It took the fluffies only one more day to finish cleaning the shit from the garden. Margaret was impressed; she had expected it to take them an entire week to clear the garden. She gathered the fluffies for breakfast, noticing with smug satisfaction that Bumbler wasn’t trying to cut the line anymore. Perhaps her fears that smarties were untrainable weren’t founded. She addressed the crowd of fluffies standing in formation.
“Today is going to be a break day. You will not have to work today, so you may sleep or play until dinner time.” She stood up from her seat on the deck. “Tonight, Mommy will have a surprise for you all!” The fluffies appeared confused. Grapenut, designated speaker for the group, raised a hoof. “Wut am soo-pwise?” Margaret smiled at the herd. “You’ll see later tonight.”
Walking out of the garden, Margaret got in her car and began the two hour journey to the neighboring towns Fluff-city. Advertising itself as “Hugboxer Only!” the store was rated in the top ten of the country for Hugboxers, as the only things it carried for abuse were the bog standard sorry stick and box. The company said it was a statement on how much they loved fluffies and rejected abuse. In truth, they tried to sell abuse toys in the beginning. Abusers found it far cheaper to build their own devices from spare parts and farming equipment, and would only go to the store for inspiration.
Margaret pulled into the parking lot, marveling at the sheer size of the store. Aisles and aisles of neon and pastel fluffy accessories, toys, kibble, supplements, and beds. Litterboxes with self-cleaning functions, automated kibble dispensers, balls that rolled themselves around, even a device called an Auto-Mummah, which sang, dispensed milk, radiated heat, it would even repeat rules of the house once programmed.
Her stunned amazement at the sheer scale of the store’s inventory came to an end as a young man coughed pointedly behind her. Apologizing, she grabbed a cart and began to stroll the aisles. No sooner was she halfway down the first aisle than a perky brunette employee was beside her.
“Good afternoon ma’am!” The store employee began. “Can I help you find anything?” Margaret smiled at the young woman. “Indeed you may, I’m looking for some good toys for some outdoor fluffies, would you happen to know where I could find some?” The employees smile darkened a bit.
“Ma’am, just to be sure, these are fluffies you own, correct?” Margaret was puzzled. “Of course they are, why the hell would I buy some stuff for a bunch of fluffies that aren’t mine?” The employee grimaced “Unfortunately, we have a lot of people who try to buy stuff for strays around here. It’s against county law, giving toys to fluffies make them feel welcome and safe, and when they feel safe, you know…” The employee dropped her voice to a whisper “They breed.”
Margaret nodded. “I understand, the herd that I took in already had three out of four mares pregnant.” The employee looked surprised. “You took in a herd?” Margaret laughed. “More like forced one into indentured servitude. Little bastards came into my garden while I was off at the grandkids house, and destroyed my garden. So I trapped them in and am going to have them fix it.”
The employee chuckled. “Good luck with that, fluffies are not known for their industrious nature.” Straightening up, she smoothed her shirt. “So, you’re looking for outdoor toys? They’re over here in aisle eight.” The employee, who Margaret assumed was named Tanya going by her name plate, led her over to the outdoor toys display. Margaret picked out a couple sets of soft, rubberized blocks, as well as a set of soft, rubber coated foam balls. Looking at the toys in her cart, Margaret frowned.
“Tanya dear, is there anything that the expecting mothers would be able to play with? Two of them can’t move, and the third isn’t far from the immobile point.” Tanya smiled and picked up a red teddy bear from the display. “Sergeant Hugs-a-Lot is a good choice. The fluff used is 100% ethically sourced fluffy fur, so it’s incredibly soft, and under the fluff is an entirely waterproof skin.” She passed the bear to Margaret. “There’s also the added option of adding the ‘Covert Ops Teddy’ Package.”
Margaret looked up confusedly. “Covert what now?” Tanya smiled. “The ‘Covert Ops Teddy’ Package, with the addition of this package you can and a listening bug powered by double a batteries to the chest, and hear what the fluffies are saying when you’re gone. Generally we advertise it as a baby and soon mother monitor, but it also functions well for keeping an eye on trouble makers.”
Margaret smiled. “I’ll take two.” Tanya went through the set up method, which Margaret half listened to. She was going to have Jim walk her through it anyways. “Anything else I can help you find ma’am?” “Yes please, I’ve been meaning to pick up some books on training the fluffies, could you direct me to that section please?”
Tanya smiled warmly. “Of course, I’m always glad to help.” As they walked toward the back of the store, Margaret heard a chorus of babbling, squealing, giggling and screaming. As they reached the back wall, Margaret saw pens and pens full of fluffies. Earthies, pegasi, unicorns, and even alicorns. Pillowed and mobile, runts and giants, old, young, and soon to be born, there must have been at least a hundred fluffies in the pens.
Noticing a human not wearing the neon pink Fluff-City uniform, a green and red earthie near the bottom trotted up to the ventilated Plexiglas window. “Nyu mummah? Wanna take Appwe to nice wam housie an’ gif skettis?” Slowly, more fluffies noticed the old woman standing in awe at the sheer number of the miniature horse creatures before her. “Nyu mummah?” “Junipew wan nyu mummah!” “Dummeh, nyu mummah onwy wan BESTEST fwuffy Viowet!”
Margaret was assailed by the voices of a hundred fluffies, each asking for hugs, love, a house, and sketties. Looking at the fluffies, she saw that each one was healthy and happy, even the pillowed fluffies looking happy and hopeful. “You all seem to take wonderful care of your fluffies. Some could be better disciplined though.” She said with a glare towards the purple and pink mare named Violet.
Tanya sighed. “That’s Violet; she’s already on strike two. I’d sorry stick her now but we aren’t allowed to do so in front of customers and she knows it.” As if on cue, the mare blew a raspberry at the employee. “Little bitch, swear to god I’m going to turn her into a fucking dishrag.” Tanya appeared to suddenly remember she was with a customer, turning to the old woman in terror. “Please don’t tell my boss, I need this job.” Margaret laughed. “You’re fine dear, I won’t say a word.”
Ignoring the pleading of the fluffies, they continued on to the section containing books. “Alright,” Tanya grabbed two books from the shelf. “I would recommend that you start with ‘Fluffies 101: Basics of Biotoys’ and ‘Tiny, Tiny Foals, A Primer’.” Margaret placed the books in the cart. “Is there any material on how to handle a smarty?” The employee laughed. Margaret stared at her blankly. Tanya regained her composure quickly. “Sorry, didn’t think you were serious, hold on one second.” Reaching into her back pocket, Tanya brought out a small slip of paper and handed it to Margaret.
Margaret narrowed her eyes at the small scrap of paper. Pulling her reading glasses from her purse, she swiftly put them on and read the card. “Doctor Rachel’s Fluffy Veterinary and Euthanasia Services, Send your loved one off in peace and comfort!” Margaret glanced up at the employee. “Really? They’re that bad?” Tanya’s smile dropped from her face entirely. “I can promise you, as someone who has worked here for two months, smarties are pure evil. They’re notorious rapists, there’s a constant threat that they will murder their pen mate, and any foal they didn’t sire personally gets killed, or worse.”
“When we were just opening up this location, someone from corporate came to give us a lecture on how to deal with smarties. If a foal even mentions they are a smarty babbeh, it doesn’t matter what colors they are, standard procedure is to attempt a full reset, and if it fails, toss them in the incinerator.” Margaret was confused. “What’s a reset? They have a button or something somewhere?”
The employee laughed. “Reset procedure involves placing their brain between electrodes and zapping them. Only works one time out of twenty, usually kills the foals painlessly, but those times it works it completely overwrites their personality with the standard huggies and love.” Tanya chuckled. “Even hugboxers agree that letting a smarty live is far too high of a risk to innocent fluffies. Attempting a factory reset is considered the most ethical way of dealing with a smarty by Hugbox National.”
Margaret sighed. She was really hoping for something, ANYTHING, to give her an excuse to spare the smarty. As much of an asshole as he was, something deep inside her told her he was just a poor, misguided soul who just needed some tough love. Merciless killing just wasn’t her style. Pocketing the business card, she and Tanya walked around the store, picking up a few other necessities like a carrying box and an actual sorry stick, which to Margaret’s endless amusement had a smiling fluffy on the hilt. A pot of insta-heal gel and a bag of oat supplements and she was writing out a check for $200.25, to be payed to Fluff-City.
After getting help loading her trunk with the goods, she gave the kind employee a twenty from her purse and pulled out of the parking lot, she began the journey home, her head racing with thoughts. She couldn’t kill Bumbler, not yet. She was sure there had to be some way to cure him of his smarty syndrome. She debated treatment methods the entire drive home. It was around three when she finally saw her house in the distance.
Pulling up to her driveway, she was barely out of her car before her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the dinner bell in the garden.