Clearly still shaken from the onslaught of blows she had received moments earlier, Starburst tremored under Seth’s soft affections as she heard the words sorry-box. Already whimpering and mewling half decipherable apologies, the pillowfluff was inconsolable as Seth stood up and made his way to the closet once more.
Depositing the riding crop back on the wall mount, Seth then placed the metal bucket atop the cooler and hefted both towards the fluff-pen, putting them down just outside the fencing. Walking back in, Seth almost expected to see Ash once again heroically defying him, instead noticing that the stallion was still holding his face with his hooves as he lay on the padded floor, groaning lightly as he rocked back and forth. “Must have hit you harder than I thought…” Ignoring Ash, at least for the moment, Seth made his way towards Starburst, delighting in the mare’s clear torment as despite her lack of limbs, she was clearly trying in vain to wiggle herself deeper into her pillowbed to hide.
“If you keep trying to hide from me, then I’ll just make you stay in the sorry-box even longer Starburst.” Manhandling the sobbing mare by her iridescent scruff, Seth lifted her painfully into the air, prompting the pillowfluff to scream and plead as he slowly walked her over to the familiar icebox. Her eyes ever-widening as they grew closer and closer, Starburst wriggled and writhed, the memories of her sorry-box clearly playing through her mind.
“NUUUUUUU!!! *huuu…huuu…huuu…P’wease daddeh!..*huuu…huuu…huuu…Stawbuwst nu wan sowwy box!..*huuu…huuu…huuu…Stawbuwst be gud fwuffy fwom nao on…*huuu…huuu…huuu…Stawbuwst pwomise…”
Holding the squirming pillowfluff above the cooler, Seth looked Starburst in the eye, casting a stern and angry gaze to the mare. “If you haven’t learned your lesson, I can always get the sorry-stick out again Starburst. And after, your still goin’ in the sorry-box! Now what’s it gonna be?” Her hysterics dulling at the threat of another beating, the pillowfluff nearly went limp in Seth’s hand, with only the occasional twinge and jerk from her bruised and beaten flank.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…P’wease nu mowe huwties daddeh…*huuu…huuu…huuu…Stawbuwst gu tu sowwy box…*huuu…huuu…huuu…”
Using his off hand, Seth removed the cooler’s top and lowered Starburst within, dropping her slightly as the mare yelped and began to whimper, shaking slightly at what was coming. “I’ll be right back…” Taking the bucket, Seth then left the saferoom, making his way to the refrigerator. Depressing the icemaker’s switch, he began to slowly fill the bucket, with each falling cube striking the metal with a satisfying thunk.
As Seth waited, his attention shifted to the peeping and chirping blue foal, the sole survivor of the evening’s entertainment. Wiggling it’s nubs in the air as it cheeped loudly, it was clearly distressed. “Probably hungry…” Deciding that it’d be easier to manage the foal if it were well fed for now, Seth left the bucket to fill as he went to the sink, running the tap until the water was good and warm. Taking some of the powdered formula, he filled a bottle and lifted the foal, the blind fluff chirping and screeching at Seth’s touch. “Now, now…that’s no way to treat the man who decides if you eat or starve…”
Seth took a few minutes to tease the poor foal, letting a few precious droplets of milk fall onto it’s muzzle before holding the nipple just out of it’s reach, chuckling slightly each time he moved it away from the frustrated fluffy. It’s head swiveled and jerked as the foal attempted to nurse in a hungered frenzy, with each failed lunge followed by a series of frustrated and confused peeps. After countless failed attempts, Seth finally allowed the foal to feed, the starved fluffy quickly draining the contents of the bottle. Once the fluffy was finished, it’s belly slightly distended as it chirped slowly, pleased with it’s meal, Seth took the warming cushion and placed it back in the drawer, putting the blue foal atop it before shutting it closed. “That takes care of that…”
Looking the ice bucket over, Seth nodded contently as he switched the icemaker off. Hefting the full bucket upward, he then made his way back to the saferoom. Slowly walking to the cooler, Seth could already hear Starburst mewling softly, her delicate stumps struggling to find comfort against the cold, slick plastic. Looming over the pillowfluff, her eyes met his as he hoisted the bucket above her. Suddenly writhing and wiggling wildly, Starburst’s eyes went wide at the sight of it, her quiet despair now a tumultuous panic.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…Stawbuwst nu wan cowd huwties…*huuu…huuu…huuu…Nu wike…*huuu…huuu…huuu…”
Watching as the mare tried her best to raise upward, lightly wiggling her stumps to Seth in a desperate bid for mercy and affection, Seth shook his head, tilting the bucket so Starburst could easily see it’s contents. “Your choice Starburst…Cold hurties or I put you outside!” Falling prone again, her hopes for compassion dashed, the pillowfluff cried as her belly slowly slid down to the cooler’s bottom. Hesitating as she bawled and mewled, her eyes clearly focused on the ice as she quivered, memories of past trips to the sorry-box flooded her mind.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…Stawbuwst nee’ daddeh…*huuu…huuu…huuu…G…gib Stawbuwst cowd huwties…*huuu…huuu…huuu…”
Not giving the crying mare a moment to prepare herself, Seth turned the bucket over, letting the ice cascade downward, pelting Starburst’s delicate skin and quickly surrounding her on all sides, the ice now up past her belly.
“*SCREEEEEEE!!! OWIES!!! TU COWD DADDEH!!! TU COWD!!! STAWBUWST NU WIKE COWDIES!!!”
Ignoring the shrieking mare, Seth placed the top on the cooler, lifting it and carrying it into Starburst’s enclosure. Wanting her former special friend to be able to enjoy the horrified and pained screeches from the icebox, Seth walked over to Ash, the stallion still lying on the padded floor, holding his face but no longer screaming. Placing the cooler directly beside him, Seth then struck Ash firmly against his chest. “Get up!!! Now!!!” Despite the stallion grunting as Seth’s hand impacted against his feeble ribs, Ash only rolled slightly away from him, his hooves still tightly around is face. Tired of the stallion’s stubbornness, Seth gripped his front hooves and pulled, revealing Ash’s ruined eye-socket.
“*sCReEeEEeE!!! nU!!! wEaVe aSH aWoNe!!! nU mOwE hUWtiEs!!!”
Seth audibly gasped. He knew he had struck him rather hard with the riding-crop, but he had underestimated just how much harm he had done. Dangling from the stallion’s broken socket was his eye, the connecting nerve visible, the organ swaying as Ash struggled against Seth. His remaining eye damp with tears, it had been years since Seth had seen the stallion tear up solely from pain. “Damn…” Lightly touching the busted socket and then the eye itself, Seth could tell that the damage to the orbital socket was especially painful, with Ash hissing and groaning as he was poked and prodded.
“This is what happens when you don’t listen Ash…” Taking him by the scruff, Seth placed his face against the icebox, as he lifted the cover. Shaking violently as her teeth chattered, Starburst looked up to Seth.
“A…am…am…so…soww…sowwy bo…box…ti…time…ob…obah?”
“Not for a while sweety.” Taking Ash’s eye firmly in his grasp, the stallion shrieking and pulling away the whole time, Seth let the nerve fall over the rim of the icebox, replacing the lid as he heard Starburst scream.
“*SCREEEEEEE!!! WAI AM SEE PWACE HEWE!!! NUUUUUUU!!! NU TOUCHIES STAWBUWST!!!”
“*sCReEEeEeE!!! nUUuuUUu!!! wEt aSh gU!!! *sCrEeEEeEe!!! *scREeeEEeE!!! *sCReeEeeE!!!”
Pushing away from the cooler, only to scream as his eye held him firmly against it, each desperate and agonizing tug putting an unbearable strain on the nerve, Ash screamed and struggled for several moments before going limp against the cooler, now only sobbing quietly as he convulsed from the pain.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…nU mOwe…p’WeAse sEff…nU moWe…*huuu…huuu…huuu…”
“Serves you right, Ash. Now your punishment is to stay right here until I decide that you and Starburst have learned your lesson. I’d suggest not trying to pull away from the sorry-box anymore, unless you wanna lose an eye…” Standing up, Seth walked past the fluffy fence and to the door, with Ash flailing wildly as he saw his owner leaving.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…sEff!!! nU wEaVE aSh wiKe dIs!!! *huuu…huuu…huuu…p’WeAsE!!!..”
His face turned away from the pleading stallion as he left, Seth smiled as he flicked the saferoom light off and shut the door. Once he was clear of the saferoom, his smile slowly faded. Despite how much he had truly enjoyed Starburst’s punishment, Ash’s clear and blatant defiance was growing worse. It had been ages since the aging stallion had broken Seth’s rules so frequently, and while a part of him enjoyed what he had done to Ash in the heat of the moment, a small part of Seth was disappointed in his own hasty reaction. He knew that the stallion was already old and the years of torture and mental abuse meant that he would die far sooner than the average eight year lifespan of a well cared for fluffy. While the vicious attack had felt good in the moment, Seth had to admit to himself that it was a mistake. Thankfully, as bad as it was, Ash would survive, at least until tomorrow.
Trying to shake off his feelings, Seth glanced over to the counter as he made his way to the kitchen. Seeing the white foal within it’s canister, he began to smile again, his lapse in judgement momentarily forgotten. Picking it up, Seth carried it as he made his way to his hobby room, the confused foal peeping and chirping in confused terror from each bounce. As he opened the door, Seth could see Raptor hiding behind the carrier, the frightened pegasus hunkering down against the wooden table as he covered his face with his hooves. “Good news Raptor!!! I’ve decided that you’ve been in here too long, so I’m going to move you to one of the saferooms.” Clearly frightened, but his interest piqued, Raptor pulled his hooves away slightly from his face as he leaned outward, looking to Seth nervously.
“…Weawwy? Munstah gowna wet Waptow gu tu safewoom?”
Walking closer, Seth looked down to the pegasus, the smile on the fluffy’s face growing more nervous by the moment. “Sure. There’s just one thing I wanna do first…”
