You look at the mare that has just finished giving birth, no alicorn, so you just take the foals and put it in front of it so the mare can start the post natal cleaning.
She could not do so herself due to being immobilized from the waist down by a cardboard wall.
You take one of the newborns the mare has finished licking clean.
“Pwease daddeh nuh take Subwec babbies! They nee fiwst miwkies!”
You can’t compromise the experiment by making them waste energy healing, so no amputation or leg breaking this time, instead there will be an elastic belt with velcro, the belts are on narrow pillowed blocks that will allow the foals to wiggle their legs without moving.
You put the chirpies in your table, you just need to adjust the velcro daily when refilling the Alternative Nutrition Source container for it to not squeeze the thing to death as they got bigger.
You take the feeding station, it is the counteiner, a timed pump, a narrow plastic tube, and a foal sized pacifier adapted to pass the hose through. Straps in the pacifier to prevent it from being pushed away from the foal’s mouths, between the tank and the pacifier is an inflated balloon with a rug of fluffy fur over it to simulate a mother when the foal opened it’s eyes.
You push the medical tube into the foals mouth, making sure it reaches it’s stomach.
You slide the pacifier forward over the tube until it’s also inside the foal’s mouth, it begins to pull and suckle on the rubber with gusto, as if trying to squeeze milk out of a nipple, sentenced to never getting to even taste milk.
For the second foal, there’s not going to be any tube, it will pull on the pacifier and get to taste the ANS as the only thing it ever will in it’s life.
The third and fourth, will be fed as the first and second ones, but with another type of ANS.
'Experiment log #1
Subject #1 Shows only minor distress from orogastric tube at the moment of installation, resuming common behavior after initial shock.
It pressents no visual wound or malformation at the moment of birth.
Subject #2 Shows distress over the harsh taste of ANS1, but appears to be swallowing as it would milk or formula.
It pressents no visual wound or malformation at the moment of birth.
Subject #3 Also shows minor disconfort over orogastric tube, and stops suckling behavior after 5 seconds.
It pressents no visual wound or malformation at the moment of birth.
Subject #4 Shows similar reaction as Subject #2.
It pressents no visual wound or malformation at the moment of birth.
Any effects of the Alternative Nutrition Source in development are still unknown.’
'Experiment log #2
No signs of rejection yet, subjects displays distress upon hearing human voice.
Based on data from previous experiments, it was decided that recordings of all known “Mummah Songs” are now to be played in loop in order to encourage growth and lower chances of stress induced Sudden Foal Death Syndrome.
Subjects fecal matter is noticeably less pungent, keeping in line with predictions.
Growth appears normal, the first day of feeding is the most important in the foal’s development, current circumstances shows ANS to be viable.’
'Experience log #5
Subjects #1 and 3# have doubled in size since the start of the experiment, they also have opened their eyes, thanks to the fake mothers in each foal’s direct view and their reduced range of movement, any outburst that might have endangered the experiment was prevented.
Subject #1 development and apparent weight are within average for a normally fed foal, while #3 has developed at a similar pace, it’s apparent weight is that of a poorly fed foal, with it’s ribs exposed despite it’s belly being as full as that of Subject #1.
Subjects #2 and #4 are both showing signs of severe underdevelopment and starvation, it’s likely that the harsh taste causes great distress despite the subjects not having any base to compare it with.
‘Experiment log #8
Subjects #1 and #3 have initiated attempts at speaking, verbal encouragement seens to work at keeping the subjects in a relaxed state.’
Subjects #2 and #4 have both perished from starvation, orogastric tube crucial for viability of ANS.’
…
You feel a gentle wet thing running across your body, your hear the chirping of your siblings as something gives you lickie cleanies before putting you down, you chirp in distress as your stomach demands it’s first meal.
You feel something being wrapped around you, before your mouth is forced open and something is pushed down your throat, the volume leaves you unable to breath at first, ingrained reflexes making your diaphragm stop when your throat is occupied, as to make you not drown in your mother’s milk, but as you asphyxiate, your lungs start filling again despite the occupation of your throat, it is thin enough for you to keep breathing once your body got desperate for air.
It is uncomfortable, but you also feel your mother’s nipple in your mouth, you try to pull but there is nothing.
You desperately try to drink your milkies, you wonder if your mother is empty from feeding your siblings, you remember hearing a lot of chirping before, but no matter how mamy forevers pass, you never get milk
Unknown to you, your stomach is being filled squirt by squirt with foal shit that has been passed through a sieve.
The next day
You hear a voice, a human voice! You desperately try to chirp for help, you’ve not had milk to drink ever! Even if you’re not hungry, you know there should be milk coming from the nipple in your mouth.
After a while, you hear your mommy singing to you for the first time ever!
“Mummah wuvs babbeh. Babbeh wuvs mummah. Babbeh dwink miwkies. Babbeh gwow big an stwong!”
You try to suckle on her milk, but nothing comes out, no matter how hard you pull, bite or knead, you try to chirp, and sob, and cry, you wiggle your legs but there is not a drop of precious milk in your tongue.
“Babbeh dwink miwkies, babbeh make gud poopies, mummah cwean babbeh, babbeh am pwetty!”
But you never get held up and cleaned anymore, you poop and pee all the time, but you never feel anything cleaning you again, your backside fluff does not feel pretty at all.
“Mummah hug babbeh. Babbeh hug mummah. Babbeh am fow huggies an wuv!”
But why does mommah never hugs you? You’re a little baby! You deserve your hugs! Where are your hugs and milkies? Why is your mother being such a meanie and depriving you of all you deserve?
“Mummah makes wots oh bestest miwkies! Gud babbies dwink wots an wots!”
Are you not a good baby? What did you do to deserve this?
7 days later.
“Mmmh mwish buhhb nuhm mmmuke!” / “Mummah pweassle babbeh nee miwkies!”
(why mummah nuh let babbeh talk?) You know you should be talking, but the nipple in your mouth is stopping you! You can’t even look up to your mother’s face, and your legs do not move you no matter how much you try.
You realize now, why you never had milk ever, and never will ever, why you never got hugs and cleanies again, why the human daddy does not help you.
You’re a dummy baby, your leggies, neckies and talkie places do not work.
You’ll never drink milk, you’ll never play, you will never sing, you will never be loved.
…
You decide it’s time to let Subject #1 walk and see it’s reaction.
You put a cloth over the foal’s eyes before removing the pacifier straps and pulling out the tube, the subject coughs and moves it’s tongue and mouth wildly.
You hide away the feeding station before removing the now too small harness. The foal flailing it’s limbs with abandon, as you put the harness away, you see it trying to stand up, it’s legs not used to holding it’s own weight.
You take it to an isolated pen before pulling the cloth out of it’s face, and wait for it to finish it’s bombardment of unimportant babbling.
“Subject, your legs do not work right and you will need to drink medicine to keep them.” You pull the new feeding station, it’s a simple water bottle used for hamstes and fluffies both, with a rubber nipple attached after at the ball bearing tip.
You put it in the enclosure. “It doesn’t taste great, but its good for you.” The foal looks at the shit filled tank with wide eyes.
You take some melted chocolate you have hidden and take it near your mouth. “See, I’ll eat some to show you it’s fine to eat.” You lick it and make a face. “Yikes, taste bad but it’s better than lossing your legs and dying of hunger and sadness. So eat up.” You push the foal to the drinking tube.
It gives it a suckle. “Press your tongue on the tip.” You instruct, as it does so, the subject spits it and lies down in fetal position while crying and peeping. “Subject, it’s either that or die. If you drink some I’ll give you a ball, block and a soft sleeping place.” It looks at you and tries to drink again, it swallows some, before coughing and crying more, it’s stomach is still full so that would be enough for now, it is entirely unused to a stomach less than full while never even knowing the taste of anything else, so you doubt it will have the will or motivation to starve.
You leave it there with it’s toys after teaching it to use the litter box.
You grab the repaired clipboard and starts to talk as you write your notes down.
‘Experiment log #8
Subject #1 was released from immobilization to test reaction to taste of ANS, Subject #3 continues as before.
This shall allows us to confirm the possibility of using subjects raised on ANS on tests that require observation of the subject’s psychology and social interactions.’
months later.
'Experiment log #75
Subjects #1 and #3 have fully grown out of infancy on a diet consistent of nothing but the ANS.
Despite mild psychological issues caused by the experiment’s circumstances and ambient, their physical development has been normal, with ANS sourced from foals having better results during foal stage, while ANS sourced from adults fed nutritious kibble proved to be better after the average weaning period.
This is the last log of the experiment, conclusion: Success.’
“Well subject, time for you to go, thank you for your cooperation.”
“Wha daddeh mean? Whewe fwuffy going?”
You close the fluffy mouth so it can’t scream or cry, you take the new orogastric tube and shove it into his mouth, you push the "mask"into it’s face to secure the tube.
You tie it’s legs and leave him there while you fetch the new feeding tank.
The next day.
“… we could potentially cut in half the food cost for our live specimen and possibly claim it is recycling and be eligible to a tax cut.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
They look at each other for a quiet moment.
“Granted, make the wider research with twenty foals and we’ll see if it’s truly viable.”
“Your whole team really has been productive after we gave you more freedom, it has been quite the surprise.”
"I wonder if it’s best to half the cost of food or to double our stock, please make a survey with the other scientists. "
“Thank you sirs.”