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Reine hummed quietly to herself as she made her way down the street. This was a middle-class neighborhood though she still felt herself in some sort of danger. Not physically, perhaps, but as if the kids playing out on the sidewalks or the friendly faced food vendors behind their carts would affect her soul somehow. Eugh. Well, she’d do anything for her babies. Even if it meant plunging into these ‘slums’. The micros had excitedly been speaking practically all week about an event being held at a Fluffmart in the area. That bedeviled FluffTV, putting all sorts of ideas into their heads and of course she had to cave just for them.
Being seen in a Fluffmart was bad enough. She hated the establishments. Stepping foot in one and being surrounded by the smells of shit and old kibble, rows upon rows of desperate eyes begging for salvation, the gleam of cheap rainbow hued products on the shelves. However, her micros were in love with the fluffy celebrity, Cinnamummah. Try as she might to impart her distaste of bad colored fluffies, her babies were innocent souls. So it was here at the Fluffmart where they’d be getting their chance to meet the ever-so-famous mare herself.
It wasn’t an event for just anyone, of course. You needed a ticket, one for each fluffy who was attending. Embarrassing to say but she had paid a ridiculous sum to make sure the micros would be able to attend. The rest of the shop was closed to the public and after exchanging her tickets at the front door, she was let in.
There was a central area in this shop dedicated to events. Special appearances such as this one, a training area at times for new fluffy owners, a Santa experience during the winter months. Today the event area was festooned with decorations to make it look exactly like the Cinnamummah set, with lots of fake grass and glittering paper rainbows descending from the ceiling on transparent wires. A line had already formed, Reine assuming her place behind a man and his red & yellow unicorn.
“Wub Cinnymummah!” Cooed Diamond, peeking out from his owner’s handbag in an attempt to get a good look at her. They were too far back in the line to do so, however.
“Yis! Wuby wub Cinnymummah mowe!” Ruby contested her white furred brother’s admiration, puffing out her cheeks.
“Tweeeeat!” Poking out over the handbag with her siblings was Jade, numming on a treat she’d found in the bag.
Seeing them all so excited made it worth it. A warm feeling spread over her heart, they were all so adorable! It was sunk down into iciness when something most unwelcome happened. Sliding into the area directly behind the man she was waiting behind was a young woman with mousy brown hair, clutching a blue & green pegasus stallion to her sweater-clad chest. Just like that. Out of nowhere. So…well. Perhaps this could be handled in a civil manner.
“Excuse me.” Reine mentioned with the cultured tone she always reserved for the slowest of the slow. Retail workers, custodial staff, taxi drivers. “You’ve just cut in line.”
The woman turned around from speaking to the man directly in front of her, giving an awkward smile. “Oh! My friend was saving my place.”
Returning the smile, Reine gave a shake of her head. Reached out to stroke a hand across the woman’s stallion, leaning in close to get a good look at him. “It’s no problem. What’s this little guy’s name?”
Looking relieved that there would be an issue, the fluffy’s owner seemed quite glad that she’d taken interest in her stallion. “This is Flappy! He’s been talking about meeting his favorite TV star all week.” Flappy gave Reine a shiteating grin. Again, she returned it. This one was genuine though, unlike which she’d used for his owner.
Waiting in line patiently, it was difficult to tell what she may be thinking. Flappy’s owner returned to speaking to the man in front of her and that was that. Reine’s mind was on other things even as it was their turn to finally meet Cinnamummah. Well. There she was. Even fatter than she was on television with that ridiculous blonde mane. Letting her micros down to meet her, she watched with some amusement as they swarmed on top of her.
“Cinnymummah suuuu pwetty! Yaaayyy!” Ruby had climbed on top of the mare, squealed with excitement, hopped up and down.
“Wook Cinnymummah!” Diamond did an incredibly shitty roll in an attempt to curry her favor.
“”Mmffrrr!“ Taking up Cinnamummah’s well-groomed tail, Jade yanked it playfully back and fourth.
“Dank yew babbehs! Su su gud babbehs! Cinnymummah wub AW ‘da babbehs! Yew am AW bestest!” She said, perhaps not realizing they were micros or maybe too ingrained in her usual lines. It didn’t matter though. The trio gasped! Reine snapped a quick photo of them looking as if they’d just been given meaning to their lives before scooping them back up into her handbag.
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Once they were all back at the loft, the micros all cozy and tuckered out from having been out on such an amazing trip, Reine would relax with a glass of sparkling water and lazily glance through her phone contacts. Ah, there he was. Georgie. Some greaseball for hire who did have his uses. Though she hated to mix with the lower class, one had to make exceptions for certain circumstances. Pressing the ‘call’ button, she waited for it to connect. Tapped a nail against the arm of the sofa with some impatience before he picked up.
“Hello, Georgie-Pie.” Even though it was a phone conversation, she had a fake smile. Listening to him on the other end, she took a moment to continue. “I have something for you to pick up. Alive. A blue and green pegasus. The address…” While leaning in to pet the fluffy at the Fluffmart, she had been observing it’s collar. The little nametag on it’s collar that had it’s address listed should it get lost. “872 Derry Rd.” Giving Georgie time to speak once more, she could already see this problem beginning to resolve itself.
“Don’t deliver it here. Leave it at Renault’s and tell him it’s from me. I’ll reimburse you through out mutual contact, mmhmm.”
So that was that. It was difficult to get to sleep that night, feeling a bit excited. The same feeling a small child might get on Christmas Eve.
The next day she was lolling about her bed watching the micros play. Rolling around the covers, tunneling around and squealing with excitement as they found one another. Her phone gave a gentle chime, a message from Georgie. Opening it up, she saw a single image: Flappy the stallion, his mouth stuffed with a rag. Legs bound in duct tape. Shoved down into a dirty trunk amid a bunch of trash and tools.
Now it was time to wait for Renault to do his work.
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Flappy had found himself in a dark cage once George dropped him off. So tiny he couldn’t possibly move his weggies even a little after the duct tape had been ripped from them. It was impossible to see who had him now, and he gave constant irritating wing flaps.
“Mummah! MUMMMAAHHH! Fwappy ‘nee yew! Am hewe mummah!” He called out hopelessly. Someone entered the room every so often. At first it was to poke him with a needle and draw out blood, or to inject him with medicine. These things were done in silence and the fluffy never knew if it was a mummah or a daddeh due to the darkness and the mask that the figure wore.
There was nothing that he could do. Trying to bite against the cage bars was one thing but that soon made his teefies hurt. Nudging forward with his nose. Crying. Nothing was working.
There was one good thing though. Skettis! The most delicious skettis he’d ever had and in such great quantities too. It was served to him multiple times a day. With nothing else to do, Flappy gorged himself on the food. The marinara covered pasta was his only therapy because mummah wasn’t coming and there was seemingly no way out of his predicament. In just a short amount of time his body began to balloon slightly, filling out along the cage bars.
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It had been a long while since Flappy had been in the cage. Getting him out from the panel he’d originally been put into was an impossibility: Lifting up the entire top half, a human lifted him out.
He’d been sprayed off with cold wawa every day to prevent too many poopies from sticking to him but he was brought to a large kitchen area. It smelled like nummies in here, but it was practically dark in her too. Flappy was slipped into a basin of pleasantly warm water, fur being washed out. This was nice, the fattened up fluffy giving a silly smile up to the masked figure that was taking care of him.
“Dank yew nice pewson. Fwappy wub yew. Bwing tu mummah? Miss mummah.” He said hopefully though just like all the time before, no response was tendered. Instead once the bath had concluded, the fluffy felt the cold metal of a needle slip into his neck. There was some time to protest but no much. Flappy fell into unconsciousness and finally the preparations could begin.
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Reine sat in a private dining booth which could comfortably fit an entire party. It was just her for the moment, oh and the micros. The booth itself was fairly standard. Sleek leather benches, a circular wooden table bare of anything for a moment. There were two things out of the ordinary here: The bench where she was sat cloaked in darkness. A harsh light shined down on the table but was focused in such a way as to avoid the patron being illuminated. Another curiosity was a video camera, it’s little red light piercing through the darkness in a corner. Focused on the table, naturally.
Renault didn’t keep his patrons waiting. Soon after she found herself seated the main event would be brought out quite literally on a silver platter. It was Flappy though now he lacked much of his fur. The fluffy had been shaved down quite well. It’s entire body had neat incisions all along it, the flesh filleted but in such a way that it just barely clung together. Professional work: Leaving it together in one piece so that only a small tug would rend it away.
“Huwties…mummah…?” Flappy asked groggily, eyes flickering open but almost immediately squeezing shut again. After a month of darkness it must have felt as if God himself was shining down on him.
Reine sat in silence for a few moments before more was brought out. A tabletop charcoal grill which was already primed and ready to go. The fondue pot, of course. Why didn’t anyone do fondue anymore? It was fun. A selection of sauces, knives, napkins, cutlery. Everything she needed.
“Hello, Flappy. How are you feeling?” Taking up a long meat fork she’d gently glide it into the flaps of delicately sliced meat across his back. Gingerly peel up meat against the tines, dunked it into the gooey cheese of the fondue.
“OWWIES! Huuuhuuuhuu! NUUUUU!” The fluffy had been cleaned out prior to this little experience so there’d be no risk of him voiding his bowels or pissing all over the place. His little body could only shake, blood puddling out over the platter he’d been served on. “Wet Fwappy GU! Munstah! EEEEEE!”
The meat in the fondue would take a moment to cook. She took the time to grab up a cleaver, reaching out just enough to expose her arm. Glinting in the harsh light, she brought the cleaver down several times. Thwack-thwack-thwack-CLANG! His limbs were chopped off in rapid succession, her strikes powerful enough to cut a groove into the metal he was on.
“OOWWWIIESSS! WEGGGIIEESSS!” He cried out, now having nothing to give his beloved mummah huggies with. Flappy needed those! To run, to play, to have fun and give love! Reine turned, tossed the legs out the charcoal grill and immediately slathered them over with a soy-chili sauce brushed out from a bowl. Fragrant garlic wafted over the air.
Finally, she could turn her attention to the fondue. Plucking up her fork she’d bring the meat from it’s pot and gently blow on it before taking a daring bite. Hot hot hot!
“Ooohhh! Soooo hot!” Making a show of it, she blew daintily on it before helping herself again. Fluffy meat wasn’t exactly her favorite, but on this occasion? It tasted better than anything. Like a thousand angels were dancing on her tastebuds.
“Mummah! Babbehs am hungwy tu!” Called out Ruby from the bench. The three were waiting patiently to be fed and didn’t quite know what was going on since they were so short.
“Shh.” Reaching into her handbag she brought out a few treats they could enjoy, having to scold Diamond as he attempted to shove an entire piece into his greedy mouth. “Little pig, little pig…be a good boy or I’ll blow your house down.”
As for eating greedily? Her appetite wasn’t huge though she would start plucking legs from the grill, tearing meat off of them. As much as could be had. Renault had shoved the legs so there wasn’t so much in the way of meat but there was plenty of now (crispy) chili slathered skin. The texture and spices were amazing. Messy, though. As you may remember, Reine quite despised messiness. Oh well. Crunching down on the leg, keeping the hoof delicately held between two well manicured nails, she flicked the stripped appendage back to Flappy and hit him square in his anguished face, leaving a smear of sauce behind.
“Wry yew DO DIS, meanie!? HAB SU MANY HUWTIES!” The fluffy couldn’t comprehend what was happening to him or why. Looking up to her mummah, Jade nudged against Reine’s leg a bit.
“Mummah, am fwuffy otay?” She asked in an innocent tone as her owner picked up a tiny silver bell which had been left with the tools, giving it a tiny twinkling jingle.
“Flappy is a bad boy, dearest. He’s just being punished.” This caused all of the micros to spit their hate at the fluffy. Being a bad boy was…bad!
“Fwuffy hae’chu!” Diamond called down from the bench, sticking his tongue out even if Flappy couldn’t see.
“Dummeh! Bigges’ dummeh!” Ruby blew a raspberry, the rude sound causing Reine to giggle.
Ringing the bell had summoned Renault, the skilled chef still in a mask to obscure his identity. Being summoned could mean only one thing. Holding up a cast saw, he moved over to the now limbless Flappy. The stallion gave a worried, frenzied beat of his little wings.
“Wat am dat…? Huuhuu…” This was answered in short time when, properly aligned, the saw buzzed to life. The circular blade carved through flesh and skull bone, Flappy shrieking and bleating at the air though he was pinned in place by one firm hand. Working quickly as if he’d done this many times before, Flappy’s skull was split in a bowl shaped piece, lifted up carefully to remove the inner workings within. A lime was retrieved from Renault’s apron pocket, the chef setting aside his saw and slicing the citrus up neatly. Squeezing the wedges out onto the fluffy’s now exposed brain, he looked to Reina and gave a courteous bow before disappearing from sight.
“Wonderful!” The diner clapped at the presentation and skill involved. Renault never disappointed, though she’d only ever usually had his normal fare. Selecting a pair of chopsticks from the implements she’d been allotted earlier, Reine leaned out over the table but only enough. The chopsticks clicked out, sank into the brain tissue on display. It’d immediately have a reaction.
“See-pwaces! Nuhuhuhu! WRY NU SEE-PWACES!?” Flappy asked, the woman wriggling her sticks around and tearing free a piece of the organ. It went into her mouth, tough yet made appealing by the bright pop of lime juice.
“Next…” She wasn’t an expert on this so a little experimentation was in order. Chopsticks flickering down once more, she seized on something important looking. Twisting the tips of the metal eating implements in, the fluffy shook and shuddered as she ripped away brain matter.
“Wub n mummah an bawbatwiw?” Must have been his speech center, he was now babbling like a derped fluff now. That was fine. This was almost over. Chewing delicately on the bit of flesh she’d ripped free, Reine dabbed at her lips with a cloth napkin. Reached over to take Flappy by the nape of his neck, pockmarked with various incisions. Honestly it was a bit wasteful: She’d barely had anything!
“Here we go.” The fluffy was dragged face-first to the charcoal grill that was still burning on the table. No longer able to see, no longer able to vocalize what he was feeling, that heat coming off the smoking grate was real. He was lowered ever so slowly toward it, the heat basting up on his face.
“Nuwblw! Wublmum! EEEE! EEEEEEE!” Instead of trying to say words, he resorted to screaming. Bleeding stumps flailing back and fourth, mouth gnashing. Reine shoved his face down on the grill, forced it there. The smell of sizzling flesh simmered up, skin crackling and splitting under the force she was exerting and the heat.
“Ksssh! Scrrsssh! EEEEE!” The woman kept his face there for a long moment, her long nails sinking into the flesh of his brain and pinning down. Finally after she was satisfied, she’d have to peel up the fluffy from the grate. It’s entire face peeled off with a sickening rip, leaving charred and exposed muscle beneath. It’s eyes had wrinkled and blackened, now lipless mouth agape with it’s tongue flopping out uselessly.
Reine brought the fluffy’s horrifying visage to bear fully with the camera, wraggling him around slightly.
“Say bye to mommy, Flappy.” She said with a voice of angelic sweetness.
Flappy flailed, twisted, hacked and sputtered. His used up body was dropped to the table with a clatter of cutlery.
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Meredith had been searching for her fluffy, Flappy, for a long while now. She’d put up missing posters all over the neighborhood, had offered a $500 reward, searched fluffy groups on the Internet to try and find where her little guy had gone. To say she was torn up over his sudden departure was an understatement.
One day while checking the mail she found that a little brown parcel had arrived. No return address. Undoing the paper binding the parcel up, she found only two items inside: A memory card that would fit into practically any electronic device these days and a single page that three words:
‘Flappy Says Hi!’
She knew that maybe she should just go to the police. Whatever on the memory card couldn’t be good. It had to be…had to be something awful. Yet the awful human curiosity to know even the horrible lead her to insert the card into her laptop, sit down at the kitchen table.
The young woman would have been better off following her instinct.