Deciding it would be easier and less disgusting for him, Seth simply stoppered the drain and emptied the remainder of the off brand shampoo onto the fluffies, prompting some screams and complaints of eye hurties. Turning the shower switch off, the tub began to fill, causing all of the fluffies but the pegasus to scream, rearing up and trying to escape to the other side of the tub. The green stallion, still recovering from nearly drowning only uselessly flailed his front legs as he saw the water, his eyes wide but his weakened throat unable to form a scream. Seth went to the cabinet under the sink as the tub continued to fill, the fluffies begging him to save them, fearing that he would leave them to drown.
Opening the cabinet, Seth retrieved a toilet brush from underneath the sink. Unused, he decided that it would work as a makeshift scrubber. Walking back over, he nudged the green pegasus over and further away from the accumulating bathwater. He tried to get the attention of the mare and unicorn, who were screaming as their front hooves slid desperately on the rim of the bathtub, unable to free themselves. “Your friend is going to drown unl…”
“*SCREEEEEEE!!! HEWP!!! WAWA TWY GIT FWUFFIES!!!”
*SCREEEEEEE!!! NUUUUUUU!!! WAWA BA’ FOW FWUFFIES!!!
Seth struck the side of the tub with the brush, causing the fluffies to flinch and look in his direction. Gesturing towards the stallion, the water now touching his muzzle, Seth warned them: “He’s going to drown if you don’t help him. Hold him up while I scrub you guys down.”
Clearly terrified of the water, but not wanting the pegasus to drown, the unicorn and the mare went to either side of him and held him up, the water no longer threatening to enter his nose or mouth. Seth ran the coarse brush over them one at a time, working up a good lather. The fluffies loathed it, crying and complaining of scratchy hurties, all the while whimpering as they kept their eyes on the water that was now past their legs, but they didn’t let the pegasus droop any lower.
"*huuu…*huuu…nu wan speciaw fwend gu foweba sweepies! Nu faww obah speciaw frend!
“NUUUUUU!!! NU WIKE WAWA!!! WAWA BA” FOW FWUFFIES!!! G’WEENIE FWEND!!! NU WET WAWA GETCHU!!!"
"*cough…*sputter…*cough…tank yu…*cough…*cough…*sputter
Once they were lathered and scrubbed, Seth sprayed them off, prompting more panic and screaming, but he was impressed that they still held the pegasus upright as though their lives depended on it instead of his. Once they had been rinsed off, he unplugged the stopper, letting the murky and filth filled water slowly fall down the drain. Once the water had fallen past the pegasus, the fluffies collapsed, exhausted physically and mentally from their ordeal. Breathing heavily, the pink mare looked to Seth, her eyes bloodshot and her body shivering. “Gib…gib mummah babbehs…p’wease…” Seth looked down at the quivering mare. “Not until they’re cleaned off. I just bathed you all.” Walking over to the sink, he almost didn’t hear the pink mare, her body weakened and out of breath. “…hatchu…”
Stopping in his tracks, Seth grinned, turning his head slightly back to the bathtub. “I’m sorry…what did you just say?” The mare, weak but angry slowly stood up, wobbling on her three legs. “FWUFFY HATCHU!!! YU WIAW!!! AN’ MEANIE!!! FWUFFY HATCHU!!! GIB FWUFFY BABBEHS AN” WET FWUFFIES GU!!! NAO!!!
Seth sauntered back to the tub, getting on his knees so he could look the mare in the eyes. She was clearly frightened of him but she didn’t look away. “It’s not smart to yell at the man who has your children you know. I could turn on the water in the sink and drown them right now…” Her expression changed quickly from one of defiant anger to worry and concern. Clearly upset, she hadn’t thought of Seth holding her babies hostage, as most fluffies wouldn’t. Being designed by Hasbio to be polite and kind to others, concepts like that didn’t make sense and we’re almost incomprehensible to their child-like minds. Trying her best to climb the side of the tub, crying and pleading, she apologized. "Fwuffy sowwy, fwuffy su sowwy…p’wease nu huwties babbehs!
“I don’t know if I really believe you, but you clearly care about your foals so just this once, I’ll let it slide with a small warning…” Seth reached out suddenly and grabbed the mare by her throat, clutching it tightly in his hand. Her eyes went wide as she tried to breathe in only for closed larynx to block off any air trying to get into her lungs. The unicorn and pegasus began to yell, begging for Seth to put her back down. “If you ever say something like that to me again, or if you even yell at me…” He gripped her neck firmly in his hand as he lifted her out of the tub and stood, with her now level with his face. “…Say no to me, refuse to do something I tell you to do, even just give a GODAMNED LOOK that I don’t like, and I will set fire to your foals and make you watch them burn alive…” Flailing and fiercely tapping Seth’s hand with her one front hoof, the mare was tremoring, tears streaking her face as her vision blurred. Seth then lowered her back onto the tub and then released her throat, letting her gently fall back to the porcelain floor. “Now…anything else to say?”
The mare was gasping for air as her hoof rubbed at her throat, taking her several minutes to recover from the attack. Her special friend and the unicorn came to her side, hugging her as she rasped and shook. Finally, still on her side and breathing heavily, she looked to Seth, a combination of fear and loathing in her eyes. “…Nu…” Seth stood back up. “Good. Let that be your first and last warning. Now…I’m going to bathe your foals. Once I’m done, if you’re good, you can have them back, safe and sound.” He waited to see if she was dumb enough to object again and was pleased that she was as smart as she seemed, with the mare keeping quiet.
Making his way to the sink, the foals were in a panic, with the screaming and the crying of the fluffy bath, not to mention hearing their own mother angrily yelling. Wiggling and crawling around as best they could, they were desperately seeking their mother, occasionally raising their heads as high as they could before chirping, trying to let their mother know where they were and that they were in distress. Looking down at them, Seth admitted that they were pretty cute, especially the two-toned pink and blue baby. Fighting his inner urge to inflict pain and fear into the blind fluffy children, he reached down and lightly brushed his finger over the pink and blue foal, it’s panic chirping slowly turning to gentle peeping and cooing. Opening a drawer, he pulled out some scented wipes and picked up the foal, a small chirp of surprise as it was lifted into the air. Seth wiped it gently with the handwipe in lieu of a normal bath, hoping that the adorable foal wasn’t making him go soft. The tiny foal cheeped and nuzzled lightly against the wipe, acting as though it were a fluffy tongue. After the foal, a baby filly, was clean and smelling far better, Seth walked it over to the bathtub. The pink mare was still recovering, her special friend hugging her tightly as the unicorn cried and whimpered, sliding against the rim of the tub as he tried to escape.
“*huuu…*huuu…*huuu… Wan ow’t! Wan ow’t!..*huuu…*huuu…*huuu…”
Seth gently leaned down and held the foal in front of the pink mare, her face both relieved and horrified, pondering what the mean human was planning. “Here. Take her.” The mare stretched out and took the foal with her mouth, slowly and cautiously as her eyes darted between the foal and Seth. After she had it’s scruff between her teeth, she quickly pulled back, licking the foal as she wept and showered her baby with hugs and praise.
*huuu…*huuu…*huuu…gud babbeh…gud, gud babbeh…mummah wuvs yu…
Seth broke up her reunion with a sudden question. “Do you know what a best baby is? Do you have a best baby?” The mare looked up, her one front leg covering her foal and pulling it into her chest fluff. Seth looked at her, raising his voice only slightly. “I won’t ask again.” Flinching from the words as though she’d been struck, the mare looked down, covering the foal with her body. “Mummah kno wat dat mean…buh nu hab bestest babbeh…dat make mummahs bad fwuffies…” Seth nodded as she explained, pointing at the foal partially concealed by her fur as she finished. “That is now your best baby. I want it well taken care of. If she is sad, you will be sad. And if she gets hurt…” Seth simply let a long and quiet stare fill in the blanks for the pink mare. “I have to finish bathing your foals, then I’ll bring them to you. Make sure she gets fed in the meantime.” Seth made his way back to the other foals, the mare keeping her eyes on him the whole time.
Taking out some paper towels, Seth placed them next to the sink in two piles. Placing the foals on the first pile one by one, he started the sink. He quickly ran each foal under the lukewarm water for a few seconds, enjoying their struggling and writhing against his hand as the water touched them, using a dollop of handsoap liquid to clean them off. Once clean, one by one he put them on the second pile to dry. After he had cleaned them all, he carried the foals, still slightly dripping and chirping loudly, back to their mother. She looked up at Seth and for a moment, the expression on her face looked like she wanted to say something, but she simply reached up, pleading with Seth. "Mummah hab babbehs p’wease? Slowly placing them in the tub in front of her, Seth praised the pink mare. “Very, very good girl. I like it when you are well mannered and polite like that.” As she took her foals and curled up around them, Seth gently stroked her back, the mare flinching away at first, but then slightly cooing at the sensation. “Now, I think names are in order for some of you.”
While the announcement of naming a fluffy was normally one of the pivotal and most exciting moments of it’s life, the fluffies within the tub were only slightly elated, with the unicorn whimpering as he stopped trying to escape, sliding down to the base of the tub. "*huuu…*huuu…*huuu fwuffy hab namsies? Seth looked at the quivering and cowardly unicorn. “You will be Craven.” Looking up at Seth, still shaking as he sobbed, he looked slightly happier as he heard his new name. “Tank yu…*huuu…*huuu…*huuu…C’waven wuv nu namsies…tank yu…” Despite his platitudes, Craven seemed less than enthusiastic.
Looking to the pegasus, who was on his side, trying to help the pink mare cover her foals, Seth gestured, getting his attention. "Your name…is Plucky. Not moving much more than his head to look up at Seth, his eyes wary and untrusting, Plucky thanked him. "…Tank yu…
“And you…you’re Sassy from now on.” Seth pointed to the mare. She began to puff her cheeks, clearly about to say something before Plucky held up a hoof to her face lightly, quietening her.“P’wuky tink dat bestest namsies…tank yu fow namsies.” To her credit, Sassy said nothing despite the angry look on her face. Seth smiled, figuring he’d let it slide for now. Looking to the foals that were cheeping and wiggling happily in their mother’s fluff, Seth pointed to the pink and blue foal. “And from now on her name is Candyfloss.”