Johnathon stepped into the oversized lift, his tool box heavy in his hand .He sighed, still tired from waking so early. He used his free hand to pull the old, metal lever, eliciting a deep rumble as the elevator began to descend. Johnathon tried to stretch out his back ,worn from decades as a fieldhand ,mechanic ,and even a construction worker. Money was never hard to earn back then, when he was younger and didn’t tire so easily. As he felt the rumbling of the lift abruptly stop, the metal doors creaked and moaned, opening far slower than when they were new. He stepped out into the plain chamber, the walls a dull gray concrete, and the only feature besides the metal lift doors behind him was a single white door on the opposite side of the room .Johnathon took a deep breath and muttered to himself: “You need this job…” He walked over to the white door, hesitating only for a moment as he gripped the knob before turning it and entering the enclosure.
He had been here several times in the last week but he still couldn’t get used to it. A massive underground bunker that had been converted into an enclosure for fluffies. For as long as the eye could see, there were fenced in areas, each with a multitude of fluffies, romping and playing. The grounds were Astroturf on the insides of the fenced in areas and a cold concrete everywhere else, mostly to avert would be explorers from trying to get out of the fluffy safe zones. Each of the areas were linked with gates that could be raised or lowered via a series of switches located on the fence gates and at master control in the center of the oversized room. As Johnathon came out from the white door, he heard a plethora of the child-like voices, calling for him and excited to see him.
“Gud b’wite time mistuh”
“Am it nummies time?”
“Wan huggies an’ wuv from nummies mistuh”
Johnathon shuddered. For some reason, the strange creatures made him anxious and on edge. They hadn’t existed until a few years ago, the product of some experiment to create a toy that was alive, like an engineered pet. Johnathon wasn’t clear on the details but something had clearly gone awry, with the creatures being released to the public earlier than intended. They were marred with many, many flaws. From being too needy and exceedingly fragile, to developing negative personality traits that made some unsellable. He shook his head, pushing aside his feelings and remembered the rules laid down by the bosses and rule one was don’t upset the fluffies down here. Always smile and be polite to them, and never swear or use foul language in their presence. You don’t have to play with or give each and every one attention but engage them when the speak to you. Don’t ever yell at them, even if they misbehave, and if one does misbehave, put them in the sorry enclosure away from the other fluffies for two hours after explaining what they did wrong.
He made his way to master control, a large table with several computer terminals, the master switches for the gates, and a gravity fed pipe for feed and a hanging bucket. Johnathon went over to the varied displays and entered in his name and his employee ID number. After the screen went black and displayed several random flashing characters as it loaded, it then started to show his checklist for the workday .Feeding the fluffies was a given, as he did it twice a day, once at seven a.m. and again at seven p.m. Any fluffy that was overly filthy was to be cleaned off. He was also to check the watering stations, as the display that showed water pressure was flashing red, indicating a problem. Finally, he was to simply spend at least two hours down here, making sure that the fluffies get some attention, even if it’s simply verbal attention. He shook his head at that last part. He was so awkward around these little creatures, and considered the “giving attention” part to be the worst part of the job,at least the worst part of the job down here. But they were oddly social creatures, being exceptionally friendly and becoming easily depressed when deprived of contact, especially human contact. Johnathon took the bucket and activated the gravity feeder, filling the bucket to the brim with a corn based feed and went over to enclosure 1-A.
He went over to the large switch on the side of the gate and gently thumbed the green button, causing the gate to lower into the ground below it, now placing it at Johnathon’s waist. He stepped over it, pressing the red button right above to raise it again. He then walked over to the red trough at the center, the fluffies already having gathered around it.
“Yay! Mistuh bwing nummies fo’ fwuffies!”
A small green earthie with an orange mane, no older than two years old, walked by his feet, smiling and overjoyed to see him. Johnathon looked down at him, forcing a slight smile. "Yes I do little guy…"He poured the contents into the trough, prompting all the fluffies, three stallions, two mares, and four foals large enough to chew solids to start eating. As they ate, distracted by the sweetcorn feed, Johnathon went over to their watering station. A small area made to look like a shallow well that was fed water from the plumbing above. Big enough to allow multiple fluffies to slake their thirst at once but not so big as to scare the hydrophobic creatures. He tested the pressure and the temperature before jotting that it was all nominal in his notepad. Leaving before the distracted fluffies finished their meal, he continued with his first task of feeding each enclosure.
After feeding several enclosures, and making awkward small talk with more than a few fluffies, Johnathon found the cause of the pumping system. In enclosure 2-C, one of the dumb bastards had relieved itself in the watering station and it was too solid for the water intake to process. Well that was an easy fix but now he had another problem. This was definitely a disciplinary issue, as each enclosure had an area for the fluffies to make waste. A spacious area filled with a silt like litter was in the north-west area of each enclosure. When the fluffies went to bed each night, a comb-like sifter would automatically engage, removing the waste. If the litter fell below a specific height, more would be pumped in. This ensured a clean and sanitary place for the fluffies to release waste, so there was no excuse.
It didn’t take long to find the culprit. While some of the fluffies had bits of feces on their hindquarters, only one had a rear that was slightly damp. A pink unicorn stallion with a black mane and tail. As Johnathon watched him walk over to the feeding trough, he could tell that he was walking with an odd stride, as though it was uncomfortable to move. He rifled through his notes until he found the pegasus’ “name”. “Two-C-Six, did you go to the bathroom in your watering station?” The small pink creature looked up at him, his head slightly tilted.
“Bafroom? Wat am dat mistuh?”
Johnathon rubbed his temples. “Did you make bad poopies over there in your wa-wa place?” He hated having to communicate with it in the childish baby talk, but sometimes they simply didn’t understand concepts or ideas without the unconventional way of articulation. Johnathon pointed over to the watering station, specifically to the large mass of waste blocking it.
"Toow’see Sicks make ba’ poopies in wawa p’wace…"The pegasus looked uncomfortably at the ground, lightly dragging one of it’s front hooves on the ground, nervously. He looked back up to Johnathon, his eyes beginning to tear up.“Bu nu mean tu.Poopie p’wace hab wowest hurties.Wawa p’wace hewp poopie p’wace feew bettah.Toow’see Sicks sowwy…”
Johnathon sighed and leaned down, petting the small and crying beast. “Well if you weren’t feeling well…if you had hurties, then you need to tell someone. Now you’ve made your water…wawa dirty. Now I’ll make a note about your…poopie place hurting, but for making bad poopies, you have to go to the sorry enclosure. Next time, let someone know instead of making decisions on your own.”
Two-C-Six started to lightly sob, simply nodding his head. It actually hurt Johnathon to do it, reminding him almost of punishing a child. He shuddered lightly, remembering his duties above then bunker but shook it off. He took a short lead and attached it around the pegasus’ neck and took him to the gate, pressing and holding down the green button, prompting it to lower all the way into the ground, allowing Johnathon to walk the fluffy out of his enclosure. Two-C-Six instantly started to cry harder, the cold concrete making the trip uncomfortable on his soft and delicate hooves. Despite his misbehavior, he didn’t struggle once during the trip to Sorry Enclosure 1.It was a small enclosure, made identical to the others except far smaller and at one of the far ends of the bunker. A fluffy would still have food, water, and warmth, but would be deprived of contact for a two hour period as a punishment for misbehaving. As he opened the gate and took Two-C-Six in, he undid the lead and then closed the gate from the other side. “You have to spend some time here but I’ll get you some food in just a minute, ok Two-C-Six?”
“Otay…Toow’see Sicks be gud…*sob…” The little pegasus simple laid down, rubbing the tears from it’s cheeks with one of it’s hooves as Johnathon left. His heart really went out to the little guy but rules are rules. He made his way back to enclosure 2-C after grabbing a cleaning device, a long tool like a skimmer net for a pool. He removed the offal from the water and placed it at the far end of their waste area. The auto-cleaner wouldn’t get to it until later tonight but Johnathon figured it shouldn’t bother them too much. He went over to master control and sure enough, the water pressure was back in green. With that small crisis solved, he continued with feeding the fluffy enclosures.
With the feeding done, Johnathon turned to sanitation. He checked the notes he had been taking while the fluffies ate around him, a cursory examination being part of his routine as he fed them. Only three fluffies were considered dirty enough to warrant actual cleaning. He retrieved some scented wipes and a spray bottle from master control and went to enclosure 1-B.
The fluffies had finished eating and many had began to play.While there were no toys down here, they had plenty of company. As he entered 1-B, he saw that the younger fluffies had began a game similar to tag, running around and laughing excitedly. He lowered the gate,prompting many of the fluffies to suddenly bombard him with questions and conversation.
“Hewwo mistuh.Wan p’way?”
“Nummies gud.Tank yu fo’ nummies.”
“Tummy tu fuww.Nu wan wun”
“Upsies…p’wease…”
“Wan’bee Wan da fastes’ fwuffie”
He smiled and spoke to each of them, not engaging them in a long conversation but ensuring that he never outright ignored any of them. He made his way through the playing fluffies and the attention seeking fluffies to find One-B-Five. She was sitting next to the feeding trough, talking to another fluffy. One-B-Five was a unicorn, with a deep blue coat and a lighter blue mane. She was chatting with an orange earthie, a stallion with a brown mane. When the two of them noticed they were being approached, One-B-Five walked up to him, smiling.
“Hewwo! Mistuh wook fo’ Wan’bee Fibe?” She was clearly excited to see him, as they all were, but it still threw Johnathon how personable they could be at times. He leaned down so that they were closer to eye level. “Yes One-B-Five.I noticed while you were eating earlier that you were dirty.” While not filthy by most fluffy definitions, she was matted slightly with small bits of feed and her backside needed cleaning. She looked down, almost as though she were embarassed. “Mummah make wickie cweanie when Wan’bee Fibe nu smeww p’wetty…bu’ mummah hab nyu babbehs tu wickie cwean nao…nu hab times fo’ wickie cwean Wan’bee Fibe…” An innocent enough excuse, as One-B-Five’s mother had indeed given birth recently to several foals. “Well I’m not mad at you or her for that One-B-Five, but if she can’t clean you then I have to.” She looked down, saddened and sighed. “Otay…”
With fluffies being scared of water, cleaning any unsanitary stallions or mares was done by hand, with a spray bottle of warm water and lightly scented wipes. Most of the time, the fluffy mothers took care of cleaning themselves, and many fluffies would lick each other as a sign of affection, further assisting in keeping all of them unsoiled. But occasionally, a few fluffies would require hand cleaning. Nothing too hard, the higher ups simply noticed that fluffies became more sullen and depressed the filthier they got. And there was a utility bath, far away from the enclosures in case a fluffy were to get itself so dirty a hand wash wouldn’t cut it but so far, Johnathon hadn’t seen it come to that.He sprayed One-B-Five lightly with the bottle, prompting her to yelp and then look up at him. “Wawa ba’ fo’ fwuffies…” He wiped her lightly with one of the wipes,cleaning her fur of the feed and crud that had built up in it. “I know sweety, but this is only a little water…wawa and it’s warm, not cold. It’ll make you clean and smell pretty.” She brightened at that, smiling at Johnathon. “Weawwy?! Waw’m wawa make Wan’bee Fibe smeww pwetty?” She behaved very well for the rest of the short washing, only occasionally giggling when Johnathon accidently rubbed her in a ticklish area. After a few minutes, her fur was clean and she smelled far better. Before Johnathon could even react, One-B-Five walked up to his leg and wrapped her hooves around it, hugging him. “Tank yu mistuh.Wan’bee Fibe wuv yu.” He backed up slightly, trying to hide his clear discomfort. He cleared his throat and stood rigid. "You are welcome One-B-Five. I…I have other fluffies to clean. Excuse me.
Johnathon left enclosure 1-B, with One-B-Five saying she would miss him as he left. He felt bad and the affection she had shown him left him with a deeply uncomfortable feeling. He tried to put it out of his mind as he made his way to the other soiled fluffies. A stallion in 3-C was scared by it’s brother in the night and had voided it’s bowels on him by accident. The mother had already cleaned up most of the mess but the stallion still needed cleaning. It went without issue, but One-B-Five was still on his mind. in 4-D, a young mare was having stomach cramps and diarrhea. She hadn’t failed to make it to the litter area each time, but the waste had accumulated on her backside quickly. His mind drifted back to One-B-Five as he washed her off, his skin slightly crawling. Once he had finished his sanitation duties he drifted back to Sorry Enclosure 1, with Two-C-Six still crying, albeit quieter than before. Johnathon lowered the gate and stepped in, leaning down to meet the sobbing pegasus. “Ok Two-C-Six, you can go back now.” The fluffy looked up at him, his face stained with tears as he wiped his face with a hoof.
“Am Toow’see Sicks gud fwuffy nao?”
Johnathon wasn’t prepared for the question. He met the creature’s gaze for a brief moment and then looked away, ashamed and guilt ridden. “Yes…yes you are a good fluffy.” He hooked the lead onto his neck, the pegasus no longer crying as he lead him back to 2-C. To his credit, Two-C-Six didn’t complain about the cold floor the entire trip back to his enclosure. As he unhooked Two-C-Six from the lead, the pegasus thanked him and then went to play with his friends. The next two hours were a blur to Johnathon. He went around the enclosures and spoke to the fluffies, even petting a few but he was distant and cold.As a soft but audible timer from master control chimed, he went over, shuffling his feet, clearly in no hurry to get back to the terminal. He reentered his name and ID number and after the loading screen, it reminded him to take all personal property from the bunker as he left. He grabbed his toolbox and headed back for the lift. As he pulled the metal lever, the elevator beginning to rise and shake,all he could think of was One-B-Five and Two-C-Six
“Tank yu mistuh.Wan’bee Fibe wuv yu.”
“Am Toow’see Sicks gud fwuffy nao?”
He shook his head and steeled himself. He couldn’t afford those kind of thoughts, not where he was heading.
Johnathon exited the lift, coming out into a room nearly identical to the concrete walled room below. As he opened the white door, it led him outside, the massive and empty Utah plains stretching as far as the eye could see. The old house was the only thing that stood out from the upper lift chamber. It was a two story home, constructed decades ago for a family of six. Johnathon didn’t know the entire story but clearly the property had exchanged hands at some point. Looking at the home in the middle of the vast and empty field, he was reminded of an old cartoon with a pink dog that lived in a home that was built in a comically barren district, the dog’s house being the only thing visible from horizon to horizon. Suddenly feeling very alone, Johnathon made his way to the house.
As he approached the door, Johnathon had the urge to leave, to just quit and leave that very second. He slowed his pace only slightly as he saw the front door. He knew that there were cameras and that he was being watched, either live right now or later at his bosses’ leisure. Now that he had left the upper lift chamber, they would question any delays or tardiness in proceeding towards his next job, the house. As his hand found the knob of the old and well worn door, he closed his eyes. "You need the money…the pay is good, and you need the money…"He opened the door and made his way to the living room.
The house had been recently refurnished, with the living room having a large and comfortable burgundy couch, with a flat screen television attached to the adjacent wall. Several generators provided power to the house, as there were no powerlines for miles and a buried reservoir provided water to both the house and the bunker enclosure. Johnathon was suddenly very tired and longed to lay down, the couch looking very inviting, but no. He had a grim task to perform as much as he loathed it, it was his job. He walked past the the living room and took the stairs to the second floor.
As he made his way to the door second to the left of the stairs, Johnathon gritted his teeth. This was the part of his day he hated. He opened the door to the house’s version of master control, a small desk with a single terminal. As he entered, he couldn’t keep his eyes off the other door in the room, the door he dreaded. He entered his name and ID number into the terminal and waited for it’s inevitable instructions. After it loaded it reminded him of his role in the next room. Omega-Four was to be roused and reminded of the choice he had to make. if he didn’t seem to understand, it was imperative that it was explained to him, repeatedly if necessary, until he understood. After that it was up to Omega-Four. Johnathon walked away from the terminal and opened the door to the adjoining room.
The wall was alight with monitors, all displaying the fluffies in the enclosure below. The detail and closeups allowed nearly any and all angles to be seen. Every twelve seconds, the monitors would change their angle, ensuring that anyone watching would see all the enclosures, and all the fluffies. As Johnathon walked in, he saw One-B-Five on the display chasing her orange friend from before. He sighed and turned his attention to the other wall. A dark red fluffy hung on the wall, attached to an IV drip, held in place by velcro restraints. He was missing his left front hoof, his right eye had been burst and had to be surgically removed, the socket clearly depressed and the lid held shut with stitches. He had bruises and cuts all over his body, some healing, but many scarred over. Omega-Four was already awakened by Johnathon’s entrance, the meek and injured fluffy chirping and sobbing in agony. He looked to Johnathon with his only remaining eye.
“*Huu…huu…huu…*chirp…p’wease mistuh…nu mo’ huwties…*chirp…huu…huu…huu…Oh’meguh Fow’ gud fwuffy…huu…huu…huu…*Chirp…”
Johnathon didn’t meet his eye, instead walking forward with his head slightly tilted to the floor. He wheeled a metal table with an extension on it, a glowing green and red button on top of it. He put them within reach of the poor stallion’s only front hoof, which Johnathon unbound. Still looking down, he began to recite his prepared oration. “Omega-Four. There are two buttons in front of you. If you press the red button, then you will no longer be hurt but the fluffies you have been watching will be killed. If you press the green button, then you are choosing for the fluffies to live but you will be hurt again.Now, choose.”
“*chirp…nu wan choows…nu wan huwties…huuu…huuu…huuu…*chirp…”
Johnathon cleared his throat and repeated the statement. Omega-Four had been in this situation since the last fluffy Overseer, Omega-Three had died due to her injuries. Unlike the bunker fluffies, he understood words like kill and die, as the last two weeks of his life had been utter despair and torture. He spent most of his time watching happy fluffies, fluffies who barely knew suffering, who didn’t know that they were in danger. He would then be asked twice a day if he wanted his pain to stop, but at the cost of their lives. If he said no and pressed the green button, he knew he’d be tortured. Johnathon was contractually obligated to do so, but he took no pleasure in it. He was one of two workers who alternated their work days here. Johnathon hadn’t ever seen the other man, Gene for more than a few minutes every other day but based on how bad Omega-Four already was, he knew that the man wasn’t like him. That sick freak enjoyed it. Worst of all were Saturdays, which were referred to as Sketti Day. The bunker fluffies got a cheap but fair imitation of spaghetti, while Omega-Four was told if he chose to save the fluffies, something would be cut off or out of him. Thankfully, Johnathon hadn’t been here long enough to have to make that ultimatum to the fluffy yet but clearly it didn’t bother Gene. He waited for Omega-Four’s response.
“…*chirp…nu…nu…wan choows…”
“You have to choose.” He repeated the speech from before, again and again until finally the fluffy, sobbing and chirping relented.
“Huuu…huuu…huuu…*chirp…nu wan huwties…huuu…huuu…huuu…buh no wan odah fwuffies gu foweba sweepies…huuu…huuu…huuu…*chirp…”
Omega-Four’s hoof raised slowly into the air, shaking from pain and fear as it slowly lowered onto the green button. He began to chirp and bawl uncontrollably. Johnathon sighed to himself, moving the buttoned table away and got to work.
This is my first story here. I’ve been writing nearly all my life but only recently found the fandom and am very interested in writing stories. This was a quick test story I had rattling around in my head to test the colored fluffy text(thanks again Mr_Owl). I think that it helps to quickly show who is talking but if people don’t like it or think it’s annoying please let me know and feedback is appreciated.
