Bramble spent the rest of the day silently watching tv. She wasn’t really paying attention, waiting for quiet moments between mummah songs and commercials for any hint that Berry was okay. She still felt the incident was somehow her fault and wanted more than anything to run to the closet door and tell her sister how sorry she was, the ache in her shoulder and fear of Tricia’s wrath kept her firmly in her bed.
If Berry was making any noise it was effectively muffled by the closet. Instead, Bramble could hear bits of Tricia talking to someone when the TV fell quiet.
“…faster than I thought, honestly. I think we’re ready to…”
“…really hit it out of the park with this one, I think you’ll be really…”
“…Is he? He was so miserable in the spare room, I thought that…”
“…pick him up tomorrow morning, early. Give him a snack tonight, it’ll cheer…”
She couldn’t make sense of any of it. She kept her ears up until she heard Tricia making her way down the stairs and began to limp over to the doorway.
“Oh, no, no! You can stay in your bed!” Tricia said, another large bowl of kibble in her hands. “I’ll bring this to you, we need to let your leggy heal!”
Bramble gave a small nod before curling back up in her bed. Tricia set the large bowl of kibble down within her reach.
“I have some good news though, I think your sister is ready to be a good fluffy!”
“Weawwy?!” Bramble sat up excitedly.
“Yes! I’ll check on her right now!”
Tricia walked to the closet and opened the door, a low moan escaping into the saferoom and mixing with the generic carnival music of the TV.
“You feeling ready to be a good fluffy, Berry?”
“…yuuuus….” Bramble winced at the audible pain in her sister’s voice.
“Good!” Tricia unlatched the door. “I’ll need to give you a bath before you’re a good fluffy again.
Berry didn’t reply. Bramble watched anxiously as her sister was lifted out, wincing at the sight.
Very little of the mare’s purple fluff was visible, matted with either shit, vomit, or to Bramble’s horror, small streaks of blood. Her eyes were swollen and irritated from the effluence that crusted around them.
Bramble couldn’t bear to look as the guilt sunk into her stomach. She knew her actions caused this. Had she been more careful going down the stairs she wouldn’t have landed on her sister. Had she gone to use the litter box earlier she would have fallen all on her own. Had she not left the saferoom in the first place none of this would have happened.
Bramble rolled the thoughts around in her head as she listened to her sister getting bathed. Every yelp felt like a sorry hoofsie to her heart but she couldn’t bring herself to cover her ears.
“There we go, let’s get your bed all set up.” Tricia set Berry’s bed down next to her sister’s and helped her settle down into it.
“Now, what are the rules?”
“Sissy gu fiwst.” Bramble said, glancing at the untouched bowl of kibble.
“That’s right! What a good girl you are!” Bramble received a pat on the head that seemed to shoo some of the heavy feeling from her chest. “Can you take a bite of kibble so your sister can eat, Berry?”
Berry stretched her neck out to grab a single piece of kibble, swallowing it whole like a pill rather than raise the effort of chewing.
“That’s a good girl.” Berry received a pat on the head as well.
“You girls take it easy tonight, okay? Rest up!” Tricia gave the pair a small wave before leaving the saferoom.
Bramble started eating, though she didn’t have much of an appetite. She needed to do something other than stare at the TV screen in silence. Mares played gently with their foals to tinny lullabies while fluffies sang about proper care of baby fluffies.
After a while Bramble noticed that Berry hadn’t eaten anything beyond her first bite.
“Sissy… nummies!” Bramble pointed her hoof to the kibble.
“Bewwy awwweady hab’ sum. Sissy can num.”
“Nu, sissy nee’ nummies.” Bramble pushed the bowl closer to her. “Nee’ get big and stwong!”
Berry sighed, nodding and taking a mouthful of the kibble. The pair ate for a while in silence, watching the foals play.
As a nursing mare showed how to best feed all their foals equally, Berry spoke up. “Sissy ebah tink abou’ be mummah?”
“Yus.” Bramble agreed. It sounded like the best thing ever at times but the more she thought about it, the more it scared her. She saw the songs that were meant to teach foals about playing nicely and using the litter box, ones meant for a mother to sing to her brood. What if she didn’t sing the song well enough and one of the babies made bad poopies? She didn’t want a little baby going through what Berry did!
“It am bestest ting!” Berry declared, a bit of energy in her voice. “Bewwy wan’ be bestest mummah! Wots an’ wotsa babbehs!!”
Bramble nodded along, watching a mare gently scold a foal for not sharing a toy. “Wha’ if babbehs bad?”
Berry scoffed. “Bewwy wub babbehs wots and wots. Babbehs be bestest ‘cus hab bestest mummah!”
“Hm.” Bramble tried to make a non-committal noise. She loved her sister more than almost anything, and it didn’t save her from being bad.
“Bewwy gun’ be bestest mummah!” She repeated, quickly swallowing a mouthful of kibble. “Sissy wight, nee’ num wotsa nummies fo’ feed babbehs!”
Bramble just pushed the bowl towards her, deciding she’d had enough.
“Goooooood morning fluffies!” Tricia came in with a more reasonable portion of kibble for the two to share.
“Mummah!” Berry scrambled out of bed, hooves shaky as she hurried toward Tricia.
“Someone’s excited for breakfast!” Tricia set the bowl down, watching Berry scarf it down while Bramble made her way over. “Your sister already started, so you go ahead!”
Once the pair had eaten their fill, Tricia stood between them. “So, what would you ladies like today?”
“Bewwy wan’ be mummah!” she chirped.
Bramble winced, remembering the PSA she had watched about asking for babies. She was sure that when Tricia said no Berry would cry or whine or do something else bad because she clearly wanted this so badly. She readied herself to tackle her and close her mouth before something naughty came out of it.
“Sure!”
“Weawwy?!” Berry said, practically vibrating with joy. Bramble’s jaw hung open next to her.
“Yep! Ringo just came back home today so let me get him to help give you some babies!” Tricia turned with a flourish and jogged up the stairs.
“BEWWY GUN’ BE MUMMAH!” she shouted, prancing in place. “Gunnah hab SU many pwetty babbehs, gunna wub dem suuuu much an’ gib dem pwetty names!”
Bramble tried to shove her anxiety down and just be happy with her sister. It was hard, she couldn’t stop thinking of all the bad things she saw the foals doing and what punishments would await them.
Eventually Berry turned to Bramble, wild grin still on her lips. “Sissy wan’ be mummah tuu?”
“… Bwambwe nu knu-”
“Here he is, ladies!” Tricia returned with a bundle of white fluff in her arms.
Berry began to run towards her but skidded to a stop after getting a better look at her new special friend.
Ringo’s pure white fluff was his only redeeming trait. As he was set on the floor his hooves seemed disproportionately long and thin for his rotund body. Much larger than either of the mares, he smiled down at Berry with yellow, cracked and missing teeth. His milky eyes peeked out from a dull brown bowl cut parted in the middle by his broken horn. Berry froze when he fluttered his barely feathered wings, legs trembling.
“There’s your new special friend, have fun!” Tricia said before stepping back and shutting the saferoom door. Bramble didn’t like the tone of her voice, and slowly began to back away from the monstrous stallion.
“Heh-hewwo…” Ringo rasped, stepping towards the terrified mare. “Wingo gun’ gib yu bestest enfies.”
“Bewwy n-nu wan’ dat!” Berry shook her head violently as she backed away from him.
“Buh’ enfie mawe wan’ babbehs” Ringo said, taking another step towards her. “Wingo get guud feews, wittow mawe get babbehs.”
Berry backed away further. “Bewwy wan’ babbehs, nu wan’ munstah…”
Ringo’s grin grew. “Wingo nu cawe. Wingo gib enfies wen Mummah say. Nu wisten to naughty mares.”
Bramble jumped as she backed into the closet door. She hunched down to the padded floor in hopes that the monster wouldn’t see her.
“Bewwy am guud…” Berry tried to plead. “Nu wan’ pway wif’ ugwy fwuffy…”
“Wingo nu cawe.” He thrust his hips forward, a horrible pink thing peeking out from under him, dripping something onto the floor.
Berry screamed, turning to run away from Ringo. She hadn’t realized how close she was to the far wall of the saferoom, quickly slamming into it and bouncing onto the floor.
Seeing her tailless rump available, Ringo pounced, landing on top of her and flattening the mare.
“Nu wan’ pway, pwease! Nu wan’!” Berry pleaded.
Bramble couldn’t look away as the pink thing repeatedly poked her sister with every thrust of the monster’s hips.
“Am guud fwuffy, nu wan’-” Berry’s voice caught in her throat as Ringo found his target and slammed himself in.
“Enf!” he groaned, grinning. “Yu am nyu mawe! Wingo’s fabowit!!”
He thrusted his hips forward again, shoving Berry’s face into the wall and marking it with a loud “Enf!” As he pulled back for another thrust Bramble saw his thing drip a pink tinged something onto the floor between them.
Finally, Bramble’s body allowed her to move. She curled onto the floor, pressing her face into the corner and pressing her ears shut with her hooves.
It wasn’t enough.
She could still faintly hear every thrust, every one of her sisters screams for help, her mind replaying what little she’d seen over and over. She couldn’t get away from it anymore than Berry could.
It was an eternity for both mares before Tricia returned. “Good feews!” Had rang out through the saferoom more times than either traumatized fluffy could count.
Bramble was laying in a near catatonic silence when nearby raspy breathing sent waves of terror through her.
“Pweeeety taiw… Wittow mawe hab bewwy pweeeety taiw…”
“Hey! I told you she was out of bounds.” Tricia shouted.
To Bramble’s relief she heard Ringo grumble under his breath and step away from her.
“So, Bramble-”
“NU WAN’!” Bramble screeched into the corner, cutting off Tricia’s question. “NU WAN’ ENFIES NU WAN’ BABBEHS NU WAN’ MUMMAH NEBAH!!”
“Alright, since you’re clear. C’mon Ringo, dinnertime!”
Bramble didn’t move until well after she heard the saferoom door close. Even in the silence it felt anything but safe.
“Huu… hu hu-u-u-uuuuu…”
Bramble slowly forced herself up hearing her sister’s sobs. Her hooves were leadened but she dragged them towards the purple puddle of fluff trembling on the floor.
“… Sissy hewe…” Bramble mumbled, unsure of how to soothe her. Matted fluff covered in… something, limbs splayed out uncomfortably, puddles of unspeakable things splattered around her.
Berry rolled on her side, reaching her hooves out for a hug that Bramble quickly gave, ignoring everything else. The sisters held each other tightly as if their broken parts would crumble to the floor if they relaxed even a little bit.
Their moment was interrupted by Tricia’s return. “I have some fun news, ladies!”
Both fluffies lifted their heads but didn’t release the other.
“Since I called Berry’s daddy yesterday I thought it would be fair that I gave Bramble’s daddy a call today!” She set a cardboard box with air holes and a handle down on the floor.
Bramble’s heart sank. He would know how bad she’d been. Maybe he didn’t even want her anymore. Maybe the box was to throw her away. Maybe the box had some horrible punishment in it.
“He is SO happy with how good you’ve been, he wants me to bring you to your new safe room RIGHT NOW!”
“Guud?!” She stared in shock.
“Yes!” Tricia grinned. “In fact he said he’s SO happy with you that he wants to have you with him every single day until forever, he doesn’t even want you to come visit me and Ringo!!”
Away from here? Forever? No Ringo ever again?! Before Bramble knew it she was galloping towards Tricia’s open arms. She giggled as she was lifted into the air, given a small hug from Tricia, and gently set into the cardboard box. She spun around in place a few times excitedly before peeking out one of the small air holes and feeling her heart sink.
Berry lay on her side, one hoof reaching out and tears brimming in her eyes.
Bramble first realized she had torn herself out of their embrace without a second thought, leaving the shattered pieces of her sister to scatter to the winds. The next thing she realized was that no visits meant she’d never see her sister again. It was so wonderful to have a daddy that loved her that much, but she was leaving her sister forever and she never even said goodbye. As her box was picked up she tried to push her hoof through the tiny air hole but it didn’t fit and she was watching the door close before she could even think of something to say.
“So just act excited, give her as much attention and love as you can right now and follow my lead.” Tricia led Daniel Turner to the new space attached to his office.
“Am I going to have to do this every time I have to deal with it?” He replied.
“No. Like I said, follow my lead.” Tricia put her hand on the door handle. “Biiiiiig smiles!”
Daniel slapped his public appearance smile on as the door opened.
What once was an unused executive meeting room was now the best saferoom money could buy. Realistic murals of grassy pastures and puffy clouds adorned the walls, a fluffy sized fantasy castle taking up an entire corner containing multiple towers, a glittering fuchsia throne and a 5 foot waterfall themed slide that ended in a blue and white ball pit. The toy box was the size of a fridge and yet overflowing with blocks, balls, plushies and electronic interactive toys. Another corner featured a food and water station, a shallow self filling water bowl next to a sort of fluffy vending machine where various snacks could be summoned with the press of a hoof-sized button. Other fluffy sized buttons on the wall next to the door controlled things like the music system, the massive projector TV, and even the lights to allow a fluffy to switch between the simulation of a sunny day and a moonlit night complete with glowing stars speckling the ceiling. The litter box was recessed into the floor, next to it a sort of mechanical litterpal offered a damp and warmed rag to wipe her with the press of a pedal.
Nearly anything a fluffy could dream of in one room and at the center of it all, tail tucked under her rump, was Bramble.
“Are you Bramble?!” Daniel asked, faux excitement in his voice.
She turned to him slowly. “…Daddeh…?”
“Yes! I’m your Daddeh!!” He dropped to his knees, holding his arms out wide.
“Daddeh!!” Bramble galloped into his arms, wrapping all four hooves around his forearm. Daniel hugged her tightly, nuzzling his face into her mane.
“It’s so good to finally meet you!!” He held her out at arms length to look her over, grinning. “Do you like your saferoom?”
“Yus! Bewwy pwetty!!” Bramble returned his big smile.
“Have you played with any of your toys??”
Bramble shook her head.
Daniel let his smile slip. “Well, why not?”
“Bramble nu knu how tu ask…”
“Oh, silly girl!” Daniel hugged her tight again. “All of this is for you! We can play with anything you want to, you don’t need to ask!”
It took a moment for that to sink in. “Den… can Bwambwe gu pway wif toysies?”
“Of course!” Daniel set her back down, grinning until she had galloped across the room, wings fluttering.
“Cuuuuuute!” Tricia mocked, holding out her phone to show a picture she snapped of the two of them hugging.
“Shut up.” Daniel stood, brushing the stray green hairs from his wool suit. “Anything I need to know?”
“The room more or less takes care of her. I set up some folks to come clean and reset as well as give her regular grooming and a little bit of love.” Tricia saved the photo and tucked her phone back into her pocket. “All you need to do is give her a little attention from time to time, let her sit on your lap while you work occasionally or play with a quiet toy nearby.”
“I can do that. What about discipline?”
Tricia waved the thought away. “Unnecessary, but if you think something needs to be fixed just let me know. Bramble!”
At the call the mare’s head shot up.
“If you ever get bored or lonely, let your daddy know and you can come visit Ringo and me for a while!”
From across the room it was apparent that Bramble nearly shat herself in fear at the idea, giving a curt nod before quickly waddling off to the litter box.
“Diabolical. I like it.” Daniel remarked.
“He didn’t even touch her and look at that.” Tricia replied. “Should keep her from getting too whiny about being lonely. When your PR team needs a distraction you can get her knocked up and parade the cute foals around. Do one of those online contests for names, auction them off and keep one to keep her company.”
“Hopefully that won’t be for a while.” Daniel grimaced at the thought of having to handle foals.
“It won’t be, don’t worry.” She followed him back out of the mega saferoom, letting the door click shut behind her. “Oh, and if she asks for something you don’t want to give her you just say her sister didn’t like it.”
“…What?”
Tricia grinned. “I have to keep some of my training secrets, don’t I? She’ll accept that pretty well, I’ll send you some videos that’ll convince her if not.”
Daniel paused for a moment, examining Tricia closely. “You know a guy came by a few months ago, wanted me to give you his number.”
“Oh, I’m flattered!” Tricia fanned her face. “What did you say?”
“I said he was an odd man and I took his card.” He shuffled the papers on his desk for a moment before handing her the card. “Don’t let him down too gently, yes?”
“Oh, of course not!” Tricia snatched it from him, reading it excitedly. “Oh, this will be fun.”
“Mummah’s home!” Tricia’s voice rang out into the house.
Upstairs, Ringo’s hooves slipped on the hardwood floor as he rushed to greet her. In the basement saferoom Berry lifted her head off her sister’s bed. She heard Tricia and Ringo’s voice but didn’t bother to decipher their words, instead continuing to savor her sister’s scent before she lost it forever.
Eventually she heard footsteps on the stairs and Tricia came into the room with a bowl of kibble. “Hi soon-mummah! I have special nummies for your special babies!!”
Berry slowly got to her hooves, hips aching from her assault as she stumbled to the food bowl. Before she took her first bite she hesitated.
“Uhm, how tiem tiww nyu daddeh?” She asked.
“Oh, he doesn’t want you.”
Berry blinked. “…Wha’?”
“Yeahhhhh…” Tricia plopped down on the floor, legs crossed. “He doesn’t want a pregnant fluffy. No soon-mummahs for him I guess.”
Berry stared in shock, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
“Hey, don’t cry!” Tricia wiped the wetness from her cheek. “You won’t be alone, you’ll get to stay here with Ringo and me!”
As if cued Ringo stepped into the room. Berry recoiled at his presence. “Nu wan’…”
“Oh, sweety, this is his saferoom! You were just borrowing it!”
Ringo worked himself under Tricia’s arm, giving Berry a gap-toothed grin.
“You’ll be living with him forever, isn’t that fun?? You’ll get to have TONS of babies with him, and when they’re born they’ll get to play with him too! Isn’t that fun?!”
Berry just stared, eyes wide, at the grinning monsters in front of her.