This is a short story about Mummah's last song (qwertytf) by @qwertytf I didn’t really consult with them about it so hopefully it’s not out of line with what they had in mind
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Apple sat, transfixed, in front of her saferoom TV. Currently playing was her favorite teebee show: Cinnamummah’s Happy Babbehs! On this episode the titular starlet and her troupe of foals had traveled to a Mayan temple in search of a fabled treasure: The Golden Bwock of Kukulkan.
“Babbehs! If fwuffies am get da tweasuwe, nee’ tu be bestest! Make gud poopies an’ nu hoof suckies!” She told her foals in a wary tone as a papier-mâché boulder rolled in front of them. Luckily for them, the Mayans had helpfully set up a glitzy litterbox spray painted gold so they’d go to have a potty break.
Having been suckling her hoof before, Apple let it plop out of her mouth with a giggle. Waddled over to her own littertray and climbed on into it to do her business. Typical of kid’s shows, Cinnamummah had just paused what she’d been doing to let the audience fulfill whatever condition had been laid out before continuing. After having gone potty, she was on her way back to the teebee before stopping in place.
Right beside a pile of toys was her own mummah. Bright purple, way bigger than she happened to be, and far less interesting than Cinnamummah was.
“Mummah? Pway?” She asked her mummah, pushing a bright red ball nearby. Of course her ‘mummah’ didn’t respond. This was just a stuffed toy that served as a replacement for the mare.
Of course she didn’t get a response. Never did, in fact. Showing mummah her rump, she wiggled it around a bit. “Appew make gud poopies. Gud fwuffy? Pwease?” Asking for any sort of praise or acknowledgement.
Puffing out her cheeks with determination, Apple get up on her rear hooves and performed a small dance. If anything would make mummah care, that would be it. All she received in return was the same flat stare from this lilac-eyed doll.
It made her suddenly angry. The red furred filly with her tufts of green tail and mane had tried to be such a good girl all her short life mummah never even cared a little to say so. Or play with her. Or do ANYTHING.
“Appew haechu, mummah! HAECHU! Dun wub! Yew dun wub Appew, Appew dun wub YEW!” She told the stuffed toy, charging forward and grabbing at one of it’s front weggies to drag it down from a sitting position to it’s side. Began to gave it sorry-hoofsies right in it’s side, angry tears spurting out the corners of her eyes.
In response, the stuffed toy did the only thing it could actually do. It spoke. A prerecorded voiceline of a mare that Apple had never knew and couldn’t remember being loved by.
‘Mummah wub babbeh
Babbeh wub mummah
Wub babbeh fohebah
Be gud fo mummah
Mummah wub yew appew.
Sowwy hab sweepies’
Just hearing it made Apple even angrier. Why sleepies? Why not wake up!? Why not love her!? If mummah really cared, why didn’t she play or tell her to stop suckling her hoof!? Or say good job! ANYTHING!
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Alice heard a commotion coming down the hall in her fluffy’s saferoom. Normally Apple was such a good foal and never really did much to cause a fuss, but it was clear from the sounds that she was currently in a great state of distress. Stopping lunch preparations and washing tomato goo off her hands, she hurried over to see what was the matter.
The sight of the filly beating up her ‘mummah’ made her heart sink. Stepping in to gently pry pet and toy apart, she soothed a single index finger against the baby’s head. Still crying and flailing her hooves around, it took a few moments to get Apple to calm down. Allowing the filly to suck on her fingertip for a moment to pacify and comfort her, Alice cradled the fluffy against her chest.
“What’s wrong, cutie?” She asked in the softest tone that could be managed. It wasn’t really something that needed to be asked but she wanted Apple to express herself instead of being told how she felt. Hiccuping a bit, Apple whimpered.
“Mummah dun wub Appew. Nebah pway, nebah say gud poopies. Appew am bad babbeh? Am dummeh?” Sniffling and getting her tiny snoot cleaned off with a tissue, Apple found herself being brought out from the safe room and into the living room.
Sitting down on the couch and letting the fluffy nestle comfortably on her lap, Alice had not really been looking forward to this day. It was a subject which made her somewhat gloomy, but she was a human. An adult one, at that. This was just a fluffy who was young and discovering things about the world.
“That’s not your real, mummah. Well, it’s her voice. But your mummah went forever sleepies when you were still itty-bitty.” An index finger curled over Apple’s smooth-furred back, gentle affection as she processed the words.
Turning her head, she shook her head. “Wry fowebbah sweepies? Appew am hewe an’ nee’ mummah an’ wub.”
Sighing a bit, Alice gave the foal the gentle of squeezes around her midsection with two fingers. “She got something really bad called cancer. It’s…the worst sickies you can have. Usually it doesn’t mean you get better.”
Not really understanding that either, Apple just waited patiently for mummah to continue. It seemed as if she would and after a moment, she did.
“Your mummah was named Lilac. I tried so hard for her to get better. We learned she was sick when she still had you in her tummy.” Apple blinked a bit but nodded. Went to suckle on one of her hooves, which Alice allowed for the moment because she was having a moment.
“Lilac had lots of babies. When they finally came out. But they were sick too…and only you were okay, Apple.” It was difficult to tell the filly that not only was she in a world where she was lacking her mother but her siblings, as well. Kind of a miserable thing to lay out on a fluffy who was already feeling mental anguish. Yet there was a point to it.
“Your mummah was very sad. About being sick and losing her other babies. But you made her so happy, Apple. It was hard for her to smile even when she got skettis, but you always made her smile” Apple gasped a bit. Mummah had huwties but she made her smile? Really? Not a dummeh after all? To prove that point, Alice went to reach for her phone. Selected a photo which caused her no small amount of heartache and lowered it so Apple could see.
It showed Lilac laying in a little cushion bed. Her fur was patchy and falling out, bones standing taut against the exposed flesh. In the end stages of the miserable fucking hold of what was going to take her from the world. It was not a pleasant picture for Alice but for Apple, it would hold some joy. That was her mummah! And cradled up against her side?
“Dat am Appew!” She said with a coo of delight. When she was a chirpy, sure, but she knew what she looked like. Yup, that was her and mummah. Just like Alice had said, too, Lilac had the biggest smile ever. Though her cheeks were somewhat hollowed out and gaunt, her eyes yellowed with jaundice, that smile was genuine and warm.
“Mmhmm.” Giving the foal a small smile as she hugged up against the phone screen, Alice continued.
“When she was about to go forever sleepies, she was worried that you wouldn’t remember her. You were so tiny that your eyes weren’t even open yet.” That made sense: Apple couldn’t really remember anything about Lilac at all. Not from actual memory.
“So she wanted to give you something to remember her by. She was very sick but put her voice in the stuffy-friend just for you.” Alice remembered the day vividly. Going to the toy store, finding a shell that looked almost exactly like her beloved pet. Having the employee help stuff it with lots of plush cotton for the best of hugs. At that point, Lilac was so sick that she couldn’t even use the bathroom by herself and had constant nosebleeds. Getting misty eyed at how determined she was to sound happy while speaking to record the message for the foal she wouldn’t get to see grow up, Alice dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
Now Apple felt sad. That wasn’t really her mummah but WAS in a way. It was a hard concept for a li’l fluffball like her to comprehend, but it was starting to mesh. “Appew sowwy ‘fo gibbin’ mummah sowwy-hoofsies! Am bad babbeh!” She whimpered out, but Alice shook her head. Cradled the foal close and brought her back to the saferoom.
Placing Apple in front of the stuffy-fwend, she seemed shy and hesitant at first before flinging herself out at the plush toy. Hugged it with all her might and made it give it’s prerecorded message of love, sadness, and acceptance of what was going to be.
“Lilac loved you more than anything and would never be mad at you. She was my best friend, so I should know.” It was weird to say that the fluffy had been her best friend but it was true. The mare had been a present when she was a freshman in high school. Had dressed up in a cheerleader outfit and did dancies when she played soccer. Stayed up all night and gobbled up icecream with her when she’d gone through a bad break-up. Been through the entire process of moving out of her parent’s house to a whole new place. Never with a complaint, at that.
“Mummah was bestest fwend?” Apple asked with big sparkly eyes. Her mummah was BIG mummah’s very bestest most BEST fwend?
Bending down and curling an index finger against the foal’s chin, Alice nodded. “Yup. And I’m sure you’d make her so proud to be my new one.”
Apple’s heart beat quickly. Though she was still somewhat sad about mummah, the thought she could be important and make big mummah happy just like Lilac had made her fill with determination. Fluffing her tail up, she nuzzled up on her owner.
“Appew am goan be bestest fwuffy! Mummah am goan be suuuu happeh!”
