Millie stared at her computer screen. Staring at the page filled with the phrase “Fuck Uphie” over and over again. While it did feel good to write that over and over, after Uphie’s especially annoying emotional outburst earlier today. she felt a tad overdramatic. She smirked, as she sipped her glass of whiskey, feeling like she was being too much. She had no reason to be upset, after all Uphie was working again. She looked at her watch, 08:52 pm. 8 minutes until the end of today’s shift.
They had started work late today. Uphie had slept in, understandable as she was still healing, and the alarm couldn’t wake her. Millie was feeling generous, so she decided to let Uphie work late today. Come in later. Leave later. A fair system. She was only trying to be fair after all. Millie poured herself another small helping of whiskey, drinking it all in one gulp. The feeling of her throat burning and the warm sensation in her stomach was just enough to ward off this strange feeling of coldness, and gave her that much needed boost of energy to get off her ass and head into the safe room.
She walked into the safe room quietly. Didn’t want to bother Uphie while the mare was still working, but Uphie had noticed her almost instantly and began to panic. The beige mare pulled on the Work Wagon harder, trying to show Millie desperately that she was working, all with the most pitiful face and tears streaming down her eyes. Millie just watched from the side with a big smile. It was nice seeing a Fluffy working productively.
Beep beep beep.
That was the sound of her phone alarm ringing. It was 09:00 pm. End of shift. Like clockwork, the Work Wagon harness detached and Uphie was free. The mare made a few steps forward before collapsing on the ground. Sobbing gently, as her hooves covered her face. Millie approached quietly, avoiding the feces that had once again piled up everywhere in the safe room, and she squatted on a clean spot next to Uphie. The mare had noticed her close presence and had started trembling violently, but she began to calm down as Millie gently stroked her mane.
“Mu… mummah?” Uphie asked hesitantly.
Millie smiled “What’s wrong, baby?”
“Nu wike dis, mummah”.
Millie giggled and gently tapped Uphie’s nose, causing the Fluffy to raise her head in surprise, before whimpering slightly.
“Dun wike” Uphie moaned softly
“Hmmm? You don’t like the nose boop, Uphie?”
“Dun wike Mistah Wok Wagon!” Uphie exclaimed in annoyance.
“Why not?”
Uphie looked at Millie with tearful eyes.
“Mistah Wok Wagon tu hebi n gib worstest zappy hurties, mak Uwpee hab tu mani walkies n worstest weggie hurties”
“Oh that’s so sad” Millie replied with a sarcastic grin.
Uphie seemed to recognize the sarcasm and pouted.
“Dun wan pway with dummeh Mistah Wok Wagon” Uphie declared
“C’mon Uphie. How else are you gonna pay for rent and food. Think about your children. They need you. They depend on you.”
Millie pointed to the foals huddled in the corner of the safe room. They looked at Millie and their mummah with innocent smiles. One even saying “wub mummah”. Uphie looked down on the floor, seemingly defeated as she accepted her fate, but then she glared at Millie and growled.
“Nu” Uphie said firmly
“No? What do you mean no?”
“Uwpee sa nu. Nu wan pway with dummeh Mistah Wok Wagon nu mowe”.
Millie let out a deep sigh and rubbed her forehead in frustration. Not this again. How many times did Millie have to say it, before Uphie could register her situation through her thick skull.
“Uphie. Again with this BS? Look, the options are simple. Work for rent and food, or I kick you out of the house. Is that what you want? Do you want to be kicked out of the house and live in that cold, dark forest again?”
Uphie continued to glare at her, puffing her cheeks as wide as she could, before responding “Yus”
Millie stared at her in confusion. Clearly sure that she had misheard.
“I’m sorry, but did you just say yes?”
Uphie nodded as she made a small snort. Her eyes were still angry and her cheeks were still puffed out, but this time she also changed her posture, spreading her legs wide as she attempted to look more menacing. Millie frowned, and scratched her head in frustration.
“Uphie, you’re not supposed to say yes. The outside is scary and bad, it’s not good for Fluffies”.
“Dun cawe!” Uphie screamed “Nu wan wive wit dummeh meanie munstah mummah n dummeh Mistah Wok Wagon nu mowe! Nu wan wive in housie! Wan be fwee!”
Millie let out another frustrated sigh, scratching the back of her head harder. This was wrong. All wrong. Wrong. Wrong. WRONG. Millie clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“Are you a fucking idiot?” Millie asked, making no attempt to hide her disdain
Uphie continued to glare at angrily “Nu am dummeh!” She cried out in protest.
Millie didn’t respond, her fist simply smashed into Uphie’s snoot. A quick yet powerful strike that sent the mare flying a good few inches back, causing her to topple onto her side in a mess of tears, snot and blood.
“Nu huwt Fwuffy!” Uphie screamed.
Millie ignored the plea and grabbed the mare’s mane, pulling Uphie close, as she screamed out in pain. Then she turned Uphie on her back, with the mare only able to flail her short, stubby legs helplessly, and desperately plead for mercy. Millie showed no mercy, she smashed her fist into Uphie’s stomach and felt the cracking of bones. Uphie let out a pained gasp.
“Did you seriously think you could get your way again?” Millie asked coldly.
She raised her fist and smashed it into Uphie’s stomach again, causing the beige mare to let out a deep guttural cry of sheer agony.
“Are you so arrogant that you think you can beat me?”
Millie raised her fist and was about to smash it into Uphie’s stomach again, but she was interrupted by the squeaking of another Fluffy. One of Uphie’s foals. The bestest babbeh, Prie.
“Dummeh meanie munstah!” Prie screamed “Wet mummah go wite nao o smarty gib yu worstest hurties!”
Millie rolled her eyes. The arrogance of Fluffies had stopped becoming amusing, and she stared at the loud mouthed brat with cold rage.
“Worstest hurties, huh?.. I’LL SHOW YOU FUCKING WORSTEST HURTIES!!!”
Before the foal could even scream, she grabbed it and placed it on her hand. The foal helplessly squirming on the palm of her hand, with a look of terror. .
“Babbeh sowwi!” It pleaded “Nu huwties pwease!”
That did not spare the foal a painful fate. Pressing on the foal’s belly with her thumb, she used her other hand to pull on one leg. She pulled the leg away from the body purposely slow, allowing the foal time to process what she was doing and time to try and resist. She watched as the foal desperately squealed, using it’s other legs to try and break free. All in futility.
Snap
The leg broke and the foal let out a shrill scream of agony. Millie just looked at it with dead eyes. This was not amusing and as she looked down, she could see Uphie silently staring at her. The mare was still on her back, and would make painful groans every time she breathed. Millie looked at her coldly, then sighed. Then she looked at Uphie’s remaining foals.
“I have an offer” Millie said sweetly “I can turn you into a forever baby, Uphie. Would you like that? Would you like me to turn you back into my forever baby?”
Uphie did not respond. The mare only able to take pained breaths and stare with tears in her eyes. Millie shrugged and grabbed them. All of Uphie’s foals held in between her two hands. They screamed and pleaded for mercy, desperately stating that they would be the best, but that did not spare them the fate of being crushed against one another. Their bones cracked and crumbles, as their screams turned to gargled wails. Blood began to leak, and eventually she had crushed them into a ball.
“Time to make you a forever baby” Millie said coldly.
Without any more foreplay, she rammed this ball of foals right up Uphie’s snatch, fist included. The sensation was strange. Rubbery. Like wearing a glove full of goo and it took some effort to open her hands while inside. Uphie was convulsing and foam was coming out of her mouth. Millie ignored that and pulled out her hand, having successfully left the ball of foals inside. She had done it. She had reverted Uphie back into a forever baby.
Unfortunately, Uphie was dead.
The beige mare laid motionless on the floor with her face writhed in pain, as blood poured out of her ripped up genitalia like a broken dam. Millie stared at the corpse silently. There was no joy. No rage. No sadness. She felt nothing for this Fluffy. Why would she? It wasn’t the real Uphie after all. Millie stared at the table that made up Veve’s space. Sat on her rump, with her back laid against a wall, a trembling beige mare sat atop a puddle made of her own waste: The real Uphie.
Millie sighed and approached the real Uphie, and Uphie began to tremble violently as she got closer. It was unsurprising, after all Uphie had just witnessed the brutal murder of a fellow Fluffy. Prie and Veve were huddled at her sides, both clinging to their mother tightly with faces full of fear. With the box wall blocking their sight, they probably didn’t see the carnage, but they definitely heard it, so there was no shock when all three Fluffiess screamed, as Millie reached for Uphie.
“Boop” Millie said playfully, as she used a single finger to tap Uphie’s snoot.
Uphie cringed slightly and looked at Millie with terror and a silent, desperate pleading for mercy.
“Pw… Pwease… Pwease nu… Nu… nu huwt Uwpee.” Uphie managed to plead amidst terrified whimpers.
“Do you want to be a forever baby as well?” Millie asked coldly.
“Nu… Wan… Be… Foebah… Babbeh… anymo” Uphie managed to utter between frightened tears.
“But I thought you wanted to be mama’s forever baby”.
Uphie shook her head violently. “Yu nut mummah! Yu nut mummah!” she screamed.
“Oh? Now I’m not mama? But yesterday you kept saying that I’m your mama and your my forever baby”
“Uwpee nu wan be foebah babbeh anymo, yu nut mummah!” Uphie screamed hysterically
Millie sccoffed.
“Well ain’t that just a bitch. What was it like, three days of you incessantly whining that I’m your mama and you’re my forever baby. Now I put the offer on the table and you back out. Just typical stupid Uphie being a ugly little burden for her mama…”
“YU NUT MUMMAH!” Uphie suddenly screamed “YU AM MUNSTAH!”
Millie smirked, finding a sort of amusement from the fact that Uphie had managed to briefly overcome her cowardice, but that amusement quickly faded, and was replaced by a cold, dead anger. A face so frightening that Uphie defecated herself once again.
“Uw… Uwpee… sowwi” Uphie managed to say.
“Shut up” Millie replied harshly, causing Uphie to whimper annoyingly.
Her attention turned to the foals. The arrogant and boisterous Prie was surprisingly quiet now. The fecal colored foal nestled deeply into her mother’s fur, trembling quite visibly. The two locked eyes and Prie tried to show an angry face, but that was quickly betrayed by her fear. On Uphie’s other side, Veve clung tightly to her mother, also trembling quite a lot. However, when they locked eyes, Veve just stared back silently. The fear in her eyes was unmistakable yet no malice. Millie looked down in guilt.
She was being too dramatic and had dragged Veve into her mess again. She removed some of the boxes, so that she would have a complete unobstructed sight of Uphie. Then she pulled up a chair and sat down, so that Uphie and her could have a proper talk. Eye to eye level. Uphie, Veve and Prie didn’t say anything. The three simply stared, only making slight whimpers with every movement.
“Did anyone ever tell you how you made me so sad that I wanted to ki… To give myself forever sleepies?”
Uphie did not offer any response, but she did make a slight nod, and Millie noticed the mare tilt her head down ever so slightly, as though ashamed.
“Thing was. I think a part of me actually died when you ran away. The part you used to call mama”.
Still no response from Uphie. Only another pathetic series of whimpers.
“So in truth you’re actually right. I’m not mama. You killed your mama when you ran away, and for these past four weeks you have only been talking to the monster. Isn’t it sad that you never noticed until now?”
Millie stared at Uphie with the same cold, dead gaze. No apologies. No denials. No attempts to change the topic. Not even a single word. Uphie just looked down in shame, as Millie continued staring at her. The mare unable to even show any decency and meet her gaze. Neither of the foals said a word as well, both clung tightly to their mother. There was only silence. A silence that felt so deafening. Only to be broken by the sound of a doorbell.
—
Mabe stood in front of the door to Millie’s house with a big smile. She was excited to see her bestie. It had been quite a while since they last met. Almost a month actually. When she heard that Uphie had returned, she had wanted to come by sooner, but she was much too busy with work. Her full time job as a local tailor who specialized in making costumes based on TV shows, animated and live action, namely Cosplay, meant that she was very busy before the Halloween period.
There was also her online Fluffy show hobby: The Skettiland Rangers, which was pretty much a full time job in itself, what with filming, editing, viewer & trend analysis, costume and set design, as well as the fact that she was taking care of eight growing Fluffy foals. One of which had SBS. She was just lucky that she had her husband, Leopold, to help her with everything, and together they had managed to finally cut through all the backlog and earn Mabe some much needed rest time. One that she planned to thoroughly enjoy with her bestie.
She had everything prepared. A bottle of wine, and the name of a romance movie starring the handsome Robert Gasling Hemmingsworth and the gorgeous Blake Audrette Partman. She had even taken the day off tomorrow, so she could really let loose. She really wanted to have fun today. It had been so long since she had hung out with her bestie and she wanted to know everything that was going on. Uphie had come back, but Millie hardly said anything about her. There was also that photo and Mabe’s secret mission, but maybe later, she just wanted to chill first and most likely vent to her bestie.
“Hiya gur…” Mabe exclaimed with excitement, as the door opened.
The excitement quickly turned to terror, as she stared at the woman that stood in front of her. Millie looked like a mess. Her eyes cold and dead, her hair was everywhere and all the blood. There was so much blood. Blood splattered across her cheeks and dress, and Millie’s hands were both covered in so much blood. Mabe stared at her wide eyed, backing away slowly. She tripped and landed on the thick snow below.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” she screamed.
Millie winced from the scream and stared at her best friend in confusion. That scream was so loud and it really did not help that Millie was already in a terrible mood. She had forgotten that Mabe was coming over today, but she didn’t understand why Mabe had suddenly screamed.
“What the hell, Bebe” Millie said with a groan.
“Wh… What… Are… Are you okay?” Mabe suddenly asked.
Millie looked at her confusion, then noticed her hands covered in blood, quickly realizing the reason for her best friend’s shock, and tried to give Mabe an apologetic smile.
“Sorry” Millie replied “I was… Uh… Dealing with a feral Fluffy in the backyard and it kind of blew up”.
Millie wiped the blood off her hand with her dress, and offered her a relatively clean hand to help Mabe up, but Mabe quickly turned down the offer, standing back up on her own and picking up the wine bottle, which was fortunately still well intact thanks to the thick snow. She followed her bestie out of the cold and into the nice warm house, the whole time Mabe gave her bestie a wary look. All the blood felt incriminating.
“How exactly does a Fluffy just blow up?” Mabe asked with a hint of suspicion.
Millie shrugged “I… uh… I fed it something, and… um… allergic reaction I guess. Just went pop and well here are the results”.
Mabe continued to eye her bestie with uncertainty, though it sounded unconvincing, she could not deny the fact that Fluffies were a beacon for oddities, and a Fluffy suddenly blowing up was not entirely implausible. It wouldn’t matter though, as her attention was quickly diverted by a smell. Not the smell of whiskey coming from her bestie’s breath, but rather the unpleasant yet familiar stench of Fluffy waste, this smell quite obviously coming from her bestie.
“Mii, you stink of Fluff waste” Mabe stated out bluntly.
Millie sniffed her clothes and looked at Mabe with a blush.
“Oops. Fluffy shit… uh… let me take a quick shower and change”.
While Millie headed to the bathroom, Mabe walked to the kitchen, looking for a corkscrew to uncork her wine bottle. She had to admit, she was feeling a little irked. This feeling that Millie clearly had not prepared for Mabe’s arrival. Perhaps Millie had even forgotten? It was just a little annoying given how hard she had worked to get today off and Mabe could not help but frown, yet at the same time, unexpected events could happen, such as this supposed exploding feral Fluffy.
Speaking of Fluffies, there were two Mabe was really interested in and she turned to the door of Millie’s safe room. Just behind it was the runaway who had gone on a quest to find foals, and the foal that she had supposedly come back with. Uphie and Veve. Mabe approached the door, curious to see Veve, as well as witness what eight months in the wild does to a pampered princess.
“What are you doing?” Millie suddenly asked.
Mabe turned to her side in surprise. Millie was standing by the bathroom door with a towel and a change of clothes.
“I thought you were showering?”
“I’m about to… Don’t go in there”
“Why not?”
“Um… Uphie’s asleep and the safe room smells worse than a pigsty”.
Mabe couldn’t help but notice Millie’s shifty eyes, something was going on, but for now she would let that slide. She could investigate later, after all she planned to stay the night, and she had stuff to vent about.
“Okay, where’s your corkscrew by the way?” Mabe asked.
“Oh… um… middle shelf next to the fridge”
“Kay. You bought cold cuts like I asked?”
“Yes. Fridge. Top shelf”.
“Oke dokey”
Mabe headed back to the kitchen and found the corkscrew. She removed the cork and poured the wine into two glasses, then got the cold cuts from the fridge and put them on a plate. She had just finished when Millie had come out of the bath. Her bestie had put on a change of clothes and was looking a lot better.
“Sorry about earlier Bebe” Millie said softly
“I’ll be straight with you gurl, that Carrie White look did not suit you” Mabe said with a grin.
Millie looked briefly confused then grinned back.
“Oh?” Millie said “I was actually going for Missus Claus”
“Hah! What? So, Missus Claus after helping a reindeer give birth?”
“Eh? Was it too much red? I’ll be sure to put on some green and white next time”.
The two women started laughing, and Mabe felt a lot better. She got the two glasses of wine and headed to the sofa, as Millie grabbed the cold cuts platter and put on some music. The two women sat down and clinked glasses, just talking about some juicy gossip amongst shared friends, then soon Mabe started to vent about all her frustrations. A sudden explosion of orders right after her subscription party. The difficulty of juggling her full time job with this online content creation hobby. She ranted about the need to constantly post videos in order to stay relevant, and expressed how lucky she was that Leopold was currently in between jobs, allowing for someone to care for her eight foals while she worked. Millie listened intently. Nodding and making supportive comments. Something Mabe was really grateful for, and she suddenly hugged her bestie tightly.
“God. Look at me rambling on and on, and I haven’t even asked about you? So how are you doing? What have you been up to lately? How’s Alize and the Twins? How was your date?”
Millie chuckled and raised her hand in an attempt to shield herself from this barrage of questions, then smiled.
“Everything is fine. Not really been doing much, just work and… uh… Fluffy stuff. Lize, Grem grem and Hanny are doing well. My date with Lize was really so much fun”.
Millie felt a coldness as she said that. A strange numbing emptiness and she looked down solemnly. Mabe looked at her with concern and held her bestie’s hands supportively.
“Gurl? You okay, Mii?”
Millie smiled and nodded.
“I’m fine. Just feeling a little bit overwhelmed… From life I guess”.
Mabe gave her a supportive look and nodded. Then snapped her finger as she remembered something.
“Oh! Remember how you sent me that photo of Veve like on the Monday before Halloween?”
“I did?” Millie replied in confusion
“Yeaaaaah…” Mabe said, as she pulled out her phone and showed Millie a photo of Veve
“… Well there was something familiar about her appearance, and I kept trying to figure out what. Like I spent a couple of days thinking about it, and then it hit me. She looked like one of my dad’s old toys, Battle Kat from that He-mun show!”
Mabe had said it was such enthusiasm, but Millie could only give her a blank stare.
“He-mun… Isn’t that the heyyeyayea guy? I didn’t know he rode a cat to battle?”
“Yeah! Heyeyeyaya guy and it’s more like a tiger… Uh… Let me just show you”
Mabe quickly searched for a picture of Battle Kat on her phone and showed it to her bestie. Millie looked at for a few seconds and nodded.
“I can see what you mean”
“Isn’t it amazing?!”
“Uh… I guess that makes Veve kind of rare, huh?”
Millie’s lack of enthusiasm did not go by unnoticed and Mabe made a small frown.
“I thought you’d be a little amazed” Mabe said glumly “I mean it is quite a rare Fluffy color pattern combo”.
Millie shrugged, but offered a supportive smile.
“I mean. Yeah it’s cool that Veve has a rare coat, but like… I don’t really see the appeal given that I never watched He-mun in my life”.
Mabe nodded in agreement. She could understand her bestie’s sentiment. Then she smiled.
“But y’know there is a place where Veve’s unique fur combo could be appreciated”
“Oh? Let me guess… Your show?”
“My sh… Wait! How did you know what I was going to say?!”
Millie chuckled “Powah Rangers. He-mun. Both are old cartoons, right? Easy to be nostalgic about. I began to get an idea of where this was leading after you said your dad watched the show”.
Mabe laughed at how easily Millie deciphered her intention. She then held Millie’s hand supportively.
“Okay you got me. I was thinking about putting Veve on the show”
“I… Uh… Let me think about it first, but what exactly is her role? Is she going to be a hero, because her colors don’t exactly mesh well with your Skettiland Rangers”.
“Um… Not hero. I was thinking of having her be part of the Nu Skettiland Council with Gwent and Nelio”.
“But I thought Battle Kat was He-mun’s ally, isn’t He-mun a good guy?”
“Well yes he is, but like… Y’know creative liberties”
“I see… Wait! Why do you need another villain? I thought Gwent just had to grand stand and say typical villain lines. Is there going to be fighting now?”
“What? No! Of course not. I’m a Hugbox channel. I’m not going to make Fluffies actually fight each other. That’s barbaric!”
Millie nodded supportively in agreement, though in truth she would have found that greatly entertaining.
“So why do you need Veve? Is she gonna stand in the background? Isn’t that what Nelio is for?”
Mabe look down glumly. She had been hoping that Millie was just going to say yes to the Veve and was hoping that she could avoid questioning. She didn’t want to lie to her bestie, and in truth Millie was probably the best to rant about the matter.
“I’m… I’m calling a bestie secret talk” Mabe suddenly announced.
Millie looked at Mabe in surprise. It had been a while since either of them had announced a bestie secret talk. It was basically a code they made up in high school, an agreement that whatever was going to be discussed was to be kept between the two of them only.
“Ok?” Millie replied softly
Mabe went silent for a few seconds, clearly thinking about something. Then she took a deep breath and let it all spill.
“My Skettiland Ranger show has some trouble behind the scenes”
“Huh?”
“Y’know how I keep the Skettiland Rangers in one safe room and the Nu Sketti Council in another, right?”
“Yeah. Wasn’t it because Gwent was too overprotective of Nelio and kept getting into fights with the Skettiland Rangers?”
“That was a lie. Oh! Bestie secret talk so you promise won’t talk to Gremmie about this, right?”
“Huh?”
“Promise you won’t tell Gremmie”
“Uh… Okay? I promise… I won’t tell Grem grem, but why?”
“Because y’know she trusted me to look after those two, but the environment isn’t exactly healthy for those two, what with my Skettiland babies being so hostile around them. I mean it isn’t their fault at all. It’s mine, but it doesn’t change the fact that those six could be so mean, though I guess it’s not really mean from their perspective, they are just doing what they think is…”
“Mabe. Stop” Millie interrupted firmly
Mabe looked at her friend in confusion, but shut her mouth.
“Rewind. Deep breath and explain the main problem first”.
Mabe took a deep breath and let out another long sigh, then paused for another second before speaking.
“Okay. Let’s start with my six Skettiland babies”.
“Jacey, Kimmy, Zac Zac, Trinny, Billie and Tommie, right?” Millie replied in an attempt to show some engagement.
“Yeah…uh… Did I ever tell you that I had them watch Powah Rangers everyday during the early months?”
Millie thought about what she knew. She knew that their fur colors were what inspired the whole Powah Rangers idea in the first place, as one foal was red, one was pink, one was blue, one was yellow, one was black and one was green, yet by some crazy coincidence, all six foals had matching white manes and tails. What made it all the more crazy was that they were ferals. Six orphan chirpy babbehs that Mabe had come across in some alleyway, during a work trip to Obsiville.
This was roughly seven months ago, so like a month after Uphie ran away, but that was about all she knew about those six. Mabe never really talked about Fluffies back then. None of Millie’s friends did. Uphie’s betrayal had made Fluffies into a rather sensitive topic, that had only been brought back three months ago, after Millie had declared that she was over Uphie. If only they knew what she was doing to Uphie now. Millie shook away such thoughts and shook her head as a response to Mabe’s question
“I didn’t know you made them watch Powah Rangers” she replied with a polite smile.
“I’ll be honest. It made filming so much easier, but it is seriously the biggest mistake in my life… Well. Okay maybe not in my life, but it was definitely a big mistake”.
“Oh?” Millie replied with intrigue “How so?”
“Well you know how when you watch my show, you know how they feel so in character?”
Millie made a nervous cough and glanced away. To be truthful she never really watched the shows. Not properly, more of played it in the background while she did other stuff. It was nothing to do with the Fluffies nor Mabe, just simply a case of her not being very interested in Hugbox content at the time. Mabe seemed to notice this and eyed her suspiciously.
“I thought you said you watched my show, Mii” she said in an accusatory tone.
“I do… Kinda… Okay. I don’t really watch them properly” Millie admitted with an embarrassed smile.
Mabe pouted cutely and she looked a bit hurt from that statement, making Millie feel guilty. Millie held her bestie’s hand supportively and smiled.
“I’m sorry, Bebe. It’s just… Hugbox isn’t really my thing anymore, I guess”.
That statement seemed to catch Mabe by surprise, and she looked a little bit shocked, but then nodded in agreement and looked down, seemingly ashamed.
“Yeah. That makes sense. What with Uphie running away… Y’know I haven’t properly apologized about the whole party thing”.
Millie gave her a confused look “Apologize about what? And what party?”
“Huh? The subscriber party a month ago, and for being so… insensitive”.
Millie continued giving Mabe a perplexed stare, not quite sure what Mabe was on about, and Mabe let out a long frustrated sigh.
“Really, gurl? You really gonna make me say it? Fine… I’m really sorry for being so insensitive. I invited you over to my house to celebrate 1 million subscribers and showed you my Fluffies, but I forgot to take into account that my safe room was full of Uphie’s stuff, or rather the stuff you bought for Uphie. I really didn’t mean to bring up those memories. Honest!”
Millie stared blankly at Mabe, but she was starting to get an idea what her bestie was talking about.
“I left early because I was feeling sick” Millie explained
“Yeah right!” Mabe retorted “Gurl I’ve know you since high school. I know when you’re faking sick. It’s fine. I get it, I was being an asshole, practically showing…”
“Bebe, it has nothing to do with Uphie” Millie interjected.
“Huh? Then why did you fake being sick?”
“Because, if I stayed any longer I would have…”
Millie stopped. She was about to admit her urges. She had already planned to come clean, but she was still hesitant. She didn’t know how Mabe would react and she was scared that she would upset her.
“Mii?” Mabe asked, worried as her bestie had just stopped talking.
“So what’s the problem with Gwent and Nelio?” Millie said with a small smile.
Mabe looked at her bestie in surprise, and gave her a concerned look. This sudden change in topic felt suspicious, but she decided to ignore it.
“Uh… Well. Where was I?”
“You said you had the Skettiland six watch Powah Rangers?”
“Oh! Yeah. So yeah. I had Jacey, Kimmy, Zac Zac, Trinny, Billie and Tommie watch the original one. Might Morph. All three seasons, and since they are all like basically little kids they are super impressionable, right?”
“Yeah?”
“So yeah. After that, they basically saw themselves as Powah Rangers, and I really made my show mimic the original. I mean I named them after the original six, kinda. Like those six really believed that they were the a new type of Powah Rangers: The Skettiland Rangers, entrusted to protect Skettiland from bad guys that wanted to stop all Fluffies from getting sketti, and like I was basically Zordio, or rather just Mummah to them. Like it really helped because I didn’t need a script. I just let the six wing it and it works y’know. You put some stuffed toys down and they’re all like, Oh no! Da nu sketti council hab caww der minions, and stuff like that. I mean it’s great, but like re-filming is so tedious, I have to basically say that they are time traveling, so that they can repeat the lines, and like…”
Millie raised her hand and spun her finger round. A hand gesture the two had agreed upon to tell Mabe that she was getting off topic. Mabe smiled and nodded.
“Anyways!” She continued “Lil’ Devil Gwent and the Galaxy Emperor Nelio, The faces of the villainous Nu Sketti Council. Like finally the Skettiland Rangers have an actual bad guy they can interact with. Thing was I hid Gwent and Nelio from my six, because I wanted to make the sudden appearance of the villain all the more shocking. It really surprised them, but like… Uh… My six. They think being the Skettiland Rangers is real life, and like… Uh…”
“So, they think that Gwent and Nelio are really villains even off camera?” Millie asked.
Mabe nodded. “Yes! Exactly! Like I bring Gwent and Nelio into the safe room, I leave for a bit to get some food for all of them to share, and I come back to find the six ganging up on Gwent. Like. Oh my god. I got so scared. I had to grab Gwent and Nelio and store them temporarily in my bed room”.
“You didn’t tell your six that the Skettiland Rangers weren’t real?”
“I did! Well I tried to. I told them that the Skettiland Rangers weren’t real, but they’re Fluffies y’know. Emotional and not exactly the smartest tools in the shed. You should have seen it.
Jacey, Kimmy and Zac Zac looked like they were having an existential crisis, Billie just shut down. Trini was just crying and Tommie had absolutely no clue what I said. I messed up and told them that Gwent and Nelio had tricked me into saying that stuff just so I could calm them down”.
“So that’s the real reason for the two safe rooms?”
“Yeah, pretty much”
“Oh… off topic, but Leopold is okay with this? Two rooms being used for Fluffies, I only ask because Lize used to complain about me wasting one room for Uphie”.
“Well Poldie… Uh… I dunno… We kind of talk about it sometimes, but like he doesn’t exactly hate it… I… Truthfully, I think it’s not an issue because well y’know… he’s not working right now, and we’re kind of making good money from our channel”.
“Oh… I see…. Uh… Oh! Curious. How much are you making from the videos?”
“Uh… maybe between five hundred to a thousand per video…. Oh. I really can’t stop being thankful for all the Fluffy stuff you donated. A lot found good use as set pieces”.
Millie smiled with satisfaction. Knowing that all the old stuff she once bought for Uphie was finding use again, was more than good enough for her, but they had gotten off topic again.
“So in the case of Veve, am I right in thinking that it’s less about a co-star for the villain role, and more of you’re looking for a friend for Gwent?”
Mabe nodded and then swiped her hand dramatically “God. I’ve been rambling for like fifty minutes, but basically yes. Gwent and Nelio have no other friends and…”
Mabe was interrupted by the sound of something falling down, or rather numerous things, followed by a muffled high pitched voice saying “Dummeh babbehs! nu mak woud noises. Make munstah mummah com bac n gib mummah hurties!”
Mabe identified that the sounds were coming from Millie’s safe room and looked at the door supiciously.
“Was that Uphie?” Mabe asked “I thought you said she was asleep”.
Mabe looked at Millie and noticed her bestie making a weird face. She almost looked scared and Mabe felt a little bit worried. Mabe stood up, which prompted Millie to suddenly stand up, much to Mabe’s surprise.
“Gurl, you’re scaring me” Mabe said with a hint of concern.
Millie’s eyes were acting all shifty again. Moving side to side rapidly. Mabe knew that response, Millie only did it whenever she got really nervous, as though she were hiding something. Mabe stared at the safe room door again and moved to approach it, when suddenly Millie grabbed her hand.
“Where you going?” Millie suddenly asked
Mabe gave her a surprised look, startled by her sudden actions, then glanced at her suspiciously.
“What’s wrong with you, Mii?” She asked suspiciously
“I… I abuse Fluffies now” Millie admitted
Mabe stared at her in shock, clearly taken off guard by her bestie’s sudden confession.
“Huh?” Mabe finally said.
“I abuse Fluffies now” Millie repeated
Mabe gave Millie a doubtful gaze and scoffed “Yeah and I’m actually Mari Lynn Monroey”
“No really. I do abuse them”
“Oh? Since when?”
“Like maybe starting five months ago. I started watching abuse videos”.
Mabe made another scoff. She seemed doubtful that her bestie had become an abuser, after all Millie was the biggest Hugboxer she knew, but then she remembered how badly Uphie had hurt her and that photo, and suddenly she wasn’t so sure. She gave Millie a suspicious glance, then walked towards the safe room, but felt Millie’s grip tighten.
“Um… Mii, I’m a married woman” Mabe said jokingly.
“Could… Can we talk about my abuse… um… hobby first?”
Mabe frowned. She didn’t like this, but sighed.
“Fine” Mabe replied heading for the sofa “We can talk about your abuse thing first… But can you make me some of your honey lemon tea, first? You’re seriously stressing me out”.
Millie seemed to relax and nodded with a grateful smile, then she headed to the kitchen. Mabe just sighed and while her friend’s back was turned, she walked towards the safe room. Millie only realized when she was at the door, and could only scream “Wait!” as Mabe barged in.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Mabe was stunned. The second she had barged into the room, her ears were assailed by the high pitched screams of a terrified Fluffy and her nose assaulted by the stench of dried Fluffy waste. There were two Uphies in the safe room. The one screaming was on the table, sat atop a puddle of waste, with her forelegs in cast. The other was a much more gruesome sight. A beige Fluffy’s corpse mutilated so brutally with its lower half practically split open. Its face frozen in sheer anguish as it laid atop a puddle of dried blood.
Suddenly she felt Millie grab her hand and pull her out of the safe room, Millie’s face one of outrage and she slammed the door shut, causing the Fluffies inside to make muffled screams.
“WHAT THE FUCK BEBE!” Millie screamed.
Mabe looked at her bestie in stunned silence. Still trying to process what she saw. Neither said anything for a few seconds, but eventually Mabe broke the silence.
“WHAT THE FUCK MII!” She screamed.
Millie closed her eyes and sighed “I said we should talk about this, first?”
“Talk about what? The Uphie on the table with the broken legs? Or how about the Uphie that was pretty much ripped into two?”
“I…”
“Millie. What in god’s name was that?! Like that Uphie. Her face was like something out of a horror movie, and all that blood. What the fuck you got going in there? You trying to make some sort of Fluffy snuff film?!”
“Ma…”
“Wait, was that why you’re covered in blood? Did you practically rip the Fluffy apart?!”
Millie suddenly held her hand, but Mabe felt a shiver in her spine and this feeling of disgust. She pulled her hand away.
“Don’t touch me!” Mabe screamed.
Millie looked down. Obviously hurt by that, then she frowned.
“I think you should go” Millie stated calmly.
“Yeah! I think so too” Mabe retorted.
Mabe quickly walked to the front door. She just wanted out. That sheer brutality she had just witnessed was just so vile, but then she stopped at the door. If it were anyone else, she would have left. No questions asked. Probably left and cut ties. It was nothing to do with abuse, it was just that people who tortured Fluffies this brutality were basically psychopaths in the making and Mabe wanted nothing to do with them. However, in this particular case it was her bestie and deep down Mabe knew that Millie was probably hurting on the inside.
“Bebe?” Millie asked softly
Mabe let out a long, and turned around.
“Explain!” She demanded.
“Explain what?” Millie asked softly
“I dunno. What about why is there a brutally tortured Fluffy in your safe room”.
Millie did not say anything at first. She had her head down and was looking at the coffee table.
“I… Like I said, I abuse Fluffies now”.
“Yeah. You said that, but that wasn’t abuse. That’s torture. Abuse is haha I slapped a Fluffy or I stole their favorite toy, this is straight up brutal hate crime”.
“What exactly do you want me to say?” Millie asked
“I dunno! Like how about why you did it? Like what exactly can you say to justify… That!?!”
Millie nodded, then sat down on the sofa.
“Maybe you should sit down, Bebe. There’s a lot to explain”.
“I’d rather stand” Mabe retorted, crossing her arms with a frown.
Millie sighed and nodded in agreement, before revealing everything. She started from the very beginning. How Alize first found Uphie and her two foals, and brought the three here. How she started the initial work scheme. Happy Coins, and how it was failing miserably. Alize, Gremmie and Hans getting involved and revising the plan to be more feasible, everything going okay at first, before it all came crashing down once Uphie ended up breaking her legs. Then Millie started talking about trying to find solutions. First making Prie and Veve work, then the fake Uphie, and up to this point where she just lost it because she was so stressed and fake Uphie wasn’t working out.
Mabe had sat back down at some point during the recount. She needed to sit down and process everything that Millie was saying. It was just so much to process. For Mabe, she had this image of Millie as a sort of the ultimate Hugbox owner. Like if any Fluffy got Millie as their owner, they had just basically won the lottery of life, as they got both a luxury lifestyle and a loving mama. Sure Uphie running away might have changed things, but it never really changed that image. Well until now. Finding out that Millie was like this now. To her, It felt like finding out that her sweet kind neighbor was actually a former gang member. It was just this feeling of disillusionment.
After Millie had finished her recount, there was this awkward silence. Mabe had no idea what to say and neither did Millie. Both women just sat down on the sofa, staring at the coffee table between them, but eventually Mabe broke the silence.
“This whole thing sounds… Well it sounds unhealthy”.
Millie nodded “It looks pretty bad right now, but once Uphie gets used to the working life, I think it will help me get better… Mentally”.
“Your idea of therapy is forcing a Fluffy into slavery?”
“It’s not slavery! It’s work. I’ve made a monetary system. She has a salary and savings!”
“She also has to wear a shock collar. What kind of job requires workers to wear that?!”
“She’s a Shit Rat, this is the most effective way for her to adapt to this new system!”
“Excuse me!?! She’s a Fluffy. Fluffies are not designed for real life systems like this”.
“Then what exactly was I supposed to do?!”
“I dunno!? Have you tried not forcing her into slave labour?!”
“And do what exactly? Pillow her?”
“Exactly that! That’s what normal people would do to runaway!”
“How is that any better than what I’m doing?!”
“Huh?! Okay, fine. Pillowing might be a bit cruel, but how about sending her to a shelter”.
“Seriously?! A shelter? A stupid entitled idiot like her wouldn’t last a month in a shelter. She would most likely end up as a shit muncher or a fuck toy… Oh don’t give me that look. You know very well what kind of hell those shelters are”.
“A Hugbox shelters wouldn’t let that happen!”
“Why the fuck would I send that shitty runaway to a Hugbox shelter?!”
“Uh… I didn’t mean…”
“Wait! I fucking see what’s going on! You’re on Uphie’s side aren’t you?”
“Huh!? What?!”
“Oh my god! That’s why you keep bitching about her slave labor!”
“EXCUSE ME?! YOU DID NOT JUST SAY I’M BITCHING!”
“YOU FUCKING ARE! YOU KEEP WHINING ABOUT UPHIE LIKE SHE’S YOUR SHIT RAT!”
“I’M NOT WHINING BECAUSE OF HER. I’M WHINING BECAUSE YOUR PLAN SOUNDS INSANE!”
“HOW IS MY PLAN INSANE!? I’M TEACHING UPHIE ABOUT REAL LIFE!?”
“LIKE I SAID! FLUFFIES ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR REAL LIFE!”
“FLUFFIES ARE TOYS! THEY ARE DESIGNED TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!”
Mabe looked shocked when Millie said that, but that shock was quickly replaced by anger.
“THEY ARE PETS AND THEY HAVE FEELINGS! YOU CAN’T JUS…”
“OH MY FUCKING GOD! NOT THIS HUGBOX PROPOGANDA!”
“PROPOGANDA!? PROPOGANDA!?!?! ARE YOU EVEN LISTEN TO YOURSELF. YOUR BEHAVING LIKE THOSE ANTI-FLUFF NUT JOBS!”
“AND YOU’RE BEHAVING LIKE THOSE SELF RIGH…”
Millie suddenly stopped. Amidst their argument, she had a moment of clarity and in that moment she had realized what she was doing. She made a pained sigh and sat back down, rubbing her palm on her forehead in frustration, as Mabe continued giving her a hostile look.
“I… I’m sorry Bebe” Millie said softly.
Mabe outrage changed to surprise, a momentary shock at this sudden apology, but it allowed her to calm down and she sat down next to her bestie, giving Millie a look of concern.
“I did this to those three as well” Millie admitted “We started arguing about Uphie and I started screaming. Thinking about it, I basically just emotionally blackmailed those three into helping me with my Uphie thing”.
Mabe nodded “Yeah you pretty much did” she said bluntly.
Millie chuckled. It was a pained one, and as Millie laid back on the sofa, she looked up at the ceiling in defeat. Mabe frowned. She hated seeing her bestie like this. She really did. Millie was always the calm and collected one. The one who made jokes and teased everyone playfully. The one who helped her the most when she was going through a rough time. Mabe shuffled right next to her and put an arm around Millie’s shoulder. The two women rested their heads on each other. Something they hadn’t done in a while.
“I’m sorry too, Mii” Mabe stated softly “I came off a little too… Biased”
“Nah. I… I get what you are trying to tell me”.
“So you’re going to stop this whole make Uphie work thing?”
Millie did not respond at first, but her eyes looked cold. “I… I can’t…” Millie admitted.
“What do you mean you can’t!?”
“It’s like… Like… I mean. I could explain it, but I don’t think you would understand”.
Mabe sat back up and gave her bestie a serious look “Okay. I won’t back talk. Just explain to me why you can’t just let Uphie go?”
“It’s like… I could send her to a shelter, and she’s mostly likely going to be a shit mu… Uh… Poopie pal or enfie toy. Most likely even put down, but it’s like… I can’t help but think that she’s going to charm someone else and return to living the life of a princess…”
“I highly doubt that. Entitled runaways aren’t exactly popular”.
“Yeah! But, entitled runaways are supposed to be able to survive in the wild either, not for eight months at least. Plus not only did she get the foals she wanted, but she also found her way back home. Like I’m pretty sure she must be super lucky and if she is super lucky out there, what’s stopping her luck from getting her a new home when I put her into the shelter? Like maybe some Hugboxer who wants to rehabilitate spoiled runaways?”
Mabe didn’t say anything, but her face gave away the sense of shock and awe she felt at this unreasonable level of paranoia her bestie possessed.
“Uh… I think the shelters have options on what kind of owner they should go to and most put the Fluffy down after like a few weeks unsold”.
“Yeah, but like again, what if Uphie is super lucky and the Hugboxer is some rich person who really wants her. I don’t think a shelter is going to care about the instructions of the previous owner if they are offered a thousand in cash, and what exactly would I put as instructions? I only want Uphie to go to an obvious abuser? How do you even check for that? Why would they even humor a nutcase like me?”
“Okay?.. I mean… There are other options. Pillowing? Hell… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but why not just torture her normally? Why go through all this trouble of making her work?”
“It’s… It’s… Okay. It’s like this. I could do any of those things easily. It’s a Fluffy. They would not be able to stop me, but if I do this to Uphie, she’s just going to think that she’s the victim in all this. I send her to a shelter, she’s just going to think that she was abandoned. A poor victim of neglect. I pillow her, she’s just going to think that she was a target of abuse. I torture her. Same thing. Like, if I do this in any other way, she’s just going to think that she is the poor victim. A Fluffy of unfortunate circumstances whose only mistake was having a bad owner. I want her to understand that this is all her fault. I want her to understand that everything she had didn’t just come from some wishing tree. I worked hard to give her all that stuff and I just want her to understand how stupid she was for running away. Like truly understand and… And…”
Millie had stopped speaking. She was scratching her head rather aggressively, clearly trying to find the right words. She looked distressed, angry and confused and Mabe just stared silently with sympathy. She too did not know what to say. There was no magical word nor inspirational sentence that would make all this pain go away. She could not just snap her fingers and tell the pain to fuck off and leave her bestie alone. She could only be supportive, so she hugged her bestie as tight as she could.
“Can… Can I see Uphie?” Mabe suddenly asked, pulling away from her bestie gently.
Millie looked at her. Not with surprise, but just one of pain and defeat.
“You gonna take her away?” Millie asked softly.
“I’m… I… I’ll decide after I see Uphie” she responded in an impartial tone.
Millie shrugged, but then nodded “I’ll… Understand if you want to” she said, her tone making no attempt to mask her cold emptiness.
Mabe got up and walked cautiously to the safe room. Millie did not follow her, she just sat on the sofa with her back on the cushion and her head in the air. Mabe looked at her with a sympathetic smile, then opened the safe room door. She had opened it carefully, but that did not stop the loud screams. However, those screams quickly quietened down upon realization that it was not Millie.
“Pwetty mummah! Pwease sabe Uwpee n babbehs fwom meanie munstah!” Uphie pleaded.
Mabe covered her nose. The stench of waste was quite strong, and though very cold outside, she opened the safe room windows, letting in the harsh winter air, but also letting out the horrid stench.
“Pwease pwetty mummah!” Uphie pleaded “Coldie am bad fo Fwuffy and babbehs!”
Mabe looked back at Uphie and offered a gentle smile to put the mare at ease. Uphie, though still quite scared had taken the smile quite well and was looking a lot more relaxed. Uphie stared at her with a mix of curiosity and caution, while Mabe visually examined the mare. There was some blood on Uphie, but it didn’t seem to be her blood, rather the blood seemed to be from the brutally murdered fake Uphie still dead on the floor. Mabe tried to ignore that horrific sight.
Both of Uphie’s forelegs were covered in casts, signs of abuse but the casts were too professional, so Millie really was telling the truth about bringing Uphie to a doctor. Uphie was thinner than Mabe remembered, but clearly not malnourished, so Millie was feeding her properly. Uphie’s beige fur was faded, but still looked reasonable clean. Well the rear end was filthy, but that was clearly due to the puddle of urine and feces Uphie was sat upon. So Millie was giving the Fluffy a wash as well.
“Y dummeh wady nu saw nuting?” Came a rather rude and unpleasant voice.
“Nu Pwie!” Uphie exclaimed “Nu caww pwetty mummah dummeh!”
Mabe stared at Prie. A chocolate brown foal with a blonde mane and tail, matching that of Uphie. It was quite evident that Prie was a brat, and Mabe couldn’t help but smirk at the name. Prie, she remembered that name. It was the nickname of some uppity bitch back in their high school, who used to pick on loners and special kids. Millie used to constantly argue with her. For Millie to give that name to this foal, well this foal must have to be quite the brat.
“Prie, right?” Mabe suddenly asked
Prie looked surprised that Mabe knew her name, but nodded cautiously, while Uphie gave Mabe this look of amazement.
“Pwetty mummah kno namesie o babbeh?!” Uphie said in wonder.
“I know all your names. You’re Uphie”.
Uphie nodded enthusiastically, seemingly astounded that Mabe had such knowledge. Mabe herself could not help but smirk, amused by this child-like innocence.
“Oh. You don’t remember me, Uphie?” she asked in a teasing tone
Uphie looked surprised by the question and looked up in thought, before lowering her head in shame and shaking her head.
“Sowwi Pwetty mummah, Uwpee nu wememba”
Mabe chuckled slightly, amused by the honesty, then pet Uphie gently.
“No worries. It’s been a while since we last met. My name is Mabe”.
Uphie gave her a look of surprise, probably because she didn’t expect such a kind response, but then she broke into a pleasant grin as she enjoyed the head pat. This show of kindness also put the two foals at ease, with both Prie and Veve relaxing as they stared at her with adorable, curious faces. Mabe chuckled again and turned her attention to the one she really wanted to see.
“You must be Veve, right?”
Veve looked surprised, clearly also shocked that this random lady knew her name, but nodded timidly. Mabe placed her palm in front of Veve, letting Veve sniff it cautiously before the foal timidly walked onto her palm, allowing Mabe to lift her and inspect her carefully. She caught Uphie looking at her with worry, clearly fearful that Mabe might do something bad. Millie must have really traumatized the mare, so Mabe inspected Veve slowly, treating the foal delicately to show that she meant no harm, the effects clearly working as Uphie looked relaxed again.
Veve also seemed to relax in her grasp. The adorable pegasus filly looking at her with those cute big green eyes. Veve looked just as cute in real life as she did in the photos and the photos really did not capture the beauty of her fur. The dark emerald green was so captivating and really made the orange stripes all the more striking. The reddish-brown mane and tail also felt stunning. She really did look like the Battle Kat toy.
“You’re perfect” Mabe said with a smile.
Veve was momentarily stunned by the statement before giving Mabe a cute smile, but Mabe couldn’t help but notice Uphie’s reaction. This slight pout with eyes of envy. Was Uphie seriously jealous that her foal had received a compliment? Mabe stared at her calmly, trying to hide her disbelief, and Uphie seemed to take this a sort of notion to speak.
“Pwease Mabe mummah!” Uphie pleaded “Pwease sabe Uwpee n babbehs fwom scawy meanie munstah. Am worstest munstah dat gib Uwpee worstest owwies n heawt hurties”.
Mabe nodded sympathetically, as she placed Veve down next to Uphie. She could understand the fear. After all, she too had been startled when she first saw Millie. Millie must have looked like a demon in the eyes of these child-like creatures. She pet Uphie gently in a bid to ease those fears, but she could not forget that look of jealousy.
“Hey Uphie. I have a question for you, do you think you can answer?”
Uphie nodded, timidly replying “Oke, Mabe mummah. Uwpee twy.”
Mabe nodded, then smiled before asking “whose fault do you think it is that your mummah turned into a scary meanie monster?”
“Sowwi Mabe mummah, Uwpee nu undewstan” Uphie replied, making a cute, confused face, which felt more obnoxious than adorable.
Mabe nodded politely.
“Sorry. Let me make it clear. Your mummah turned into a scary meanie munstah. Is it your mummah’s fault or…”
“Iz mummah!” Uphie screamed “Iz mummah fauwt!”
“Oh? So your mummah is the reason she turned into the munstah?”
Uphie nodded enthusiastically.
“Mummah am meanie! Gib hurties! Mak Uwpee n babbehs vewy scawdies n gib Oddah Uwpee worstest hurties n foebah sweepies! Pwease Mabe mummah sabe Uwpee n babbehs”.
Mabe nodded in agreement and gently stroked Uphie’s mane, putting the mare back in ease.
“Yes. It isn’t your fault. You’re just a Fluffy, right?”
“Dat wite!” Uphie practically screamed “Uwpee am onwy jus Fwuffy!”
“And Fluffies don’t know any better, right?”
Uphie nodded with just as much enthusiasm “Yus! Yus! Yus!” she shouted with glee “Uwpee am onwy jus Fwuffy, dun kno bettah! Iz nut Uwpee fauwt that mummah am scawy meanie munstah! Fwuffy am onwy fo huggies n wuv!”
“Fluffies are just for hugs and love?”
Uphie nodded “Onwy huggies n wuv, bu meanie munstah mummah onwy gib hurties n shouties!”
“Wait… So what did you give your mummah when you ran away?”
Uphie looked taken aback by the question, she looked down in shame, clearly understanding the implications, but then pouted and looked back at Mabe with angry eyes.
“Uwpee onwy wun way cause mummah nu wet Uwpee hab babbehs”
“Oh I see, because babies make everything better, right?”
“Dat wite!!” Uphie shouted. The look on her face, one of clear joy and relief, as she had clearly found someone who understood her mindset and she took the opportunity to vent.
“Mabe mummah am su smawt! Uwpee onwy wan babbeh becaw teebee sa babbeh mak ebeting bettah, bu dummeh mummah nu wan, n gib Uwpee shouties su Uwpee wun way becaw mummah! Uwpee onwy wan babbehs n eben go bac tu housies tu sho cute babbehs tu mummah, bu mummah onwy gib hurties. Iz nu faiw! Uwpee hab many hurties in outise, y awso in housie. Iz nu faiw!”
Uphie had started crying, clearly distressed that a hard working mare like her, who suffered so much for her children was being treated so badly like this. In her mind, it was truly unfair. Mabe nodded supportively, trying to show her sympathy with a kind smile, whilst Prie and Veve nuzzled Uphie.
“Mummah am bestest mummah!” Prie declared “Meanie mummah mummah am worstest scawy munstah n Pwie wan gib meanie munstah mummah mummah worstest hurties!”
Uphie looked overjoyed by this and she had a big smile.
“Pwie am su bwave!” She exclaimed “Pwie weally am bestest babbeh!”
Mabe watched, trying her best to hide her frown. Hearing that made her feel cold, but she tried her best to brush such feelings aside with a smile, and turned to Veve.
“How about you Veve, do you want to give Mi… Mummah mummah, worstest hurties?”
Veve did not respond. The foal just looked down in shame, a response that Uphie and Veve were quick to pick up on.
“Y Wewe nu sa anytin!?” Uphie asked in disbelief “Nu wan pwotec mummah!?”
“Dummeh Wewe am scawdi babbeh!” Prie added in rage.
Veve went into a meek stance. Clearly hurt and ashamed, and Mabe took a deep breath. She had enough. She clapped her hands together, quickly grabbing the attention of all the Fluffies, then looked at Uphie.
“I thought Fluffies were only for hugs and love” she said coldly.
Uphie stared at her in confusion “Fwuffy am onwy fo huggies n wuv”
“So what is Prie? She wants to give your mummah hurties”.
“Mummah am munstah! Nu desewbe huggies n wuv! Onwy worstest hurties n foebah sweepies!”
Mabe looked down in defeat and shook her head in disappointment. This feeling of dismay, it was like meeting your hero and realizing they were scum. Truth was that the whole reason Mabe loved Fluffies so much was because of Millie and Uphie. She envied the relationship her bestie had with her Fluffy, and she adored this pure heartfelt love Uphie once held for her mama. Mabe really wanted that, but back then she did not have enough money to care for her own Fluffy, well not at the same level as Millie, which she saw as the baseline of any decent Hugboxer.
These sentiments did not change much, even when Uphie had run away. She never told anyone this, but she had always secretly blamed Uphie’s actions on Millie. Too lenient as a parent, spoiling Uphie too much, and a failure to set up boundaries. Uphie had been raised to think that she could get anything she wanted, so of course she was never going to take the answer no lightly, but this was just too much. Mabe had trying to find a reason. Just even the smallest shred of goodness to justify taking Uphie to a shelter, but this wasn’t a Fluffy. This was a pest. Maybe Uphie was a little better before all the slave labour. Maybe Uphie was a sweetheart out in the wild. Mabe did not care, she was just glad that she never told anyone about those secret notions she once held for Millie and Uphie.
She looked at a corner of the safe room. It was an empty corner, with nothing to look at, except for some waste, but she could still remember that night vividly. It was a few weeks after Uphie had run away. Everyone was getting worried, because Millie hadn’t been responding to texts. She went here with Alize, Hans and Gremmie. The door was locked, but Hans had a spare key and when they came into the safe room. She was just there on that corner, sat against a wall. A bottle of wine, a pillbox full of sleeping drugs, and that same cold, dead look as today. That was probably the scariest moment in Mabe’s life, yet Mabe could not help but chuckle morbidly, she had a knack of turning up at Millie’s lowest point. That time and today, and she took a deep breath, as she felt her convictions grow firm. She tapped on the table lightly and stared at Uphie.
“Mabe mummah?” Uphie asked with a hint of concern, clearly aware that something had changed.
Mabe just frowned.
“You’re the fucking worst, Uphie” Mabe stated bluntly
Uphie stared at her in stunned silence, clearly taken aback by this sudden change in attitude, but Prie was not taking this and quickly stood in front of her mother.
“Nu caww mummah worstest!” Prie screamed.
“Shut up Prie” Mabe retorted “Unless you want me to toss you into the toilet like the piece of turd you are”
Prie did not seem phased by the threat and continued pouting, but did not say anything either, she just glared at Mabe angrily. Mabe scoffed and turned back to Uphie.
“Uphie. You are selfish. You are egotistical. You think the world revolves around you just because your mommy treated you like a princess. The same mother you broke by the way. She’s right, you will never be able to stop thinking of yourself as a victim and all you’re going to do is hurt your mama more. Is that what you want, Uphie?”
“Dun… Dun cawe” Uphie managed to utter, though her voice sounded shaky “Mummah am munstah”
“Yeah. That’s your fault, but whatever you don’t understand. After all YoUr JuST a FLuFfy rIgHT?”
Uphie seemed to register the sarcasm, and she looked down as tears began to fall, whimpering to herself in self pity. Prie and Veve both looked at Mabe tensely, yet neither did anything. They just clung to their mother. Mabe scoffed and took a deep breath. She closed the safe room windows and turned on the heater, then she stretched. She felt good. It really did feel good to tell this arrogant brat off, and she said nothing further as walked out of the safe room.
Uphie made no response beyond more annoying huhuhu noises. Mabe ignored her, as she closed the door. Then Mabe turned her attention to Millie, still sat on the sofa and still looking up at the ceiling in defeat, Millie gave the same look as she stared back at Mabe.
“I thought you were going to take Uphie with you”
“That POS? Fuck her”
Millie made a soft chuckle, as Mabe sat down next to her.
“So you now okay with my work… slave scheme?” Millie asked softly asked
“Yeah. No. Your slave plan is insane and I can tell you that it’s not going to work. Uphie is far too stubborn and far too wrapped up in her victim complex to actually realize what you are trying to teach her”.
“Kind of like me, huh?” Millie replied with a dry laugh.
“Exactly like you” Mabe retorted bluntly “Which is why I know that therapy ain’t going to work on you. Not while you’re stuck on this revenge scheme of yours”.
“So now what?” Millie asked.
“For now, we find a temporary solution to your Uphie problem. Fortunately I might already have one”.
“Oh?”
“You said you tried to make Veve work in Uphie’s stead, right?”
“Yeah. Tried to make her and Prie pull the Work Wagon, but neither are strong enough”.
“Okay. Picture this scenario. I’m a hot shot director, producing a popular show and I come across this mother of two struggling to provide for her children. I take one look at the daughter and I’m like. WOW! She’s perfect for my show. So I give her a chance to audition, and if she gets the role, she’s bound to be able to support her mother and sister”.
Millie didn’t say anything at first, but her face hinted that she was entertaining the possibility.
“Okay. I’m seeing where you’re getting at” Millie replied “But what’s the probability people like her?”
“Well? Maybe not guaranteed, but probably pretty high. Nostalgia really helped a lot with popularity and Powah Rangers and He-mun were popular shows. I mean there is a decade between them, but like does it even matter if she’s not popular? I don’t think they are going to petition to have her removed from my show”.
“But then she would only be starring in your show for my sake”.
“What does that matter? That happens all the time in real life. Hello? Nepotism?”
“But then you would be wasting your time helping me with my stupid revenge plan”.
“Huh?! Gurl ?! Wasting our time on this should be the least of your worries, if you were really worried about us then you should focus on putting this stupid revenge scheme behind you and getting better!”
Millie looked down in shame and nodded.
“Okay. Okay” Millie relented “But even if we do this, Uphie still has to do the Work Wagon once her legs are healed. I am not giving up on that”.
“Of course! This thing is only a temporary measure. Uphie has to provide for herself, right?”
“But once Uphie can work again, we will have to pull Veve out of your show, are you okay with that?”
“Huh?! Why do we have to pull Veve out?” Mabe asked with a baffled look.
Millie gave her an equally baffled look “Because then Uphie won’t work”
“What?! Why won’t she work?”
“Why would she? Her daughter is already providing for her?!”
“Huh?!”
“Eh? But like Veve has to go to your house for filming and when she comes back, Uphie’s rent and food are already paid for. Surely Uphie would learn to associate Veve leaving my house with all her expenses being paid for”.
“Then don’t tell her she went to my house. Say something like she was in your home office?”
“But it’s not like Veve won’t tell her. Like Uphie used to always tell me what a fun day she had and everything she did when I came to the safe room after work. Every little thing. Even the most boring and blandest stuff. I don’t see how Veve would be any different and I can’t tell her to lie, because she won’t understand why she has to”.
Mabe stared at her bestie incredulously. This level of paranoia felt so illogical, yet at the same she could not deny the possibility of such things happening.
“Well I mean you could force Uphie to work. Aren’t you pretty much doing that?”
Millie sighed “I’m only forcing her to work now, but I do want her to reach a point where she realizes that she needs to work to live. Having Veve to rely on, ruins that… And it might affect Veve negatively as well”.
“Huh!? How?”
“I mean. Veve leaves the house, and when she comes back, the rent and food are all paid for. I do not see why that notion would change just because Uphie’s legs are healed, and if she has to work, even though Veve is working… Well I can see Uphie blaming Veve for this, like Veve is not working hard enough, so now Uphie has to work again”.
Again Mabe stared at her friend in astonishment. The notion sounded so illogical, yet at the same time, Uphie had proven to be quite egotistical. She could actually imagine this happening, and it would definitely affect Veve negatively. She racked her brain trying to find a counterpoint, then snapped her fingers.
“Uh… The currency you’re using Happy Coins, why not implement inflation? Like increased rent prices and food prices, so like Veve still makes cash but Uphie also needs to provide to survive”.
This time Millie was quiet, but it was clear she was thinking about this, but then sighed and shook her head in disappointment.
“That would make things too complicated. We would need to give Veve a physical amount of Happy Coins, probably enough to sustain basic needs between house trips, and that could lead to problems, like Uphie spending the Happy Coins on toys or a new bed or a hug… Actually no she’s probably too scared of me for Mama services, but like, I can also just imagine Uphie telling Veve to work harder and just earn more Happy Coins so she doesn’t have to work”.
Mabe hunched over and placed her head in her hands, making a muffled groan of frustration at the sheer stubbornness of her bestie, Millie herself looking at Mabe with guilt for all the trouble she was causing.
“Are things really rough for Gwent and Nelio, right now?” Millie asked softly
“Honestly, no. Gwent is so weirdly okay about this, like he really doesn’t have an issue staying in a safe room with just Nelio, and Nelio… Well y’know being an SBS, he’s too di… Uh… He too… um…”
“He lacks the mental capacity to show awareness for this?”
“Yeah! That!.. God Mii, SBS are… bestie secret talk, okay?”
Millie nodded “Okay? Bestie secret talk”
“God! SBS are so… Yuck. Like I really don’t see the appeal of real forever babies! It’s like I just see Nelio, and I don’t think cute, I just think they are eww, and… Like you get what I’m saying, right?”
Millie looked at her friend in surprise, as she had not expected this disdain from an avid Hugboxer like Mabe and shook her head, as her own sadistic sentiments made SBS feel far cuter than normal foals, due to that extra dash of helplessness. Mabe herself looked surprised by her bestie’s reaction.
“I thought you hate Fluffies now. Isn’t that why you abuse them?” Mabe asked in shock.
“I do abuse them… but It’s not like I hate them”
“Huh? Then why abuse them?!
“Because… Because they are cute”
Mabe raised her eyebrows at such a scandalous statement, while Millie just shrugged.
“Don’t judge” Millie respond
Mabe pouted, unimpressed by such reasoning, then sighed.
“It seriously creeps me out how much you change, but then again if any of my babies ran away simply because they couldn’t respect such a big decision, I would probably change as much as well… Oh right, we’re here to talk about Uphie. God! We are here to talk about Uphie, not…”
“Maybe we should talk about this disdain you have for SBS first?”
“Huh? Why? It’s not a big deal. I just think they are creepy that’s all”.
“No. You don’t declare bestie secret talk if it’s not a big deal. You are helping me with my stupid Uphie problem, the least I can do is hear you out on your own”.
Mabe sighed in frustration, then nodded in agreement, as she did want to get this off her chest.
“Okay y’know how people always say that SBS are basically forever babies, right?”
Millie nodded, as Mabe continued.
“Well. It’s not like our definition of forever babies. Like you kept talking about how Uphie was your forever baby, but you didn’t want an actual Fluffy baby, you just wanted a normal Fluffy who did not want to have children and just be reliant on mommy the whole time, like a forever kid. You get what I’m saying?”
Millie nodded again, fully understanding what Mabe was getting at, while she continued talking.
“But like when they mean SBS are forever babies, like they actually mean forever babies. Like an actual foal trapped in a growing body and it just feels… Unnatural y’know?”
“But Fluffies are unnatural to begin with, they are basically tiny talking hamster ponies that are capable of understand various Human concepts”
“Not like that! Like… Ugh… Foals are cute. They play, they dance, they sing. They act like children, because they are supposed to be children, but children grow up. I mean, okay granted Fluffies don’t actually grow up like normal people, but at the same time they’re slightly more mature. Like a stallion still understands that it is his responsibility to look after his mate and babies. A mare knows that she needs to find food to provide milk for her foals”.
“Those are like only good Fluffies, though”
“That’s not the point. A BMS still acts like a mother, she just has extreme favoritism. A Hell gremlin is just an asshole, but the point is that they can survive on their own. Point is, there are rules… Uh… Chirpy, walk and talk, weaned, foal, teen, adult and elder Fluff, but like SBS are stuck somewhere between chirpy and walk n talk, and it just feels so weird”.
Millie nodded. She was beginning to understand what Mabe was getting at.
“So the problem is that you see Nelio and you have a certain impression of what Fluffies at his stage of life are supposed to act like, so it is creepy because Nelio does not match that expectation”.
“Exactly!.. And I know it’s not his fault, he didn’t choose to be like this, but I would go to the safe room and like… God! Gwent is like so perfect you know, I can just leave him in the safe room and I know him and Nelio will be fine, like he can handle everything. He will make sure Nelio is fed and content, and like Gwent will be the one to usually tell me that Nelio needs a nappy change, and it’s just so unfair. He should be playing and enjoying life like normal Fluffies but instead he’s got Nelio tied to him, and then you see Nelio. He’s getting really fat and has to wear a diaper… Again! I know this isn’t his fault, but like I see him, and I just see a fat, lazy slob, and then I just feel guilty and it just feels like…”
Mabe suddenly stopped and lowered her head in shame. Millie shuffled next to her and Mabe rested her head on Millie’s shoulder.
“God Mii” Mabe said softly “You should see some of the comments on my videos. The haters. They’re relentless. I’m not a Hugboxer. I’m constantly putting my babies in danger. I’m exploiting them. The worst thing is that something… I feel they’re right”.
Millie felt a twinge of anger from hearing that.
“They’re not right” Millie replied, trying best to control her rage “I bet you most of those haters don’t even take care of Fluffies. They are just trolls who are unhappy about their lives and try to make other people miserable to feel better about themselves”.
“But they are though. I’m basically exploiting Fluffies for internet…”
“Mabe, under that logic, every pet channel is exploiting their pet, but hardly anyone cares, because the pets are happy. Clearly your Fluffies are living good lives, and the fact that you are trying to find a friend for Gwent proves it, why are you beating yourself on the opinions of those losers?”
“But like Nelio… The fact that I keep Nelio around and let him do as he pleases, even though SBS creeps me out… Like it’s a clear sign that I’m exploiting them”.
“What are you talking about? You’ve given Nelio and Gwent a home, and you are taking good care of them. What does it matter if Nelio creeps you out, you are still providing and caring for him. If you stuffed him in a box with only the bare essentials then you could say that you were exploiting him, but you’re not. You’ve given a safe room for him and Gwent, you’ve given him toys, a comfy bed, tasty food and all the things that he could possibly want. Leave him with those dumb fuck haters and I bet they would put him in a box at the side of their desk with just their bare minimum, because those fuckers don’t care about Fluffies, they just care about making you miserable”.
Mabe smiled, appreciative of her bestie’s strong words, yet Millie could not help but frown. Mabe was already busy with her actual job and clearly this online show was a lot more stressful than she thought. Mabe had come here to relax, but instead found herself wrapped up in this mess. The feeling of guilt quickly came back and Millie let out an exhausted sigh.
“About Veve. Do you want to adopt her?” Millie asked.
Mabe looked at Millie in surprise “You don’t want Veve?”
Millie shrugged “My plans for Veve are meaningless at this point and honestly this isn’t a good place for her. Uphie is a shitty mother and I’m just as bad. Veve would definitely have a better life with you. Sure she might miss Uphie for a while, but you know how Fluffies are, show them a good enough time and they easily forget about the past”.
“But… But what about Uphie?”
“What about her? I bet you she would forget about Veve in less than a week”.
“Not that! What about Uphie and your whole work scheme, isn’t the whole point of me getting Veve on board a way to pay for rent and food while Uphie is recovering?”
“Forget about that. I can figure something else out. I might check with Hanny. Maybe one of his friends could alter another abuse toy to help Uphie work while her legs heal”.
Mabe gave Millie a suspicious look.
“Your just saying that so I would agree to take Veve”
“Huh? No! I’ll check with Hanny later”
“Oh really? Text Hans, right now then. Tell him that Uphie’s front legs broke and you need his help and then show me the text”.
Millie pulled out her phone, attempting to call Mabe’s bluff, but she didn’t go further, as she never really planned to bother Hans with the matter.
“I knew it! You’re just saying that so I would stop getting involved and then you would go back to tearing your hair out solving the problem yourself. You know you’re not helping anyone with that mindset, you’re just making problems for us in the future”.
Millie let out a small frustrated sigh, as Mabe nudged her slightly in annoyance.
“So. Are we doing this Veve thing?” Mabe asked
“But what about long term? What’s the plan after Uphie’s legs heal?”
“Well since you offered, once her legs heal, then I adopt Veve. Problem solved right? Maybe something like the director saw the toxic home environment and decided to take her away. Boom! Suddenly Uphie has to support herself again”.
Millie nodded. She could agree with this “Okay… But what about Gwent?”
“What about him?”
“What if he doesn’t like Veve?”
Mabe froze, she hadn’t thought about that.
“Uh… I highly doubt that. Fluffies are social creatures by nature and Veve seems like a good natured foal. Honestly, if Prie was the one, then yeah I could see Gwent not liking her, but Veve shouldn’t be a problem”.
“But you said Gwent is…”
Millie stopped, as Mabe was giving her a dirty look. She held her tongue and nodded. There was no point in highlighting potential issues, when this seemed to be the best solution to her own frivolous problem.
“Okay. Let’s do this” Millie announced with a small smile.
Mabe broke into a grin, relieved that her bestie had finally been convinced.
“Finally!” Mabe exclaimed “God you’re such a bonehead sometimes”
“Sorry” Millie replied softly
“Ugh! Stop being such a sorry Sally seriously. You’re bumming me out. We can talk about dumbass Uphie and your crazy plans later, right now I want to relax! Let’s watch Beach House, apparently Hemmingsworth has a topless scene in the movie… Actually, wait. Let’s get rid of that Fluffy corpse first and clean it up the safe room a bit. The disgusting state of your safe room seriously does not bring me joy”.
Millie chuckled slightly and nodded in agreement, as she got some trash bags from the kitchen.
“Could I ask you not to tell anyone else about this?” Millie suddenly asked.
“About what?”
“About my thing with Uphie”
“Wait, you mean our friends… They all know”
“HUH?!”
Mabe got out her phone and showed Millie a photo. That photo that had served as the source of her suspicions and the drive behind her secret mission. It was one of the photos Millie had taken, showing off the makeshift noise damper she had made for Veve. Mabe zoomed in on the background, specifically at the mirror, where Uphie could be seen clearly in view, pulling on the Work Wagon. Millie looked at the photo in disbelief then rubbed her forehead in frustration.
“Yeah everybody kind of knew” Mabe admitted “We didn’t say anything, because you didn’t say anything about it. We all kind of thought that Alize convinced you to do it. Actually one of the reasons I came over was to find out the truth”.
“Did anyone say anything bad about Lize?”.
“Nah. A couple of us thought it might have been a bit too much, but honestly no one has much sympathy for Uphie, so it’s pretty much agreed that it was comeuppance”.
Millie sat back on the sofa and made a frustrated sigh. It really did feel like nothing was working out, yet she could not help but smile, as despite everything she had such supportive friends. She rested her head on Mabe’s shoulder and made another sigh. This one more out of relief.
“When do you wanna take Veve?”
“Well… You don’t mind if I crash here tonight, cause y’know I wanna drink”.
“Of course not. My spare room is always free”
“Perfect! Then I’ll bring Veve to my place tomorrow. Maybe after lunch?”
“Fine by me”.
Mabe had a big grin, as she rested her head on her bestie. She would be lying if she said she did not feel excited about the whole thing. She really felt like some big shot director, she could only hope that Gwent would come to like Veve.
