Anna argued with John as he came in to box up the inventory. “Look, I already sent in the inventory disposal report. Plus, you know company policy. All employee purchases must be made before inventory is discounted.” She knew the employee training well, Fluffmart required employees to take online certification biannually to make sure they remembered proper procedures.
The rule he was citing was put in place to prevent employee theft, otherwise employees would just hold onto good fluffies in the back until they dropped in price and then buy brightly colored pegasi and unicorns well below their market value. “I’ll pay the new foal price then.” She blurted. “And what? Are you going to buy the other four? That’s almost a grand! And what about all the other brown ones that come through every other week? Or the ones with broken horns and wing? You know you can’t get attached to the stock.”
Anna had a single tear rolling down her cheek. John’s tone softened. “Look, I know how you feel. I’ve felt that way too. Look at it this way, three of them got adopted yesterday. That’s a miracle.” He sighed “Just not for him.” She nodded but that didn’t mean she was ok with it. She went to grab each of the brown colts and began to carry them back for John to give them their little speech and get them secured for transport. Pinkie saw miss Anna grab the misbehaving colts first taking one at a time to the back room, she knew what happened next.
Anna returned to see Pinkie embracing her adopted son. “Mummah suh happeh, gud bebbeh am ged nyu mummah an pway ebwee day! Mummah gon miss bestes babbeh suu much! Mummah hab bigges heawd happies!” She lied, saying goodbye always gave her the biggest heart hurties. The colt cried as he hugged his mummah. ”Wub yuu fowebah mummah! Fwuffy am bwave wike yuu teww cowt tuu!”
He let go of his mother and turned and made uppies for miss anna to grab him. He was confused. Miss Anna was crying too. “Am otay miss Anna, fwuffy am weady tuu gu tu nyu mummah!” This didn’t make her tears go away. Anna grabbed him and held him tight as she carried him back. It felt wonderful. It felt just like mummah’s huggies. He hoped his new mummah’s huggies would feel like this too.
She set him on the steel table next to the other fluffies where John was explaining that they had to be well behaved while they went to their new home. Anna left. She couldn’t look the foal in his eyes any longer. The colt looked at the nice manager ‘Mistah John’. “Well since you are all here, are you ready to hear about a magical place called Skettiland?”
“Sgettis!?” The foals cried out almost in unison. “Wand? Wut am dat?” The colt asked. “I’m glad you asked. Sketti land is a magical place full of love and huggies and all the skettis you can eat. You’ll get new mummahs and anything you ever want. But the trip to get there is very scary and only good fluffies get to go to fluffyland. Are you prepared?”
He was met with a series of responses like “Nuu am scawed!” and “Fwuffy am gud fwuffy!” The colt thought for a moment “Anything?” He asked. “Anything!” the nice man said. “Whut abowt fwuffies pwetteh sistuh?” John’s face betrayed him for a moment as a pang of guilt washed over him. “If you want to see your pretty sister and you are a good fluffy, then I’m sure you will see her.” The colt felt much better.
He didn’t know the specifics of the disposal process but was assured by repeated company memos and training videos that the process was quick, painless, humane and that they never knew what was going to happen. It was their responsibility to keep the defectives happy in their final hours. A lie so that a fluffy’s last thoughts were of family felt like a good thing to him.
Mister John put each of them in their own box with a special pad inside. He told them it wasn’t a litter box, and they couldn’t make any poopies or big peepees but it was if they accidentally had any small “leakies” it would dry them up. He was jostled around and felt scared now that he was in the box. Only a little light came in through the holes on each side.
He heard a voice speaking to him. It was mister John again, “Now remember what I told you. You are going to a new home. It is going to feel like forever but don’t worry and remember not to make any bad poopies.” There was some other noises and some loud clanging that he didn’t understand. And then he heard chirpie babies. It was all ok. His mummah would always mumble in her sleep when he was a chirpy: “Bebbehs mekk effydin’ bedduh."
He closed his eyes and went to sleep. He awoke to wawas dripping on him. What was happening? He looked out the holes in the box and could see he was still in the big vwoom vwoom. Then the smell hit him, it was pee and the sensitive baby above him had made bad peepees.
“Nuu! Nuu make bad peepees! Need tu be gud fwuffy tu gu to sgettiland!” His shouting woke and riled the other foals. A chorus of them began to chant “Sgettiland!” They heard a loud metal bang that startled them. “Shut up! We aren’t there yet!” It was the delivery man who was taking them to their new home.
They all sat around anxiously awaiting their promised land. They tried to speak to each other through the holes in their boxes. “Nyu home?” “Bestes Nummies?” “nyu mummah?” The smell of piss was strong now and the foals could not contain their bladders any longer, the dam had burst as dozens of fluffies pissed their boxes. The colt held steadfast. He knew he had to be a good fluffy if he wanted to see his sister again.
The truck slowed and hit some strong bumps that riled up the fluffies before coming completely to a stop and turning the engine off. “Mustah!” one of the fluffies cried out. “Nyuu sabe fwuffy!” It became a cacophony of chirping and pleas for mercy from the nonexistent monster. The colt covered his ears. He was a good fluffy. He would be brave, for mummah.
← Chapter 4 - First - Chapter 6 →
Are you excited for the next chapter? Next week: Sgettiland