Seth secured the fluffbed in the backseat of his car, double checking that it was safe and wouldn’t jostle as he drove. Gingerly stroking the sleeping foals one last time to make sure they were calm, Seth got into the driver’s seat and turned the ignition. Disturbed slightly by the abrupt noise, the baby fluffs peeped and chirped for a few minutes as he drove, quickly giving into lethargy and falling back asleep, with only the odd cheep here and there as they pulled up to Seth’s apartment. Carrying the precious bundle, Seth placed it on his bed before making his way to his hobby-room. Met by the muted, anxious chirps of Frostbite, Seth ignored the pillowfoal, heading directly to his trunk.
“*chirp… … …*chirp… … …*chirp… … …mu’mah…”
Despite having quite a few things to do, Seth decided once the foals were safe and secure, it was time for Frostbite to snap out of it, whether the limbless colt was ready to or not. Moving years worth of tools and abuse implements, he reached almost to the bottom of the trunk, pulling out the components of his foal feeder. It was older, and required reassembly, but it was more than dependable. Originally a cheap incubator for chickens, Seth had tinkered, added, and improved upon it countless times. While most fluffies that found there way into Seth’s life weren’t long for this world, it was often beneficial for him to keep their foals alive. Most could be kept well enough with a hot water bottle and fed cheap fluffy milk mix, but on the rare occasion he wanted several foals to survive to adulthood, it was simply too difficult to care for them by hand, prompting him to automate the process. Now he had a setup that not only kept foals at the perfect temperature, but could feed them formula at pre-set times, with the same rig that warmed the babies also heating the basin that stored their food to better emulate milk from a mare.
Placing the parts together, washing the reservoir and rubber teats, it didn’t take long for Seth to assemble the apparatus, adjusting the knobs that maintained the heating elements before flicking the on switch. With a slight pop and crackle as power flowed into the lamps, the incubator came to life, the device casting the room with an eerie red glow.
“*chirp…*chirp…scaw’y…*chirp…*chirp…nu wike…”
Unnerved by the dull red light, Frostbite began to shiver in his foal bed, chirping and peeping as he rocked in place, trying in vain to get away from the ghastly glare. Seth chuckled, bemused that something so mundane could provoke such a reaction. Not since a few nights prior, when Jerome had forced Seth to alter his plans with the sullen colt, as well as the now near sightless Kismet, had the pillowfoal shown as much fervor. Standing upright, Seth made his way to his workbench, holding the incubator outstretched slightly as he let it drift closer to Frostbite’s bed, the colt’s chirps becoming frantic as he wriggled in place, his eyes wide as he stared into the approaching red light.
“nuuuuuuu!!! *chirp…*chirp…nu wan!!! nu wan!!! *chirp…*chirp…weeb bab’eh 'wone!!! *screeeeeee!!!”
It was always an amusing sight for Seth when a pillowed fluffy was frightened, their awkward bodies struggling for naut. Driven by fear, many wouldn’t stop until they forced themselves on their side, or even upside down, which only made matters worse for the limbless fluffs. If not for his fluffbed being so small and constraining, Seth was all but sure that Frostbite would have suffered the same amusing fate by now. It was a fantastic sign that the terrified colt was so vocal, not only screaming but even pleading for his safety. With how withdrawn he had been the last few days, Seth was fearful that the pillowfoal was already circling the drain psychologically, coming dangerously close to the Wan Die loop. It was nice to see that the little guy still had some vigor left, the foal clearly not yet ready for death despite all that he had suffered.
Seth enjoyed toying with and teasing Frostbite, but would have to resume the fun later, with the newborns still needing to be tended to. Going to the nearby fridge, he took some of the high quality formula and began to fill the reservoir on the side of the incubator, stopping when it was just shy of being full. It would take time for the milk to warm up enough, but the foal’s next feeding wasn’t for another hour or so, more than enough time for the device to heat it up. Testing the rubber nipples, Seth could feel that they were worn by the numerous foals that had used them over the years, with several nicks and tears as they had began to teethe. They’ll do for now, but I’ll need to replace them soon. Seth had already planned to head to Fluffmart later in the afternoon and would pick up some new covers then.
As he hefted the incubator out of the hobby-room and made his way back to the bedroom, the events that had unfolded over the days prior ran through his mind again. From Jerome’s mistake costing him Kismet’s food torture, to nearly killing Dud in front of his beloved Candyfloss, it had become all too clear to Seth that he was spiraling again. It hadn’t happened in such a long time, the first time being not long after Ash and Starburst’s fateful Fourth of July. Seeing the look in their eyes as they tried and failed to save their progeny, only to watch in horror as the foals were blown apart one by one had awoken something in Seth. It was like a floodgate within had burst and he had spent the next few months burning through his bank account. Without the knowledge he would eventually accrue about fluffies, he was forced to instead buy them to satiate his dark urges. Their sheer fragility was the first and harshest lesson that Seth had learned the hard way, with half of his earliest fluffies dying off to tortures that were too severe and the others by accident. It became far more clear that the products that were made specifically for fluffies weren’t just some front to make money, at least not entirely, but to also spare the biotoys from their own curiosity and fragile nature.
His obsession had cost him dearly in those early days, but Seth had forced himself to change. He had gotten a new job after losing several others, one that was simple enough and could allow him to dull his busy mind. Seth started to focus less on fluffy sessions that would end in literal bloodbaths and more on subtle torments, one that he could drag on for weeks or even months if need be, with the focus always on his favorites, Starburst and Ash. Keeping the fluffy couple miserable and frightened quelled the demons that tore and screamed to be free within Seth, and even though it took much trial and error, he eventually found a balance that suited him. But the last Fourth of July had changed everything, with his plans backfiring and losing him not only his favorite fluffies, but Ash’s potential replacement, Plucky. Even before that, something in the way Ash had been behaving caused Seth to lose his calm, to break the control that he had worked so long to achieve. It had been the stallion’s defiance and the looming threat of his demise that had caused Seth to snap when confronting Sassy, the rebellious mare meeting her end when he choked the very life from her with his bare hands.
Placing the device on the bed. Seth ran his hand under the heating lamps, adjusting their warmth as he gazed down at the still slumbering foalpile. Calm for the moment, they would no doubt be upset when they were roused, hungry and once again anxious, pondering where their mother was. It was amusing at times to see newborn foals in a frightened panic, their oversized heads wobbling as they struggled to lift them upright, chirping and peeping to summon their lost mummah. But in the rare moment where Seth wanted foals tranquil and untroubled, the incubator worked wonders. He had gone to great lengths to make sure that the babies kept within wouldn’t just be safe, but would think that they were with their mother. The bedding was lined with fluff taken from a mare’s pelt that Seth had skinned long ago, with extra padding so the foals were not only safe from the odd bump or tumble, they would feel as though they were constantly being cradled by their own mother. And with a couple more steps, the illusion would be near perfect.
First, Seth brought out his old MP3 player, scrolling through the various recordings until he found the playlist he was looking for. Wanting to make sure that the sightless foals were well comforted while he was away or busy, Seth opted for a looping MP3 of a happy fluffy mother, snapping the player into place and connecting it to the side of the incubator. Next, he went over to his closet, opening the bifold doors and pulled out a small suitcase. Almost sombered by it, Seth grimaced as he pushed the metal clasps and opened it, revealing what remained of Starburst’s pheromones. Taking one of the plastic bottles, he unscrewed the top, before pouring the contents within an old spray bottle. Closing the case, Seth went back to the bed and gave the fluff lining of the incubator a light misting before giving it a few minutes to dry.
Once the bedding was properly aired out, Seth looked back to the foalpile, knowing that there was no way to do this without disturbing them all at once. Gently grasping the black foal by it’s scruff, it began to wriggle almost instantly in his fingers, peeping loudly as it was shaken from it’s slumber. While Seth would normally savor the confusion and fright of the filly in his hand, it was paramount that these foals be raised properly, or as properly as possible for a fluffy at least. It was common knowledge that the biotoys were an unfinished product, and as such were full of flaws and glitches, one of which was how delicate they were, mentally as well as physically. Even as young as they were, the foals were already developing at a rapid pace, with every single interaction, no matter how small, forming who they were going to become one day. And being sensitive, emotional creatures by design, even the smallest issue, the tiniest problem could quickly spiral into trauma for the tiny fluffs, with something as simple as being left to cry too long ruining them for the rest of their lives. It was one of the reasons that many inexperienced owners would start to lament their purchases or even outright loathe their once beloved fluffy.
Not wasting a moment, Seth quickly placed the black filly into the incubator, gently stroking her head with a finger until she calmed and cooed, before tending to the other foals. Disturbed by their sister’s cries, they had begun to peep softly, unsure why their sibling was distressed, and slowly realizing that they were no longer with their mother. One by one, Seth placed them into the bedding before their curiosity could grow further into apprehension, giving each a little bit of attention as he had their sister to calm them, at least until he came to the last foal, the runtish alicorn. His peeps were still soft but becoming more rapid as the colt realized that he was alone. Swiveling his head about, the alicorn tried his best to move, his underdeveloped nubs pulling him at a snails pace along the bed, waddling awkwardly as he peeped for attention. Seth could only smile as he watched the mustard colored fluff’s growing trepidation, bemused as he always was when a newborn attempted to walk.
Tempted to let the alicorn linger by itself just a bit longer, Seth had to remind himself that he wanted all of the foals happy and healthy, at least until he sold them off. As he had done with the others, he gently picked up the runt, placing him among his siblings before stroking his fur with a finger until the tiny colt was calmed, it’s peeping slowing down as it yawned before curling up against the fluff lining and dozed off like the others. Waiting until he was sure that the foals were fast asleep, Seth gripped the rubber teats that lined the walls of the incubator, giving each a light pinch between his thumb and forefinger, working the rubber tubing until a few drops of milk came though, ensuring that once the foals awoke, they could nurse with ease.
With seven of them within, the space was snug but with room to crawl if need be, which they would need to do to reach the walls of the incubator to feed. It was a short gap to close, and no different that how most foals would feed from their mother early on, spending most of their time slumbering in a foalpile next to the mare, only to awaken and inch their way to their mother’s teats. Usually drawn by scent, the still blind foals would waddle towards the smell of milk, suckling on anything that matched the sickly sweet aroma. It was often fraught with trial and error, the tiny newborns placing their mouths on anything brought nearby when hungry. This suckling instinct had a drawback though, as the sensation could easily become associated with comfort and safety in a developing foal’s mind, causing the fluff to suckle on their own hoof when anxious, like Powder Keg. It was an aberrant behavior, and only creeped up in mistreated fluffies, ones that were ignored by owners or the victims of abusers, with the latter being why Seth was so aware of the condition.
There was still a bit of time before they would be hungry again, after which Seth would need to swaddle them to make sure their small enclosure remained clean and waste free. In the meanwhile, an attitude adjustment for Frostbite was long overdue. Taking out his phone, Seth tapped the screen a few times, recording the slumbering foals for a few minutes before heading back to the hobby-room. As he was before, Frostbite was still chirping and peeping far faster than the pillowfoal had been in days past, shaken up by the strange red light that had frightened him. It pleased Seth greatly that there was still a little spark within the colt, that he wasn’t as lost a cause as he’d feared. Walking up to the workbench slowly, Seth leaned down, gazing towards Frostbite, the peeping pillowfoal unaware of his owner as he kept his eyes firmly shut, fearful of the supposed monster’s return.
“*chirp…*chirp…ba’beh scaw’d…nee’ hides fwom munsta…”
It was almost cute, the way that the limbless colt tried to make himself as small as possible, not daring to look for fear that the unseen creature would find him. His tiny stumps wriggling as the pillowfoal instinctively tried and failed to cover his face made Seth almost hesitant to interrupt Frostbite’s tiny tantrum. But as enjoyable as the colt’s display was, Seth simply had too much to do, reaching down and lightly rapping a finger against the pillowfoal.
“*screeeeeee!!!”
Startled by the abrupt contact, Frostbite screamed, his eyes shooting open as he wriggled wildly, his body worming about in his bed as best as his meek body was able. It took several seconds for the colt’s panic to die down, it slowly dawning on him that Seth was standing above him, smiling but saying nothing. Frostbite took shallow breaths, exhausted from the entire ordeal, once again reduced to chirps and peeps. “Poor little guy…” Seth feigned affection as best as he could, rubbing his finger against Frostbite even as the pillowfoal writhed against him, desperate to recoil from his touch but unable to get away. “…You’ve been having such a rough time lately, haven’t you? Don’t think that daddy hasn’t noticed how sad you’ve been…” Even as Seth went on, he could feel the colt struggle against his affections, both verbal and physical, his undersized body shivering as his owner spoke and tensing up with every touch.
“Well, I have good news Frostbite…” Seth pulled his hand away from the trembling foal, retrieving his phone and pulling up the recent recording he’d made before holding the screen up to the pillowfoal’s face. Just seeing the device caused Frostbite to yelp, his cheeps quickening as the sight of something that had been used so often to torment him. But as the video began to play, the colt expecting to be forced to watch more fluffies running about and playing happily, he was instead surprised to see foals. Newborn chirpies even younger than he was, sleeping soundly and blissfully within a soft bed. “Daddy has new fluffies to take care of, so he doesn’t need you anymore…” It was a simple deception, one entirely based on the colt’s seeming desire to live, despite his cruel misfortunes. Clearly perplexed by what his owner was saying, Frostbite’s peeping slowing as he hesitantly looked up towards Seth, something that the dour pillowfoal hadn’t done in his entire life.
Seeing that he had his attention, Seth continued his plan, reaching down and grasping Frostbite casually by his scruff and pulling him free of his bed, the pillowfoal screeching as he was hoisted into the air.
“*screeeeeee!!! ba’ upsies!!!”
Seth had to hide the pleasure he took in hearing the colt’s screams, the protest against being lifted up being the most lively he’d seen the pillowfoal since the ice torture that hade given him his name. Acting as though it were an afterthought, Seth dropped Frostbite against the workbench, not even glancing over to the fallen foal as he took the empty pillowbed, pretending to walk away.
“*oof ow’ees! *chirp…*chirp…hewp!!! *chirp…*chirp…ba’beh faww obah!!! sab’ ba’beh!!! pwe’!!!”
Wanting to laugh at the fallen foal, the colt rocking violently on his side as he tried in vain to right himself, Seth stopped in place, still pretending to ignore the shrieking fluff. “No one is coming to help you Frostbite. You have no one who ever cared you were even alive, except me…But you didn’t appreciate that so now I’m done with you…” Walking over to his trunk, he simply fidgeted through his tools idly, wanting to let what he had said fester within the colt’s mind. Calling out for help again and again, Seth feigned as though her were deaf to Frostbite’s pleas, walking about the hobby-room as though the pillowfoal weren’t there. Finally, after nearly fifteen minutes of shaking and screaming against the workbench, his throat hoarse from crying out for succor, Frostbite called to Seth.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…*chirp…*chirp…b…ba’beh am gud ba’beh…*huuu…huuu…huuu…wai huw’te da’deh nu wuv ba’beh nu mow? *chirp…*chirp…”
Gotcha…Seth casually walked back to the workbench, seeing that Frostbite had been reduced to a whimpering mess, the colt still stuck on his side and now covered in his own panic induced waste. “That’s not a very nice thing to call your daddy, Frostbite…I have half a mind to throw you out right now!” Grabbing a piece of wax paper, Seth used it to pick up the foalpillow, his entire body now held firmly within his closed fist. “I saved you Frostbite! Or did you forget that?!” The colt tried to squirm free, only his head able to move as he shook it to and fro, cheeping in fear as Seth walked him over towards the other side of the hobby-room. Once he was standing over the small garbage bin he kept next to his utility sink, Seth depressed it’s pedal with his foot, the top of the can opening with a loud kathunk. “You’re a bad and broken fluffy…and there’s only one place for those. The trash!”
He had to make a show of it, lowering his hand before dropping Frostbite into the bin, not wanting the fall to kill him. Hitting the soft piles of refuse, the pillowfoal still grunted from the abrupt impact, falling with his face awkwardly below the rest of his body. Unable to even turn and face his owner, Frostbite could only writhe in place as he tried to free himself from the garbage pile, each subtle movement only causing the colt to sink deeper within. “Goodbye, Frostbite…” Seth slowly released the pedal with his foot, causing the lid to slowly creep closed, eclipsing what little light the colt had. With the last sliver quickly slipping away, Frostbite began to hyperventilate, his head unable to turn as he pushed his stumps in vain against the refuse before finally crying out.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…sow’ee!!! ba’beh am sow’ee!!! *chirp…*chirp…pwe’ nu thwo ba’beh way’!!!”
It was almost all Seth needed to hear. Pressing the garbage can open again, he leaned in and pinched the pillowfoal by his scruff, lifting him up as he screeched and shook against his hand. “Are you sorry?! Are you really?! I don’t think a good fluffy would refuse to use the name their daddy gave them! What do you have to say to that?!”
“*chirp…*chirp…fw…fwostbite sow’ee da’deh!!! *huuu…huuu…huuu…fwostbite sow’ee!!! *chirp…*chirp…”
“That’s better!” Seth carried the sullen colt over to the utility sink, giving him a harsh rinsing to remove the fear induced excrement that matted his fur, the pillowfoal unable to even scream, lest the torrent of water spill into his mouth. He coughed in fits as Seth turned the water off, still horrified from the nightmarish bath but far more scared of upsetting his owner again, reduced to quiet chirping as he was dried off roughly with a hand towel before being placed back in his shoebox bed. Wiping the workbench clean where Frostbite had soiled himself, Seth shook his head as he glared towards the humbled foal. “tsk tsk tsk…We’ll talk about these bad poopies later little guy. I know you’ve had a rough day…” Warming a bottle of formula, Seth connected it to the bed, leaving the pillowfoal to eat and ponder his future punishment.
With the incubator, caring for the newborns was all but unmanned, with Seth watching as they nursed, once again recording them with his phone. It was important to have as much footage of them as possible, giving any would be buyers a clear picture on what was for sale. He’d upload them to several sites and see if there were any interested parties, knowing that the majority of the foals would probably fetch him a pretty penny, especially once they were edified. Polite and obedient by nature, many fluffy owners were shocked at how easy it was to ruin one of the delicate biotoys. Too much discipline and you risk exacerbating the already neurotic creatures, making them skittish around the very people they were made for, or even pushing them to try and run away. Too little, and you could end up with a fluffy like Bullet, or even worse. Seth could recall a few horror stories of overly spoiled fluffies becoming monsters, from throwing tantrums, soiling their saferoom on purpose, to even outright killing other fluffies out of jealous spite.
Despite all the times that he had tortured and killed their kind, Seth found the foals feeding slightly adorable, their tiny muzzles dripping formula as they only stopped suckling long enough to take a breath before continuing. The black pegasus had finished first, it’s tiny belly swollen with milk as it laid against the bedding, cheeping contently, while the blue unicorn fed on and on, acting as though it feared it would never see another meal. The rest were fairly unremarkable while they nursed, save for the runt who ate very slowly, getting a few drops of milk from the wall mounted teat before licking the side of his maw awkwardly, trying to get the most out of each mouthful before returning for more. It was almost endearing, bringing a slight smile to Seth’s face despite knowing that the unfortunate alicorn was fated for a short and brutal life. “Enjoy it while you can little guy…”
Once they were all fed, Seth gathered some supplies to swaddle the newborns, not wanting them to soil their pristine enclosure. With a few paper towels and some medical tape, Seth took each of the lethargic foals, already tired from their meal, and fashioned a crude but effective diaper, careful to make sure that their hind legs were left uncovered. While it wasn’t as effective as a full swaddle, Seth only reserved that for foals that he had no intention of keeping around longterm, as it always upset and confused them to have their already limited movement further hobbled.
Now diapered and already reforming a foalpile as they yawned and chirped softly, the newborns quickly fell fast asleep, giving Seth a few hours before he would need to tend to them again. While the incubator would keep them warm and fed, it still needed to be filled on occasion, not to mention that the foals would require cleaning and a fresh change once they had finally relieved themselves. In the meantime, Seth had other matters that needed his attention, grabbing his keys as he headed out the door and into his car. It had felt fantastic putting Frostbite in his place, watching as the pillowfoal cried and even saying his own name for the first time made Seth feel like his old self. But despite that, he knew that there was something gnawing at the back of his mind, something that he was missing. Driving with the window down, Seth enjoyed the cool breeze that blew past his face as he made the trek to Fluffmart.