Munstah was a little over a month old now, he was ready to start weaning off his mother’s milk and start eating solid foods. Not that that mattered to her, since deeming Munstah as her new shit-licker she barely had to feed him anything to keep him going. She was so proud of herself, she was keeping Munstah alive, and with him the memory of her old special-friend, but she wasn’t debasing herself to look after a monster child.
She thought she was so smart, though not smart enough to notice that she producing less milk until Munstah was met with two dried up teats.
“Mummah nu hab miwkies, Munstah babbeh am big babbeh nyo. Nu need mummah tu wook afta yu nu mowe.”
Munstah was horrified, how could he be a big babbeh already? He was still so young, still so scared, he still loved his mother even if she hadn’t told him the same.
“Bu mummah, dewe am wots of meanies, Munstah wan stay an pwotect mummah tiww find hewd.”
Mummah scowled, they had been looking for a herd for safety since Munstah was born but with no luck. The city was a rough place for large herds so the few Fluffies they had found had consisted of small families who, due to the warming weather, all had newborn foals to look after and were wary about newcomers, particularly ‘monsters’.
But, having Munstah around would allow her to use him as a sacrificial lamb to allow her to escape, should they run into any trouble. Plus even if they did find a herd, she needed someone to lick her clean so she could make a good impression.
“Ok, Mummah wet Munstah babbeh stay, bu onwy tiww find hewd, den Munstah gu way.”
“Fank yu mummah, Munstah pwomise be big an stwong fow mummah.”
Without thinking, Munstah gripped ontp his mother and gave her a huge hug. Mummah considered knocking him away but she decided against it, letting him have a rare moment of comfort.
Though she deliberately didn’t return the hug.
To both of their surprise, it took them less than a week to finally find a herd. As night began to fall, the two of them went to seek shelter in one of the derelict warehouses beside the river running through the city, but when they climbed through a small crack in the long abandoned wooden wall, they were shocked to find a small Fluffy herd inside. Six adult Fluffies, 4 males and 2 females, along with 3 talkie babbehs sitting atop one of the mares and 4 chirpy babbehs atop of the other.
A beat of silence passed between the two groups, before one of the stallions, a soft yellow earthie with a purple mane, slowly approached Mummah and Munstah.
“Hewwo, nyu fwiends?”
Mummah glanced at Munstah, debating between telling him to leave and telling him to go forward. Looking at the two mares, they looked somewhat happy despite their living conditions, so Mummah decided to play this by ear.
She could always give up Munstah later.
“Yeh, am nyu fwiends, wookin fow safe pwace fow befowe dawk-times.”
“Fwuffies can stay hewe, nu hab wots of nummies bu hab pwace fow sweepies. Am Mustawd, am Smawty fwiend fow dis hewd.”
“Am Fwuffy, nu hab namesie. Dis am babbeh, Munstah.”
Mustard looked over at Munstah, he gulped slightly when he saw the wings and the horn but noted that Munstah looked even more scared of him as he tried to hide behind his mother.
Mummah just kicked him away from her. “Dummeh munstah onwy gud fow wickie-cweans, Mummah wan gib him foweba sweepies, bu he am wastest babbeh an speciaw-fwiend git wowstesh huwties fwom bawkie-munstahs. Fwuffy stiww wub speciaw-fwiend, Munstah aww Fwuffy hab weft of him, aww udda babbehs neba wakies.”
Munstah cried, partly for the memory of his late father and siblings, mostly because his mother openly admitted she wanted to kill him.
Mustard considered things for a moment, before turning to Mummah. “Keep munstah way fwom babbehs an he can stay.”
Mummah nodded, not enjoying the fact that Munstah was still with them but she couldn’t do much about it just yet. As the night got darker Mustard quickly introduced her to the rest of the herd. Toughies Murray – a grey unicorn with a black mane – and Bernie – an orange Pegasus with a yellow mane –, nummie finder Hamm – a pink Pegasus with a white mane –, Bernie’s mate Holly – a light green Pegasus with red mane – and Hamm’s mate Bree – a monochrome white/yellow earthie.
Munstah was overjoyed to finally have new friends, but whenever he tried to get close to them, Mustard or one of the other stallion would shoo him away, saying that he was scaring the babbehs.
Munstah felt his heart break once again but he didn’t want to scare the cute little foals, so he found a dry spot in the corner and closed his eyes. The last thing he heard as he went to sleep was the sound of his mother’s laughter. He was glad that she was happy but it only highlighted how little, if ever, he’d heard her laugh when she only had him.
Mummah woke sharply just as dawn was creeping in, she’d heard something moving and had been spooked awake by it, but looking over at a partially broken wall, she realised it was Mustard knocking over some bricks as he climbed the pile of rubble.
Carefully climbing out of the Fluffpile, Mummah climbed up the rubble to join him, looking out she could see a boggy wasteland of marshes and industrial decay, but in the distance she spotted a lone human house, it wasn’t the larger she had ever seen but it looked impressive and from her vantage point she could see grand looking garden.
“Mustawd nu awwats Smawty fow hewd, owd Smawty was pointy meanie, awways twy gib huwties an bad enfies. Few bwite-times ago, Smawty twy tu take dat hoomin pwace fow hewd, bu wed wingie Fwuffy awweady wive dewe, gib Smawty foweba sweepies wiv wun sowwy-hoofies. Fwuffies panic, wose Smawty Speciaw-fwiend an aww hew babbehs, bu Mustawd speciaw-fwiend awso gu foweba sweepies.”
Mustard paused to wipe some tears from his eyes before continuing. “Mustawd nu wan be Smawty, bu hewd need weada, Mustawd stawt tewwing Fwuffies du smaww fings, soon aww hewd wook tu Mustawd fow hewp. Gwassies by wawa am gud enuff fow nummies, bu knyo hewd need move soon, find safe pwace fow nyu babbehs.”
“Fwuffy nu fink su. Fwuffy weave home cos speciaw-fwiend boo-boo juice bwing wingie munstahs, bu den Fwuffy be soon-mummah, neba find enuff nummies, awways hungwy, tummeh-babbehs awways hab tummeh-owies. Babbehs hab foweba sweepies cos munstah hab aww tummeh-nummies, bu mummah neba hab enuff tu shawe. If Mustawd hab nummies cwose den it safa tu stay hewe. Nu wisk babbehs habben tummeh-huwties.”
Mustard smiled at her. “Fwuffy am smawt, dat gud pwan. Fwuffies stay hewe, stiww wook fow nyu homesies coz nu fink dis pwace gud fow cowd times, bu nu move aww hewd yet.”
Mustard leant over and gave Mummah a hug, thanking her for thinking of the herd’s safety. “Nu can caww yu Fwuffy, need gib namesie. Fwiend hab puwpew Fwuff wike gwape, nyu namesie am Gwape.”
Mummah gasped, she finally had a name. “Gwape wub namesie, fank yu Mustawd.”
She jumped forward and hugged him again, slyly wafting her tail to let her special-place smell drift into his nose. She would be a mummah again, then she’d have every reason to rid herself of her munstah.
Over the next couple of weeks, Grape and Munstah found a decent rhythm within the group, Grape made sure she was always be Mustard’s side, giving hints and ideas to help lead the herd towards their next goal. Munstah had less luck, while he wasn’t abused by the herd he was often neglected, given little more than a cursory glance during feeding times.
At least no-one had forced him to eat shit yet.
He tried to make the most of his time in the herd, even offering to help Hamm find food, but everyone just looked at him like he was crazy, they all knew what monsters ate and wanted nothing to do with it. So Munstah sulked about in his isolation, surrounded by Fluffies but oh so alone.
Well, almost alone.
Holly’s babbehs were just a little younger than Munstah, her and Bernie had taken the opportunity to have kids as a way to prevent the mean old Smarty from giving her bad huggies. The three siblings could all walk and talk just fine and were nearing the end of the weaning stage, but that didn’t stop Holly from being overprotective of them, especially since there was now a monster in their home.
One of them though, didn’t see the monster, she just saw a Fluffy. Amber was a pretty little orange filly with a red mane and a red swirl pattern across her body. She was a Pegasus like her parents and very proud of being a Wingie Fluffy, she thought Munstah was a wingie Fluffy too until her mother called him a ‘wingie-pointy’.
That didn’t make any sense, Fluffies couldn’t have both, and from what Amber could see, whatever cracked object was stuck to Munstah’s head was clearly not a horn. So despite her parents demands, Amber spent a fair amount of time talking to Munstah.
“Hewwo Munstah, gud bwite-time?”
Munstah lit up when Amber lay down in front of him. “Betta nyo hab nyu fwiend Amba wiv Munstah.”
“Heh, Amba hab happies tu see Munstah tuu. Wan pway chasies by nu wan Mummah be angwy.”
“Dat ok, Munstah wike tawkies tu Amba, Amba am bestesh fwiend.”
“Amba nu knyo wai dummeh bwuddas nu wan pway wiv Munstah tuu, Munstah am gud Fwuffy.”
“Dey nu wike Munstah cos am munstah Fwuffy, fink gun num babbehs.”
Amber giggled. “Munstah nu am munstah, Amba see yu am wingie Fwuffy. Munstah nu num babbehs.”
To prove her point, Amber shuffled forward and hugged Munstah, the poor Alicorn was so taken aback by the soothing touch of another Fluffy that he almost burst into tears as he returned the hug.
He came even closer to waterworks when a loud snort behind them broke them apart. The two young Fluffies turned to see Mustard watching over them.
Amber looked away sheepishly. “Mustawd, Amba onwy…”
“Gu nyo befowe Mustawd teww yuw Mummah.”
Amber glanced apologetically at Munstah and ran away, once she was gone Mustard stood in front of Munstah.
“Yu nu gu neaw babbehs, dat am da wuwe.”
“Bu Munstah nu mobe, Amba tawk tu Munstah, wan be fwiends an…”
“Nu matta, yu nu tawk tu babbehs. Yu onwy stay hewe cos yu Gwape babbeh, bu yu big babbeh nyo, need hewp hewd ow yu hab tu weave.”
“Huu, Munstah twy hewp hewd, bu Mustawd say nu tu find nummies wiv Hamm.”
“Mustawd change finkie-pwace, Hamm need hewp wiv wawa gwassies, need mowe wiv babbehs gitten big an stwong. Gu wiv him, he teww yu wha du.”
Still upset but happy to finally be given a purpose, Munstah got up and jogged outside, finding Hamm by the edge of the river. While Fluffies fear of water was legendary, and even now Munstah was pissing himself at the sight of the massive gulf of water, Mustard’s herd had learnt to feed from the reeds growing out of the river, it required them to be extra careful though as Hamm demonstrated to Munstah.
“Tu git wawa gwassie, push da stickie fing down tiww yu can weach da nummies.”
Munstah watched as Hamm awkwardly pushed down on the stalk until the whole thing was level with the ground, at which point he nibbled just below the seed bulb, dropping that onto dry-land and letting the rest of the reed snap back into place.
Munstah was confused. “Wai Hamm nu just num bottom of wawa gwassie, take aww of it fow nummies?”
To prove him point, Munstah chewed on the bottom of some stalks, being careful not to let his face touch the water, and carried the entire stalk, bulb and all, onto the concrete in less than half the time and effort of Hamm’s method.
Hamm rewarded Munstah’s ingenuity with a hoof to the head. “Dummeh Munstah, Hamm am bestesh nummie finda, yu wisten tu Hamm ow git sowwy hoofies.”
Munstah whined at the assault but said nothing, he wasn’t about to risk upsetting anyone any further. So reluctantly, he did as Hamm asked and spent the next several hours helping the pink stallion gather food in his laborious and tedious manner.
By the time they’d finished, the amount they had was acceptable but far from great. Munstah helped Hamm carry the food back inside the warehouse, where they were met by a disappointed Mustard.
“Am dis aww?”
Hamm snorted derisively toward Munstah. “Dummeh Munstah take tuu wong, wan git nummies dummeh way, nu wisten tu Hamm.”
Munstah felt the tears welling up again. “Munstah du betta, stiww weawning, wan hewp, pwomise.”
Mustard frowned at him. “Need du beta neks time, hab babbehs tu wook afta, if hewd wucky, hab mowe soon.”
Munstah solemnly hung his head and retreated back to his corner, hiding away in the shade. From here he could see his mother happily laughing and even nuzzling with Mustard, he knew it wouldn’t be long before she convinced him to have more babbehs, then she wouldn’t need Munstah anymore.
As he sighed at the heartbreaking sight, he hears something soft and beautiful coming from across the room. He looked over and saw Hamm and Bree cuddled around their four chirpy babbehs for feeding time, all the while Bree sang to them.
“Mummah wub babbehs, babbehs wub mummah, dwink da miwkies, gwow big an stwong.”
Munstah was moved to tears by the ballad, it carried so much warmth and comfort that even without it being directed at him, he felt safe listening to it.
Munstah spotted Bernie walking passed and quickly flagged him down. “Bewnee, wha am Bwee singies tu babbeh?”
“Wha? Dat am Mummah song, aww Fwuffies knyo Mummah song. Dummeh Munstah.”
Bernie shook his head in disbelief at the idiotic monster and left him there. Munstah stayed listening to Bree’s singing and wracked his brain trying to place the song somewhere in his memory to no avail. He had never heard a Mummah song before.
That’s when the tears finally broke through.
