(Entry for octoberthon #6. I’ll be taking some creative liberties as I’ve never seen the films and glean what I have off of memes and references from true fans. apologies in advance.)
Bill scrolled over the list of recommended items on his amazon account trying to think what drunk order might have screwed it up so badly. He scrolled past winter chains, jerry cans, glass jars, japanese figurines, detail paint brushes, weird masks, and red tricycles when he stopped and scrolled back. just what was wrong with that goofy looking mask? He enlarged the image just to laugh at it. It looked derped with crossed eyes pointing to the outside of the room and its mouth hung slightly ajar. It was far too long on the bottom extending down several inches and couldn’t really cover the chin having almost no connecting material to the raised bulbous cheek bones. The whole thing was painted white as a clown with a pair of red spirals on the inflated cheekbones the only splash of color. It was like it wanted you to laugh at it. He went to the page wanting to see what it was on about not caring how it screwed over his algorithm. He was greeted with the item description: REAL saw trap killer replica. From first hand eye witness reports! That took the mirth out of it. He felt a sour taste in his mouth as he remembered the stories the paper had given over the last few weeks. Hadn’t people actually died from this? Who could live with themselves profiting on such awful things. He shuddered at the memories of the more precise and detailed rumors on the forums. The real killer was one sick puppy. No one deserved a fate that nasty. He heard the clattering of his garbage cans being knocked over and a dark look crossed his face. ‘well maybe one or two that deserve it.’ He went to the back door knowing exactly who it was. “Russel.” He growled trying to keep his anger measured. The fluffy knew he’d been had and ran off to fetch the rest of his herd. He got stuck slipping under the fence and bill gave him a tap with his shoe to help push through. Bill sighed went back inside and sat back down to the goofy looking mask. A smile curled his lips as he hit purchase.
The herd returned some time later. They had been quite far away but they prefered this area. The humans never hurt them and the blue humans only made them go away.
“Awe we thewe yet?” Petal complained “Babbehs gettin heaby.”
“Yu suwe yu kno’ way dummeh?” the smarty asked. He wasn’t very patient and his mate complaining made him less so.
“O-ob couwse smawtie!” Russel stammered. He was always nervous he wouldn’t be let back in after one of his scouting missions.
“Shaddup. Walkies gud fo’ yu.” Mary said. She was a little grey in the fluff and her expertise in healthy living bought her the luxury of such insolence. Gruff decided to threaten her anyway.
“Nu tawk tu smawty dat way! Petaw say tu tiwed she tu tiwed!” Mary laughed thinking something funny.
“Mawy don’ fink smawty agwee on dat. Yu nu wan’ tawkies fine. Nex’ time yu find bewwy, yu can be poison checkew.” Gruff snorted. He could force her compliance if it came to that. If she died then oh well. They still had a few hangers-on to try the old ways. He glanced back at the two carrying all their stockpiled food between them in a discarded shopping bag. The smaller of the two lowered his head not liking the toughies gaze. The larger one reared stomping in anger.
“Dawwen! Howd yu side!” He half screamed around the plastic loop.
“Sowwy Mauwice.” He said wanting to shrink back more but having to hold his head high to help the fluffy. He shit himself at the fear of all the angry fluffies around him and kept walking. Kissass bringing up the rear of the group thought about stopping to eat it. If they kept walking maybe he could even get a few bites of real grass without the smarty yelling at him. He thought better of it knowing there was a serious possibility if they got too far ahead he couldn’t catch up.
“Dewe!” Russel said pointing with a hoof. “Jus’ nee’ knock ober twash cansies an’ hab wots ob nummies!” He said cheerfully. Smarty was unimpressed.
“T’ought yu said had gud nummies.” Russel panicked unsure what to say.
“Bu’ much mowe nummies! nu tummie huwties! an’ nice human pwace. aways chance ob gud nummies!” Smarty snorted.
“Den what nee’ scout fwuffy fow?” He asked coldly. Darren lowered his head.
“Sowwy smawty.” The smarty grunted. ‘if only good nummies are going to be from humans may as well start asking now.’ He thought. He pounded his hooves on the door as his herd worked on tipping the big metal can. A man answered with a glossy glazed over look in his eyes. The smarty puffed out his cheeks and stomped into his most intimidating stance possible.
“Human! Dis Smawty wand nao! Weab ow bwing skettis!” The human sighed deeply as he considered punting this little cunt into the stratosphere. He held off for the big show.
“Of course.” He said still not happy to be doing as these things asked. He brought out a steaming silver soup pot and Smarty was was delighted by the smell.
“Human weawwy hab skettis? Awweady?” The human clicked in disgust.
“You fuckers come around about once a month. There’s bitching and moaning, the hugbox bitch from the hoa tries to fine me for not bending over backwards for you, the police move you on, and I see you again in another month. Of course I’m going to expect you. I’m tired of it so yeah there’s going to be no further complaints about your treatment.” He ladled out a pile of skettis and dropped it on the grass. Smarty smiled. ‘Russel did a very good job.’ He thought as he and his herd dug in. The human kept ladling out more and even Kissass was allowed into the feast. Smarty yawned as he stepped away from his endless eating. ‘Maybe I overdid it. I feel so sleepy.’ He thought as he fell over and his eyes slowly squeezed shut.
“Nightie-night shitrat.” He heard the human say as he drifted off to sleep.
Kissass woke up on a dingy stage hastily constructed out of particleboard. On two sides of him chickenwire fences blocked him in. The third wall caught his attention as a number of monitors lit up each bearing a strange clown mask.
“Hello.” It said, a voice modulator squaring off the sound into a tinny robotic noise. “I want to play a game. In life you were looked down on, designated eater of shit and licker of ass. Today you will be given this power. Those who looked down on you, you now have the ability to look down on. You are renamed smart ass to show your power. But heavy weighs the crown on the kings head.” Smart ass realized that tickling on his scalp was the thorns of a tiara woven from barbed wire. He felt a sort of wetness where they dug in and tried not to panic. “At several points you will be offered the chance to make the trials of your friends easier. You are free to refuse but they may not survive without you. If you do ease the burden you will take it upon yourself. Watch carefully.” The screens changed to strange angles on a number of different rooms. The brown fluff sat and worried about what this new power meant.
Russel stirred looking around blinking. ‘Dark time already? Can’t believe I got so careless. Where’s the fluffpile?’ He felt around the room trying to find warm soft companionship but failed. His breath quickened as he thought he might have been left behind. There was a click and he was blinded by the static of a huge screen in the middle of the room. He blinked away the burned images in his retinas and realized his worst fear had come to fruition. He really was alone.
“Hello russel.” He heard, and he spun to look at the pale face on the screen.
“How yu kno’ fwuffy name?” He demanded of the image.
“I know exactly what you do.” It said unblinking. “I’ve seen the result of your actions. You are a harbinger of your plague. You lead them to the weak, the innocent, the naiive. You carry a tide of devastation with you everywhere you go and try to outrun the consequences of your continued existance. I’ve brought you here for a very special reason, if you will accept it.” Russel stood proudly glad to hear some shorter words he actually knew.
“Oh yeah? Wha’s dat?” The face was still as it answered.
“I’ve brought you to atone. Denounce your fluffy brethren and step into the pillowing table to your right. You will lose your legs and you will carry your plague no further but you will find comfort and plenty among humans. You have my word no worse harm will come to you.” Russel puffed his cheeks at that.
“Human nu take weggies! Fwuffies am gud fing! Am gud to hewp hewd! Wussew wub hewd!” He yelled emphatically.
“Then you will reject my offer?” The face asked unchanging. Russel nodded resolute not to be intimidated. “Very well. If you will not admit the evil of your deeds go to the left. You will find a fitting game waiting there.” Another loud click as a spotlight illuminated a new room and four more monitors came on. “You were always the first into a new area now you will be the last one out. You brought the doom of your kind to every place you ran. Now they will bring the doom to you. Note the numbers under each of the monitors. See how they correspond to the numbers on the floor. Your friends will be given the opportunity to skip their trials knowing they have killed another in doing so. If they accept this you’ll find you’ll lose much more than some limbs. Do you trust your so called friends to love you as you love them? Choose carefully as you can only take one way out.” Russel sat thinking on if he trusted this strange human. He shook his head forcefully and strode confidently to the left. His confidence wavered as the gate clattered shut behind him. There really wasn’t anywhere to stand beyond the four squares marked out on the floor. “Make peace in your decision. The screens will show the efforts of your friends whether it brings salvation, or defeat.” The face was gone showing other rooms from odd angles. Russel laid down in the center of the room and stared expectantly.
Petal woke up in a bright room and tried to block the light with a hoof. “Tu eawwy…” she whined. She felt a hungry sucking at her teats and smiled giving a soft coo for her babies. She settled in and tried to fall asleep.
“Hello.” a voice called behind her. She looked and saw a pale mask shining on a tv speaking to her. “I want to play a game.” It said.
“Wha’ gamesie?” She asked confused as to where the tv came from. She blinked and realized she was inside some kind of building. She looked again and saw it wasn’t babies but some metal tube things drinking her milk. She kicked them away and they kept sucking at empty air.
“A test of your resolve.” It said. Petal looked around and realized there were no babies here. She wandered trying to look for them. The voice droned on as she ignored it. “You lived an almost spoiled life. Your every whim was catered to and enforced by your mate. The only limit to what was lavished upon you was the availability in your destitution. By far the worst quality you have is what you have done to the next generation of fluffies.” It paused waiting for a reaction but she was still ignoring him. “Your babies.” It elaborated. That got her attention rather quickly.
“Babbehs? Wha’ munstew facie du tu babbehs?” It didn’t answer immediately.
“Your children are safe for now. Their continued state relies on your action. The sins of the mother, the sins of the son. Your babies are an extension of you and bear the weight of your deeds. You will find them through this door but each comes with a sacrifice.” A light clicked on and a new hallway she hadn’t noticed opened up to her. She walked obediantly into it stepping across a scary looking shiny wire as she went. There was a thud on the glass on her left and she started but saw it looked like a foal.
“Babbeh?” She asked unsure.
“Mummah hewp!” It screamed muffled. She looked through the holes in the mesh but it was hard to see. She noted the wings beating rapidly behind it but then saw the point on his head. ‘Oh.’ She thought in disappointment. “The monster baby.”
“Here is the first of your challenges.” The voice droned having moved to a new closer screen. “Your milk has been drained. You have nothing to offer your children. To your right a microwave full of skettis. To your left a microwave with the least of your foals. The two have been connected by a length of wire in the door. Push the skettis button on the right and you’ll have the bestest food for your milk but your foal will fry. Push the release on the left and you’ll have one foal and nothing to offer him. The needs of the many, the needs of the few. Make your choice.” The foal had been listening in and pleaded pitifully.
“Pwease mummah, wet out? Babeh scawed.” She scoffed. This monster thought it could make demands to her?
“Nu cawe. yu am just fo’ if nu nummies a-nee-way” The foal was shocked
“Mummah nu wub bestest nu mowe? Pwease mummah sabe babbeh!” Mummah didn’t bother answering hitting the circled button on the microwave as the lights came on and the two began spinning.
“Nu mummah! SCREEEEEE!” It screamed as its eyes boiled out of its sockets and blood burst out from under its skin. In two minutes the skettis gave off heavenly wisps of steam and the foal lay motionless having moved its last.
“Dummy munstah. Finks can twick mummah into finking am bestest. Hmph!” She ate her fill of delicious skettis and left her foal behind not even checking if it had survived.
Gruff woke to the sounds of bickering. He tried to shake the annoyance away but it hurt to shake. He cracked his eyes open and realized a human must have gotten to them in their sleep. Darren was freaking out about a hook in his nostril and maurice was licking at a hook in his lip. Both of them seemed carefully tied to whatever was at hand to anchor them in place. Gruff looked around and found his own string. He tried to follow where it went and with a twitch of the ear confirmed he had a shiny new adornment. A voice spoke overhead as a tv showed a still image of a pale mask.
“Hello. I want to play a game.” Gruff sneered at this
“Nu cawe! Wet fwuffy gu!” He stamped in anger.
“In due time. In life you ruled in anger. your sadism kept others in line and obedient. Here you will find the cost of survival to be much greater. Mere obedience will be insufficient. Do, or die.” The face dissappeared and the three looked to each other. Gruff barked orders at his carriers without a hint of fear at this new predicament.
“Dawwen! Hewe!” He called. Darren muttered his continued panic as he curled up on the ground. Gruff clicked his teeth in anger. Darren had always been a coward. “Mauwice. Come hewe.” Maurice dutifully walked to him. The string behind him rose until it was taught behind him and his head was pulled to the side. He took two step back and frowned.
“Sowwy gwuff. Nu can get tu yu.” Gruff walked forward until a sharp pain pulled on his ear and he stepped back to a comfortable range. Wasn’t even close. He looked and figured the two corners next to each other might be closer.
“Twy tu hewp Dawwen. Dawwen get cwose tu Mauwice!” Maurice slowly felt out the edge of where the string could get him as he moved to Darren. Darren didn’t snap out of his funk immediately. It was only when he saw maurice walking closer that he tried running up to him for a hug. Lucky for darren the string was plentiful. Maurice grabbed the pretty metal and pulled gently. Every little tug made Darren complain more and more about hurties. Maurice sighed and dropped it as Darren crossed his eyes staring at it.
“Maybe nu puww? Maybe… push curwy bit?” Gruff scoffed as he started to pace. ‘First he complains about hurties, then he wants to make it even harder to get out.’ He lashed out at Darren.
“Das stupie! Nu be dummie fwuffy! Am stuck hewe.” Maurice looked at him then went back to fiddling with the hook. ‘Dummy or not can’t do nothing.’ He thought. He pulled it out and the two managed to grip a piece of string between them snapping it and taking away the hooks biting powers.
“Yu did it!” Darren cheered hugging Maurice. Gruff noticed their success and resumed his leadership role.
“Gud jobbie! Now dawwen come fwee gwuff.” Darren was shocked at the heel turn of his mood.
“T’ought yu said dummie fwuffy.” Gruff gritted his teeth in a sudden rage and charged at Darren. He pushed through the pain as the hook tore through his ear and he tackled Darren into the wall. He stomped one hoof on his throat and held it leaving Darren choking in a panic. Darren was unaccustomed to violence and flailed his hooves against the bigger fluffy rapidly. Despite the weak target his strikes showed no effect.
“Gwuff nu ask yu o-pin-yun. Gwuff teww yu come. Yu nu du what gwuff say, bad fings happen tu yu. Gwuff say. Yu do. Got it?” He dropped him and Darren began coughing violently between painful gasps. Gruff walked through the door to the next room without waiting for an answer. Darren stopped to help Maurice before they ran to catch up with Gruff.
Mary woke up feeling uncomfortable. Her old bones weren’t used to such tight confinement. She tried looking around but the room was dark. ‘A sorry box.’ She thought. ‘I must have been picked up by the pound. For an oldie like me that’s probably curtains. Just one last jaunt and the incinerator. Too late for a daring escape now. At least my life was rather full.’ She laid her head back down and waited for the flames.
Smarty woke up with a painful feeling in his lumps. He looked to them and saw they were a dark color and something tan was wrapped around their base.
“Hello, shitrat.” A voice called down. Smartie wasted no time in antagonizing it.
“Why yu huwt smawty wumps?” He demanded. His focus clearly being the most important thing in the world right then.
“Because, fuck you.” It answered simply.
“Smawty nu want wump huwties! Gib sketti an petaw and toysies! Wan pway gamesie wif babbehs.” The voice chuckled.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself. You’ll find all that soon enough. Look to your left.” Smarty looked and saw a small tunnel leading out of the rather cramped room. There was a solid thunk and the tunnel closed off with a notably brown wall. “You forced others to feed on your shit. Now, the only way out of this room is through a biofuel log, or as you would know it compressed fluffy shit. There’s enough air in that room for about two hours. If you start now you should go through the log in an hour and a half. Bon apetite.” Smarty stamped and kicked the wall. It did not budge.
Time passed. Smarty felt lightheaded. The air must be going bad. The smell was overwhelming. He tried pawing at the wall but compression left it stronger than he could mulch apart with soft hoofpads. Only his teeth had the edge to leave a mark. He bit again and tossed the pebble aside. His neck ached. The strain of the constant back and forth was more than he could bear. He looked to the wall with growing disgust and bit a larger chunk out of it. The taste made him want to vomit. He swallowed instead and began to cry.
Smart ass stared at the screen as Smartie paced the small room. He had given up and was testing if any of the steel walls were easier to get through.
“How wong smawtie hab tu num poopies?” He asked. The voice responded.
“He has about ten minutes before it becomes hopeless.” Smart ass sighed.
“Nu wan smawty gu foweba sweepies. Hewp smawty.” A small door above him opened and a cube of wet shit plopped down next to him.
“Half for you. Half remains.”
Smarty bit at the wall and choked back another revolting bite. He felt the air growing thinner. The powerful poop was stealing away his ability to breathe. He ripped away at the end of the tunnel pushing it to the sides and down his body. It was soaking into his fluff and he felt awful but he didn’t have time to complain. He tore back another bite and as he swallowed he felt a tiny spark of hope. There in front of him a pinprick of light among the brown. He shoved himself forward pressing his nose against the wall then through. Air! He closed his eyes not worrying about the feeling on his face. He gulped deep desperate breaths. It smelled… awful, like poopies really, but it was fresh! He savored the feeling as his strength slowly returned to him. ‘When I find that human I’m going to give so many hurties.’ He thought as he set about clearing enough to escape.
Gruff walked into the new room with a calm not unlike boredom. Directly in front of him was a metalic dip in the floor. He looked down into the hopper and saw the great screw of an auger sluggishly churning forward. It was slow to be certain but also uncompromising in the way only industrial machinery could be. He saw a shiny glint underneath it and the floor far below though it did look like it had a ramp up to where he was.
“I see you’ve found the main attraction of this room.” The voice spoke overhead. He looked up but couldn’t isolate where the sound came from. “Just below the grinder you’ll see the key to the next room. Knock it off the nail and nothing stands in the way forward. Just watch you don’t get ground into meat. If you’d prefer I can also open the door for you now, however you have a one in four chance of killing a random fluffy. Look to one of your legs and imagine it as the killing blow. Can you live with that decision?” Gruff had seen three legged fluffs before. He knew how it slowed them, how hard it was to escape without all four legs. ‘If it’s one leg or the whole fluff doesn’t matter. Only one is guaranteed.’
“Buck dat, kiww da fwuffy.”
Russel barely had time to step off when he saw gruff come on screen. The plate buzzed ominously as the gate slid open on the screen. “Wha’? Fwuffy gib up? Bu’ nu twy nuffin’!” He hadn’t expected such callous reactions from his friends when it came to whether he lived or not.
“Perhaps it was a fluke, perhaps you chose wrong.” The voice comforted from above. Russel didn’t feel as sure anymore.
Darren and maurice walked in and looked around expecting the worst. “Wha’ fwuffies need du now?” Maurice asked. Gruff grunted.
“Doow awweady open. Wet’s gu.” Darren was shocked. He expected more difficulty getting ou than the last room.
“How gwuff do dat?” He asked. Gruff stared him down until his ears flattened.
“No wowwy abou’ it.” He walked through the gate and they followed. The next room was a little better adorned. There was a weird tube thing on one wall and a grid of buttons on the floor. They were less happy about the mess of spikes opposite the tube. The buttons were all different colors same as any kindergarteners homework. They pressed at random trying to see what they did. The choices in primaries, secondaries, pigments, and brown were almost overwhelming. With the third button pushed a little black box on the gate buzzed angrily and a red light turned on. There was a groan of hydraulics as the spikes started inching towards them intent to spear or crush them.
“You’ve found the lock, now you only need press the keys to open it.” The voice kicked in. “Look to the telescope if you need help guessing colors.” Darren ran to the tube hoping it was this telley’s cope the voice mentioned. He peered cautiously in the end of it and thought he saw outside. There was a big blue sky over the top half and the bottom half was green.
“Am bwue an’gween!” He yelled. Maurice pressed the two buttons but nothing happened.
“Doow nu wike! Needs fird cowew.” He called back. Darren looked but there wasn’t one.
“Nu fird cowew.” He yelled back. Maurice panicked. That sounded like outside. Green things sometimes had brown sticks outside. He pressed brown. The black box buzzed again and a second light appeared next to the first. The spikes sped up. Gruff puffed his cheeks and threatened Darren.
“Wook hawdew dummy!” He yelled shoving him forward. As Darren touched the eyepiece the latch gave way and a spring pushed a two inch nail into his eye.
“SCREEEEEE! WED! EBWYTING WED!” He cried bloody tears as he tore himself away. Maurice hit green, blue, and red and the box chirped as green dots flashed across the top. Gruff and Maurice ran through the gate as Daren stumbled blind and fell on his side.
“Huwwy Dawwen!” Maurice yelled at him. He struggled to his feet but could hardly see which way to move. Maurice looked to the spikes worriedly and ran out to him.
“Mauwice git back hewe!” Gruff yelled after him. He flinched but kept running. He grabbed Darren by the scruff and dragged him to the gate. The spikes on the wall scraped at his haunches as he slipped in but they didn’t catch. “Why mauwice wun ou’ again wike a dummy?” Gruff demanded of him.
“Dawwen nu could get out!” He said simply. Gruff didn’t back down and his eyes burned through him with searing hate.
“If Dawwen tu dummy tu wun, den weave him.” He said. Maurice was speechless. ‘Gruff could be mean now and then but to just leave Darren? That’s unfluffy. Only a monster could do that.’ He stood still as stone as Gruff walked on. Maurice wasn’t sure he wanted to follow but the way back was all spikes. He was trapped with a monster.
Petal rounded the corner and saw a sight that would terrify any fluffy. Directly in front of her was what looked like a swimming pool with ramps leading in on both sides of the hall.
“How’s your fluffypaddle?” asked the voice. “You’ll note this room is fairly safe if you keep your head. Stick to the path and it only goes a foot deep. I’d be surprised if you got your shoulders wet. The real challenge is the pillar on the right. Go for it and you will run out of ground to stand on. Don’t and your foal will.” She looked to the right and saw there were walls turning the ramp to greater depths into a hallway. Out there in the open water was a simple pillar. Overhead heavy belts of cloth shifted back and forth as they moved agonizingly slowly covering the plinth and knocking whatever detritus littered its surface to the sides. Among the sand and sediment was a bigger teal lump peeping desperately. To the panicked foal the water seemed endless making her little platform a marooned island.
“Nu wowwy babbeh! Mummah comin’!” Petal yelled charging fearlessly into the water.
“Mummah? Mummah!” The foal screamed. Her mothers words echoed around her but all she saw was the dreaded water. Petal turned down the hall towards the pillar. She saw the belts covered half its surface already. She charged running faster trying to ignore how the water rose to meet her face, how the ground slipped away until she only made contact on her very tiptoes. “SCREEEEEE! Sea munstah!” The foal cried grabbing onto the belt of cloth trying to climb away. Petal tried to talk but she only burbled under the water. It was reaching her eyes now. She was running out of ground to stand on so she lept off diving to the foal. “Nu! Ge’ back! Ge’ back! MUMMAH!” It screamed. Petal tried to climb up looking for anything to stand on on top of the water. To her surprise it worked her body surging up sharply before sinking back down. She climbed the water furiously like the worlds worst staircase. She pushed up until her eyes were over the water but it wasnt far enough. The foal curled its back legs up as the belt of cloth pushed all the way over its platform yet it still clung to it in terror. “Gu way! Munstah gu way! Mummah!” It screamed. Petal pushed all the harder her lungs burning with the effort. Her mouth got over the water long enough for a single syllable.
“Bab-” she spoke falling back lower. The foal was stunned.
“Mummah?” It asked incredulously. ‘But wawa bad for fluffies? Why would mama go in the wawa?’ She thought. She fought higher trying to push her head higher even as she sank deeper.
“Mummah hewe babbeh. Mummah hewe. It be ok. Jus’ wet go.” The babbeh was confused. It sure looked like a monster, and only a monster would want her to go in. On the other hoof it did sound like mummah, and she trusted mummah. She let go. The water was freezing and she gasped at the chill filling her lungs with water. She felt the beasts teeth as it grabbed her and she thought herself done for. She found herself tossed high but landed almost gently on the creatures head and she latched onto its mane. Petal tried not to think about breathing as she marched back to shallow water. Her limbs were so heavy and she was so tired. She pushed to dry land before flopping on the ground. Her teal baby let go and rolled beside her. “Babbeh?” She asked her strength waning. The bundle of fluff sneezed in response. ‘That’s ok.’ She thought. ‘Will feel better after a drying nap.’
Smarty saw a new room and with it new challenges. This one appeared to be split in half by a deep ditch.
“Your mate petal has some stories to tell.” The voice kicked in. “Many babies have come from the two of you yet it seems far more than she had asked for.” Smarty huffed. He hated riddles. “For the one who “no” means nothing a room with “no” other way across.” Smarty yelled at him.
“Expwain yu puzzwe!” He shouted. The voice paused and indulged him.
“To the left prevention, to the right compassion. Choose.” And it clicked off. Smarty tried the right. A device moved in an odd stutter step moving accross the gap. Smarty tried to climb it but the well lubricated device slipped through his hooves. He looked the shaft of it up and down and decided he understood its purpose. He attempted to use it only once and got a rough shove and a stinging nose for his touble. He climbed back up the ramp and stuck his tongue out at the device. ‘Clearly the right was so hard to use because it was wrong! The dummy human wanted the left one so left would be nice and easy. Smarty so smart!’ He walked up to the left and found a glorified pencil sharpener with a modified front entrance. On a small display sunk into the ground was a helpful set of four pencils displaying its purpose. Smarty hopped on top of it and thrust proudly into the hole. There was a mechanical grinding sound and smarty’s hips bucked backwards harder than they ever had before. ‘Smarty wrong. Smarty very very wrong.’ He stared silently at his dick as it throbbed hotly. A nick at the tip bled steadily and he looked back to the right. ‘Dummy poopie place hurty bridge’ he thought. He had seen a set of cables from the cieling jerk with that thrust but it hadn’t even been enough to pull them taut let alone close to closing the gap. He looked at the shortest of the display pencils, its cone barely poking out of the mangled metal tip, and grew pale. He fell six times trying to cross that gap but each time he didn’t even look to the left. ‘When smarty find human gonna give so many stompies! Maybe not sorry poopies. Still too hurties.’
Petal walked into a new room and her head screamed at what she saw before her. Directly in front of her was a maze. It was too big to memorize and its complexity would fit in well on the back of a cereal box. That was enough but it was tall too. She only had to look down the first straight path to know she couldn’t see over it. It was a true maze far beyond what any fluffy could navigate.
“Like the design?” the voice mocked overhead. “The maze is tedious but it’s relatively safe, for adults. Scattered across the floor of the maze are bits of glass, mousetraps, leaves, and of course scorpions, spiders, and snakes. Carry your children on your back and they’ll be safe. Lead them in and you’ll come out alone. Also of note somewhere in the maze is a foal in a cage.” Petal screamed at the voice.
“Nu can do dis! Can mummah gu awound mazie?” She pleaded. The voice mused on this.
“On this occasion I can assist you. There is however a cost. Consider a one in three chance for another random fluffy to die.” The voice continued as petal looked to her baby. ‘One in three was really like saying that fluffy was a third as good as fluffy her. And wasn’t three fluffies better than one? She had traded three fpr one with the monster baby already. Really it was no different.’
“Das okay.” She said inturrupting the voice. “Petaw take chancie.”
“Petaw nuuu!” Russel shouted as another square lit up with electricity. He looked to it fearfully. The room seemed to be getting smaller. The walls were closing in.
“Would you deny her the choice?” The voice asked “Fear I’ve undervalued your life?” Russel looked at the screen and nearly broke into hives just seeing the maze.
“Nu, but mummahs am s’pose tu wub fwuffies. Aww fwuffies! Eben not dewe own.” The voice laughed.
“Oh how many issues would dissapear if things only worked how they were ‘supposed to.’”
Gruff walked into another room. ‘Just how big is this place’ he grumbled under his breath. Another split path lay before them this time with a distinct kitchen motif. His companions trailed behind him warily.
“Another simple puzzle, another lesser sacrifice. The button to open the gate is on the far wall, but I’d pay more attention to the floor. I think a demonstration is in order.” A bottle of cooking oil dropped from the ceiling drizzling across the room. They watched unimpressed as it fell until it crossed the griddles forming a path to the promised button. The golden fluid crackled and hissed at the heat and the two jumped back in fright. Gruff didn’t skip a beat.
“Dawwen, pwess da button.” He said not even looking up. The terrified fluffy reached for any excuse he could.
“Tu swow. Nu can make it. Bawewy got out ob wast woom.” Gruff nodded along.
“Twue. Mauwice yu du it.” Maurice jumped in fear.
“Wha? Bu’ nu can! Tu hot!” He screamed.
“Du it.” Gruff repeated. Maurice approached the griddle his head hung low. He approached slowly and got inches away before the bubbles of oil spitting up burned his nose and he shrunk back.
“Sowwy gwuff nu can! Get buwnies!” He whined. Gruff puffed out his chest and bellowed with all the force a fluffy can muster. “Gwuff say! Yu do!” He reared up his back legs and kicked maurice onto the burning hot metal. Maurice jumped and kicked on instinct alone trying to keep his sooft hooves off the iron even as they backed on.
“Fastew mauwice!” Darren yelled grimacing at the black horseshoes of soft flesh ripping off with every step. Muarice stumbled to the counter and collapsed glad that the burning was over. Gruff was waiting at the gate.
“Weww? Push da button!” He called over the gap.
“Bu’ hab huwties!” Maurice whined wanting his feet to cool before he stood up.
“Yu gonna hab mowe huwties yu don’ push dat button!” He screamed menacingly. Maurice forced himself to unsteady feet and dragged his tired shaking body to the botton and collapsed on it. Gruff pushed through and straight to the next room and Darren called after him.
“Wait! Wha’ 'bout Mauwice?” Gruff called back. “He taking tu wong! Nu swow down ow yu get weft behind tu!” Darren looked at his pale friend and stared back.
“How he 'spose tu get back tu us?” Gruff tossed his head and turned away.
“Wet him cwoss buwnies ‘gain. Nex’ time he nu take su wong!” Darren looked around until he found a button. To his relief it did just what he thought and opened the fence for maurice to join. He ran up to him and helped lick his burning pads soothed.
“Mauwice nu wike gwuff nu mowe. Wha’ he sac-wi-fice?” He sobbed. Darren pursed his lips.
“Dawwen fink… dawwen fink nex’ twap nee’ get gwuff.” Maurice’s eyes went wide. “Yu hewp fwuffy?” Maurice nodded small sad nods. It was terrible to betray a friend, but gruff no longer was one.
“Reel 2 missing” played the intermission screen. A collective groan could be heard through the parking lot of drive in.
“Well what’s the fucking point?” Screamed a particularly loud one. Cindy sighed.
“He’s right.” She said. “Splatterhouse films are all about the second half. Less whining more killing.” John popped the collar of his letterman jacket. “What do you want me to do about it babe? I’m not the dental student that swiped the wrong reels from storage.” That was carl. The whole school was gonna be mad at carl come Monday. She sighed and flattened her poodle skirt.
“Wanna screw till they find it?” She offered. ‘Hard to pass up on that offer.’ He thought tearing through clothes.