Snowflakes were slowly fluttering toward the ground outside Flash Point's frosty window. The unicorn was waiting for his friend Turnip Seed to come by for a visit. "I'm glad I don't have to go out in that freezing weather," he thought, adding more wood to the fireplace. "And Turnip likes winter even less than I do." He looked out of the window and waited. After a while, the earth pony hoved into view.
Flash opened the door to let his friend in. "Nice to see you again, Turnip," he said. "It's been a while." Turnip hung his scarf up on the rack and gave the unicorn a quick hug.
"Nice to see you too, Flash," the earth pony replied. "It's good to finally get out of that freezing cold." The two ponies stepped into the living room and sat down by the fire. "What have you been doing lately?"
"I've been busy helping the town alchemist with their research these last few weeks," Flash said. "How about you?"
"The shop I worked at finally went out of business, so I'm out of work at the moment."
"That's a shame. What are you going to do now?"
"On the way here, I got an idea," Turnip said with a smirk. "With no job, the heating costs of my house might leave me short on money during this cold winter. If only there was some warm and wet place to spend the winter at, where I wouldn't have to pay for heating—or even food."
"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" Flash tilted his head slightly and chuckled. "You can't be serious—don't you remember how I ended up?"
"I do. But this time, we'll take all the necessary precautions to make sure nothing bad happens to us."
"We? You don't expect me to come with you, do you?"
"Why not? You did say that you wished to experience it again someday."
"Unlike you, I still have a job I need to attend." Flash looked away and sighed. "But you're right—I'd sure like to experience it again. I must warn you, though—you will most likely regret it and wish you had never become a pool toy."
"Really, now? You got thrown in the dumpster, yet you still want to go back."
"That's precisely why I'm warning you! You will be at the mercy of other ponies. Being a pool toy is a lot of fun when everything goes well, but it can also be boring, uncomfortable, and even terrifying at times."
"Just like life in general," Turnip said dismissively. "As I said, we'll take some precautions. Let's get in touch with the manager of the water park and find out what they think about it."
Couple of days later, the two stallions were sitting in the park manager's office. The manager was an older mare who had run the water park for almost a decade. Flash and Turnip had just explained to her what they had talked about earlier.
"I must say, I find your proposition intriguing," she said gleefully. "When the workers here started talking about a walking pool toy last year, I didn't believe them for a second. So tell me, how did it happen?"
"A potion that was supposed to make me swim better turned me into a pool toy instead," Flash explained. "I was stuck here for over a month. In the end, I got a leak and I was thrown away in the trash. Luckily, Turnip Seed here managed to find me before I ended up being recycled."
"Oh, dear!" the manager exclaimed. "We wouldn't want anything like that to happen again, of course! I suppose the employees would have to be told to keep an eye on you to prevent any mishaps like that. And to repair you right away if you happen to get a puncture. I'm sure living pool toys will attract more than enough extra visitors to compensate for those expenses."
Flash was relieved. "Maybe this will work after all," he thought. The unicorn cleared his throat and said: "But being a pool toy was a lot of fun otherwise. If you will keep us safe from harm, we'd be glad to stay here until the snow melts."
"So, when would you be ready to start?"
"It will take me a few days to produce the potion. I'll give you a written copy of the cure recipe for turning us back—any competent alchemist will be able to brew it. We will also have to make some preparations to keep things in check while we're here."
"I have some arrangements to make as well. Come back here next week, and everything should be ready. I'm looking forward to having you here."
The stallions met again at Flash's house the following week. "I told the alchemist that I have to move away for a few months," Flash said. "He will take his nephew as an apprentice in my place until I get back. And my landlord told me that they can rent my home for somepony else while I'm gone."
"A friend of mine will look after my house while I'm away," Turnip said. "I guess I'm all set for our vacation."
"Are you sure you still want to do this?" the unicorn asked, putting the vials in his saddlebag. "I don't expect everything will go smoothly, even if the water park has agreed to keep an eye on us."
"Neither of us is going to be thrown away in the trash this time, trust me. Let's do this!"
Later that afternoon, the stallions were sitting in the office of the park manager once again. The mare placed some papers on the desk in front of them. She sat down and said:
"Here is your contract—if you are satisfied with the terms, all you need to do is to sign it and then we'll begin. The higher-ups were very interested in this endeavor when I told them about it earlier this week."
Flash and Turnip read the contract. It outlined the responsibilities of both parties—they would have to be available for the visitors to play with, and in return, the water park employees would keep them safe and well maintained. They would be relieved from their position once all the snow around the park had melted. The stallions signed the contract.
"Wonderful!" the manager said cheerfully. "That's everything on my part. Please proceed as soon as you're ready."
Turnip chugged the potion down without a second thought. Flash was a bit more hesitant, but drank it down to the last drop as well. "The effect should begin shortly," the unicorn said. They could already feel their bodies getting lighter. "In a minute or two, we will both have become squeaky and shiny inflatable toys."
"I can see it has already started," the manager said. The earth pony's legs had begun to turn into glossy plastic, sagging a bit under the weight of his yet unchanged upper body. "Do you have any more questions to ask while we wait?"
"Will we get into the pool right away?" Turnip asked excitedly. "I can't wait to find out what it feels like!"
"We will just have to get the warnings printed on your backs first. After that's done, you will be ready for action."
"Warnings?" Flash asked curiously.
"The warning labels, I mean. As pool toys provided by the park, you must have all the required safety markings clearly visible on your bodies. It's for legal reasons. I trust that won't be a problem?"
Before either of the stallions could voice any objections, their lips had already melded together. Their mouths became fixed in a friendly smile as plastic rolled over their faces. The mare watched quietly as Flash and Turnip turned into living pool toys right in front of her eyes. The office was filled with a faint squeaking sound until their transformation had finished.
The manager walked out of the office, leaving Flash and Turnip standing goofily in front of the desk. Their limbs were very stiff—they could move them a little, but not enough to be able to walk. The unicorn and the earth pony waited excitedly to be taken to the pools. A while later, a pony entered the office. Without saying a word to them, the pony popped their valves open and squeezed all the air out of their bodies.
Once both stallions lay crumpled on the floor, the manager came back. She brushed her hoof against their shiny surfaces and said: "We will send you to the factory that produces all the pool toys for our water parks. They will get you properly labeled. I hope you enjoy your holiday, boys!"
Flash and Turnip were folded up and crammed side by side into a small cardboard box. The flaps of the box squashed them further as they were pressed down. The box was sealed up with tape, and the inflatable stallions were ready to be sent off.
"I should've known this would happen," Flash muttered. "We got folded up and packed away even faster than I did last time. What did I even expect? I guess I'm already used to being treated like this—not so sure about Turnip, though."
"I didn't think I would be this helpless," Turnip thought, squirming in vain as he tried to make himself comfortable. "Even a foal would be able to flatten me if they wanted to." Worried as he was, knowing that his friend was right there beside him made him feel a little better.
The stallions lost their sense of time inside the box. Sometimes, the box was on the move and they could feel it being carried around. And the other times the box remained still seemingly for days, making the pool toys inside bored out of their minds. At long last, the tapes were cut and the box was opened. Flash and Turnip were curious to find out what would happen next.
"We must have arrived at the factory now," Turnip thought. "I didn't quite understand what we were sent here for. My mouth was fused shut before I could ask. Something about legal stuff? I'm sure it's nothing serious..."
A pony took Flash out of the box first. To his horror, he was placed underneath an industrial steam press. "It never gets any easier, does it?" the unicorn whimpered, staring anxiously at the heavy press plate looming above him. "Why did I ever agree to this?"
Flash was laid out flat on his belly onto a large steel base plate. In it was a small hole that his valve fitted inside of. The pony cut all the labels out of thin plastic sheets and arranged them tidily on his wrinkled back one by one. "Just how many of them are they putting on me?" he thought nervously. "I assumed it was just going to be one small warning sign—at this rate my back will end up looking like a noticeboard!"
The pony backed away as the press came down. The unicorn let out a small squeak when the hot steel plate was pressed down on him, sealing him tightly in its searing embrace. "Ahhh! It's so hot!" he squealed. "Take it off, take it off!" Unfortunately for him, the pony dutifully carried out their work. Flash remained inside the press for several minutes, until the labels had been permanently fused into his back. To him, it felt like an eternity.
Eventually, the pony raised the press and moved the steaming hot unicorn aside to let him cool down. To Flash, normal room temperature had never before felt so relieving. The dozen or so newly printed warning signs, safety tips and disclaimers glistened on his glossy back. Apart from his valve, the hot press had ironed out all of his wrinkles and creases, leaving him perfectly smooth and flat.
"I hope these things won't stick to our coats when we get turned back," Flash worried. His body was still so hot that one could have fried eggs on his flank. "If Turnip hasn't started to regret this yet, he soon will."
The clueless earth pony was taken out of the box and laid out under the press just like the pool toy before him had been. The unicorn could hear them fizzling behind him as the labels melded into the earth pony's shiny skin. Flash still felt a bit shaken, but began to relax once he had cooled down completely. All of a sudden, he started to move forward. He lay on a conveyor belt that carried him through a narrow slit into another machine.
"What's happening now?" Flash asked anxiously. "I thought it was already over..."
The metal flaps inside the machine began to fold the unicorn. It alternated the direction each time, folding him up like an accordion in seconds. Flash did not appreciate its efficiency, but he came out as a squarish bundle all the same. The machine then pushed him into a plastic bag. The stallion suddenly felt his body compress compactly as air was sucked out of the bag. Finally, the vacuum packed pool toy pony was deposited into a tray of finished products.
"Ugh, I'll never get used to being folded," Flash moaned once he had stopped moving. "I wonder how Turnip is holding up..."
"This is what I get for not taking Flash's warnings seriously," Turnip sighed as he was finally taken out of the hot press. The earth pony could feel his limbs contract and skin tighten up as he cooled down. "Please, let it be over already..."
A few minutes later, a package of familiar color was placed next to Flash Point. Both him and Turnip Seed had now become fully certified pool toys, ready to be shipped out and put into action. After a bit of waiting, they were picked up from the tray. The stallions were wrapped up in plastic into a single package. A pony added a sticker with the water park's address to it and sent them off.
Flash and Turnip were in for a fun trip. Having been wrapped in transparent plastic with their eyes facing out, the pool toys could experience their entire journey from a parcel's point of view, although the view through the packaging was a little cloudy. The mail sorting machines they went through were like roller coasters to them.
Despite all the amusement, something started to bother Turnip. "Why does the trip back feel so much longer? the earth pony wondered. "We've been on our way for a week now, I think. Or did time seem to go faster the first time because I couldn't see anything?"
Eventually, a pony dropped them in a mailbox. "This must be it," the unicorn thought. "I was starting to think winter would be over before we got here." Later that same day, they were picked up from the mailbox.
As they were carried along, they caught glimpses of pools and palm trees through the packaging. Flash and Turnip were excited to have finally reached their promised destination. They felt a little let down when they were placed on a shelf inside a closet and left there.
The brand new pool toys awaited eagerly to be inflated. Next morning, they were taken out of the closet and pulled out of their protective plastic packaging. Flash and Turnip felt relaxed when they were laid out on the floor after spending a week tightly packed. Hoses were attached to their valves and both stallions squeaked pleasurably as they began to expand.
Turnip tried moving his legs. His joints creaked as he moved his legs around, and was eventually able to get up from the floor on his own. Flash had got himself up as well, with the bottoms of his hooves squeaking quietly as he trotted on the floor. The earth pony gave the unicorn a hug—he was pleased to have finally arrived where he wanted.
The water park workers around them were astonished. "They weren't kidding when they said these pool toys would be able to walk," one of them said. "Boss told me they must be taken good care of. I guess they are very expensive."
Flash and Turnip walked up to the edge of the foals' pool. "Go ahead, jump in," the pony encouraged. "That's what you're here for." The pool toys jumped joyfully into the water and started swimming around cheerfully as drops of water glistened on their slick and shiny surface. The foals in the pool were keen to start playing with them.
"This place looks different than I remember," Flash thought. "Did they send us to some other water park?" The foals eventually threw the unicorn high up in the air. Outside the windows, he saw majestic mountains covered in snow. "We're definitely someplace else—that explains why it took so long to get here. It makes no difference, I guess..."
For the next few days, the inflatable stallions were having the times of their lives. Ponies would play with them all day, making the stallions squeak happily all the while. And they would make the ponies happy just by being their squeaky selves. Every night, they would cuddle up next to the windows and admire the view—from the snowy valley below them, up to the stars twinkling above the mountaintops.
"It's a shame we can't talk to each other," Turnip thought. "I can only guess what Flash is thinking about right now. Other than that, these last few days have been fantastic. No wonder Flash was so willing to be turned into a pool toy again. I kind of wish I could live like this all my life..."
"I can't think of any better way to spend this cold winter," Flash mused. His shiny side squeaked softly as he leaned against his friend. "Maybe this will be worth all that trouble at the factory after all..." The two plastic pool toys watched the stars together all night.
After their first week at the water park, the workers lifted the stallions out of the pool. "Oh? What is it?" Flash wondered. The workers carried them out of the pool area. "Where are they taking us?" Eventually, they entered through a door into a storage room of some kind. There was a pump on the floor. Suddenly, the unicorn's valve was popped open by one of the workers.
"What are you doing?" Flash yelled inside his head when a hose was inserted into his valve. "I'm already full! Don't—" To the unicorn's surprise, he felt the air being sucked out of him and a squelching noise filled his ears. "Stop it! Why are you doing this to me?"
Turnip could only watch in horror as Flash crumpled up in front of his eyes, the pump leaving the unicorn literally breathless. Flash had essentially become his own vacuum pack. Ultimately, the pump was turned off and the wrinkled unicorn was left to wriggle on the floor. The earth pony knew full well what would happen next.
After a while, the thoroughly deflated stallions were stuffed into a washing machine. "Dang, I'd completely forgotten about this," Flash thought. "I should've asked for a more gentle method to clean us up when I had the chance. But it's too late now, I guess..." More pool toys were crammed in after them. The lid was closed and the machine was turned on.
The washing machine at this water park spun even faster than the one from before. "I never imagined life of a pool toy would be like this," Turnip moaned. "I can't take any more of this spinning! If this thing goes any faster I'll start blending into the other toys..."
One hour later, the machine finished. It had stopped spinning, but the stallions' heads had not. The sparkling clean pool toys were pulled out of the machine and hung on a line to wait for refilling. Flash and Turnip were so dizzy that hanging from a line felt as though they were plastic bags dancing in the wind.
As soon as his head had cleared, Flash realized that he was hanging behind Turnip. Seeing the earth pony's back up close made him feel sad—most of it was covered in text and various warning symbols. "It looks pretty ugly," the unicorn thought. "I guess I look exactly the same... Was it really necessary to print all that on us?"
Flash began reading the text printed on his friend. It largely consisted of safety tips in multiple Equestrian languages. Those lines had yellow warning signs next to them. Some of them had clearly been written with Turnip and him in mind: SENTIENT INFLATABLE TOY—FOR INDOOR USE ONLY—HANDLE WITH RESPECT. Some other lines caught the unicorn's attention as well: DO NOT RECYCLE THIS ITEM—DO NOT DISPOSE OF THIS ITEM—DO NOT OVERFILL THIS ITEM. Those lines had red prohibition symbols next to them.
"I suppose they are useful after all, given that we can't talk. Hopefully they will keep us safe from misuse," Flash pondered. "Oh, who am I kidding? Nopony ever reads them. At most, the park will use them to deny liability if something bad happens."
Turnip was eventually pulled down from the line to be filled up, and Flash followed him soon after. Having been pumped full of air again, the stallions were returned to the pool. They quickly cheered up when some foals climbed onto their backs and rode them around the pool.
Weeks kept passing by. With time, Flash and Turnip became accustomed to their weekly wash. They began to regard it as a fun distraction from the norm, letting the washing machine make their minds squeak sillily in its dizzying whirls. As pool toys with no mouth, they did not have to worry about becoming nauseous.
The weeks began to turn into months. Flash and Turnip barely noticed the passing of time—they were having too much fun to pay attention. Without the need to eat or sleep, all that the pool toys desired was for ponies to play with them every day. During nights, they would explore the park or just lie next to each other, trying to guess what the other was thinking about.
One day, Flash was walking around by himself, waiting for the park to be opened. "I've lost track of how long we've been here," Flash thought. "This must have been the longest winter in my life." The unicorn looked out of the window and petrified—the trees down in the valley had yellow leaves. "Wait a minute—it's already fall? We were supposed to be turned back months ago!"
The ground around the building still had some snow on it here and there. Flash suddenly realized something: "The pool toys are to be relieved from their position once the snow around the water park has melted—that's what had been written in the contract. But all the snow on these mountains doesn't melt during summer..."
"I doubt Turnip has the faintest idea," Flash pondered. "He seems to be having the time of his life. I've enjoyed my time as well, but this... it reminds of how I felt the first time I got turned into a pool toy and thought I would spend the rest of my life as one. It seems to be the case once again—Turnip is here with me now and nopony knows where we are."
Two months later, the winter had arrived and covered everything with snow again. That finally made the earth pony realize how things really were. One night, Turnip pointed at the ground outside the window with his hoof, visibly upset. Flash nodded and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Turnip," he lamented. "We are living in a gilded cage..."
Months kept passing by. When Hearth's Warming decorations were placed all around the building one day, Flash Point and Turnip Seed became aware that they had spent almost a year as pool toys at the water park. Even though they were having fun, they also felt despair. Did they actually want to spend their entire lives as pool toys? Perhaps not—but that choice was not theirs to make anymore.
Few weeks after the new year had begun, something unusual happened—Flash and Turnip were brought into the park manager's office. The manager asked them to sit down, but the inflatable stallions were a bit too puffy and stiff to sit on chairs. They gave up and chose to stand in front of the desk instead.
"Hello, boys," the manager said. "We have not met before, but I have been keeping an eye on you this past year. Your presence here has turned out to be very profitable—we get visitors every day who want to see and play with the living pool toys. As a result, we decided to keep you around for another year. This is completely in accordance with our contract. Thanks to the climate here, you will likely remain our property for years to come."
Even if the stallions could only show a happy smiling face on the outside, deep down they were horrified.
"But that is not why I had you brought to my office," the manager continued. "You see, I think those profit margins can be further improved with a bit of rebranding. That's why we've decided to make you two the official mascots of the water park. There's only one issue—your colors and cutie marks do not fit together with our new branding. So, we're sending you back to the factory to be repainted right away."
The idea of being turned into mascots was very unsettling to them. Being pool toys with some resemblance to their original selves kept them reminded of who they really were. There would be none of that left if they were to be repainted. Flash and Turnip felt like they were going to have their identities erased and be made into obedient pets owned by the park.
The pool toys were promptly deflated and packed tightly into a box. It took almost a week for the unicorn and the earth pony to be delivered back to the factory. As soon as they arrived, they were unpacked and filled up with air until they were puffy and wrinkleless. The factory workers carried them to the painting room.
Once there, the stallions were hung from the ceiling with strings. They had been slightly overinflated to make sure they didn't move during the painting. Their eyes and mouths were covered up with masking tape, as well as any other parts that were not supposed to get paint on them. Flash and Turnip soon started to feel wet as paint was being sprayed on them.
Some time later, their new paint jobs had been completed. Flash had received a bright yellow body with a vibrant purple mane and tail. There were also purple stripes painted on his legs, making him look like some sort of superhero. Turnip had the colors reversed to complement his friend. After the paint had dried, all the tape was removed. With their eyes uncovered, they could now see each other.
Flash was saddened when he looked at the purple pony hanging in front of him. Turnip felt the same way after seeing the yellow pony. They were now just a yellow stallion and a purple stallion who seemed unfamiliar to one another. Their cutie marks had been replaced by the logo of the water park. From now on, it would always be a painful reminder of whose property they had become.
The two ponies who had painted them were admiring the results of their labor. "They turned out pretty good, I think," one of them said. "I guess we're done here."
"Not just yet," the other pony replied. "The paint will rub off without heat treatment. We'll leave them in the steam press overnight for the paint to adhere to their surface properly. 12 hours in 150 degrees should be more than enough. Can't have any higher than that or they will melt and all we're gonna find next morning are two yellow and purple plastic sheets."
"Sounds like these boys are about to get a pretty good tan," the first pony quipped.
Had pool toys been able to sweat, Flash Point and Turnip Seed would have been doing so profusely right now. Both stallions were terrified of what awaited them. One of the ponies took them down and carried them to the pressing room. It had been a year since they had last been in that room. They could still vividly remember the feel of the hot press on their skin—it was not a pleasant feeling.
Flash was deflated and spread flat on the steel plate. "Don't leave me here! Please!" the yellow pool toy begged, to no avail. "It's no use... I can't utter a single word to save my life." The yet to be heated press descended upon him, squeezing his body nice and smooth between its heavy plates. "I'm so scared right now..."
Turnip received the same treatment. The purple pool toy was sealed within the press next to Flash's while the pony set their timers to exactly twelve hours. The pony turned on the boilers before going out, leaving the two freshly painted mascots alone to enjoy their so-called tanning. The cold steel plates slowly started to warm up.
"The first time already felt like an eternity," Flash thought, trying not to think about the intensifying heat tingling around his body. "What's longer than that? Forever? I think I'm going to lose my mind before that..."
"It's okay—I've been through this before," Turnip nervously repeated to himself, trying to brace himself for the upcoming ordeal. The ever-increasing heat did not make it easy for him to stay calm. "I'm just here a little bit longer than last time. It's already as warm in here as it gets, right?"
Half an hour later, the needle of the temperature gauge had barely reached the 100 degrees mark. The old, leaking boilers had trouble raising the heat up, but they were outstanding at maintaining it. The factory had chosen to keep using them for that very reason.
"Just how hot is this thing going to get?" Turnip whimpered. "I already feel like I'm melting! At this rate, I'll be nothing more than a flat sheet of plastic by the time it's over. Surely, it has got to be over soon..."
Almost one hour after the pony had left, the boilers had finally reached the temperature of 150 degrees. It was only then that the timers started counting down. The stallions still had a full twelve hours to spend inside their tanning beds. Now that the temperature had been stabilized, their bodies slowly started to get accustomed to the blistering heat.
"At least I'm not bored," Flash thought. "I am literally unable to think about anything else other than how hot it is in here!"
"I can't feel any of my legs anymore," Turnip fretted. "I must have melted down into a plastic sheet by now. Where are they going to send me then? Straight to the recycle bin, no doubt. Now I know how Flash must have felt back then..."
As hours passed, the stallions' new paint jobs became permanently blended into the surface of their skin. They had effectively been reborn as marketable mascots, and would most likely be renamed to reflect that fact. To each other, they would still always be Flash Point and Turnip Seed, no matter how they looked or others called them.
"Strange... It's like I'm slowly starting to feel normal," the unicorn wondered. "Maybe it's already over and the press has cooled down? But if that were true, why haven't they let me out yet?"
"When Flash told me that he was worried about being recycled and made into waste bags, I laughed," the earth pony thought regretfully. "I guess I'm halfway there at this point. It's not so funny anymore..."
The boilers maintained their temperature, hissing and steaming throughout the long night. The pool toys inside the press were utterly unaware of the passing of time. They might as well have been there for years—that's how they felt. All of a sudden, Flash and Turnip heard someone talk.
"Did you hear?" a muffled voice said. "These new mascots for the water park are supposedly sentient or something. Or that's what the label on them said before they were painted over."
"Yeah, I was the one who put those labels on them last year," another voice said. "I didn't take it seriously back then, but later I heard that the park actually had pool toys that can walk. I guess it was true after all. But where did they come from? Not from this factory, I can tell you that."
"You don't think they were once real ponies, do you? I can't imagine they're having much fun right now."
"The poor guys have had it rough these last twelve or so hours. Well, let's see how they're holding up."
A puff of steam came out as the press plates were lifted. The fresh air felt downright frigid on the skins of the superheated stallions. It almost made them wish to get back under the hot press. Once the steam had cleared, the mare and the stallion stepped closer to take a look at the brand new yellow and purple mascots.
"Do you think they can hear us?" the stallion suggested. "Either way, I just want to say that you two are the toughest ponies I've ever seen! You guys didn't even flinch when you were about to be flattened by a scalding hot steam press."
"Yeah!" the mare said. "Both of you must have nerves of steel."
Flash and Turnip felt a little embarrassed by the ponies' words. They probably would have been flinching non-stop had they been able to. But to be fair, the unicorn and the earth pony had just spent all night squashed flat under a scorching hot press and came out unscathed. They truly were tough little pool toy ponies.
"I know you've had it pretty rough, but I still need to print the labels on you," the stallion said. "Just hold on for a little longer, you're doing great!" The encouraging words cheered Flash and Turnip up and made them confident that they were in good hooves. The stallion prepared the labels and laid them on the backs of the new mascots. "Okay, it's coming down now—you'll be out in a few minutes, don't worry."
Once more, the pool toys were sealed between the press plates. They were happy to let the friendly pony finish them up. All the labels quickly melded into the plastic surface of the preheated pool toys. It had been a grueling process, but they had finally become living inflatable mascots for the water park—whether they had wanted it or not. The ponies took the yellow and purple pool toys out of the press and let them cool down completely.
"We have some time to spare," the mare said. "Let's fill them up and see if they can really walk! There's a pump here." She attached the hose to the purple pool toy and filled him up. As soon as he could, he stood up and started rubbing his head against the two ponies. "Wow, look at that!" she exclaimed. "Let's fill up the other one as well." A moment later, the yellow pool toy was trotting playfully around the two excited ponies.
The ponies played with the new mascots for a little while. In the end, the mare looked at Flash and said: "You guys were really fun to play with—but now it's time to get you guys packed up and sent back to where you came from."
Flash shook his squeaky head furiously. This was his only chance to let someone know of their predicament.
"Wait—you can actually understand me?" The mare was taken aback. "Nod, if you understood what I just said."
Flash nodded. The two ponies quickly realized that the pool toys were able to give answers to simple yes-or-no questions.
"Are you two actually real ponies that have been turned into pool toys?"
The unicorn and the earth pony nodded in unison.
"Why did you—I mean, did you become pool toys out of your own volition?"
Flash shook his head, while Turnip nodded. After seeing the unicorn's answer, the earth pony quickly changed his mind and started shaking his head as well.
"I see..." The mare stared at them confusedly. "Are you trying to say that you willingly turned yourself into pool toys, but are no longer allowed to change back?"
Both Flash and Turnip nodded this time.
"So, you guys are being held in the water park against your will?"
The stallions slowly bobbed their heads.
The two ponies quickly glanced at each other, looking concerned. "What should we do now?" the mare asked. "We can't just send them back there against their will, can we?"
"We'll get in trouble if we don't," the stallion said. "They're probably just messing with us. Come on, let's pack them up." The stallion stood up and approached the pool toys.
Flash and Turnip backed into the corner and embraced each other out of fear. Even if their faces could not display emotions other than a happy smile, their movements made the ponies realize that they were actually frightened. Both ponies started to feel sorry for them.
"Look, we won't send you back there if you don't want to," the mare said. The pool toys visibly calmed down. "But it is true—we will get in serious trouble if we don't send you back without delay. We were told that the park urgently wants its new mascots done. How about this? We'll send you back for now, and then we'll start thinking about a way to help you."
Flash and Turnip were hesitant to accept the offer.
"We will get you guys out of there—we promise," the mare said, extending her hoof out. The stallion smiled and bobbed their head in agreement.
The pool toys returned meekly to the two ponies, who promptly wrapped their hooves around their necks and hugged them. "It might take some time, but we will do our best to help you guys out," the mare said. "Do you trust us?"
Flash and Turnip nodded.
"I'm guessing you did not really enjoy your time under the hot press either?" the stallion asked.
Flash and Turnip nodded again, bowing their heads sadly and somberly.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. It must have been awful," the stallion said regretfully. "You really are the toughest ponies I know. But now, if you allow me, I'd like to let the machine pack you up. Then you will be sent back. Don't worry, we'll think of something."
The stallions let themselves be deflated. They were laid out flat on the conveyor belt and before they knew it, the machine had them folded up and deposited in the receiving tray as compact little packages once again. The mare they had met earlier picked them up and sent them on their way. Flash Point and Turnip Seed now had hope in their metaphorical hearts that someday, they would be rescued and turned back into normal ponies.
Back at the water park, their life remained mostly the same as before. The main difference was that everyone had started calling them by their new names given to them by their owners. Flash and Turnip had to make a conscious effort not to forget who they were. Being forcibly made into characters they weren't was emotionally draining.
Two weeks passed. One morning, the mascots were floating in the pool, waiting for the water park to open. Right after the park opened, they saw two familiar looking ponies approaching the pool. The pegasus mare and the earth pony stallion jumped into the water and swam up to them.
"Hi, guys!" the mare said. "Remember us? We told you we'd come back and help you. My name is Windy Vale, by the way. And this is my friend Live Wire. We forgot to introduce ourselves earlier."
The ponies played with the pool toys for a little while. In the end, they all grouped together in the middle of the pool, where no one could hear them talk.
"As much fun as it is playing with you guys, we'd better get serious for a moment," Windy said. "We can't sneak you out of here without anypony noticing. We can't wear saddlebags or anything like that here without raising suspicion. And the workers would probably catch us anyway if we tried to deflate you. But we came up with another idea."
The inflatable stallions listened attentively.
"As it happens, the park management has placed an order for the factory to start producing copies of their mascots to be sold away. So, if we could somehow get you guys sent back to the factory, we could swap you for ordinary toys. Then we would just tell the park that there was a mix-up, and the living mascots ended up on store shelves."
Flash and Turnip tilted their heads in concern.
"Don't worry, you guys won't actually have to be sold. We can get you out of the factory after hours without anypony noticing since we have access to every room there. Then we can start working on turning you back into normal ponies. I hope you guys have some idea on how to do that—because we certainly don't..."
Flash began bobbing his head.
"Good," the mare said. "That leaves us with just one problem—getting you to the factory. This is the part that you're not going to like... In order to get them to send you there, you will have to be broken. The workers here can fix small leaks and punctures, so you will have to be severely damaged to make them send you back to the factory. There, we can get you guys repaired with the proper equipment."
The pool toys visibly trembled with fear.
"I know it's bad, but it's the best we could come up with. Of course, we have no idea how painful it will be for you. You'd be putting your lives in our hooves. Will you allow us to go through with it?"
Turnip shook his head furiously. Flash put his hoof on the earth pony's shoulder and nodded. After all, the unicorn had been punctured before and he knew that the pain would not linger for more than a few seconds. Turnip trusted that his friend knew what he was doing, and nodded his head as well. The plan was in action.
"I know you're scared," Live Wire said, "but like I said earlier, you two are the toughest ponies I know. Okay, here's what you need to do—see that circular metal grate at the water level in the other end of the pool? That's the water filtering system intake. I'll remove the grate to expose the pipe behind it. Then we'll leave so as to not get blamed for anything. After that, you two will go and push your hoof up against the pipe. Got it?"
Flash and Turnip bobbed their heads timidly.
"Don't wait too long—best to do it while the pool is still empty," the stallion said. "Good luck—see you back at the factory."
The pool toys watched Live Wire dive underwater and make their way to the grate. They grabbed it with their hoof and quickly pulled it off, letting it fall to the bottom of the pool. The stallion made their way back to the mare and surfaced, gasping for air. No one had seen anything. The two ponies climbed out of the pool and left the water park.
After waiting a moment, Flash and Turnip paddled together towards the intake pipe. Without the metal grate in place, anything near the pipe got drawn towards it by the current it created. "So, that little hole is our way out?" Turnip thought nervously. "I'm so scared—at least Flash is right here with me. Okay, here goes..."
The smooth bottom of Turnip's hoof formed an airtight seal around the rim of the pipe. The suction squeezed his hoof down until it fitted inside the pipe, slowly starting to pull the rest of his leg in as well. The earth pony felt other parts of his body start to bloat up when the air shifted inside him.
"I changed my mind!" Turnip thought in terror. "Get me out! I don't want to—"
All of a sudden, a seam in Turnip's tail burst open with a loud bang. The violently escaping air tore his tail apart almost all the way to the dock. Unable to hold any pressure, his body collapsed on itself. The earth pony was compressed into a crumpled cylinder as he was sucked into the pipe, accompanied by a squelching sound.
Seeing his friend blow up and disappear into the hole made Flash freak out. "I don't wanna do this anymore!" he cried in panic. "I'll be a good mascot, just get me out of here!" But he could not escape the current, and his hoof soon got caught in the hole. Try as he might, the unicorn could not contain the rising pressure forever. Suddenly, his chest ripped open and he was sucked into the pipe as well.
Once the initial shock had worn off, Flash and Turnip became aware of what was happening. They were slowly being pulled deeper into the pipe as the pump sucked them gluttonously ever closer to its impeller blades. Both of them could already hear its whirr. "Am I still alive?" Flash asked anxiously. "They need to stop the pump before—" The whirring noise suddenly became louder and more rattly, as if something was being shredded. "Please, let it not be Turnip Seed..."
The pool workers had finally noticed that there was a blockage in the pipe and stopped the pump. "Thank goodness!" Flash was relieved. "How do I get out of here?" The unicorn was lodged deep inside the pipe, a long way from the pool. Then the pump was restarted. "No, don't—" Flash cried. He felt the increasing pressure push him forward. "Oh, I see—they're blowing us out of the pipe! I sure hope Turnip is alright..."
After some forceful pushing, Flash appeared at the end of the pipe. One of the workers pulled him out and set him down on the floor. At the moment, his shape was more akin to a pool noodle than an inflatable pony. The pipe had crushed his body into a dense cylinder. Soon enough, Turnip came out in one piece as well and the pony set him down next to Flash.
"Wait a minute..." the pony said, looking at the two cylinders. "We'd better let the boss know about this."
The pony picked them up and brought them to the park manager's office. The yellow and purple pool noodles were laid on the wooden desk. "And what are these supposed to be?" the manager asked grumpily. "Stop wasting my time, I have work to do."
"There was a little accident," the pony explained meekly. "The grate covering the intake pipe had fallen off, and the mascots apparently got a little too curious. They were sucked into the pipe, and when we got them out they looked like this. We tried to pull them back into shape, without success."
"These are our beloved mascots?" the manager exclaimed, staring at the yellow and purple cylinders in front of him. "Just great... I suppose we have no other choice than to send them to the factory. Maybe they'll be able to fix our mascots up..."
The pool noodles were placed in a box and sent off to the factory. Flash and Turnip were extremely worried—the damage they had received seemed excessive. Was it even possible to restore them? Even if the ponies had successfully got them out of the water park, would they remain as little plastic tubes for the rest of their life?
A few days later, the stallions arrived at the factory. "Looks like our plan worked," Windy Vale said as she laid the cylinders on the table. The mare rolled Flash and Turnip back and forth for a bit and sighed. "I'm not going to lie—you guys are in pretty bad shape. You look like you came out of a trash compactor. Too bad Live Wire isn't here to help me today—but I'll do my best to get you guys repaired."
The mare began to meticulously unfold the countless creases and crinkles on the stallions' bodies. She had to be careful to avoid using too much force so as to not cause any rips or tears. The process took her over an hour, but eventually she had managed to spread the crumpled stallions out on the table. Flash and Turnip were able to see once again, even though their vision was heavily distorted due to all the wrinkles on their eyes.
"This doesn't look too bad," she said. "You both have a burst seam, but I should be able to join them back, no problem." The stallions became fearful when Windy placed a soldering iron on the table. "You'll be fine, don't worry. First, I have to get all those wrinkles out of you so that I can get the broken seams aligned. I'm sorry, guys, but you're going to the steam press."
Windy Vale laid Flash and Turnip on their side under the press one at a time. After a while, the press had ironed all the wrinkles out of them, making their surface perfectly smooth. Then she began repairing the seam in Flash's chest. Melting the seam back together bit by bit felt tingly to him. "All done," the mare said at last. "You're a brave little unicorn. I'll fix your friend now and then I'll get you inflated."
Turnip's tail was a different story—not only was it ripped in half, it also had a huge chunk of it missing. Windy made the tail airtight as well as she could, but in the end, only a short, stubby tail remained on Turnip's rump. Hoses were attached to the valves of both pool toys, and they were carefully filled up. Soon, Flash and Turnip could finally get up and walk again. Both stallions began rubbing their heads against the mare out of gratitude.
"Good to see you guys are alright," Windy said. She then turned to Turnip and said: "I'm sorry about your tail, but that was the best I could do. I'm sure it will grow back after you have been turned back into a normal pony."
Turnip looked sadly at the stub sticking out of his rump. "Unfortunately, we don't have time to celebrate just yet," she said. "The first production run ends today, and fixing you took so much time that I'll have to get you packaged right away." Windy gave both Flash and Turnip one last hug before deflating them. Then the mare carried them over to the production hall. She placed the mascots on a conveyor belt amongst other identical pool toys and left.
All the pool toys were folded up and packaged in small boxes. The sight of countless similar packages on the conveyor belt made them worried. "How will she ever find us?" Turnip fretted. "If we wind up on the store shelves as products, we might be lost forever. We'll be bought and left to collect dust in a closet—only to be taken out once or twice every summer."
The stallions were packed into a crate with dozens of identical pool toys. They felt like they were being moved and carried around every now and then. Eventually, all movement stopped and they remained still, seemingly for days. "We must have been sold to somepony by now," Flash thought dejectedly. "Why else hasn't that mare taken us out yet? Well, it was worth a try..."
Couple of days later, the box was finally opened. Flash and Turnip were relieved to see Windy's face again. "Hi, guys!" she said. "Sorry it took so long. I had to make sure I wouldn't lose track of you. Then something else came up that I had to take care of. For the last few days, you've been sitting safely in my bedroom."
It took some effort for Flash to explain to Windy how to help turn them back. After a few days, she had obtained all the required ingredients for the cure. The unicorn helped her brew it as well as he could, just like he had done with Turnip a long time ago. He reckoned that being completely submerged would not be necessary after all—it should be enough for the mare to spread the potion on them with a brush.
"The moment of truth," the wet stallions thought. They quickly began to feel warmer and heavier. Their lips came apart, ending over a year of silence. Their manes and tails grew hairy again, even though Turnip's tail looked like it had been cut by a foal. As soon as their valves had disappeared, Flash and Turnip hugged each other heartily.
"It's finally over," Turnip said. "I thought we would never be back to our normal selves. We'd never have made it out without Windy Vale and Live Wire." The mare blushed visibly and walked out of the room, leaving the stallions by themselves for a while.
"I'm glad we're finally back to being real ponies again," Flash replied. "Although, it looks like they got the last laugh..."
Turnip opened his eyes and took a step back. He teared up as he saw Flash standing in front of him with their yellow coat and purple mane. He looked down at his purple hooves and then behind at his cutie mark—which was still the logo of the water park. Even the warning labels had remained on his back, even if they were mostly unreadable on his hairy coat. The unicorn took the earth pony back into their embrace.
"Please don't tell me we are going to look like this forever," Turnip wailed. "I don't want to be a walking water park advertisement for the rest of my life!"
"I'm not sure of that," Flash said quietly. "Perhaps our coats and manes will eventually grow back in their original colors. If not, we'll figure something out. The most important thing is that we're living and breathing ponies once again."
Turnip was still sniffling. Flash stroked his hoof softly on Turnip's back. "Don't be sad," the unicorn said. "For most of the last year, I could tell that you were having the time of your life."
"Yeah, I really was," the earth pony said, calming down at last. "It felt incredibly satisfying to make all those ponies smile every day. And I could just squeak happily all the while. I now understand why you were so eager to experience it all over again back then."
"How about you?" Flash Point asked. "Would you like to experience it again sometime?"
"Don't tempt me," Turnip Seed retorted.
They both laughed.
