**Based on my previous concept development thread. - Freezer Foals - Concept Development / Naming (By Lothmar) - Check if out for context if you haven’t read. **
With spring weather warming up it was about time to start raising some Freezer Foals for warmer days to come. As one of the developers of Freezer Foals you were provided a complimentary ‘Family pack’ during development. You had allowed your nanny named ‘Cream’ a vanilla-colored mare to keep one of the last batch for company but you could tell she was lonely. The Cherry red was just under a year old at this point and was a big fluffy now, roughly the size of a quart of ice cream. You had switched to calling cherry ‘Aaron’ because cherry was one of your least favorite flavors, so you decided to associate them with something else. That and you remember the face of recognition they had the first time you opened the chest freezer after they had opened their eyes.
Cream and Aaron sat on their haunches playing with a cloth ball. They passed and rolled the ball between them in the soft light that a ceiling light clipped to the door provided. The room was sparce for decorations save for a few pin up pictures of happy artic scenery with hip and smiling animal mascots like a rad 90’s icee penguin knock off. They had an emergency button light as well on each of the walls in case the light burnt out that their father seemed to replace every few weeks, taking out the old batteries and putting in fresh new ones so that they could remove the rechargeable batteries and recharge the old ones for the next swap.
“So, daddeh gon’ get new foaws soon. Aawon excited fo’ new bowthews an’ sistews?” Cream inquires making small talk so there was a sound other then the subtle hum of the chest freezer which kept them cool.
Aaron placed his hoof on the cloth ball and sighed. “Nu point…” He added padding over to the far corner to the ‘offering’ place where they made ‘good pee pee’. It was a flat plastic container with an upturned lip around the perimeter and the citrusy concentrate froze here. Freezer foals did not make poopies and most nutrition went into replacement shell fluff as they grew, the little remaining they piddled out what couldn’t be processed and incorporated into their body.
Occasionally daddy would come and bend the tray and put the contents in a box in the other corner, sometimes taking the contents with a metal spoon for unknown reasons. But if the tributes kept their daddies hunger at bay then it was well worth the simple effort. Occasionally Cream and Aaron would groom one another and peel of bits of each others shells and when neither were hungry they would carry these over to the tribute pile as well.
As Aaron returned and rolled the ball back to cream he said. “We boff know wha’ wiww happen to dem. Onwy fwuffie Aawon wub am Cweam." Aaron managed to suppress his tears, they would just stick to their fluff or need to be licked off the floor so they didn’t slip on it as ice. He hoped beyond hope that Cream would never be chosen and that the last year was proof she wouldn’t but there was always that nagging suspicion they could be next.
“Huuu…” Cream sniffled slightly at the sad prospect that one of the foals she had raised had become so jaded to the prospect of babies. Cream stopped the ball again and stood up to walk over and lean on Aaron for support. “. . . Aawon, Cweam nu know if can do gain without youw hewp. Many heawt saddies…” As she said this Aaron lifted his right fore leg around her shoulder in a supportive fashion to comfort her.
“Wan’ be Cweams speshuw fwend? Aawon be daddeh instead of bwudda to babbies?” When she said this the idea hit so many emotions that Aaron was stunned. Even if freezer foals didn’t possess urges or the ability to mate, they still possessed familial bonds and affection that was deep rooted in a fluffy. So the fact that the fluffy he held dearest wanted to be his special friend brought him such joy. He also knew though the pain she was asking him to help her bare and the tears flowed quickly now.
Cream was surprised at this and Aaron broke away from the cuddle.
“Not nu, buh… Aawon nee’ time to think. Head huwties…” He said as the emotional pain caused him to seek comfort in food as he walk waddled over to the food dish that was about half full of a nutrigel slushy like substance that he dunked his muzzle into and began to eat drink from. Tears dripping and mixing into the food as Cream sighed and licked up the tears that had fallen to the liner on the floor to prevent them from staining it with their bodies.
I entered the garage and began to unpack. I set the three-month tub of feed mix on the bench next to the sink and top off the new container which tended to have a little extra space with what remained of the old one after mixing a new bowl of food for his two adult fluffies. Next was the zippered lunch bag with the ice packs and new freezer foals. They had already begun cheeping from the sudden shift and stop when he had pulled in to the garage. “Ok, ok, calm down.” He added with a sigh reaching for the Chest freezers door after opening up the container for the freezer foals.
“Are you ready to see your new home and meet your mother?” These freezer foals were not old enough to respond but they seemed to start peeping excitedly in regards to certain terms so he took that for an affirmative.
Suddenly the light dimmed slightly. This was their que that the sky would open and Aaron turned and rushed to defend Cream just in case. The sky above was just another ceiling and that same face he saw when he first opened his see places was there again. And just like that, he remembered that terrible moment where everything changed. In his heart, Aaron knew. ‘Home was a pen. Freezer fluffies, cattle.’
This Beast must have been 12 adult fluffies stretched laying down leg to leg high! It could lean over their safe room like it was nothing and reach every point of it with its sweeping limbs. What is worse, even if they could somehow escape the world beyond rejected them. It was glorious with many wonders to be sure but as more and more time passed you would begin to sweat more and more as exhaustion overcomes you and you would realize the truth of the hostile environment you were in.
The thing could easily grab either of you one handed and could manipulate multiple foals as it demonstrated reaching into a box and began to unpack foals two at a time. “Cream, these are your new foals. Take care of them for daddy and teach them the rules of the safe room.” The figure stated its false smile never leaving its face as its eyes locked on you instead of Cream for some reason.
“Fank ‘ou fo’ pwetty babbies daddeh. Cweam wiww be bestes’ momma. Teach babbies to be gud babbies.” Cream added as she examined each of the babies in turn lifting them with her front legs and giving them sniffs and licking off any lingering ice crystals from the store freezer that weren’t part of their fluff before taking them to the nest opposite their food to feed as the hand put in a new container of food and took out the old one.
Aaron sensed the creature above them knew that you knew what it was. But if so, why did it let you live!?
Why take Lemon? Why take Grape? Why take Green apple!?
Pictures of his siblings being chosen flashed through his mind as he remembered them being taken every other food time and new siblings being brought in to replace them, only to be chosen again… And again… And Again…Never to return.
“Aawon wiww hewp speshuw fwend cweam as weww daddeh. Wiww be ‘gud daddeh’ to babbies…" Aaron replied finally working up the nerve as he saw the ceiling about to close.
You felt the implication of ‘good daddy’ in Aarons voice. For some reason, this amused you. “Is that so, I hope you enjoy being a daddy as much as I have then.” You say before closing the ceiling and heading to inside the house as you close the garage with a bit of a laugh.
Inside the freezer Aaron screamed to the heavens in defiance, eyes clenched in rage as the light returned to its normal illumination. Your display was rendered impotent to the outside world though as your scream was drowned out by the lid and background noises beyond.
The foals and cream flinched and the foals began to let out fearful chrips. “Speshuw fwend, pwease nu yeww. Babbeh’s scawedy. Nu wan’ babbies scawd of daddeh.” Cream adds with a slight ‘huu’. She was so happy when Aaron had declared that he had wanted to be her special friend but the brief moment of happiness was deflated quickly by his rage.
He turned around and the anger melted like a Freezer foal on a summer day as he looked in his special friends see places. “Sowwy fo’ maddies cweam. Su much saddies fo’ babbies.” He didn’t want his babbies to be nummy babbies afterall. Aaron walked over to lie on the other side of the foals. His heart which he had tried to freeze so that it could not be hurt began to crack and melt as the strong instincts of ‘love’ overwhelmed his fear and sadness.
“Can onwy make dah mostest of dah time we hab togethah…” Cream added as the two leaned their muzzels together and gently rubbed against eachothers cheeks. “Nu wowwy about things fwuffie cant contwow.” She said with a whisper to his ear and Aaron coo’d slightly at the reassurance of the mare that raised him and now the bestest special friend a freezer fluffy could ask for.
This would be the last year that cream could feed foals you thought to yourself as you sat on the couch, tablet in hand finishing a report. You were a practical person if nothing else, she would need a replacement then if you decided to continue. You were not heartless though; you would not leave Aaron alone to suffer and despise you to ‘that’ degree.
Originally you’d planned on having him get the replacement Nanny up to speed and using him to keep a punch cool and flavorful later. But now, you would have to find a recipe which called for cherry and vanilla flavoring that you could use the two in. So they could be together, forever.
You’d consider if it was worth getting a new family pack and continuing your reports on this line at the end of the year. There was a warm spring and a hot summer to hopefully look forward to soon enough after all.
