This is a disaster, thought Seth as he looked towards Candyfloss, the excitable filly peeping happily at the discovery of her new brother. As he watched Candyfloss, trying to think of a way to quickly remedy the ever worsening situation, the foal began to kick her legs as she wiggled her shoulders wildly, trying in vain to push her self towards Raptor. After only pushing herself a few hard earned inches, Candyfloss peeping and grunting as she slowly slid across the tarp, the foal collapsed. Panting as she tried to catch her breath, Candyfloss glanced downward, where her legs once were and began to cry.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…*chirp…*chirp…candee’fwoss nu wawk’ees…*huuu…huuu…huuu…*chirp…*chirp…wai nu wegg’ees…*huuu…huuu…huuu…*chirp…*chirp…”
It was clear to Seth that the poor filly was only now realizing what losing her front legs truly meant, watching as Candyfloss wriggled on the floor sobbing. As Seth made his way over to her, Cyclops rose upward and leaned down, scooping Candyfloss up in her hooves and pulling her firmly against her chest.
“Deww…deww…it am otay Candee’fwoss…Nu cwy babbeh…nu cwy…”
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…*chirp…*chirp…wai mun’sta num wegg’ees…*huuu…huuu…huuu…*chirp…*chirp…candee’fwoss wan wegg’ees…*huuu…huuu…huuu…*chirp…*chirp…”
Cradling the crying foal gently, Cyclops began to sing softly as the mare rocked Candyfloss back and forth, her sobbing and frantic chirps slowly dying down until she simply peeped contently in Cyclops hooves. Sighing slightly as she held the calmed foal, Cyclops looked up towards Seth, her eye wet with tears as she softly spoke.
“Poow widdew babbeh…Am su saddies an’ hab wowstest scawdies daddeh…Caw’d Cy’cwops munstah…Dat gabe Cy’cwops su mani heawt huwties…Daddeh? Wai Candee’fwoss’ owd mummah num weggies? Babbehs nu am for nummies…am for huggies an’ wuv!”
Trying her best to remain quiet, Cyclops couldn’t help but raise her voice slightly as she questioned Seth about Candyfloss’ previous mother. It was obvious that the thought of an abusive mare upset her, but one that would maim their own children brought the sweet fluffy to tears. Reaching down, Seth lightly stroked the side of Cyclops mane as the sullen mare lightly nuzzled against his hand, far more shaken by the morning events than she was letting on. “Well not all fluffies are good fluffies Cyclops. And some of those bad fluffies become bad mammas. But try not to worry so much. Candyfloss has us now and it’s out job to make her happy and to keep her from even remembering that awful old mother of hers. Okay sweety?”
“Otay daddeh…Cy’cwops maek suwe dat Candee’fwoss an’ odah babbehs am happies an’ gets pwenty of huggies an’ wuv! An’ widdew wite babbeh am tawkie babbeh nao! Am dat nots dah bestest ting ebah daddeh?”
Standing upright, Seth’s smile slowly faded as he glanced towards Raptor and the white foal. While he was rather upset that Raptor and the damn foal had confused Candyfloss, he didn’t want Cyclops to know just how angry he was with the pair of fluffs. “It’s wonderful that Raptor’s little brother is a talky baby now but he’s still in trouble for breaking the rules, same as Raptor. And the same goes for you too, Cyclops…” As he spoke, he could see the mare grow more and more timid as she began to slightly shake at the thought of being punished. If not for Candyfloss, who was now slumbering in her arms, Seth could swear that the frightened mare would have bolted.
“Buh…buh daddeh…”
“No buts Cyclops…You already tried to tell me what to do, which is a huge no-no. Don’t make it worse by trying to weasel out of your punishment. Put Candyfloss in the fluffpile and we’ll get this over with…” Seth watched as Cyclops complied, sobbing lightly as she carefully placed the foal with the others. Walking to the other side of the room, Seth sat on the tarp and waved the mare over to join him. Her head lowered, Cyclops slowly trotted over to him, stopping just short and raising her head, her eye watering as her lip began to tremble.
“…Cy’cwops wuv daddeh…”
It took a great deal of effort for Seth not to show how terrible he felt. He had grown quite fond of Cyclops and was loathe to punish her. But it was important for fluffies to know that there were consequences when they disobeyed. While they were designed to acclimate to the rules their owner gave, fluffies were far more free willed than Hasbio could have ever intended. This meant that while many fluffies were more than willing to follow whatever instructions they were given, some would resist more than others. And Seth had heard some horror stories of spoiled fluffies that were punished too lightly if at all, with the clever biotoys simply breaking the same rules again and again, only to apologize or shift the blame to another fluffy. And Seth simply wouldn’t allow that to happen to a good fluffy like Cyclops.
“I love you too Cyclops. But you aren’t getting out of this. Now, come here right now or it’ll be even worse…” Finishing the short journey to his lap, Seth gently laid her over his knee, using his off hand to lift her tail, exposing her rump. Her light sobbing now into full hysterics, Cyclops bawled as she covered her eye with her hooves. Pulling his hand back, Seth struck her firmly against her backside, eliciting a pained yelp. “That’s for not telling the babies the house rules right away!” Not giving Cyclops a moment to recover, he then struck her again, the trembling fluff unable to hold back a pained shriek.
“*SCREEEEEEE!!!”
“That’s for leaving the nest when I told you not to!” Whimpering as she tried to wiggle away, her pained haunches in agony, Seth grasped the nape of her neck and firmly placed her back in his lap. “Stay still Cyclops!!! Or afterwards you’ll get the sorry-box too!!!” Mewling at the mention of the dreaded fluffy punishment, the mare’s head turned downward, her sobbing beginning to soften as she laid down, shaking as she anticipated the next blow.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…P’wease nu sowwy box daddeh…Cy’cwops nu wike dah sowwy box…”
“Then hold still and take your punishment!” Slapping his hand firmly across her backside again, Cyclops lost all composure as she howled in pain, wriggling and struggling to get away.
“*SCREEEEEEE!!! NU MOWE DADDEH!!! NU MOWE HUWTIES!!!”
“And that is for trying to tell me what to do Cyclops! Stop wiggling right now! You have one more coming!” Holding the mare firmly in place, Seth then struck Cyclops one last time, the terrified fluffy screaming as his hand made contact with her reddish flesh.
“*SCREEEEEEE!!! …*huuu…huuu…huuu…Cy’cwops hab wowstest huwties…Nee’ huggies daddeh…p’wease…”
“And that is for trying to get out of your punishment…” Trying to recover from the harsh blows, Cyclops tried her best to lay on her side, with each minor brush of her rear causing her to wince and begin sobbing anew. As she looked upward to Seth she saw his scowl as he lifted her upright by her mane, prompting the anxious mare to flail wildly.
“*SCREEEEEEE!!! BA’ UPSIES!!!”
“I warned you not to struggle or try and get away Cyclops! I know that you know better than that! So you’ll be staying by yourself for a while!” Walking over to his couch, Seth placed the frantic mare atop it’s cushions. “Stay right here…or I swear Cyclops you will regret it…” Leaving the shivering fluff for the moment, Seth walked past the tarp, his eyes on Raptor and the white foal as he left. While the foal was trembling, no doubt from all the screaming, his focus was still on the wounded pegasus, the little colt nuzzling and peeping against Raptor’s injured flank. However, even as Seth strode past the pair, he could see the pegasus’ weakly follow him with his eyes, his gaze belying the fear Raptor felt at seeing Cyclops’ punishment.
“*chirp…*chirp…ba’beh scaw’d…*chirp…*chirp…nu huwt bwu’da…*chirp…*chirp…”
“It…it am otay widdew brudah…Wap…Waptow nu wetchu git huwt…”
As he heard the pegasus’ pledge to protect the foal, Seth grinned to himself. While it wasn’t as simple as his original plan, the dopey fluff had given him an idea of how to deal with Cyclops’ foals, not to mention his plan for the other babies. While Seth planned to keep Candyfloss at the very least, he wasn’t sure how many of Sassy’s other brood he’d keep around. Guess that really depends on how Plucky performs today, Seth thought as he crossed over the fluffgate and made his way out the front door.
Seth popped the trunk of his car and rifled through it’s contents, eventually pulling out a folded up cardboard box and an old blanket. Unfurling it, Seth then took a bit of tape from the trunk and sealed the bottom shut so that it’d hold it’s shape. It wasn’t perfect but it would make do as a makeshift sorry box. Seth wanted the punishment to linger in Cyclops head, but felt that Starburst’s cooler would be far too severe for a fluffy that was as well behaved as the one eyed mare. Placing the blanket within the box, Seth made his way back inside, towards the kitchen.
Placing the box on the island for the moment, Seth then opened his cupboards, looking through his varied glassware. Perusing the contents for a few minutes, he finally found what he had been searching for, an oversized glass bowl. Part of a tupperware set that Seth had long since lost the lid for, the bowl had divots in the side and had a frosted tint, making it murky and difficult to see through. Carefully putting the bowl atop the blanket, Seth then hefted the box and made his way back to the living room.
As Seth strode past the gate, he could already hear the foalpile chirping frantically, no doubt scared awake from Cyclops’ pained cries. Now aware that their makeshift mother was missing, they peeped and cried out rapidly, with many trying to lift their heads as high as their little bodies would allow, desperate for their caretaker to find and protect them. Not far away from the peeping mass were Raptor and the white foal, with the pair being far quieter than the panicked babies. Holding the foal as tightly against his chest as the injured pegasus could manage, Raptor lightly stroked the colt, soothing and calming the tiny fluff, his eyes cautiously following Seth as he walked by him.
“…Nu cwy widdew brudah, nu cwy…Waptow keep yu safe…”
Ignoring them for now, Seth slowly approached Cyclops, who was sobbing as she laid on her side, her rump still tender and raw. Despite it all, the pained mare was looking towards the peeping foals, her hoof outstretched towards them as though if she tried hard enough, she could reach the crying fluffs.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…Babbehs!!! Babbehs nee’ Cy’cwops!!! …*huuu…huuu…huuu…”
Sighing as he placed the box on the floor, taking the blanket and bowl out, Seth lightly grasped the mare’s muzzle, shifting her focus to him. “They’ve just been fed Cyclops. They don’t need you right now, they’re just scared from all your screaming…” Lifting her far more gently than before, Seth scooped the mare up, being careful not to graze her rear. Cooing slightly even as she stifled a whimper, Cyclops was momentarily pleased by being in her owner’s arms.
“Buh…buh babbehs awways nee’ deww mummah…”
“Well you should have thought of that before you acted out Cyclops…” As Seth slowly walked towards the box, the mare’s eye went wide as she saw it, flailing wildly as she nearly screamed from the thought of being placed within.
“*SCREee…”
Cut off by Seth’s hand covering her mouth, Cyclops began to hyperventilate as she silently screamed against Seth’s palm. “I know your scared, but try to calm down Cyclops. If you keep this up, then your gonna upset your babies!” Lowering the whimpering mare within, Seth took his hand away from her muzzle, her loud screams now replaced with muted sobbing. Looking upward, her eye wet with tears, Cyclops put her front hooves in the air, begging to be freed from the cardboard prison.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…Upsies…p’wease daddeh…”
“Now Cyclops, that’s enough! You were a bad fluffy and tried to get out of your punishment! You need to remember that all the fluffies in this room look to you for how to behave! If you fight against me, then they might as well! Is that what you want Cyclops?! For all of these babies to grow up to be bad fluffies…like Kickball?!” It was cruel and a severe blow to Cyclops’ sense of worth, but mentioning her lost foal had the desired effect. Slowly sliding to the box’s bottom as she cried, it was clear that the mere mention of Kickball’s name took what little fight Cyclops had left from her. It was a low blow to be sure, but Seth knew that invoking the deceased foal would snap the mare out of her outburst.
“Nuuuuuuu!!! *huuu…huuu…huuu…Nu…Cy’cwops nu wan babbehs be wike Kik’baw! …*huuu…huuu…huuu…Dey am gud babbehs!”
Now curled up against the bottom of the cardboard box, Cyclops now quietly mewled as she forced herself to suffer silently, wanting the foals to learn how to act when they were punished for misbehaving. Taking the blanket in hand, Seth slowly drew it over the top of the box as the mare tremored with the light slowly fading within. “Now stay in there and think about what you did…” With her only response being more muffled whimpering, Seth sighed, turning his attentions to Raptor and the white foal. With the glass bowl in hand, he strode over to the pair and leaned down, the pegasus clutching the colt against his chest firmly as he watched Seth approach. Once his owner knelt over, looming over the fluffs, Raptor turned his weakly upward, shaking from the pained effort.
“N…nu huw…huwties babbeh bw…bwudah…”
Shaking his head slowly, Seth was almost impressed by the pegasus’ newfound bravery. “He broke the rules…and so did you Raptor. For that he’s getting the sorry-box, just like Cyclops. As for you, I think you’ve had enough…at least for now…” Reaching out, Seth lightly took the white foal, even as it lightly screeched as it tried in vain to cling to the pegasus with it’s feeble nubs.
“*screeeeeee! …*chirp…*chirp…nuuuuuuu! …*chirp…*chirp…”
Placing his thumb over the foal’s mouth as his hand gently gripped the colt’s body, Seth held the wiggling fluff up to meet his gaze. “Quiet down right now! You’re upsetting the others!” New to the concept of being shouted at, the foal trembled slightly as it was reduced to quiet, nervous peeps. Placing the colt against the tarp, Seth held him in place as he positioned the bowl above the panicked foal. “We don’t leave the nest without permission…” Letting the bowl tumble down, Seth could faintly make out the colt’s muffled cries, as he saw it’s dull outline begin to waddle the borders of his glass confines, occasionally rearing upright and lightly tapping against the walls.
It felt good to punish the damned little foal, the simple act of trapping him improving Seth’s mood vastly. But even as he watched the confused colt try to free himself, the reality of what had happened was still setting in. With Candyfloss confusing Raptor as not only her brother, but also some sort of savior, it’d be far more difficult to dispose of the pegasus without upsetting her. And Raptor had taken such a liking to the white colt that doing any lingering, obvious harm to him would trickle down all the way to Candyfloss now, likewise threatening to traumatize her more than Seth already had. While her future would no doubt be filled with subtle tortures and inconspicuous mindgames, Seth knew that too much right away would break her too soon, spoiling any lasting fun Seth might enjoy with her.
Grimacing at the thought, Seth’s attention turned to Raptor. While the pegasus was still far too injured to move, his attention was firmly fixed on the glass bowl, his eyes tearing as he occasionally shifted and tried to force himself upright. After several moments of groaning and shifting in a vain attempt to get to the glass sorry-box, Raptor began to plead with Seth, sobbing as he tried to reach out towards the bowl.
“…P’wease…we…wet widd…widdew bwudah gu…Wi…widdew bwu…bwudah am gu…gud fwuffy…”
It pleased Seth that the white foal’s punishment was as awful for Raptor as it was for the trapped colt, with the pegasus’ clear suffering sating Seth’s need to inflict harm on the wounded fluff…at least for now. And besides, if his new plan were to work, he’d need to let Raptor recover, at least a little bit. For the moment, Seth simply sat down next to the pegasus, placing his hand lightly on him as he stroked his fluff, careful to avoid the mass of bruised flesh on his side. “He needs to learn Raptor. It’s important that he knows how to be a good fluffy right away, so that he doesn’t have to learn the hard way when he’s older…” Even as he gently petted him, Seth hid a smile as he felt the pegasus shiver, knowing all too well that Raptor was thinking about his own lessons in good behavior.
“I’m glad you understand…” Placing his hand underneath Raptor, Seth scooped the pegasus up and made the short walk to the still peeping foals. While they had calmed slightly now that the noise had died down, they were still clearly anxious without their adopted mother nearby. Candyfloss had gone nearly catatonic without the warmth and soft singing of Cyclops to soothe or calm her. While the other foals chirped nervously, the half pillowed filly laid on the tarp quietly, trembling as she peered around, silently begging to be consoled.
Seth placed Raptor within the center of the pile, taking great care not to injure him further. As his arm came close to the crowd of foals, Seth noticed that the green and violet foals, Cyclops’ oldest, began to chirp far more frantically than the others, their peeps calming shortly after he withdrew his hand. It’s gonna have to be today…and soon, thought Seth. Feigning a smile, Seth stood upright and looked down to Raptor. “Until I decide that it’s time for Cyclops to come out, you’ll be in charge of keeping the babies calm and safe. Can you do that for me Raptor?”
Unsure as to whether he could manage the task, but far too fearful to refuse, Raptor nodded slowly.
“O…Otay daddeh…Wa…Waptow wiww wo…wook aftah babbehs…”
Even as the pegasus spoke, Seth could tell that his attentions were firmly on the glass bowl at the other end of the tarp, his concerns still firmly on the white colt. Reaching past the pile, Seth gently scooped up the sullen Candyfloss, the quivering foal rapidly peeping as she was abruptly lifted into the air.
“*screeeeeee!!! …*chirp…*chirp…nuuuuuuu!!! …”
“It’s ok sweety…it’s ok…” Seth gently began to lovingly caress the panicked filly, her rapid chirps slowing as she began to coo in his hand. “…I know that was scary but it’s over now…” As the foal tried her best to worm herself around his hand, the closest thing the maimed fluff could manage to a hug, she looked to Seth, her gaze shifting between her owner and the covered cardboard box.
“*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…da’deh? …*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…wai box? …*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…nee’ mu’mah! …*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…”
Seth’s heart melted slightly at hearing the tiny foal refer to him as daddy, as the man who had maimed and killed countless of her kind suddenly grew a warm, genuine smile, rewarding the cute filly by gently stroking her belly with his finger. “Don’t worry Candyfloss. Your mother simply broke a rule and had to be punished…” Despite his love for the tiny creature, Seth felt a rush of adrenaline as Candyfloss squirmed anxiously in his hand, with even the muttering of the word punishment putting her on edge. He was always amazed at how sensitive the little biotoys truly were and often forgot himself when he was in the rare company of one he truly enjoyed. “…But don’t worry. As long as fluffies follow daddy’s rules, they don’t get punished. They get huggies and love!” Glad no-one was around to hear him utter something so corny, Seth was pleased to see that it had the intended effect, with the filly calming in his hand as she cooed and nuzzled him, wrapping herself around his fingers, and eventually falling asleep.
Happy that the foal had fallen asleep on her own, Seth looked downward to the fluffpile. Despite how panic struck the foals had been only moments earlier, they were now finally calm, with the tiny fluffs having curled up around their larger adoptive brother, Raptor. Most had already drifted off and the remaining few were clearly soon to join them as they stretched and yawned, trying to waddle into a comfortable place in the new pile. Silently watching as the final babies began to rest, Seth knew that it was time. Careful not to make too much noise, he made his way out of the living room and into his bedroom, Candyfloss still slumbering in hand.
Placing the foal on his bed, Seth lightly draped his blanket over Candyfloss, careful not to disturb the sleeping fluff. Wiggling slightly as she slumbered, Seth was happy that he’d chosen to spare her, opting to simply watch the adorable foal for a few moments before making his way to his closet. Grabbing a large black bag, Seth then made his way to the dresser, digging out his small container of detonator needles, then heading to the hobby-room and placing the bag onto his workbench. Then, putting on his gloves, Seth grabbed his old MP3 player and began to scroll through the various recordings until he found the perfect one for his plan.
Closing the trunk and returning to the kitchen, Seth removed the last canned foal from the milkcrate lying on the counter-top. Putting the cylinder aside for the moment, Seth checked the towel within, insuring that it covered all the crate’s nooks and crannies before heading over to the kitchen wall and flicking the light-switch off, as the adjacent living room was now cast in near darkness. While most of the fluffies were unfazed as they hadn’t yet opened their eyes, Seth instantly heard the cries of Cyclops, the mare calling out in a panic as what little light she could see through her box was abruptly lost.
“*SCREEEEEEE!!! Wewe bwite gu?! Cy’cwops nu wike dah dawk!!!”
Her frantic shrieks being quite loud, it was only moments later that Seth heard the frantic and confused peeps from the foals, as well as the panicked Raptor screaming as the pegasus was shook awake from a cacophony of horrified fluffy chirps and screeches.
“*SCREEEEEEE!!! Nu wan dawk pwace 'gain!!! Babbehs?! Stay wiff Waptow babbehs!!!”
Smiling to himself, Seth then held the MP3 player and hit play, the device then playing a low and guttural growl. It was a nothing more than a recording he had downloaded of an angry Rottweiler, but it had the intended effect as he heard the light and confused screams become full throated, shrieks. From the foals now chirping at a rapid pace, desperate to garner the attention of someone to rescue them, to Raptor and Cyclops, who were horrified at the sudden appearance of the monster.
“*SCREEEEEEE!!! BAWKIE MUNSTAH!!! BAWKIE MUNSTAH NU TAEK BABBEHS!!! NU HUWT BABBEHS!!! HEWP!!! DADDEH HEWP CY’CWOPS!!! NEE’ SAB BABBEHS!!!”
“*SCREEEEEEE!!! NUUUUUU!!! NU WAN MUNSTAH 'GAIN!!! NU WAN HUWTIES NU MOWE!!! WAPTOW GUD NAO!!! WAPTOW GUD!!! *SCREEEEEEE!!!”
Clearly fear had given the pegasus his voice back despite his injuries, thought Seth as he held the player aside the entrance of the living-room. And despite knowing that it needed to be done, Seth felt a twinge of guilt as he heard Cyclops begging him to come and help her save her foals. But he needed to cull their numbers, and while some of them might live to see her again, it was hardly up to Seth, as it all depended on Plucky and Ash. For now, Seth placed the MP3 player on the ground and quietly stepped over the gate.
While it wasn’t completely dark within the living-room, without the kitchen light to illuminate it, it was far too nebulous for a fluffy’s poor eyesight to see properly. Combined with the loud recording, which had now become near feral barking and growls, Seth’s movements were obfuscated from the only fluff capable of seeing him properly, Raptor. Leaning down as he saw the frightened pegasus trying to scoop and herd the panicked foals closer to him, only to fail due to his intense injuries, Seth lightly shoved him over, prompting a surprised shriek.
“SCREEEEEEE!!! MUNSTAH!!! MUNSTAH NU HUWTIES FWUFFIES!!! NU HUWTIES BABBEHS!!!”
Ignoring the fallen pegasus, Seth quickly grabbed the foals, one by one, and placed them in the milk crate, the confused and terrified fluffs screeching and peeping for their mother to save them. Once he had them all, Seth then stood upright and left the living-room, leaning down and clicking the player off before returning to his hobby-room. Once he had secured the crate onto his workbench, Seth then sighed a breath of relief. Opening the large black bag, Seth then pulled out several small mortars, cardboard and metal tubes designed for launching single use aerial firework far into the sky, allowing the bright and vibrant display to be seen clearly. Taking out one of the shells, an orb no larger than an apple wrapped in a simple but durable cloth, Seth then placed it on the workbench and went over to his trunk, grabbing a roll of tape before returning to the bench and looming over the crate of foals.
