While the rest of the kids readied their things and left, Seth and Jerome cleaned up after the festivities, throwing Seth’s old tools and the corpses of the varied foals into the back alley dumpster. With the two of them, it took just under an hour to clean up, throw away all the remains, and dismantle the board for later use. Seth had decided to keep the apparatus against the backdoor of his apartment for now, thinking that Jerome wasn’t ready to visit his hobby room, at least not yet. Once Seth had taken the only survivor of the evenings events, the blue foal, now mewling and chirping slowly, Jerome asked what he was going to do with it.
“What about that one? You gonna torture it tonight? Can I hang around and watch?”
Shaking his head Seth held the blind, wriggling foal up to his face, a slight grin on his face. “Nah. He was lucky enough to survive tonight, I figure I’ll let him live for now. Besides, I have other fluffies to take care of before I crash tonight. As for you kid, you should be heading home. I can tell you want more but it’s always better if you stretch it out, so you can get used to the down time. You won’t be able to do this every night, not for a while kid, so it’s better for you to figure out how to manage your urges starting now.”
“Aww, come on Seth…don’t be a dick.”
Crossing his arms slightly, the blue foal still squirming in his hand, Seth was adamant. “I promise kid, I’m not. Believe it or not, I’m lookin’ out for you. No-one was there to tell me to ration out the abuse, and I blew way too much cash on these things my first few months. It took a while for me to figure out what I’m telling you now: After some extreme abuse like tonight, you need to cool off. If you don’t, you’ll get obsessed. My advice, go home and get a blank composition book and write up some ideas for what you want to do next time you have a fluffy to play with. And it may not be obvious, but keep it somewhere safe.”
“…Ok. Maybe I can come by sometime soon? Hang with you?”
“Of course kid. How about we make plans for the ninth. Hell, I may even get you a fluffy to play with.” Seth smiled as he saw Jerome beam at the thought of another fluffy to torture and abuse.
“Really?! Damn dude, thanks!”
“it’s no problem kid. Now head home before your mom grounds you.”
As Jerome left, Seth sighed, content with how the evening had gone so far. With the bit of cash he had made back, it wasn’t too much of a stretch to think about doing this as a side gig. While Seth had thought of doing it before, he simply didn’t have the supply of fluffies to make it a viable venture, but thanks to the deal he had garnered with Dale, Seth was already planning more events in his head. Hell, maybe I can even quit my job in a few years, thought Seth as he made his way back into his apartment.
Taking the blue foal, Seth placed him on the countertop in the kitchen, running the tap until the water was warm. Emptying the old water in the heating cushion, Seth rewrapped it and then placed the foal atop it, the wiggling and chirping baby calming quickly once it was finally warm. “Enjoy it for now little guy.”
Opening the lower cabinets, Seth retrieved a bag of potatoes, selecting one of the larger ones and then replacing the bag. Putting the hefty spud within the microwave, he then got out a small frying pan and put it on the stovetop, turning the heat near the middle. Walking to the fridge, Seth then took a small steak, wrapped well in plastic wrap, and a small bit of butter, and made his way back to the stove. Once the pan had finally heated properly, he placed the butter within to slowly melt.
As he waited, Seth’s attention drifted to the three foals still within their canisters. With their cans horizontal and their food within reach, the blind foals were quiet, clearly content to simply eat and sleep. It was rare to see foals that weren’t with their mother being as peaceful. Seth looked among them and as his eyes focused on the last remaining white foal, he smiled, knowing the baby fluffy’s fate.
Once the pan had melted the butter properly, Seth unwrapped his steak and placed it within, the heated liquid now searing the meat. While the bottom was cooking, Seth then gathered his spice rack and lightly salted and peppered the butter around the searing meat. He then took a small spoonful of mustard powder and spread it around the now steaming oil. After the bottom side of the cut had been cooking for roughly 2 minutes, he flipped it, taking the spoon from before and lightly ladling the melted concoction on top of it and spreading it out. He repeated this after flipping the steak once more and finally placed it onto a plate, pulling the pan off the eye with a hand towel. Opening the microwave, Seth carefully took the now steaming potato and placed it on the plate next to the steak, using a fork to split it open in half and then cutting several rows into the inner part of the spud. Taking the pan with the towel again, Seth then let a small bit of the spiced cooking butter fall into the potato before using the fork to mix it well.
As Seth savored the first bite of his meal, his thoughts drifted to his fluffies. He was looking forward to seeing the aftermath of what he’d done to Kickball. It always made Seth smile when Ash had to watch any fluffy die, but it was something special when it was a foal. And Seth knew that Ash would be very upset when he blamed the foal’s death on Starburst, giving him the rare opportunity for a more physical punishment for the poor mare.
It also dawned on Seth that Raptor had been in his hobbyroom for far too long. Not quite wanting the little fella to die just yet, Seth was already making a plan involving the pegasus and the white foal in a can.
Finally, Seth knew it was time for the ferals to leave the bathroom, and for Candyfloss to go stay with Cyclops in the living room. Seth was elated just thinking of how Sassy was going to react. Based on the small sample size she had given him, Seth knew that it was going to end in blood.
Finishing his dinner, Seth then began to brew a cup of coffee to wash down his substantial meal. Adding a spoonful of sugar, Seth then slowly drained the cup until the warm and invigorating drink was gone. Placing the dishes in the sink, Seth ran some water over them so they’d be easier to clean later. Now full and feeling more alert, Seth decided that playing with Cyclops should probably come first. Besides, she might not be in the mood to play later, thought Seth as he made his way to the living room.
Before Seth had even crossed over the fluffy gate, he could hear Cyclops. the excited mare calling to him as her tail wagged back and forth, her foals chirping and peeping excitedly beside her, unsure why their mother was so happy but her enthusiasm spreading to them.
“Daddeh am back! Am daddeh hewe tu pway wiff Cy’cwops?”
Walking past the gate, Seth leaned down and began to pet Cyclops with both hands, the fluffy cooing and nuzzling against him happily. “I am sweety. I still have a few things to do tonight but I figured I’d come and play with my favorite fluffy mamma first.” Her eye lighting up at the compliment, Cyclops gripped her hooves as tightly around Seth’s waist as she could, hugging him firmly.
“Cy’cwops wuv yu daddeh! Am dah bestest daddeh ebah!”
“Thank you, sweetheart!” As Seth placed his hand on Cyclops’ mane, returning the little mare’s hug, he looked to her foals. Despite still being too young to see, Seth noticed that once he had come onto the tarp, they had started to blindly waddle away, their tiny nubs struggling desperately to lift them as they fled. They still remember me, thought Seth as he held Cyclops but kept his eyes on the green and violet foals. While it was clear that his presence distressed them, once they were far enough from Seth, they seemed to calm. Now only lightly peeping for the familiar warmth of their mother Seth relaxed a bit. He’d have to deal with Cyclops’ foals eventually. Once they became talkie babies, he had no doubt that it would be Kickball all over again, and Seth would refuse to let the foals turn Cyclops against him.
Even as he smiled to Cyclops, getting her ball as he prepared to play with the excited mare, Seth was already plotting the foals’ demise. It would need to appear to be an accident, preferably one that seemed like Cyclops’ fault. It would hurt her of course, but even after their short time together, Seth was confident that Cyclops’ love for him would pull her through it, but if she thought Seth was involved, he could lose her trust forever.
Seth spent the next half hour playing with Cyclops as he rolled and bounced the ball to her, the happy mare trotting and charging after it each time. Occasionally, she’d check on her foals, licking them and once when they were chirping especially loud, she had sat on her rump and picked them both up, hugging them as she sang her mummah song to soothe them. Once the foals began to chirp more and more frequently, Seth knew that they were hungry again and Cyclops would need to stop to feed them. Giving her a light hug, Seth smiled as he left her to nurse her foals. “Feed those good babies, Cyclops. I’ll be back later tonight to say goodnight sweetheart.”
“Otay daddeh! Cy’cwops gowna gib babbehs deww miwkies. Cy’cwops wiww see daddeh fow nite-nite time. Wuv yu!”
Waving to Cyclops as he crossed the fluffy gate, Seth pondered an efficient way to kill her foals and make it seem as though she had done so accidently. I could always just take them away while she was asleep, thought Seth. Maybe crush them slightly and then place them back near her, making her think she rolled onto them in her sleep. As he continued to plot the foal’s death, Seth made his way to Starburst’s saferoom.
As he opened the door, Seth was instantly rewarded with the sweet music that was Starburst’s mental breakdown. Ever since Seth had killed her second litter of foals years ago, the pillowed mare would shriek and scream whenever she even saw a baby fluffy. And if one were to die in front of her, Starburst would rock violently, repeating a single phrase over and over until she would blackout from sheer exhaustion.
“Stawbuwst ba’ fwuffy, dat wai babbehs awways gu foweba sweepies…Stawbuwst ba’ fwuffy, dat wai babbehs awways gu foweba sweepies…Stawbuwst ba’ fwuffy, dat wai babbehs awways gu foweba sweepies…”
And barely audible over Starburst’s outburst was Ash sobbing and pleading for the manic mare to calm down, that Kickball’s death wasn’t her fault. Shaking as he held her, it was clear that Starburst wasn’t even aware that he was there with her, even as Ash’s hooves clutched to her with fervent desperation.
“pWeASe sTaWBuwSt…aSh wUv yU! nU aM sTAwbUwSt’S fAwt dAt bABbeH gU fOwEbA sWeEpiEs!”
Unable to hold it in any longer, Seth chuckled loudly, holding his sides at the sullen stallion’s display. Wiping his watering eyes as he walked towards the fluff-proofed gate, Ash noticed the cruel laughter, and stood up, walking in front of Starburst as he looked up to Seth.
“wOok wAt sEff dU! gIb bAbBeH fOwEba sWEePiEs aN’ mAek sTaWBuwSt cWy aN’ yEww…gU wAy’ sEfF! aSh nU wAnCHu hEwe!”
Leaning down and petting the stallion, even as he flinched and pulled away from his touch, Seth kept laughing as he spoke. “No Ash. You killed that foal, remember? You broke the rules and that was part of your punishment for disobeying me.” Backing away but still in-between Seth and Starburst, Ash stood on his hind legs, wobbling slightly as he held his front legs outwards in a desperate attempt to shield his former special friend.
“sEff nU tOuChiEs aSh!!! nU tOUcHieS sTawBuWsT eDah!!!”
Smiling at the effort the stallion was putting into the show of defiance, Seth lightly nudged his foot between Ash’s hooves, knocking the fluffy off balance and forcing him to tumble over and fall, bumping his head against the padded floor. Now looking to Starburst, the trembling and shaking mare still in a trance as she muttered, Seth’s smile only widened.
“Stawbuwst ba’ fwuffy, dat wai babbehs awways gu foweba sweepies…Stawbuwst ba’ fwuffy, dat wai babbehs awways gu foweba sweepies…Stawbuwst ba’ fwuffy, dat wai babbehs awways gu foweba sweepies…”
Seth had seen her like this many times over the years. While he didn’t do it often, it always pleased him to force her into a hysterical state like this every now and then. When she was confronted with a foal, it was like something snapped within the mare’s mind, like she couldn’t see a fluffy baby without thinking it would die and it would be her fault. And once they did, as Seth often saw to, then she would rock violently as she declared that she was a bad fluffy, over and over. And while it would seem like nothing could ever pull her out of such a terrible mania, there was one thing that shook Starburst to her very core, that scared her more than anything. Looking to Ash as he smiled, the stallion still trying to upright himself after his fall, Seth finished his earlier point. "…And this Ash, is the rest of your punishment.
Feigning a gasp, Seth stomped his foot against the soft, fluff-proofed floor as he suddenly screamed, his voice deep and bellowing. “Starburst!!! Bad fluffy!!!”
