Margaret loaded Grapenut into the cushioned dog carrier that belonged to his namesake. “Why mummah put Gwapenut in sowwy bocks?” The fluffy asked curiously. “Gwapenut am pwetty sure do nuffin wong.” Margaret smiled. “This is a carrier box, not a sorry box. It’s so you’re nice and safe in the car on the long drive.” Grapenut cocked his head inquisitively. “Bocks pwotect fwuffy?” Margaret nodded. The pegasus nuzzled his head against the hard plastic shell of the carrier. “Tank ‘ou bocksie fwiend!” Margaret left the front cage open as she placed Grapenut in the already running car.
Scarlet’s corpse was already in the trunk of the car, lying inside an old cooler and covered with ice packs. Thomas had donated the cooler upon learning of the death, as well as volunteered to watch the fluffies while she was gone. Margaret tried to get him to take some money in exchange for watching the group, but they settled on giving him his pick of Clementine’s litter. She had also given Bill five hundred dollars to tack onto Thomas’ next pay check but had neglected to mention that detail to him.
The next matter was to choose the fluffy that would be getting the checkup. Jackson couldn’t sit still for longer than three minutes, and an eight hour round trip would be hell on both of them. She didn’t want to separate Bullet and Button, leaving only Bumbler and Grapenut to choose from, making the obvious choice to take the green pegasus.
“Alright dear, anytime you need to go poop or pee let me know, ok?” Grapenut nodded as Margaret buckled the carrier into the frontseat. “Otay mummah!” Margaret grinned as she ruffled his mane. “That’s a good boy; wait here while I go talk to Thomas, alright?” Walking around the car Margaret made her way into the garden, she walked towards where Thomas sat, Clementine’s foals forming a fluffpile on his legs whilst the orange mare rested her head on his knee.
“Thanks for doing this Thomas, I really appreciate it.” Thomas turned to her, a beaming smile on his face. “Honestly Margaret, thank you for allowing me to do this. If I’m honest, this is kind of a dream come true.” Thomas reached down, softly stroking Clementine’s head, the mare cooing and pressing her head against his hand. “Cwementine wuv mistah Tahmuss!” Margaret felt a twinge of guilt. If she could afford to give Clementine away she would, but with the expansion she would need as many fluffies as possible to keep up with the work.
Margaret passed Thomas a small notebook “Here’s the feeding schedule, just call out line up and they’ll get ready. Food is in the fridge along with the mother’s supplements, feed them first then feed the rest. And most importantly, don’t take shit from Punky.” Margaret shot the mare a death glare. Thomas laughed. “Got it. Don’t worry Margaret, I can handle a few fluffies for a day.” Margaret sighed. “I know Thomas, I know.” Thomas grew dour. “The death got you spooked huh.” She nodded dourly. The two stayed quiet for a moment, before Margaret said her goodbyes to the fluffies, as well as a threat to a certain one, before leaving the garden and hopping in her car.
Grapenut had apparently been lulled to sleep by the soft rumbling of the car, waking up with a jolt at the sound of the car door opening, Margaret stifling a laugh at the hollow clunk his head made as he hit his head against the roof of the carrier. “Dear, are you ready to go?” Grapenut answered with an excited “Yes mummah!” as Margaret drove out of the garage and began the long drive to the city.
The drive was relatively uneventful for the first two hours, Grapenut shivering in fear of the metal monsters rushing towards them for the first fifteen minutes or so before the gentle rumbling lulled him to sleep. Margaret was glad he was unable to see the multi colored roadkill that dotted the highway at irregular intervals. She grimaced as they passed the flattened corpse of a mother trailing a line of foals that appeared to have attempted to outrun a truck. “Such a shame.” Margaret muttered to herself. Fluffies had been heavily demonized by the local media, the small farming communities that dotted the Midwest had been preparing for agricultural destruction on a scale not seen since the Dustbowl. Destruction that never happened.
Backyard gardens like Margaret’s were easily overrun by a herd, but the acres and acres of corn and wheat were both too large and too strong for a herd to do any damage to. Even if a fluffy managed to knock over a stalk of corn its delicate teeth would not be able to eat the hard, uncooked kernels, nor would the soft leathery hooves be able to husk the ears of corn. The only thing that could really be damaged by a herd were fresh, young sprouts, and a simple application of a bittering agent would prevent that.
Fluffies were restricted to stream and forest thickets where they could eat the softer undergrowth, or living in the many abandoned houses that were common in the dying rural towns. Unfortunately, the restricted habitats did little to save them from the hundreds of overzealous hunters that lived in the region.
“Mummah?” Margaret was startled out of her musings, looking over to see Grapenut awake and fidgeting. “Yes dear? Do you need to go poop?” he nodded, and Margaret pulled the sedan over to the side of the road, opening the door and removing the fluffy from the carrier and setting him down in the grass. His business completed, Grapenut trotted back over to Margaret, placing himself in the classic “Upsies” pose. Margaret smiled and lifted him back to the carrier, the pegasus curling back up inside the carrier to sleep some more as Margaret began to drive again.
Seeing her exit approaching, Margaret maneuvered over to the right lane, her thoughts returning to the small body in the trunk. What if the death was from a contagious disease? What if it had been something her negligence had caused? These and many other thoughts consumed her as she slowly cruised the streets towards the office of Dr. Vaughn.
Margaret circled the block a few times, hoping to find a free parking spot before finally caving and pulling to the side of the road, swiping her debit card on the parking meter and muttering about the absurd prices. The instant she had opened the door of the car Grapenut’s head had perked up, keen on the unfamiliar scents of the city. “Alright dear, come here.” Margaret spoke gently as she lifted the fluffy from the carrier, placing him down on the rough concrete. Grapenut didn’t seem to mind, awed by the titanic grey buildings around him. “Waow! Dese housie pwaces am SUUUUUUU big mummah!”
Margaret smiled half-heartedly as she lifted the cooler from the trunk. “They are, aren’t they dear?” Luckily for her, the cooler was built with wheels and a collapsing handle. Wheeling it onto the curb, Margaret called Grapenut over to her. “Dear, please follow mommy very closely and don’t wander off, ok?” Grapenut nodded, clearly distracted by the flock of pigeons nearby. “Grapenut, LISTEN.” The pegasus jolted to attention, attention clearly on her now.
Margaret sighed, then crouched down and softly pet the fluffies mane. “Dear, the city is a very dangerous place, especially for a fluffy. If you don’t stay with mommy, you could easily get hurt, or worse. And if you got hurt, it would make me sad. I love you and I want you to be safe, ok?” Grapenut nuzzled her hand, cooing softly. “Otay mummah, Gwapenut wuv mummah too.”
Margaret smiled and began to walk to the gleaming white marble façade that bore the name of Dr. Vaughn, VMD, slowly enough that Grapenut was able to match her pace with little difficulty.
Opening the door, Margaret was met by a strikingly ordinary vet’s office, a stark contrast to the marble of the buildings front. A cheery blonde teen sat behind the desk, smiling at Grapenut as he walked in, before turning to address Margaret. “Hello ma’am, are you here for a checkup?” “Yes, we’re here for a basic checkup, and an, uh…” Margaret leaned in close to the woman, whispering under her breath, “an autopsy.” The girl nodded. “Alright, let me just get some basic information on the little green man, then we will get the doctor for the procedure.”
“Alright, can I get the fluffies name?” Margaret smiled, lifting the pegasus in her arms. “Tell the nice young lady your name dear.” “Fwuffy name am Gwapenut!” Margaret smiled, tickling him under the chin. “Good boy.” The receptionist smiled sweetly. “What a well behaved fluffy, is he an adoption or a breeder purchase?” Margaret shook her head and was about to speak when Grapenut interjected. “Gwapenut hewd fin’ mummah’s gawden an den mummah take hewd in!” He turned and beamed at Margaret expectantly. “He was part of a small feral herd I took in.”
The receptionist typed the information in. “Breed?” Margaret waited for a bit before prompting Grapenut. “Dear, are you a hornie fluffy, a wingie fluffy, or a no hornie no wingie fluffy?” Concern flashed across Grapenut’s face before he answered. “Gwapenut am wingie fwuffy.” He was rewarded with another chin tickling.
“Do you remember your fluffy mommy and daddy?” Grapenut hesitated, but shook his head. “Gwapenut widdwe babbeh wen taken in by Doogie’s hewd, nu wemembah mummah.” A couple more key strikes before, “Any brothers or sisters?” The pegasus shook his head no. “Gwapenut am onwy babbeh.” They continued this way for a while, the receptionist making polite small talk with Margaret as she typed the information into the computer.
After a bit of small talk, Margaret could no longer contain her curiosity and brought up the mismatched marble façade on the front of the building. The girl laughed. “Yeah, this place used to be an Italian restaurant called Marco’s, and it was very good one if the stories are to be believed. Packed to the brim each night.” “Did the owners get too old or something?” The girl smiled sadly. “No, it went out of business around a year ago.” Margaret only grew more confused. Then it clicked in her head. “Fluffies?” The girl smiled and nodded. “Believe it or not people were put off by having around twenty odd mini ponies with their faces plastered against the glass begging for pasta. Plus the constant layer of poop around the front door made it incredibly difficult to keep the place clean.”
After a few more keystrokes, the receptionist was finished. “Alright let’s get you back to see the doctor!” Margaret was surprised. “That’s it? No other forms?” The receptionist shook her head sadly. “Technically they aren’t animals, they’re ‘Biotoys’. They are completely excluded from most animal related laws.” Margaret was dumbfounded. “How the hell are these not considered animals? Even if they are a nuisance that seems a bit petty.” The receptionist shrugged. “Blame Hasbio.”
Walking through the large double doors that Margaret assumed used to lead to a kitchen, they walked down a hallway filled with doors, hearing soft giggling and sounds of play behind one, muffled sobs and crying behind another. Reaching a nondescript door, the receptionist stopped and opened it, leading to a standard veterinary examination room. “Alright, please wait here, and Dr. Vaughn will be in shortly. And don’t worry, I’ll carry the cooler to the right place, don’t worry.” The receptionist gave Margaret a wave before walking out.
Margaret sat with Grapenut lying on his back in her lap, stroking his soft tummy fluff as he giggled and cooed under her hand. After a few minutes, the door swung open and a young man wearing a pink doctor’s coat walked in. Walking up to Margaret, he offered a hand to her. “Hello, I’m Dr. Vaughn, nice to meet you!” Margaret was confused. The young man before her couldn’t have been older than twenty four. Quickly recovering, Margaret took his offered hand and shook it firmly. “You’re younger than I expected.” He gave a short chuckle. “You have no idea how often I get that.” Turning cheerily to Grapenut, he crouched to the fluffies eye level. “So, who’s this handsome young man?” “Fwuffy name am Gwapenut!” the pegasus proudly shouted, still lying on his back.
“Alright Grapenut, let’s get you on the examination table.” Margaret lifted the fluffy to the raised metal table. As his pads touched the table Grapenut yelped slightly. “Whats wrong dear? Are you alright?” Margaret asked with concern. The fluffy collected himself quickly. “Sowwy, tabwe jus’ su cowd.” The doctor clapped his hands together. “Alright little buddy, I’m going to have to touch you a bit, and it might get a bit weird at times. But im only doing this to make sure you are healthy, Ok?”
Grapenut appeared to contemplate his words for a bit before agreeing with a short “Otay.” Dr. Vaughn smiled. “Let’s get the nasty part out of the way first then shall we?” Before the fluffy could react the doctor was behind him and preforming a testicular exam, and before either the fluffy or Margaret were able to protest he was done. “Sorry, if they know it’s coming they’re liable to panic and run. Seen a fluffy attempt to do it when we were in training and fell off the platform head first.” The vet laughed sadly. “Got an extra lesson in fluffy trauma care that day.” He paused for a bit as if recalling the memory before continuing with the examination, poking and prodding the fluffy in places, occasionally eliciting a giggle from him.
Reaching the head of the fluffy he asked smiled. “Can you give me the biggest smile you can little buddy?” Grapenut obliged, smiling as big as his little face could, the doctor checking his teeth and making a couple notes. Suddenly, he froze, reaching up to brush Grapenut’s mane from his forehead, prodding the odd lump on his brow. The fluffy froze, terror in his eyes. The vet shot a glance to Margaret, who gave him a short nod in response.
He finished the rest of the examination, with Grapenut visibly relaxing after he moved away from his head. The examination done, he turned to Margaret. “Alright, the next procedure is going to take a while. If you want I can let him play with some other fluffies in the play room while you go out and grab a coffee.” Margaret considered the offer for a moment before agreeing. “Grapenut dear, mommy needs to go grab something to eat, do you mind playing with some other fluffies while I do?” Grapenut nodded, clearly eager to play with some new friends. “Mummah go get sum’ gud nummies. Fwuffy pway untiw mummah get back.” Margaret gave the fluffy a kiss on the forehead before Dr. Vaughn carried him off to the play room.
Margaret gave a polite wave to the receptionist as she walked out onto the city street. The city hadn’t really changed much besides the addition of major retail chains here and there, as well as a definite undertone of fluffy shit mingling with the usual smells of the city. Each time she passed an alleyway, the smell grew stronger, as did the sounds of squealing ferals and chirping foals, but she never managed to see any of them.
She walked aimlessly around the city, taking in the sights for a bit before settling down at a fancy Parisian café for a cup of coffee and an overpriced ham sandwich. Margaret sat there, slowly eating and staring off into space, listening to the distant noises of the city. Cars honking, people talking, fluffies begging. That last one sounded pretty close actually. Looking down Margaret was met by a scrawny grey and red unicorn. “Hewwo nice wady, may Awchibawld pwease hab’ a bit o’ nummies?”
Margaret was taken aback by the little stallion. For a feral he appeared well groomed, a small, tattered black ribbon tied around his neck in a shoddy knot. She looked towards the remnants of her sandwich, a single bite, and offered it to the little creature. “Tank ou’ vewy much.” The fluffy gently took the bite in his mouth gently and trotted off. Margaret quickly stood up and followed him, following the fluffy from a distance as he weaved in between pedestrians.
The fluffy led her through the city, stopping at crosswalks and waiting for the proper light, weaving in between pedestrians as he did so. Margaret almost had trouble keeping up with his pace. Pedestrians became fewer and far between as they reached a less populous section of the city, an office district that had never recovered from the stock market crash, rundown and decrepit, complete with boarded windows.
Upon reaching a small alley between buildings the fluffy ducked into it, and Margaret entered behind him. “Hewe spechul fwend, Awchibawld bwing nummies!” The unicorn deposited the sandwich in front of a ragged cardboard box, followed by the soft sounds of chewing. Margaret cleared her throat to make her presence known. The stallion turned to face Margaret before taking a defensive stance. “Nu huwt fwuffies nice wady, fwuffies nu wan’ twouble.” Margaret smiled at the fluffy. “Don’t worry dear, I won’t hurt you or your special friend. I just want to talk to you.” The fluffy relaxed a bit. “Otay, wut wady wan tawk about?”
Margaret walked deeper into the alley, looking into the cardboard box to see a steel blue earthy pony looking back at her with bright green eyes. “Hello dear.” The fluffy just stared back at Margaret, its green eyes regarding her cautiously. “Spechul fwend no can tawk.” Archibald spoke from behind her, trotting up behind Margaret. “Su wut wady wan’ tawk about?”
Margaret turned to smile at the grey fluffy. “I have an offer for the two of you.”