It was a couple of weeks after Crambone’s death, and Sandy wasn’t sure what was going on with Bluebonnet. She’d been happy that their former smarty wasn’t a danger to her anymore, but sometimes she seemed sad, and woke up in the night frightened from scary sleepy-pictures. She finally told Sandy that she kept dreaming of Crambone, rotting but somehow still alive, and asking her why she’d hurt him.
“Bwuebonnet know Cwambone had tu go foweveh-sweepies, meany Cwambone wanted gib Sandeh foweveh-sweepies an Bwuebonnet worstest bad-enfies. But Bwuebonnet wish dere was anovveh way.”
They’d been happy with wicky-enfies the way Mistah Contini had told them about, but Bwuebonnet started to really want babbies.
“Mebbe if Bwuebonnet hab babbehs, babbehs gwow up big and strong and happy, dat make up fow gibbin meanie Cwambone fowevveh-sweepies.”
Finally the two of them begged Mistah Contini if they could have babbies.
“You know, babies ain’t toys. You gotta keep them alive and bring them up right, that’s a lot of work.”
“Bwuebonnet know, Sandeh and Bwuebonnet hab babbehs before.”
“You had babies already?”
“Yes, hab bestesh babbies! But den cowd-time come eawwy, an cowd-time vewy hawd and wong. When wawm-time come back, aww babbies gone.”
Mistah Contini looked very sad then. “Yeah, I remember last winter was a really bad one.”
Finally, he decided that Sandy and Bluebonnet could have babbies. But they had to promise to look after them properly, and Mistah Contini said that once they were born Sandy had to get “the snip”. Sandy was very scared, but Mistah Contini said that “the snip” wasn’t like being “fixed” - Sandy would still have his special lumps and give special huggies, but those special huggies wouldn’t give Bluebonnet tummy-babbies any more.
“Don’t worry, Sandy. I had the snip myself after me and Rose had our third, and it didn’t stop me having special huggies after.”
That night, Sandy and Bluebonnet had lots and lots of special huggies, and it felt extra good that Bluebonnet was going to have babbies again and that they would have plenty of nummies and a warm housie all through the cold times. The day after, Bluebonnet felt the tummy-babbies inside her, and the next couple of weeks were very happy for both of them. Mistah Contini was very surprised when Bluebonnet got so fat that she couldn’t move any more, but he was pleased that Sandy gave her all the nummies she wanted, and cleaned up afterwards if she missed the wittah-box.
Early one morning, Bluebonnet woke up screaming “Biggest poopies!”. Sandy called and called for Mistah Contini, who came just in time to see the babby-waters come bursting out of Bluebonnet’s special place, along with a bit of boo-boo juice and some poopies from her poopie-place. Mistah Contini went a bit pale then. Bluebonnet kept screaming and pushing, and finally four foals came out of her, and then the babby-tummy-beddie and a whole lot more boo-boo juice, but not enough for anything to be wrong. Sandy passed Bluebonnet the babby-tummy-beddie to num, and for some reason that made Mistah Contini slap his hoof over his mouth and run out of the saferoom.
Sandy started to lick the babbies clean while Bluebonnet ate the babby-tummy-beddie. The first was a little unicorn colt with the exact reverse of the colors that Bluebonnet had, a light blue body and dark blue stubble where his mane and tail would grow in. The second was an orange-and-pink earthy filly, and the third a brown earthy colt with a white mane. The fourth…
The fourth was yellow and red, and had one wing. But it smelled bad, and it only had one leggy at the front, and its back half was just a bag of flesh. Sandy couldn’t find either a nu-nu stick or a special place, and it didn’t even have a poopie-place or a tail. The foal tried to chirp, but only produced a rasping cry of agony.
“Bwuebonnet”, Sandy said, already crying a little, “Dis babbeh am sickeh-babbeh.”
He moved the foal over to Bluebonnet so she could see. She gasped.
“Babbeh am sickeh-monstah! Babbeh nevveh pway or wub or anyfing but sickehs an huwties!”
She begged Sandy “Pwease, Sandeh gib sickeh-babbeh fowweveh-sweepies. Bwuebonnet hab so bad heawt-huwties. Mebbe dis am because Bwuebonnet am bad fwuffeh, gib Cwambone fowweveh-sweepies.”
“Nu”, Sandy cried, “Yuu nu am bad fwuffeh. Dis am bad wuck.” He closed his eyes and stomped down hard on the sickie-babby’s head. He passed the tiny body to Bluebonnet, who closed her eyes, steeled herself, and swallowed it whole.
A short time later, Mistah Contini came back into the saferoom. He was very happy to see Bluebonnet starting to feed the blue and brown foals and singing the mummah song, while Sandy laid the orange filly on his stomach and tickled her to take her mind off her hunger until Bluebonnet had a free teat.
Then Mistah Contini asked “Hey. Wasn’t there another foal?”
Sandy and Bluebonnet started crying again. Sandy explained “Dat babbeh was sickeh-babbeh, somefing go wong when in Bwuebonnet tummeh. Dat babbeh nu wive wong, onwy hab wowstest sickies and wowstest huwties untiw fowevveh-sweepies. Sandy gib fowevveh-sweepies so babbeh no hab any mowe huwties.”
Mistah Contini looked very worried. “But where’s the foal now?”
Bluebonnet tried to explain. “Sickeh-babbeh go fowweveh-sweepies, nevveh gib bwuddahs and sissie huggies ow wub. Bwuebonnet num babbeh tu make good miwkies fow bwuddahs and sissie, den aww babbeh wub go in miwkies, bwuddahs and sissie feed an know sickeh-babbeh wub dem.”
Mistah Contini went quiet then and his face turned red. He seemed to be trying not to say something, and finally he walked out of the room.
Later that day, Missus Contucci came and took Sandy and Bluebonnet and the foals to a little housie in the garden. She brought them the playpen and everything in it, and she set up a magic machine that filled their bowls with kibble and water twice a day. Manwel came as usual and "coo coo coo"ed at the foals. Sandy went out with him into the garden and collected grassies and other fresh nummies for Bluebonnet. They spent so much time caring for the foals and playing with them that they didn’t notice that they hadn’t seen Mistah Contini for several bright-times.
Then one day Mistah Contini came into the little housie looking very serious.
“I dunno how to say this. I thought you fluffies would be something innocent to look after, like my dogs. And that whole Crambone thing, you were right to be scared of him, he was a murderous asshole and I was happy to get him whacked for you.”
“But then, you had a disabled foal, and you killed it because you didn’t wanna make the fucking effort to look after it. AND THEN YOU FUCKING ATE IT, GOD FORGIVE YOU!”
Sandy and Bluebonnet started crying with fear after he yelled at them.
“Oh yeah, now you’re sad 'cos you gotta face the consequences. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna hurt you or your foals. But the way I see it, you eat because I give you food, I gave you a house. You’re no better than the guys that work for me. And from now on, Bluebonnet can look after the kids but Sandy needs to work if you’re all gonna eat.”
“Daddeh”, Sandy wept, “Sandy nu mean be bad fwuffy. Sandy suu sowwy.”
“Don’t call me your fucking Daddy”, Mistah Contini said. He squatted down so he could look into Sandy’s eyes. “From now on, you call me Boss.”
Well, this was going to be the last installment, and I couldn’t decide if Mr. Contini was going to accept what Sandy and Bluebonnet had done or throw them out. But then I had another idea that means the story’s going to be quite a bit longer.
NOTE TO MODS: I didn’t mark this controversial because there’s no babbeh-enfing, “just” infanticide. If you disagree I’ll edit it.
