concern bubbled inside her like a pot of boiling water, though she promised when Maddie arose that she’d do her best not to be overbearing. The last thing Alexis wanted to do was intrude on her friend’s privacy or come across like she was nagging Maddie for having a good time. It was a couple more hours before the bat girl came out of her room dragging her feet along the floor and rubbing her eyes. Alexis’ gaze fixed on Maddie all the way from her room to the couch where the equine had settled with the TV on, though she masked that intense curiosity with a sweet smile, greeting her friend with a good morning. Maddie responded with groggy head nod and sat down at on the other end of the couch without anything to eat, happier to rest and wake up before attempting something as taxing as cereal. The bat’s wings unfurled in a languid motion and her ears fell lazily flat against her head, Maddie looking like she was going to fall asleep again before she felt Alexis’ gaze. Looking up to her friend and noticing that intent look lingering, only to flicker somewhere else when the equine was caught staring brought about an sharp exhale from the bat.
“What?” Grumbled Maddie with little patience at such an early hour. Alexis bit her lip, still anxious to press but knew there would likely be no better opportunity now she was caught.
“I just… thought I heard you come in late last night. Wondered if everything was okay, you crashed kinda hard.” Alexis spoke softly with genuine concern flowing through her words.
Maddie began to speak to explain herself, but stopped short of her first word, realizing that last night was a total blur to her. Contorting her face in to one of confusion, and then frustration as she searched for answers locked away from her mind.
“I-I’m not sure.” Maddie admitted quietly. “I don’t think I went out last night but…” She glanced down at her clothes, the same as she wore the day before all the way down to her shoes tied just as tightly as she had yesterday.
“Maddie?” Alexis raised an eyebrow and leaned in, more concern covering her expression.
“I don’t remember okay!” The bat snapped, making Alexis recoil back in her chair. Even Maddie knew it was unlike her to raise her voice at Alexis like that, frustration had just overcome her.
“Sorry. I feel fine, just tired is all. I don’t think anything happened.” She placed a hand on the unicorn’s and gave it a gentle squeeze of compassion.
Alexis smiled back unconvinced. She was still deeply worried about Maddie’s night but could tell there was no point in pressing further, though Alexis did promise herself that she’d be keeping an ear out for anymore late night excursions.
“Well, I gotta go meet Matts for a movie. You take care okay?” The equine waved at her roommate as she stood to leave, as Maddie only gave an acknowledging nod and responding. “Later.”
…
It was a regular meet for Alexis. Matts had won a bet with her that made the unicorn promise to meet him at least once a week to hang out, for food or a movie or just to catch up. It wasn’t a chore of a bet to lose, as Matts had initially proposed the wager so the pair could spend a little time together in spite of their busy schedules, though she did suspect he wouldn’t have made such a proposition to many other friends. Their usual meeting place was a bench in the park that overlooked the pond, celebrating both of their loves for nature, wherever they could find it in the city. The wolf was already sat on the bench when Alexis arrived, scrolling through his phone idly with a shopping bag next to him on the ground. His gaze found Alexis as he noticed the easily recognizable equine approach and his expression lit up in a smile.
“Hey! How’re you doing?” Standing to meet her with a hug, another thing Alexis had come to expect from their weekly meets now.
“Good as ever.” The unicorn beamed a smile back at him. “So, did you ever decide on a movie?” She queried, cocking her head.
“Oh yeah, that! Aahhh no, I uh… kind of got busy with things.” Matts’ eyes drifted, avoiding looking directly at Alexis. “But hey we can just sit and chat. It’s just nice to see you.” He took the equine’s hand and led her over to the bench suddenly, as if trying to cut the topic off.
Alexis and Matts swapped stories of their week, bantering and sharing empathy over who’s job has been worse for who and why. Every time Alexis started speaking, Matts sat with the same level of interest and attention that a fan would give a celebrity talking to them, not just taking in the words but how they were said, nodding and reacting to each little detail of the story. All the while, his foot would occasionally kick the bag next to him, as if to make sure it was still there. The noise had made Alexis’ ears perk up one too many times and her curiosity had begun to get the better of her, cutting her story short to question Matts’ purchase during the brief reprieve.
“So, what’s in the bag?” She inquired, attempting to sound nonchalant while gesturing to the bag. Matts was caught off guard for a moment, taking on a noticeably harder expression before turning to the bag.
“Well, I was gonna wait but... it’s actually something for you.” He grinned, lifting a shoe box from the bag and presenting it to Alexis proudly. “Don’t think anything of it, I saw them cheap and thought that you had to have em.”
Alexis eyed the box curiously, speechless for a moment but decided to open it before making any remark. Pulling away the lid and packaging revealed a pair of thick, blue sandals with a heavy white leather strap laced over the top and a fitting that looked to go around the ankle.
They certainly weren’t stylish, and there was no beach around for miles which brought Alexis to wonder why she “had to have them”. But despite her reservations, she looked up to see Matts beaming another proud smile, clearly thinking he’d found the perfect gift for her. She didn’t have the heart to break his, so she smiled back without so much as a hesitant stutter to her gratitude.
“These are so cute, Matts! Thank you!” She leaned over to hug the wolf, deciding that she could feign some enjoyment of them for once a week until it became too cold to wear sandals and they could be forgotten about in the back of her closet.
“What can I say? I know how your mind works.” Matts remarked with a satisfied wag.
Alexis kicked off her shoes and tried on the sandals to keep her friend happy. Though deep down she was mortified to be in sandals that looked more at home on a beach going Minotaur, the shoes were surprisingly comfortable and seemed to bounce her along each step with ease. The unicorn wondered if he’d bought them for some ergonomic benefit, though it didn’t make her feel much better about having to wear them, as on top of the hefty design, they hugged her paws very securely to the point it was almost disconcerting. Despite the odd gift, the duo continued to converse and enjoy each other’s company for a few more hours before Matts reluctantly announced he had to head home. After a quick hug and a rough laying of plans for next week, the friends parted with a wave.
---
As Alexis settled herself in to bed later that night, she could still see the blue and white sandals across the room from her, almost taunting her in her new commitment to wear them. It didn’t take long for the unicorn to drift off and let the thought of her new ‘gift’ to be forgotten about in place of her dreams. Likewise Maddie had passed out rather early in the night due to her rough night’s sleep previously, and the house was left silent and dark for good while before the bat’s phone buzzed from a text. Maddie was usually a deep sleeper, and a simple vibration wouldn’t have disturbed her. But her subconscious knew who this was from, and what was needed of her. She stirred somewhat reluctantly and looked at her phone, squinting from the glaring light to read a text from Matts that simply said ‘Outside.” Part of Maddie wondered why he was here at such an ungodly hour, but there was a stronger part of her mind telling her that this was expected and not worth questioning. Dragging her feet out her room toward the front door of her apartment, she unlocked the latch to reveal Matts standing in the hallway with his one hand in his pocket and the other holding a backpack strap around his chest, the wolf wearing an expectant look on his face.
“You’d better have a good reason for-” SNAP Maddie was instantly cut off with that resounding snap silencing her words and her thoughts. She jerked up right as her body went stiff and her mind became quiet and focused, opening the door fully for Matts and waving him in as instructed the night before. The wolf stepped in and looked around like he owned the place, gesturing for Maddie to pull the door behind him closed quietly, not even bothering to look back and confirm the bat’s obedience. He shrugged off his backpack and held it out for Maddie, who grabbed it off him like an actor following stage directions.
“So which one is it?” Asked the wolf in a hushed tone. Maddie simply raised an outstretched arm in response and pointed toward the door of Alexis’ room, her addled mind not sparing a thought to question what Matts had in mind, but withheld every intention of helping him. Her expression was a far off stare, unfocussed and glassy-eyed to the point that anyone else who saw her wouldn’t have suspected how fiercely attentive she was to the canine’s words at that moment. Opening the door to Alexis’ room softly and peering in, he saw the unicorn sleeping peacefully underneath her blankets, soft snores emanating at repeated intervals as expected.
“Hrmm covers on… that makes it a little harder.” Matts muttered to himself under his breath, catching sight of the sandals in the corner of the room.
“Bring them over here” ordered the wolf, pointing Maddie to the bright blue footwear, as the bat shuffled over like a zombie to pick up the sandals. Meanwhile Matts gently lifted the covers of Alexis’ blanket, so slowly that a feather in the wind wouldn’t have been disturbed. Those vanilla paws flexed a little in the cold air, but didn’t stir the unicorn too much from her sleep. Holding out his hand and silently demanding the footwear from his enthralled assistant, Matts slipped the straps over Alexis’ paws slowly and easily, helped by the fact that he’d designed the sandals to fit her paws perfectly down to the last millimeter of room. Alexis turned and whinnied softly in her sleep, but still didn’t stir even as that first sandal was slipped over her paws and fastened.
“Now that it’s on we won’t need to worry as much about her waking up. The sandals are designed with maximum comfort in mind, even to help keep her asleep.” Matts grinned through a whisper as the final strap was fastened, all the while Maddie gazed onwards at the wall blankly, offering no response but taking in every word the wolf spoke.
The advertised comfort of the footwear had a noticeable effect, rendering Alexis as still as a log in her slumber, snoring heavily as the second sandal was slipped over her paws with ease. Reaching out behind him, the wolf found his attentive assistant standing obediently within arm’s reach, allowing him to pull his final trinket out of the backpack. From the bag emerged a stout red helmet with a rounded metal antenna on top. The headgear would have looked like it was made with safety in mind, if it weren’t for the silver protrusion poking from the tip. Leaning over the sleeping unicorn with careful precision, Matts slipped the helmet over Alexis’ head so slowly he felt like a trained hunter wouldn’t have seen his movements. Letting the headgear come to rest on the unicorn’s head with ample padding to cushion her horn, finding it to be as perfect of a fit as he’d designed it to be, Alexis remained undisturbed in her sleep as her face showed little more expression than tranquility.
Matts took a step back to admire his handiwork while his assistant swayed next to him in a daze. The wolf reached in to his pockets to pull out a small metal remote with a touchscreen, a dial and no more than three buttons on its case, topped off with an antenna similar to the helmet. Giving the dial a turn, the screen flared to life with a soft beep, echoed by the sandals and helmet Alexis wore. A pleased grin spread over Matts’ features as he tentatively pointed the antenna at the floor, and pressed a button. There was a soft whir, then a faint shifting of mechanical parts. The next sound was the shuffling of Alexis from under her covers as she lazily shifted her feet off the bed and planted them on the floor, her head still laying on the pillow as if she was still undisturbed in her slumber. Sitting up, the equine gave a soft exhale with closed eyes as she rose to her feet, standing with her arms hanging by her side.
Matts was patient, waiting and watching until he heard the heavy snores from Alexis again, by which point his expression lit up and he gave a quiet fist pump of a cheer, turning to Maddie to share his excitement before remembering the blank state he’d left her in. He rolled his eyes and grabbed a small notebook and pencil from his pocket, thrusting them in to the bat’s hands.
“Here. Be useful and keep notes.” Maddie’s empty gaze dropped to the paper as she began writing down his thoughts word for word.
“The subject remains in deep sleep even when the sandals manipulate her muscles in to standing. This shows promising levels of comfort instilled in to the subject.” Matts rambled in a hushed tone as Maddie put all of her limited brainpower in to noting down what she heard. All the while Alexis simply stood there, still as a statue; the insoles of the sandals were so catered to her balance they she didn’t even wobble on the spot.
Though the primary results were promising, but the wolf became pensive for the next test, biting his lip as he pointed the remote further from the bed and pressed the command button. Once again there was a soft clunk followed by a whir of moving parts in the mechanical footwear, but eventually Alexis’ foot circled round to plant it in the direct she was ordered to march. Her head turned to face her destination, brainwaves being intercepted by that helmet and repurposed to do the wolf’s bidding, soothing electromagnetic pulses washing through Alexis’ head courtesy of that headgear and deepening her slumber. Her leg began to move in a sudden puppeted motion, lifting her leg up as if it were pulled by some unseen force. Like watching a stop motion movie, Alexis’s leg rose, locked in place for a moment and then fell forward before planting itself on the floor in a movement that looked like someone imitating walking. Her other leg shifted next while her first remained stuck to the floor, jerking robotically to rise and fall in front of the first step as a slowly marching solider would. The movement was deliberate, following the shifting weight of those insoles and little pushes of pressure that those ankle straps put on her nerves. The pressure wasn’t painful, but it was enough to tip her balance and prompt the steady rise and fall of her legs. Alexis’ soles landing with a firm thud on the floor, yet her eyelids never even fluttered nor did her snoring cease. She remained as deeply unconscious as she did before Matts and Maddie intruded, and the lush comfort of those sandals, coupled with the heavy waves of calm and relaxation from that helmet, allowed her brain to subconsciously tune itself out from the world even more as the unicorn’s slumber deepened. Left, right, left, right. Each step was perfectly rhythmic like a metronome was guiding Alexis in her head. Focused precision led each footstep, even as her mind drifted further from the waking world.
Matts’ eyes lit up once again, unable to believe the success he was having.
“Get this down Maddie! Subject shows all signs of deep REM sleep even while commanded to move, her mind is allowed to sleep deeper while being piloted by the sandals.” Alexis kept marching the final few robotic steps as Matts finished rambling, always watched intently by the satisfied wolf. Maddie gave a groan of grogginess akin to being woken up, early, stealing Matts’ attention. Not wanting to risk her waking up, he reached over to give a sudden SNAP by her ear, watching the bat stiffen and jiggle with the sudden movement as he was once again content with her obedience.
A final thud as Alexis’ paw hit the floor more resoundingly this time, as if parking the unicorn now that she’d reached her destination. Her arms still hung by her sides like dead weight, still swaying ever so slightly from the sudden lack of motion, further showcasing the deep subconscious state Alexis had been left in. Her mind was adrift in the throes of slumber, and was too passive at the moment to muster the thought of controlling her possessed muscles on her own. Matts tapped his chin in thought, pleased with his overwhelming success but now desiring a greater test of the sandals capabilities.
“Well we’re moving rather quickly, but I have a good feeling about this one.” He aimed the remote again, fiddling with a command on the touchscreen to recalibrate a few measures. Finally pressing the button and calling his puppet to action, Alexis resumed marching straight towards her bedroom wall. Those steps restarted in the same mechanical rhythm as before, like she’d never taken a break. Left, right, left, right, went those footsteps, her joints bending and extending like an action figure would if someone was trying to emulate walking with one, bringing her to a few feet short of walking in to painted brick. She paused for a moment, but this wasn’t her commanded destination.
Her leg extended again, stretching out as if to step, but stopping half way as the sandals shifted her weight again, making the unicorn lean forward gradually to plant the base of her foot on that brick surface. Matts watched with bated breath as more of the equine’s weight came to rest on the wall with a suction noise from the soles of the footwear, only just considering laying pillows underneath Alexis before her second paw left the ground entirely and in one fluid motion, planted itself further up the wall followed by that same suction noise. Alexis hung there, stood where she was ordered, knees bent slightly as her body relaxed in to a more effortless position, hanging with her head angled toward the floor. Though most of the strength holding her up was coming from Alexis’ ankles, the sandals did the bulk of the work to keep her stuck on the wall like a gargoyle. Hair, tail and arms dangling limp toward the ground in a position that may have looked uncomfortable to some, but the unicorn’s face never changed from that peaceful resting expression.
Matts’ eyes were as wide as dinner plates, astonished at what he was seeing. No amount preliminary testing could have prepared him for this success. Nudging Maddie in the arm again as he continued rambling.
“Subject is totally undisturbed from sleep, even when suspended from the wall by the suction of the sandals.” His eyes scanned the screen to see Alexis was still totally lost in deep sleep. If she felt anything of the ensuing tests at all, it would feel like a dream to her.
“I’m more than happy to call it a day here.” Spoke the wolf, confident Alexis was so comatose in her slumber that a she wouldn’t be woken easily. Directing her down from the wall cautiously and marching her back to bed, letting her settle down before carefully removing the sandals and helmet, leaving her mind to gradually reset back to a normal sleeping pattern. After a few minutes of the canine and his assistant wiping any evidence of his arrival, he left made his way out the door, issuing a new set of instructions to Maddie.
“Go rest up, and forget any of this ever happened. Make sure you’re home tomorrow night to let me in again.” SNAP! And with that sound, Maddie shut the door, marching obediently back to her bed and passing out the same as the night before.
---
The following day Alexis rolled over in bed to turn off her alarm with a heavy hand coming down reluctantly. Her head didn’t rise from the pillow until after a long, pronounced groan of fatigue, only to make it as far as the headboard. Sitting up and trying to stop every blink of her eyes from turning in to another nap, she noticed the bright sandals in the corner of the room with noticeably less scorn for them this morning. As the closest set of footwear she could see, Alexis decided to slip them on and make her way to the breakfast table. She was glad of her choice as she was reminded just how easily the gifted footwear bounced her along in her steps. Exiting her room and surprisingly finding Maddie already awake and sitting on the couch, though looking no better off than she was in the previous morning, seemingly just as sleep deprived with how she was slumped in the cushions.
“You sure you look like I feel.” Maddie said with a wry chuckle, noticing her friend’s shuffling feet and slouched stance.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel like was up doing laps all night.” Alexis had to stifle a yawn mid-sentence to respond, crashing down on a seat next to Maddie. Glancing down at the unicorn’s noticeably bright blue clad paws, the bat cocked an eyebrow curiously and gave a soft snicker.
“So you’ve decided you like those things eh?” Alexis scoffed back playfully.
“They’re comfortable, okay?” Blowing off the comment with a wave of her hand.
Suddenly, Alexis’ pocket vibrated as her phone picked up a message. Opening it to find Matts asking how she was doing. Reading the message, she could have sworn she faintly heard the wolf’s voice as clearly as if he were saying the words himself. Her attention became fixated; she focused intently on the text, reading lines multiple times even as short as the message was. A part of her subconscious mind could feel those strings being tugged from the night before, though she was unaware of it, she still craved the feeling of being so free from thought. It took her 5 minutes to formulate the perfect message back to him, and by the time she looked up from the screen, Maddie has passed out again in the quiet, fatigue winning the battle with her body. Alexis didn’t fare much better through the day, feeling tiredness to her body akin to trying to fight off sleeping aids. Her movements were sluggish and uncoordinated in contrast to the purposeful and stiff movements she marched with last night under Matts’ command. Her brain was struggling to switch on and keep track of basic information, as if it still hadn’t woken up from the deep slumber she was induced in through the helmet.
---
The day felt longer than it had any right too, seconds felt like minutes as Alexis fought to keep her body awake, unable to escape that hanging fatigue making her want to crash down in bed more than anything. She didn’t even bother with dinner when she got home, spending no more than a few minutes chatting with Maddie before collapsing on her mattress and letting her eyelids fall like they were heavy anchors. All of her exhaustion ebbed away quickly as she plummeted in to slumber once again, this time by her own desire. However hours later, after both the girls were attempting to slumber, another message from Matts came through, but once again it was to Maddie’s phone. Stirring and checking the text, Maddie sat up with a grumble and shuffled her way to the door see what the canine wanted at this hour. As the door opened, Matts stood there in a manner that would have looked all too familiar to Maddie from the previous night, if the smile Matts wore wasn’t laced with the confidence of knowing he’d wiped her mind of that very evening.
“You’d better have a good reason for-” SNAP Maddie was instantly cut off with that resounding snap silencing her words and her thoughts. Another familiar sight, as Maddie’s body jerked to attention stiffly, but Matts was able to recognize this sight as the exact same trained response that he’d conditioned in to her. Thrusting the backpack in to her grasp, confident she’d catch it again, Matts strolled in to Alexis’ room with less care than the previous night. He was confident that she’d have been left exhausted to the point of where it would be difficult to wake her. Not standing on ceremony, he had Maddie pull back the covers as he slipped those sandals back on to Alexis’ paws carefully, and fitted the helmet on with the same amount of caution. Turning on the remote and pressing a few buttons, he observed as his puppeted unicorn sat upright in bed, eyes still fastened tight in deep snoring slumber, and stand up with her arms dangling by her sides, forgotten about. Though this time Alexis’ head rested heavily on her chest, looking less like a posed statue and more like a reanimated zombie so overcome with lethargy she was putting all of her energy in to staying standing.
“Notes, Maddie.” Ordered Matts as his assistant obediently grabbed the same pencil and pad from the backpack and began copying the wolf’s thoughts.
“Subject shows increased signs of fatigue, no doubt from the muscle work forced upon her in deep REM sleep.” The canine walked up and brought his hand up to caress Alexis’ cheek softly, bringing a softly disturbed mumble of slurred words in response.
“Maddie…. don’t go an-….” She trailed off; Matts taking a tentative step back having almost woken the sleeping girl and ruining his whole experiment.
“Not entirely out of it though…” Spoke Matts, his voice back to a whisper as his confidence was rocked. Quickly fiddling with a few buttons and settings on the remote, flushing new waves of warmth and comfort through Alexis’ mind as he observed her expression relax. The screen on the remote confirmed the same as her brainwaves slowed and her muscles showed less and less passive activity. A close call that would have left Matts embarrassed with his shattered self-pride if either of the witnesses were at all conscious.
Directing Alexis with a wave of his remote and a few button presses, that mechanical click and whirr from the sandals’ mechanisms flared to life, before Alexis’ legs began to march around the room under Matts’ command. Each heavy stomp of those languid paws left a dull thud, making it easy to find the rhythm that Alexis’ mind had settled her in to marching with. Left, right, left, right like she’d never ceased marching from the night before, causing her arms to sway like pendulums in a perfectly timed pattern.
“Alright, next test.” Speaking to himself this time, Matts directed his puppet back towards the wall with an assured belief that the sandals were capable of horizontal movement.
Twisting the dial as he commanded Alexis to plant her foot on the wall again, taking a big stride further up the brick and dangling off the wall by the straps on her ankles as a long sharp sucking sound echoed from the sandals attaching to the wall.
The wolf gave a curt nod seeing Alexis attached to the wall again, continuing to watch as this time she resumed marching further up the wall, bringing herself 5…6…7 feet off the ground. Locks of multi-coloured hair hung like moss growing over a wall, dangling freely alongside Alexis’ arms and tail swinging freely toward the ground, continuing to point toward the floor as the unicorn’s angle steepened further. Matts’ gaze was fixated on her as she took another step upward, planting the sole of her sandal on the ceiling slowly, commanded to move cautiously by the only person in the room with the awareness to look out for her safety to at least some degree. Her second foot left the wall to meet the first on the ceiling, causing Alexis to swing like a loose rope by her one planted sole, arms tail and hair flailing in the shift of balance. Matts felt his heart jump to his throat, hammering a button to make her plant her foot squarely on the ceiling. Alexis mumbled again, incoherently this time and reaching up to rub her snout groggily, faculties returning alarmingly quickly to the canine who saw his subject’s eyes dancing about under her eyelids. A wild turn of the dial sent a flood of relaxants and comfort across every one of Alexis’ synapses, those mumbles trailing off in to a long nasal snore, as her arms fell limp and her mind went quiet once more.
Matts exhaled a sigh of relief, looking across to Maddie whose face was trained on nothing in particular in front of her and just as placid as when they began. Alexis hung at the wolf’s head level from the ceiling; her expression was heavy and undisturbed, not a facet of energy or awareness in her features. Strolling up to his subject, Matts scanned the readings on the remote, nothing a total lull in brain activity before brushing his fingers through her dangling hair both caringly and cautiously. This time Alexis made no motion that indicated she was aware of his touch, the only change in her face was a thin strand of drool forming on her lips and falling slowly up her face towards the floor. Matts’ smile returned, pleased with the overall results of his precarious test.
“Trial by fire. But at least I know you can sleep through that for me.” His hand left her hair, stepping back to admire his subject, before marching her along the rest of the ceiling, a slower but still perfectly paced march as she followed his route down the wall on the other side of the room. Her body fell forwards, stopped once again by the enduring straps on her sandals, keeping her descent controlled until that machinery was able to quieten back on the floor. Getting Alexis back in to bed and free of the equipment seemed easy by comparison, and the peacefulness of room would have suggested to anyone that Alexis had been entirely undisturbed this night. Matts went to exit with his backpack and helmet, stopping in the doorway and turning back to Maddie with a thoughtful expression.
“You hang on to these actually. Hide them somewhere and when you fall asleep tomorrow, put them on Alexis again.” Maddie simply nodded, eyes not even focused on Matts, but every other part of her was.
“Oh and of course, forget this ever happened.” SNAP!
---
It was nearly midday before Alexis rose from bed, having slept entirely through her alarm and baffling herself at weariness that still hung over her like a dark cloud. She didn’t want to get up, but forced herself to out of willpower and guilt. Maddie was nowhere to be seen this morning, and Alexis didn’t have to guess too hard to imagine where she was by this point. A rumble in her stomach reminded the equine that she hadn’t eaten last night, but despite her lingering appetite, Alexis only mustered up the energy to make a simple breakfast before slumping on the couch once again. Part way through a bite of toast, her phone rumbled in her pocket, picking it up to notice another text from Matts in the morning. Part of her wondered why he was becoming so chatting the early hours suddenly, though the more she thought about it and him, the more her mind centered on that one text. It was another short message, asking how and what she was doing. She smiled appreciatively, but her attention remained fixated all the same, as she took minutes to send a response of only a few lines. As soon as she pressed send, her body relaxed and exhaustion washed through her again like she’d spent all of that time responding while holding up a barbell.
---
Alexis’ day hadn’t improved from yesterday, to the point that she called out of work early to get home and rest, unable to keep her eyes open even while walking home. Minutes disappeared in to short naps before waking herself up with a slap, a flick on the nose or a sharp pinch to spring her back to life. But it didn’t last long before she craved her bed again, considering some kind of sleep aid to help her rest up. When she got home, Maddie was awake in front of the T.V, something that just sounded like harsh noise to the unicorn who only desired peace. It was barely dark out before Alexis turned in for the night, crashing in to her bed and snoring loud enough to be heard through the wall. There was something about that constant reminder of sleep from Alexis’ room that brought on a familiar fatigue for Maddie too, like she was supposed to be sleeping. As strange as the bat considered it to be, she couldn’t fight the weariness washing over her muscles, and soon made lackadaisical steps toward her own bed.
Maddie’s slumber didn’t last long however, as her subconscious mind called out to her to wake, to stand, to do as she was instructed the night before. With lidded eyes, Maddie rose and reached in to a deep corner of her closet to pull out the backpack Matts had left her. It was so well concealed last night that Maddie had completely glossed over with her half active mind in the morning; but now it was as clear as the moon on a dark night. Pushing in to Alexis’ room and acting out the practiced motion of fastening the sandal straps to her paws, then gently placing the helmet on her head, she stood attentively as if waiting for orders from the wolf who was nowhere to be seen. A sudden click sounded, as a small window on the front of the helmet opened to reveal a chamber housing a camera. There was a familiar whir and click of gears in the sandals as Alexis sat upright in bed, planting her feet on the floor and rose to a standing position again.
Her face was simply heavy, slumped on her chest and mouth hanging open ungracefully. Turning and marching away from the bed, this time facing the wall with a window overlooking the front of the building, Alexis took each step with that same perfectly synchronized rhythm as her muscles were puppeted in an orderly fashion. Stopping before the window, her leg came up and instead of planting itself on the glass, used the tip of her toes to lift the window all the way up until Alexis was exposed to the chill of the night air blowing in. Her leg came down half way, this time leaning forward to plant itself on the wall beneath the hole in the wall to the outdoors, those suction modules doing their job to fix her to the brick.
Another step as she rose herself off the floor, and in one smooth motion, bent her leg to plant her foot on the opposite side of the wall she was standing on, shifting her weight and letting her body dangle out the window toward the ground outside. Alexis’ ankles and legs were posed like a yoga formation, her body teetering with one foot planted on each side of the wall housing her window frame. But it didn’t take long before her next step left the indoors and walked her down the wall of the building, toward the blue wolf waiting at the bottom, controller in hand displaying everything the camera could see. He looked up at Alexis with a grin as she walked down the outside of the building with that same deep, peaceful resting expression. Matts was entirely confident that Alexis couldn’t be woken with anything less than a bucket of water to the face, watching her take her final steps to solid ground and hanging in front of him as limp as a sandbag.
“I didn’t think I’d have you like this so soon, Alexis.” The wolf chuckled softly. “Maybe you wanted to spend some more time together as much as I did.” His hand brushed her face again with no reservation this time as Alexis simply snored peacefully.
“But now we get to spend it my way.” His tone lowered, and his hand returned to the remote. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.”
cogs90210 featuring his adorable trans girl Alexis and Matts having just a bit more than a crush on her, using some clever technology to his advantage. Hope you enjoy!
Step by step, you will be mineThe chocolate coloured bat swayed from side to side following that jeweled pendant as Matts swung it before her eyes, head wavering slowly to follow it back and forth without so much of a care as to how she looked, slouching over with trained eyes.
“Now then, when I arrive tomorrow night, you’ll be ready to let me in without a word or question, right?” The blue canine spoke as a fact, not a question.
“nhh… yes sir.” Mumbled Maddie in response, her eyes never leaving the perfect rhythm of the pendant as she answered. Stepping forward, Matts cupped her chin and dangled the gem ever closer to her gaze, making sure that she was focused on nothing but that motion and his words. Those dark brown wings were lazily folded against her back hanging slightly limp, unable to muster the energy or willpower to hold them closed.
“Now when I snap my fingers, you’ll head back to your bedroom to sleep, and wake with no memory of this until you hear me snap again.” A wicked smile spread over his muzzle, taking glee in observing the sharp, obedient focus Maddie was displaying for him, only nodding in response to his words.
“Good girl. See you tomorrow.”
Snap!
Maddie’s eyes fell shut, her posture snapped up right and her breathing became as silent as a feather falling through the air. Her wings folded back tightly against her spine as if she was standing for inspection, before she turned around and steadily marching back toward her room, not a thought or facet of awareness for what just happened.
…
A few hours later, on the other side of the wall to the room Maddie had passed out in, Alexis rose with well rested yawn and rolled over to turn off her phone’s alarm. Kicking off the sheets and running a hand through the rainbow highlights in her hair, she began her routine same as every morning, untangling her locks from that cream coloured unicorn horn on her head. A few good brushes to let those white curls of her mane fall lusciously across her neck, and Alexis moved on to breakfast, taking a moment to peer in to Maddie’s room to check if the bat was still asleep. Sure enough she spotted her roommate face first on the bed as usual in the mornings, but strangely it looked as if the bat had simply collapsed; not even bothering to fall asleep under the covers, and to Alexis’ surprise was still dressed in her clothes from the previous night. The equine cocked an eyebrow; it was unlike Maddie to pass out so abruptly, even with her nocturnal habits. Deciding that her friend was fine enough and snoring more than soundly, Alexis shut the door quietly to avoid disturbing her sleeping roommate and went about making breakfast. As the unicorn woke up and her brain kicked in to gear, a faint memory played in the back of her mind, the noise of doors shutting late in the night just loud enough to stir her from sleep for a few moments. First the front door, followed shortly after by the door to Maddie’s room, before the house fell quiet enough again for Alexis to pass out. The memory was so brief it almost felt like a dream, but the more it lingered in her mind the more clearly she could recall those brief minutes.
The questions kept growing in Alexis’ mind long after she’d finished eating; curiosity mixed with concern bubbled inside her like a pot of boiling water, though she promised when Maddie arose that she’d do her best not to be overbearing. The last thing Alexis wanted to do was intrude on her friend’s privacy or come across like she was nagging Maddie for having a good time. It was a couple more hours before the bat girl came out of her room dragging her feet along the floor and rubbing her eyes. Alexis’ gaze fixed on Maddie all the way from her room to the couch where the equine had settled with the TV on, though she masked that intense curiosity with a sweet smile, greeting her friend with a good morning. Maddie responded with groggy head nod and sat down at on the other end of the couch without anything to eat, happier to rest and wake up before attempting something as taxing as cereal. The bat’s wings unfurled in a languid motion and her ears fell lazily flat against her head, Maddie looking like she was going to fall asleep again before she felt Alexis’ gaze. Looking up to her friend and noticing that intent look lingering, only to flicker somewhere else when the equine was caught staring brought about an sharp exhale from the bat.
“What?” Grumbled Maddie with little patience at such an early hour. Alexis bit her lip, still anxious to press but knew there would likely be no better opportunity now she was caught.
“I just… thought I heard you come in late last night. Wondered if everything was okay, you crashed kinda hard.” Alexis spoke softly with genuine concern flowing through her words.
Maddie began to speak to explain herself, but stopped short of her first word, realizing that last night was a total blur to her. Contorting her face in to one of confusion, and then frustration as she searched for answers locked away from her mind.
“I-I’m not sure.” Maddie admitted quietly. “I don’t think I went out last night but…” She glanced down at her clothes, the same as she wore the day before all the way down to her shoes tied just as tightly as she had yesterday.
“Maddie?” Alexis raised an eyebrow and leaned in, more concern covering her expression.
“I don’t remember okay!” The bat snapped, making Alexis recoil back in her chair. Even Maddie knew it was unlike her to raise her voice at Alexis like that, frustration had just overcome her.
“Sorry. I feel fine, just tired is all. I don’t think anything happened.” She placed a hand on the unicorn’s and gave it a gentle squeeze of compassion.
Alexis smiled back unconvinced. She was still deeply worried about Maddie’s night but could tell there was no point in pressing further, though Alexis did promise herself that she’d be keeping an ear out for anymore late night excursions.
“Well, I gotta go meet Matts for a movie. You take care okay?” The equine waved at her roommate as she stood to leave, as Maddie only gave an acknowledging nod and responding. “Later.”
…
It was a regular meet for Alexis. Matts had won a bet with her that made the unicorn promise to meet him at least once a week to hang out, for food or a movie or just to catch up. It wasn’t a chore of a bet to lose, as Matts had initially proposed the wager so the pair could spend a little time together in spite of their busy schedules, though she did suspect he wouldn’t have made such a proposition to many other friends. Their usual meeting place was a bench in the park that overlooked the pond, celebrating both of their loves for nature, wherever they could find it in the city. The wolf was already sat on the bench when Alexis arrived, scrolling through his phone idly with a shopping bag next to him on the ground. His gaze found Alexis as he noticed the easily recognizable equine approach and his expression lit up in a smile.
“Hey! How’re you doing?” Standing to meet her with a hug, another thing Alexis had come to expect from their weekly meets now.
“Good as ever.” The unicorn beamed a smile back at him. “So, did you ever decide on a movie?” She queried, cocking her head.
“Oh yeah, that! Aahhh no, I uh… kind of got busy with things.” Matts’ eyes drifted, avoiding looking directly at Alexis. “But hey we can just sit and chat. It’s just nice to see you.” He took the equine’s hand and led her over to the bench suddenly, as if trying to cut the topic off.
Alexis and Matts swapped stories of their week, bantering and sharing empathy over who’s job has been worse for who and why. Every time Alexis started speaking, Matts sat with the same level of interest and attention that a fan would give a celebrity talking to them, not just taking in the words but how they were said, nodding and reacting to each little detail of the story. All the while, his foot would occasionally kick the bag next to him, as if to make sure it was still there. The noise had made Alexis’ ears perk up one too many times and her curiosity had begun to get the better of her, cutting her story short to question Matts’ purchase during the brief reprieve.
“So, what’s in the bag?” She inquired, attempting to sound nonchalant while gesturing to the bag. Matts was caught off guard for a moment, taking on a noticeably harder expression before turning to the bag.
“Well, I was gonna wait but... it’s actually something for you.” He grinned, lifting a shoe box from the bag and presenting it to Alexis proudly. “Don’t think anything of it, I saw them cheap and thought that you had to have em.”
Alexis eyed the box curiously, speechless for a moment but decided to open it before making any remark. Pulling away the lid and packaging revealed a pair of thick, blue sandals with a heavy white leather strap laced over the top and a fitting that looked to go around the ankle.
They certainly weren’t stylish, and there was no beach around for miles which brought Alexis to wonder why she “had to have them”. But despite her reservations, she looked up to see Matts beaming another proud smile, clearly thinking he’d found the perfect gift for her. She didn’t have the heart to break his, so she smiled back without so much as a hesitant stutter to her gratitude.
“These are so cute, Matts! Thank you!” She leaned over to hug the wolf, deciding that she could feign some enjoyment of them for once a week until it became too cold to wear sandals and they could be forgotten about in the back of her closet.
“What can I say? I know how your mind works.” Matts remarked with a satisfied wag.
Alexis kicked off her shoes and tried on the sandals to keep her friend happy. Though deep down she was mortified to be in sandals that looked more at home on a beach going Minotaur, the shoes were surprisingly comfortable and seemed to bounce her along each step with ease. The unicorn wondered if he’d bought them for some ergonomic benefit, though it didn’t make her feel much better about having to wear them, as on top of the hefty design, they hugged her paws very securely to the point it was almost disconcerting. Despite the odd gift, the duo continued to converse and enjoy each other’s company for a few more hours before Matts reluctantly announced he had to head home. After a quick hug and a rough laying of plans for next week, the friends parted with a wave.
---
As Alexis settled herself in to bed later that night, she could still see the blue and white sandals across the room from her, almost taunting her in her new commitment to wear them. It didn’t take long for the unicorn to drift off and let the thought of her new ‘gift’ to be forgotten about in place of her dreams. Likewise Maddie had passed out rather early in the night due to her rough night’s sleep previously, and the house was left silent and dark for good while before the bat’s phone buzzed from a text. Maddie was usually a deep sleeper, and a simple vibration wouldn’t have disturbed her. But her subconscious knew who this was from, and what was needed of her. She stirred somewhat reluctantly and looked at her phone, squinting from the glaring light to read a text from Matts that simply said ‘Outside.” Part of Maddie wondered why he was here at such an ungodly hour, but there was a stronger part of her mind telling her that this was expected and not worth questioning. Dragging her feet out her room toward the front door of her apartment, she unlocked the latch to reveal Matts standing in the hallway with his one hand in his pocket and the other holding a backpack strap around his chest, the wolf wearing an expectant look on his face.
“You’d better have a good reason for-” SNAP Maddie was instantly cut off with that resounding snap silencing her words and her thoughts. She jerked up right as her body went stiff and her mind became quiet and focused, opening the door fully for Matts and waving him in as instructed the night before. The wolf stepped in and looked around like he owned the place, gesturing for Maddie to pull the door behind him closed quietly, not even bothering to look back and confirm the bat’s obedience. He shrugged off his backpack and held it out for Maddie, who grabbed it off him like an actor following stage directions.
“So which one is it?” Asked the wolf in a hushed tone. Maddie simply raised an outstretched arm in response and pointed toward the door of Alexis’ room, her addled mind not sparing a thought to question what Matts had in mind, but withheld every intention of helping him. Her expression was a far off stare, unfocussed and glassy-eyed to the point that anyone else who saw her wouldn’t have suspected how fiercely attentive she was to the canine’s words at that moment. Opening the door to Alexis’ room softly and peering in, he saw the unicorn sleeping peacefully underneath her blankets, soft snores emanating at repeated intervals as expected.
“Hrmm covers on… that makes it a little harder.” Matts muttered to himself under his breath, catching sight of the sandals in the corner of the room.
“Bring them over here” ordered the wolf, pointing Maddie to the bright blue footwear, as the bat shuffled over like a zombie to pick up the sandals. Meanwhile Matts gently lifted the covers of Alexis’ blanket, so slowly that a feather in the wind wouldn’t have been disturbed. Those vanilla paws flexed a little in the cold air, but didn’t stir the unicorn too much from her sleep. Holding out his hand and silently demanding the footwear from his enthralled assistant, Matts slipped the straps over Alexis’ paws slowly and easily, helped by the fact that he’d designed the sandals to fit her paws perfectly down to the last millimeter of room. Alexis turned and whinnied softly in her sleep, but still didn’t stir even as that first sandal was slipped over her paws and fastened.
“Now that it’s on we won’t need to worry as much about her waking up. The sandals are designed with maximum comfort in mind, even to help keep her asleep.” Matts grinned through a whisper as the final strap was fastened, all the while Maddie gazed onwards at the wall blankly, offering no response but taking in every word the wolf spoke.
The advertised comfort of the footwear had a noticeable effect, rendering Alexis as still as a log in her slumber, snoring heavily as the second sandal was slipped over her paws with ease. Reaching out behind him, the wolf found his attentive assistant standing obediently within arm’s reach, allowing him to pull his final trinket out of the backpack. From the bag emerged a stout red helmet with a rounded metal antenna on top. The headgear would have looked like it was made with safety in mind, if it weren’t for the silver protrusion poking from the tip. Leaning over the sleeping unicorn with careful precision, Matts slipped the helmet over Alexis’ head so slowly he felt like a trained hunter wouldn’t have seen his movements. Letting the headgear come to rest on the unicorn’s head with ample padding to cushion her horn, finding it to be as perfect of a fit as he’d designed it to be, Alexis remained undisturbed in her sleep as her face showed little more expression than tranquility.
Matts took a step back to admire his handiwork while his assistant swayed next to him in a daze. The wolf reached in to his pockets to pull out a small metal remote with a touchscreen, a dial and no more than three buttons on its case, topped off with an antenna similar to the helmet. Giving the dial a turn, the screen flared to life with a soft beep, echoed by the sandals and helmet Alexis wore. A pleased grin spread over Matts’ features as he tentatively pointed the antenna at the floor, and pressed a button. There was a soft whir, then a faint shifting of mechanical parts. The next sound was the shuffling of Alexis from under her covers as she lazily shifted her feet off the bed and planted them on the floor, her head still laying on the pillow as if she was still undisturbed in her slumber. Sitting up, the equine gave a soft exhale with closed eyes as she rose to her feet, standing with her arms hanging by her side.
Matts was patient, waiting and watching until he heard the heavy snores from Alexis again, by which point his expression lit up and he gave a quiet fist pump of a cheer, turning to Maddie to share his excitement before remembering the blank state he’d left her in. He rolled his eyes and grabbed a small notebook and pencil from his pocket, thrusting them in to the bat’s hands.
“Here. Be useful and keep notes.” Maddie’s empty gaze dropped to the paper as she began writing down his thoughts word for word.
“The subject remains in deep sleep even when the sandals manipulate her muscles in to standing. This shows promising levels of comfort instilled in to the subject.” Matts rambled in a hushed tone as Maddie put all of her limited brainpower in to noting down what she heard. All the while Alexis simply stood there, still as a statue; the insoles of the sandals were so catered to her balance they she didn’t even wobble on the spot.
Though the primary results were promising, but the wolf became pensive for the next test, biting his lip as he pointed the remote further from the bed and pressed the command button. Once again there was a soft clunk followed by a whir of moving parts in the mechanical footwear, but eventually Alexis’ foot circled round to plant it in the direct she was ordered to march. Her head turned to face her destination, brainwaves being intercepted by that helmet and repurposed to do the wolf’s bidding, soothing electromagnetic pulses washing through Alexis’ head courtesy of that headgear and deepening her slumber. Her leg began to move in a sudden puppeted motion, lifting her leg up as if it were pulled by some unseen force. Like watching a stop motion movie, Alexis’s leg rose, locked in place for a moment and then fell forward before planting itself on the floor in a movement that looked like someone imitating walking. Her other leg shifted next while her first remained stuck to the floor, jerking robotically to rise and fall in front of the first step as a slowly marching solider would. The movement was deliberate, following the shifting weight of those insoles and little pushes of pressure that those ankle straps put on her nerves. The pressure wasn’t painful, but it was enough to tip her balance and prompt the steady rise and fall of her legs. Alexis’ soles landing with a firm thud on the floor, yet her eyelids never even fluttered nor did her snoring cease. She remained as deeply unconscious as she did before Matts and Maddie intruded, and the lush comfort of those sandals, coupled with the heavy waves of calm and relaxation from that helmet, allowed her brain to subconsciously tune itself out from the world even more as the unicorn’s slumber deepened. Left, right, left, right. Each step was perfectly rhythmic like a metronome was guiding Alexis in her head. Focused precision led each footstep, even as her mind drifted further from the waking world.
Matts’ eyes lit up once again, unable to believe the success he was having.
“Get this down Maddie! Subject shows all signs of deep REM sleep even while commanded to move, her mind is allowed to sleep deeper while being piloted by the sandals.” Alexis kept marching the final few robotic steps as Matts finished rambling, always watched intently by the satisfied wolf. Maddie gave a groan of grogginess akin to being woken up, early, stealing Matts’ attention. Not wanting to risk her waking up, he reached over to give a sudden SNAP by her ear, watching the bat stiffen and jiggle with the sudden movement as he was once again content with her obedience.
A final thud as Alexis’ paw hit the floor more resoundingly this time, as if parking the unicorn now that she’d reached her destination. Her arms still hung by her sides like dead weight, still swaying ever so slightly from the sudden lack of motion, further showcasing the deep subconscious state Alexis had been left in. Her mind was adrift in the throes of slumber, and was too passive at the moment to muster the thought of controlling her possessed muscles on her own. Matts tapped his chin in thought, pleased with his overwhelming success but now desiring a greater test of the sandals capabilities.
“Well we’re moving rather quickly, but I have a good feeling about this one.” He aimed the remote again, fiddling with a command on the touchscreen to recalibrate a few measures. Finally pressing the button and calling his puppet to action, Alexis resumed marching straight towards her bedroom wall. Those steps restarted in the same mechanical rhythm as before, like she’d never taken a break. Left, right, left, right, went those footsteps, her joints bending and extending like an action figure would if someone was trying to emulate walking with one, bringing her to a few feet short of walking in to painted brick. She paused for a moment, but this wasn’t her commanded destination.
Her leg extended again, stretching out as if to step, but stopping half way as the sandals shifted her weight again, making the unicorn lean forward gradually to plant the base of her foot on that brick surface. Matts watched with bated breath as more of the equine’s weight came to rest on the wall with a suction noise from the soles of the footwear, only just considering laying pillows underneath Alexis before her second paw left the ground entirely and in one fluid motion, planted itself further up the wall followed by that same suction noise. Alexis hung there, stood where she was ordered, knees bent slightly as her body relaxed in to a more effortless position, hanging with her head angled toward the floor. Though most of the strength holding her up was coming from Alexis’ ankles, the sandals did the bulk of the work to keep her stuck on the wall like a gargoyle. Hair, tail and arms dangling limp toward the ground in a position that may have looked uncomfortable to some, but the unicorn’s face never changed from that peaceful resting expression.
Matts’ eyes were as wide as dinner plates, astonished at what he was seeing. No amount preliminary testing could have prepared him for this success. Nudging Maddie in the arm again as he continued rambling.
“Subject is totally undisturbed from sleep, even when suspended from the wall by the suction of the sandals.” His eyes scanned the screen to see Alexis was still totally lost in deep sleep. If she felt anything of the ensuing tests at all, it would feel like a dream to her.
“I’m more than happy to call it a day here.” Spoke the wolf, confident Alexis was so comatose in her slumber that a she wouldn’t be woken easily. Directing her down from the wall cautiously and marching her back to bed, letting her settle down before carefully removing the sandals and helmet, leaving her mind to gradually reset back to a normal sleeping pattern. After a few minutes of the canine and his assistant wiping any evidence of his arrival, he left made his way out the door, issuing a new set of instructions to Maddie.
“Go rest up, and forget any of this ever happened. Make sure you’re home tomorrow night to let me in again.” SNAP! And with that sound, Maddie shut the door, marching obediently back to her bed and passing out the same as the night before.
---
The following day Alexis rolled over in bed to turn off her alarm with a heavy hand coming down reluctantly. Her head didn’t rise from the pillow until after a long, pronounced groan of fatigue, only to make it as far as the headboard. Sitting up and trying to stop every blink of her eyes from turning in to another nap, she noticed the bright sandals in the corner of the room with noticeably less scorn for them this morning. As the closest set of footwear she could see, Alexis decided to slip them on and make her way to the breakfast table. She was glad of her choice as she was reminded just how easily the gifted footwear bounced her along in her steps. Exiting her room and surprisingly finding Maddie already awake and sitting on the couch, though looking no better off than she was in the previous morning, seemingly just as sleep deprived with how she was slumped in the cushions.
“You sure you look like I feel.” Maddie said with a wry chuckle, noticing her friend’s shuffling feet and slouched stance.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel like was up doing laps all night.” Alexis had to stifle a yawn mid-sentence to respond, crashing down on a seat next to Maddie. Glancing down at the unicorn’s noticeably bright blue clad paws, the bat cocked an eyebrow curiously and gave a soft snicker.
“So you’ve decided you like those things eh?” Alexis scoffed back playfully.
“They’re comfortable, okay?” Blowing off the comment with a wave of her hand.
Suddenly, Alexis’ pocket vibrated as her phone picked up a message. Opening it to find Matts asking how she was doing. Reading the message, she could have sworn she faintly heard the wolf’s voice as clearly as if he were saying the words himself. Her attention became fixated; she focused intently on the text, reading lines multiple times even as short as the message was. A part of her subconscious mind could feel those strings being tugged from the night before, though she was unaware of it, she still craved the feeling of being so free from thought. It took her 5 minutes to formulate the perfect message back to him, and by the time she looked up from the screen, Maddie has passed out again in the quiet, fatigue winning the battle with her body. Alexis didn’t fare much better through the day, feeling tiredness to her body akin to trying to fight off sleeping aids. Her movements were sluggish and uncoordinated in contrast to the purposeful and stiff movements she marched with last night under Matts’ command. Her brain was struggling to switch on and keep track of basic information, as if it still hadn’t woken up from the deep slumber she was induced in through the helmet.
---
The day felt longer than it had any right too, seconds felt like minutes as Alexis fought to keep her body awake, unable to escape that hanging fatigue making her want to crash down in bed more than anything. She didn’t even bother with dinner when she got home, spending no more than a few minutes chatting with Maddie before collapsing on her mattress and letting her eyelids fall like they were heavy anchors. All of her exhaustion ebbed away quickly as she plummeted in to slumber once again, this time by her own desire. However hours later, after both the girls were attempting to slumber, another message from Matts came through, but once again it was to Maddie’s phone. Stirring and checking the text, Maddie sat up with a grumble and shuffled her way to the door see what the canine wanted at this hour. As the door opened, Matts stood there in a manner that would have looked all too familiar to Maddie from the previous night, if the smile Matts wore wasn’t laced with the confidence of knowing he’d wiped her mind of that very evening.
“You’d better have a good reason for-” SNAP Maddie was instantly cut off with that resounding snap silencing her words and her thoughts. Another familiar sight, as Maddie’s body jerked to attention stiffly, but Matts was able to recognize this sight as the exact same trained response that he’d conditioned in to her. Thrusting the backpack in to her grasp, confident she’d catch it again, Matts strolled in to Alexis’ room with less care than the previous night. He was confident that she’d have been left exhausted to the point of where it would be difficult to wake her. Not standing on ceremony, he had Maddie pull back the covers as he slipped those sandals back on to Alexis’ paws carefully, and fitted the helmet on with the same amount of caution. Turning on the remote and pressing a few buttons, he observed as his puppeted unicorn sat upright in bed, eyes still fastened tight in deep snoring slumber, and stand up with her arms dangling by her sides, forgotten about. Though this time Alexis’ head rested heavily on her chest, looking less like a posed statue and more like a reanimated zombie so overcome with lethargy she was putting all of her energy in to staying standing.
“Notes, Maddie.” Ordered Matts as his assistant obediently grabbed the same pencil and pad from the backpack and began copying the wolf’s thoughts.
“Subject shows increased signs of fatigue, no doubt from the muscle work forced upon her in deep REM sleep.” The canine walked up and brought his hand up to caress Alexis’ cheek softly, bringing a softly disturbed mumble of slurred words in response.
“Maddie…. don’t go an-….” She trailed off; Matts taking a tentative step back having almost woken the sleeping girl and ruining his whole experiment.
“Not entirely out of it though…” Spoke Matts, his voice back to a whisper as his confidence was rocked. Quickly fiddling with a few buttons and settings on the remote, flushing new waves of warmth and comfort through Alexis’ mind as he observed her expression relax. The screen on the remote confirmed the same as her brainwaves slowed and her muscles showed less and less passive activity. A close call that would have left Matts embarrassed with his shattered self-pride if either of the witnesses were at all conscious.
Directing Alexis with a wave of his remote and a few button presses, that mechanical click and whirr from the sandals’ mechanisms flared to life, before Alexis’ legs began to march around the room under Matts’ command. Each heavy stomp of those languid paws left a dull thud, making it easy to find the rhythm that Alexis’ mind had settled her in to marching with. Left, right, left, right like she’d never ceased marching from the night before, causing her arms to sway like pendulums in a perfectly timed pattern.
“Alright, next test.” Speaking to himself this time, Matts directed his puppet back towards the wall with an assured belief that the sandals were capable of horizontal movement.
Twisting the dial as he commanded Alexis to plant her foot on the wall again, taking a big stride further up the brick and dangling off the wall by the straps on her ankles as a long sharp sucking sound echoed from the sandals attaching to the wall.
The wolf gave a curt nod seeing Alexis attached to the wall again, continuing to watch as this time she resumed marching further up the wall, bringing herself 5…6…7 feet off the ground. Locks of multi-coloured hair hung like moss growing over a wall, dangling freely alongside Alexis’ arms and tail swinging freely toward the ground, continuing to point toward the floor as the unicorn’s angle steepened further. Matts’ gaze was fixated on her as she took another step upward, planting the sole of her sandal on the ceiling slowly, commanded to move cautiously by the only person in the room with the awareness to look out for her safety to at least some degree. Her second foot left the wall to meet the first on the ceiling, causing Alexis to swing like a loose rope by her one planted sole, arms tail and hair flailing in the shift of balance. Matts felt his heart jump to his throat, hammering a button to make her plant her foot squarely on the ceiling. Alexis mumbled again, incoherently this time and reaching up to rub her snout groggily, faculties returning alarmingly quickly to the canine who saw his subject’s eyes dancing about under her eyelids. A wild turn of the dial sent a flood of relaxants and comfort across every one of Alexis’ synapses, those mumbles trailing off in to a long nasal snore, as her arms fell limp and her mind went quiet once more.
Matts exhaled a sigh of relief, looking across to Maddie whose face was trained on nothing in particular in front of her and just as placid as when they began. Alexis hung at the wolf’s head level from the ceiling; her expression was heavy and undisturbed, not a facet of energy or awareness in her features. Strolling up to his subject, Matts scanned the readings on the remote, nothing a total lull in brain activity before brushing his fingers through her dangling hair both caringly and cautiously. This time Alexis made no motion that indicated she was aware of his touch, the only change in her face was a thin strand of drool forming on her lips and falling slowly up her face towards the floor. Matts’ smile returned, pleased with the overall results of his precarious test.
“Trial by fire. But at least I know you can sleep through that for me.” His hand left her hair, stepping back to admire his subject, before marching her along the rest of the ceiling, a slower but still perfectly paced march as she followed his route down the wall on the other side of the room. Her body fell forwards, stopped once again by the enduring straps on her sandals, keeping her descent controlled until that machinery was able to quieten back on the floor. Getting Alexis back in to bed and free of the equipment seemed easy by comparison, and the peacefulness of room would have suggested to anyone that Alexis had been entirely undisturbed this night. Matts went to exit with his backpack and helmet, stopping in the doorway and turning back to Maddie with a thoughtful expression.
“You hang on to these actually. Hide them somewhere and when you fall asleep tomorrow, put them on Alexis again.” Maddie simply nodded, eyes not even focused on Matts, but every other part of her was.
“Oh and of course, forget this ever happened.” SNAP!
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It was nearly midday before Alexis rose from bed, having slept entirely through her alarm and baffling herself at weariness that still hung over her like a dark cloud. She didn’t want to get up, but forced herself to out of willpower and guilt. Maddie was nowhere to be seen this morning, and Alexis didn’t have to guess too hard to imagine where she was by this point. A rumble in her stomach reminded the equine that she hadn’t eaten last night, but despite her lingering appetite, Alexis only mustered up the energy to make a simple breakfast before slumping on the couch once again. Part way through a bite of toast, her phone rumbled in her pocket, picking it up to notice another text from Matts in the morning. Part of her wondered why he was becoming so chatting the early hours suddenly, though the more she thought about it and him, the more her mind centered on that one text. It was another short message, asking how and what she was doing. She smiled appreciatively, but her attention remained fixated all the same, as she took minutes to send a response of only a few lines. As soon as she pressed send, her body relaxed and exhaustion washed through her again like she’d spent all of that time responding while holding up a barbell.
---
Alexis’ day hadn’t improved from yesterday, to the point that she called out of work early to get home and rest, unable to keep her eyes open even while walking home. Minutes disappeared in to short naps before waking herself up with a slap, a flick on the nose or a sharp pinch to spring her back to life. But it didn’t last long before she craved her bed again, considering some kind of sleep aid to help her rest up. When she got home, Maddie was awake in front of the T.V, something that just sounded like harsh noise to the unicorn who only desired peace. It was barely dark out before Alexis turned in for the night, crashing in to her bed and snoring loud enough to be heard through the wall. There was something about that constant reminder of sleep from Alexis’ room that brought on a familiar fatigue for Maddie too, like she was supposed to be sleeping. As strange as the bat considered it to be, she couldn’t fight the weariness washing over her muscles, and soon made lackadaisical steps toward her own bed.
Maddie’s slumber didn’t last long however, as her subconscious mind called out to her to wake, to stand, to do as she was instructed the night before. With lidded eyes, Maddie rose and reached in to a deep corner of her closet to pull out the backpack Matts had left her. It was so well concealed last night that Maddie had completely glossed over with her half active mind in the morning; but now it was as clear as the moon on a dark night. Pushing in to Alexis’ room and acting out the practiced motion of fastening the sandal straps to her paws, then gently placing the helmet on her head, she stood attentively as if waiting for orders from the wolf who was nowhere to be seen. A sudden click sounded, as a small window on the front of the helmet opened to reveal a chamber housing a camera. There was a familiar whir and click of gears in the sandals as Alexis sat upright in bed, planting her feet on the floor and rose to a standing position again.
Her face was simply heavy, slumped on her chest and mouth hanging open ungracefully. Turning and marching away from the bed, this time facing the wall with a window overlooking the front of the building, Alexis took each step with that same perfectly synchronized rhythm as her muscles were puppeted in an orderly fashion. Stopping before the window, her leg came up and instead of planting itself on the glass, used the tip of her toes to lift the window all the way up until Alexis was exposed to the chill of the night air blowing in. Her leg came down half way, this time leaning forward to plant itself on the wall beneath the hole in the wall to the outdoors, those suction modules doing their job to fix her to the brick.
Another step as she rose herself off the floor, and in one smooth motion, bent her leg to plant her foot on the opposite side of the wall she was standing on, shifting her weight and letting her body dangle out the window toward the ground outside. Alexis’ ankles and legs were posed like a yoga formation, her body teetering with one foot planted on each side of the wall housing her window frame. But it didn’t take long before her next step left the indoors and walked her down the wall of the building, toward the blue wolf waiting at the bottom, controller in hand displaying everything the camera could see. He looked up at Alexis with a grin as she walked down the outside of the building with that same deep, peaceful resting expression. Matts was entirely confident that Alexis couldn’t be woken with anything less than a bucket of water to the face, watching her take her final steps to solid ground and hanging in front of him as limp as a sandbag.
“I didn’t think I’d have you like this so soon, Alexis.” The wolf chuckled softly. “Maybe you wanted to spend some more time together as much as I did.” His hand brushed her face again with no reservation this time as Alexis simply snored peacefully.
“But now we get to spend it my way.” His tone lowered, and his hand returned to the remote. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.”
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
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File Size 105.9 kB
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