This is an entry into Mutagen’s Munchkins Contest, figured I’d give it a go this time around.
The second and final part will be up at some point this week.
Spike looked down over the corpse of his herd’s Smarty; Art, his neck ripped open so wide that his head had nearly come off, boo-boo juice spilling out onto the pavement. He’d been killed during the night, and he wasn’t the first to have died recently.
“Wook way Spike, nu need fow yu tu see.” The herd’s toughie Patch moved the young grey foal out of the way, careful not to hit any of his fresh scars on his back. Spike was a tough little kid, but he was still a kid and often faced off against birds or other Fluffies.
He never came out on top, but he never backed down either. Patch would be impressed if he didn’t fear for Spike’s little life.
“Spike wan hewp, wan find munstah dat gib Smawty foweba sweepies.”
Patches stroked Spike’s mane. “Babbeh am tuu wittew, dis am dangewous munstah, nu wan see babbeh huwt. Spike can pwotect chiwpie-babbehs, gun need bwave Fwuffy tu wook afta dem aww.”
Spike was disappointed, but felt a renewed sense of purpose when Patch gave him the job of protecting the chirpies, Spike liked being them big brave guardian, especially to the younger foals who couldn’t look out for themselves. His last herd had a Smarty who tried to eat the chirpies when the herd ran out of food and Spike instantly fought against him.
He lost the fight and gained his first scar, but he saved the chirpies.
The stunt cost him and his mother Maria their place in the herd until they were picked up by Art and his friends, they were ambivalent at first but Art made them both feel welcomed and both came to enjoy their time with the new herd.
Now Art was dead, killed by the same monster that took Maria’s life three bright-times ago, and the life of guard-Fluffy Ricky two bright-times before that.
There were five remaining adults; Patches, the main Toughie and now de-facto leader, he was a strong earthie Fluffy with dark blue Fluff that had little white patches dotted across him and a white mane. Percy and Penny, a brother and sister duo who snuck out at night to find the herd’s food supply, both of them had black Fluff with Percy having a red mane, and Penny having a purple mane, allowing them to stay hidden in the dark better than most. Both were also Pegasus’s so their lighter bone structure made them swifter on their feet.
Calvin was an older Fluffy, positively ancient by Fluffy standards, his once white fur had been turning grey for the last while and he didn’t have the stamina he once had. But the tough old earthie wasn’t giving up yet, he could still take on most Fluffies that came his way, even giving Patches a run for his money. Spike like Calvin because the old Fluffy would teach him fighting techniques so he could be the best babbeh protector ever.
And finally there was Jenny, a sweet yellow unicorn with a pink mane and Spike’s main target for today. Jenny was Art’s mate, and had just given birth to their first litter the day before Maria’s death. Since finding out about Art mere moments ago, she had become hysterical, distraught that her foals who still hadn’t opened their eyes yet would never get to know their father. When Spike found her in her corner of the alley-way, he saw that her four babies were chirping for milk, but Jenny was too busy crying to notice.
“Jen-ee? Babbehs need miwkies fwom mummah, hab tummeh-huwties.”
“Jen-ee wan speciaw-fwiend bak, nu can wook afta babbehs awone, tuu big heawt-huwties.”
“Bu Jen-ee nu awone, hab Pat-cheese an Cawvin tu keep hewd safe, Pewcy an Penny find nummies, an Spike pwotect babbehs, nu wet bad fings happen.”
Spike assumed a defensive pose, looking around the alleyway for dangers. Jenny smiled at the brave little guy, she was still hurt by the loss of her mate, but with Spike keeping her foals safe, she righted herself onto her bottom and brought the two closest babies in to feed on her teats.
“Fank yu Spike, Jen-ee need tu gib babbehs miwkies, Awt wan babbehs to be big an stwong. Wike Spike.”
Spike blushed before putting his serious face back on and standing guard over Jenny. From his position he could see Calvin pushing Art’s corpse onto Patches back, ready to be taken away from the alleyway. Spike didn’t know where the bodies were being taken.
And for his own sanity, he didn’t want to.
After a solemn dinner where the herd cried over the loss of their leader, Spike was left to look after the babies while the adults talked, this was fine with Spike since most of the foals were sleeping off their large milky dinner when he was put in charge of them. However the quiet time also meant that he could hear the adults talking, and they were not happy.
“Dis am nu safe-pwace nu mowe.” Percy’s nervous shake could be heard in his voice. “Hewd need find udda home.”
Calvin snorted. “Whewe Fluffies find nu home nyo? Cawvin nu move fast on owd weggies, an Jen-ee hab chiwpie-babbehs, am tuu wittew fow wong wawk.”
“Den wha hewd du?” Penny snapped at Calvin. “Nu can stay hewe wiv munstah giben foweba sweepies.”
Patches intervened. “Fwuffies nu knyo wha munstah eben is. Am nu wingie-munstah, tuu mush boo-boo juice. Am nu bawkie-munstah, nu enuff woud noise.”
“Hoomins?” Jenny asked, suddenly very frightened at the idea.
Patches shook his head, he’d seen what mean humans can do, and this wasn’t their style. “Nu, meanie hoomins no weave sweepie Fwuffies, take aww hewd an gib wowstesh huwties.”
Penny was getting exasperated. “Den wha Fwuffies tu du? Stiww hab nu pwan fow munstah, Pen-ee wan gu, nu safe hewe.”
“NU!”
All the adults turned to Spike, not even realising he’d been listening in. Spike never meant to cry out but he couldn’t stand by any longer.
“Pen-ee nu weave, dis am Fwuffies home, need tu be stwong, pwotect home, pwotect fwiend. Dis aww Spike hab weft, nu wan wose dis tuu.”
Penny and Percy looked away from Spike, both guilty in their eagerness to run away from the danger. Patches walked over and took Spike back to the foals nest.
“Spike am bwavesh Fwuffy Pat-cheese eba see, weady fow anyfing. Bu dis am biggesh pwobwem, need tu fink wha best fow hewd.”
“Bu… Spike nu wan weave. Tuu dangewous for babbehs tu gu, Spike need pwotect dem, wike nu couwd pwotect mummah.”
Patches finally understood, Spike was feeling guilty over not being able to save his mother, so now he was overcompensating by trying to protect the alleyway. He softly stroked Spike’s green mane.
“Fo-cuss on babbehs fow nyo, big Fwuffies choose wha du. Teww Spike in brite-time.”
Spike nodded, a little disheartened, he curled up beside the foals and lay down next to them, keeping an ear out for anything suspicious.
Spike woke with a start, he hadn’t even realised he’d fallen asleep, it was now well-into dark-times, Jenny had returned and had her foals nestles in a fluff-pile around her. Spike looked around, Penny and Percy were sleeping side by side behind the bins, Calvin was snoring away under a cardboard box, and he could make out the patrolling figure of Patches at the alley-entrance, ready for anything that came near.
And yet, Spike didn’t feel safe, something in his gut didn’t feel right, and was getting worse with each passing second. Something horrible was near, he could smell it just outside the nest.
What scared him more was that he couldn’t hear it.
Spike readied himself, his eyes focussed on the entrance to Jenny’s nest, whatever came through, no matter how big or how dangerous it was, he would take it, or die trying. The figure moved closer, pike could just see it’s shadow moving on the ground because it still made no noise when it stepped.
Suddenly the shadow stopped, and started moving closer to the nest’s door, Spike could feel his little heart going into overdrive, a brief flash of worry crossed his mind but he ignored it, Jenny needed him to be brave, the herd needed him to be brave.
Spike looked up, in a nanosecond he saw a flash of something solid entering the nest and without thinking, he dove for it, sinking his little teeth into the monster’s flesh. The monster yelped and kicked Spike away, leaving a nasty bruise on Spike’s side as he crashed onto the ground. But the damage was done, the loud cry had alerted the rest of the Fluffies to the monster’s arrival, it scattered off into the night before anyone got a good look at it. Calvin and Patches tried to give chase but it was already gone by the time they arrived.
“Was dat munstah?” Penny asked, her pulse racing from the sudden shock.
Patches nodded. “Fink was, nu knyo how it git pass Pat-cheese.”
Percy shook with fear again. “Munstah git in nest gain, Fwuffies am nu safe, need tu go nyo.”
Calvin dashed into Jenny’s nest, with the sudden noise and realisation of how close the monster had gotten to her, she and her foals had let out scardie-poopies and now she was trying to lick them all clean whilst still crying herself.
“Huu, bab… babbehs nu taste pwe… pwetty bu need tu gib wick… wickie-cweans.”
Calvin stroked her back and took one of her foals to lick himself, taking the awful taste to make sure the foals were clean.
Patches saw Spike lying in a heap on the ground and rushed over to help him. “Am Spike ok?”
Spike hobbled himself back to his feet. “Wittew sowe, am munstah gone?”
“Fink su, nu can see munstah nyo. Spike do vewy dummeh fing, gibben munstah huwties couwd gib Spike foweva sweepies.”
Spike dropped his head, ashamed that he put the herd in danger like that. But then Patches lifted Spike’s head and smiled at him.
“Bu Spike keep aww hewd safe, am bwavesh Fwuffy of aww.”
Spike smiled and hugged Patches, the older Fluffy’s approval meant everything to him right now. Then he remembered, when the munstah had kicked him away, Spike’s teeth had managed to tear out a chunk of something from it’s side. Spike picked up the torn piece and showed it to the adults.
It was difficult to make out properly in the dim streetlights, but they could see the bright red material was unmistakably a piece of Fluff.
The monster was a Fluffy.
