Snowball? Head crashed too hard against the top of the box. Jelly? Decapitated by the bars at the front of the box. Mint? Bled out before help could arrive. Bob? Crushed under his mother. Everyone else? In varying degrees of injury and scarring. You? Stitches. The vet said you would have the scar for the rest of your life.
You looked at it in the water bowl. The stiches ran from the corner of your mouth partway up your face. Almost like you were giving a wide smile on one side.
“Mummah?” Lollipop wandered around the saferoom. “Huu huu… wewe mummah?”
Janice leaned in, petting his head.
“It’ll be okay Lollipop. I’ll be your mummah.”
“Can yuo gib miwkies?”
“…no… not fluffy milkies.”
Nobody spoke about it, but you could hear it. Daddeh in the other room, speaking loudly on the phone. Bits and pieces, but you could still hear it.
“…Goddam smartie fuck!…”
“…One in a million mare gone!..”
“…Can pawn off the alicorn…”
“…that one wuss runt…”
“…no… the blue one’s too messed up in the face, won’t sell…”
There was no way you’d be able to sleep that night. No way anybody would have. All except for Hulk.
“Stoopie daddeh gib Huwk huwties wit vroom vroom!” He paced back and forth, “Gon’ gib daddeh worstest-“
In a flash you hit him as hard as you could with your hoof. Hulk flew a good foot through the air and against the wall.
“Dummeh Dweam gib Huwk huwties!”
You approached the angry smarty, still a good ten times smaller than you were. You raised your hoof, preparing for a final blow.
“Dream! Stop!” Janice said, grabbing you and moving you away. You were annoyed, but relented, sitting and watching Hulk get back up, scoffing.
“Janice!” it was Daddeh. “Come here!”
Janice nervously got up and left the room.
She returned a few minutes later. Frantically moving to the window and pulling it open.
“Quick!” She whispered. “Daddy is really mad! He’s going to give some of you forever sleepies because he can’t sell you!”
You all looked around at each other. Who was going to be the ones? Janice answered for you.
“Hulk! Dream! Lollipop!” Janice said with tears in her eyes. “Come here… Daddy wants me to bring you to him, but I’m going to save you! I’m going to drop you out the window! We have to be quick! Hulk and Lollipop, climb on Dream!”
Lollipop whined, but climbed his way onto your back. Hulk sat and said no, so Janice picked him up and planted him on you, then picked you up.
Bad upsies! You thought, but all the same you allowed her to bring you to the window. It was a dark and cloudy night outside.
“Janice!” Daddeh yelled.
“You have to run away!” The little girl you had known for months said. “Run far! And be safe! Momma loves you!” She gently tossed you out the window.
You landed in the grass, and as asked you began to run. Through the backyard and to the edge of the forest. You stopped here, and took one last look back at the house. So safe and warm… but you had already braved the wild, you could again.
“Wowwipop wan mummah!”
“Wy tak Huwk into cowd! Gib Huwk wamsie homsie nao!”
Ignoring the two foals clinging to your back, you ducked your head and ventured into the night.
