On the Rocks 10-18

On the Rocks, Part 10

>"Is ev'wy Fwuffie hewe?" No-Lips shouts over the din as the Herd arranges itself in a tight pack around the Old Fluffy Corner, Stallions at the back, Mares and Foals towards the front.
>As No-Name, being one of the few Stallions allows to sit up the front, on account of having to help your Special Friend with her Foals, you feel very nervous, very exposed, even with Bwun on your left side and Clover on your right.
>Lots of Fluffies are staring at you, at Bwun, but mostly at the Lucky Foal you cradle in your arms.
>Lost Herd. Munsta Baby. Lucky Herd. Lucky Baby.
>The whispers surround you. Jealous looks, worried faces, happy smiles, confused expressions, everywhere you look.
>So you clutch the baby tighter to your chest, whispering to it that you love it, that you and Bwun and Clover will let nobody hurt it, ever.
>"Wite, ev'wy Fwuffie, be quiet!" No-Lips barks, but he's happy, you can hear it in his tone, the pulling of his scarred face as he 'grins'. Your Smarty Friend is happy, One-Eye is happy, Gnaff is almost glowing with happiness and Some-Legs can't stop dancing for joy.
>Two-Socks looks somewhat bemused by the glee of his fellow Old Fluffies, All-Mumma keeps shooting worried glances at you and the Lucky Baby, and Wed ...
>You turn your body so she can't glare at the Lucky Baby. You've never seen such hate in a Fluffy's eyes before, even as Wed rubs her belly with one of her front-hooves, where your Babies are sleeping.
>"One-Eye! Teww stowy, teww stowy of de Wucky Hewd!" No-Lips commands, and the grizzled, one-eyed Old Toughie begins to speak, haltingly at first, while the Herd falls silent but for the peeping and sucking-noises of the new Foals.

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>In a time long past, when No-Lips was a colt who went by the name of Rust, there were many Herds that lived in the Park, before the Two-Legged Munstas started to hunt the Fluffy Pony Herds, before the Rat Munstas began to swarm in packs large enough to eat a Herd whole.
>In those distant days, the Herds were much closer and had not yet become so bitterly divided as they were today, and over time the most respected Smarty Friends established Rules that all the Herds would follow, so that no one single Herd could control all the grass, or all the clean water, so that every Herd could have something, even in the leanest of times.
>There was fighting, of course, between Smarty Friends and Rival Herds who could not forgive past offenses, but overall, it was a good time to be a Fluffy Pony.
>And the Herd who led this movement of tolerance and co-operation was known as the Lucky Herd. Born with the strength of an Earth Fluffy, the speed and wings of a Pegasus and the horn and magic of a Unicorn, the Lucky Herd was few in number, but a single Stallion could drive a dozen lesser Fluffy Stallions into submission with their strength and magic horns.
>Yet the Lucky Herd rarely acted mean to the Other Herds, and it came to pass that eventually, all the Smarty Friends who would not listen to the Lucky Herd either took their Herds away, tired of losing constantly to the Lucky Herd, or came to accept the Lucky Herd as the dominant force within their part of the City and obeyed the Lucky Herd's Rules.
>When two Smarties began to argue over whose territory ended where and whose Toughies were the toughest, the Lucky Herd was called in to keep the Smarties from fighting, and keep the bargaining fair for both parties.
>When a Herd's Safe Place was destroyed or their Smarty Friend and Toughie Friends were killed by the Munstas, the Lucky Herd was often the first Herd to respond, lending their might and their smarty natures to the task to aid the other Herds.
>When decisions that affected all the Herds who remained in the Park needed to be made, all the Smarty Friends waited until the Lucky Herd and their Smarty Friend, Shango, had arrived, so that all the Plans and Ideas were Smarty Ones.
>But eventually ... there were born those who had known nothing but the relative peace and safety that the Lucky Herd brought to the Fluffies.
>Amongst this blessed generation were those that saw the Lucky Herd's many gifts, and were jealous and bitter at being 'lesser', at not having the same abundance of gifts as the Lucky Herd.
>Why should they be called Lucky Fluffies, the Bitter Fluffies whispered to all who would listen, when they are Monsters, not Fluffies.
>They have Strong Bodies like an Earthy, Wings and Fast Legs, like a Pegasus, and Horns and Smarties and Magic, like a Pegasus. What sort of Fluffy has all of that? Nobody, of course, the Bitter Fluffies would proclaim, that's why they are Monsters, not Fluffies like us!
>The Lucky Herd make the Smarties obey them, but are the Smarties not the leaders of their own Herds? They whispered to the Smarty Friends of their Herds.
>For a time, the Bitter Fluffies were ignored by their Smarties, or driven out of their Herds and left to fend for themselves, for the Smarties remembered the time before the coming of the Lucky Herd, a time when every Herd had to struggle to find enough food to feed themselves, and fought each other endlessly for the Safe Places, for access to clean water, for the right to live.
>But no Fluffy lives forever, and in time, the Smarties passed on, or were challenged and beaten by younger, stronger Stallions, and several of the Bitter Fluffies became Smarty Friends, and now in control of their Herds, began to spread their lies and wicked stories to the Fluffies who now looked to them for guidance.
>It was the beginning of the Bad Times. When the Bitter Herds, full of the lies and the jealousy of their Smarty Friends, began to war with the Lucky Herd and those that remained true to their friends, the Loyal Herds.
>Rust had the good fortune to be born into a Loyal Herd that had kept their faith in the Lucky Herd, but the Munstas were being drawn to the Park by the War of the Herds, drawn by the mid-night screams and the swaths of bloodied fluff left on the grass every morning.
>His Herd had been asleep in their Hug-pile when a Herd of Bitter Fluffies came creeping into the Safe Place Rust's Herd used, leading a Two-Legged Munsta and pointing out Rust's family to the Munsta.
>In the cruelest betrayal of all, the Bitter Herds had begun betraying the Loyal Herds to the Munstas, whom wanted to capture the Lucky Herd for their own vile reasons.
>With the Loyal Herds disappearing every night, the Bitter Herds were no longer out-numbered, and the Munstas were able to satisfy their bloodlust on the Loyal Herds.
>Dozens of smaller Loyal Herds, their Smarty Friends terrified of Munstas that would come in the night to snatch up their Fluffies, defected to the Bitter Herds, further weakening the forces of the Lucky Herd.
>Nobody knew exactly where the Lucky Herd lived, though, only that it was somewhere deep within the Park, so even though the Two-Legged Munsta tortured Rust's Herd for several days with his terrible Click-Click Owie Toy, a 'Bawx Khu-tah', they could not give up the location of a place they did not know.
>So the Munsta pulled out his terrible Click-Click Owie-Toy once more, and began to slowly cut up the Herd, making parents watch as their children died in agony, making Special Friends choose between each other who would die fast, and who would linger in excruciating pain, all the while the Bitter Herd looked on and cheered.
>Rust was the last of his Herd left alive, and had been driven half-mad with fear and anger at the deaths of his family and friend, when the Munsta began to cut Rust's cheeks off.
>Driven beyond self-preservation by the pain, and infuriated by the cruel cheering of the Bitter Herd at the suffering of his own family, Rust retaliated the only way he could while being held in the air by one of the Munsta's hands and his face being carved up with the other, by peeing into the Munsta's eyes.
>The drop from the Munsta's leathery claw was painful on his soft hooves and his small legs, and the agony of his ravaged face was excruciating, but the screams of the Bitter Herd as their Munsta-Ally, half-blinded and infuriated at being so humiliated, turned on the Bitter Herd and began to torture them with his Click-Click Owie-Toy, gave Rust the strength to crawl out of the Munsta's lair and try to escape, to warn the other Herds.
>The last survivor of his Herd, bleeding heavily from the ruins that had once been his cheeks, Rust crawled under a bench after hours of fruitless searching, sobbing for his parents and friends, and fell asleep.
>When he awoke, he was in a different place, a burrow, warm, dark and safe, being tended to by the Lucky Herd.
>It had been several days since his resuce, with Rust slipping in and out of consciousness as he struggled to recover from his injuries, but he survived, although his lips and cheeks had been lost forever, his face twisted into a permanent snarl.
>Scarred and embittered by the fate of his Family, No-Lips became a part of the Lucky Herd, at least for a short while, as he struggled to overcome the infections and fevers that the torture to his face had inflicted upon him.
>Thus did Rust become No-Lips, and learned how to be a Good Smarty at the hooves of the Lucky Herd's Smarty Friend, Shango, and the Bitter Herds lost many of their friends, the smaller Herds, whom were horrified to hear of this ultimate betrayal of allying with the Monsters from No-Lips, defecting back to the Lucky Herd and their allies.
>In time, the Lucky Herd and their Allies managed to confine the Bitter Herd to a single, small section of the Park, but eventually, the tide turned again, this time in favour of the Two-Legged Munstas.
>This time, the Munstas came in force, snatching up Fluffy Ponies from both sides in large, cruel nets, but their true targets were the Lucky Herd, and they trampled anything that got in their way, including their allies, the Bitter Herds.
>No-Lips could only watch, frustrated and pinned beneath a dead Bitter Smarty Friend, as the Herds, both Loyal and Bitter alike, scattered in groups of twos and threes into the Park, while the Lucky Herd's Smarty Friend and the rest of his Herd were all snatched up by the laughing, jeering Munstas.
>Together with the few allies that remained, One-Eye, once known as Buffie, and Gnaff, and Some-Legs, once known as Swift-Legs, he led them back to the Lucky Herd's Safe Place, to try and save the remaining Fluffy Mummas and Foals, but found that that had also been discovered.
>The Great Tree under which the Lucky Herd had dug their Burrow had been uprooted, their tunnels torn open, the last of the Herd snatched away with their defenders absent.
>Heart-broken, the Stallions left the Park, as did most of the Herds, fleeing into the alleyways, the sewers, the garbage dumps, the Herds forever at war, the time of the Many-Herds-As-One was over.
>And thus did end the story of the Lucky Herd, the first, and last, chance for the Herds of the City to stand united against the Monsters.

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>"Has been wong, wong time since dat stowy towd." No-Lips sighed gustily as One-Eye finished the story, staring out of his Herd, who are all leaning forwards with their ears straining to hear every word. "Wongest time ... fo' No-Lips is one of wast Fwuffies who wemembah de time of de Wucky Hewd. So many Fwuffies haf had de Wongest Sweepies, owr nu wan' wemembah an' wurk hawd tu fow'get so dey nu haf tu wook at how dey wiv' now, an' feew saddies."
>"No-Lips ask One-Eye tu nu teww dat Stowy fo' wongest time, fo' No-Lips tink dat Wucky Hewd aww gone, an' dere be nu weft, buh Bwun, yuu haf Wucky Hewd Baybeh!" No-Lips says louder as the Herd begins to whisper to each other. "Do yuu know Mumma's Mumma's Mumma? Owr Mumma's Fatha's Fatha? Maybe dey be Wucky Hewd, maybe yuu can haf moar Wucky Hewd Baybehs den!"
>Bwun looks sad, and shakes her head quickly, holding two babies to her chest while you hold the Lucky Baby in your arms, and the other two babies nurse from the teats between her back legs.
>"Nu, Bwun nu know dere names, Smawty Fwiend, Bwun's Mumma haf wongest sweepies afta Bwun an' sissies come owt of hew tummeh. Wed's Mumma say dat Bwun's Mumma was cawwed Shine, an' dat Bwun's Fatha was cawwed Puddwe, buh dat is aww Bwun know." She sighs and hugs two of her Foals tightly, then puts them down gently and awkwardly scoops up the other two, smiling as the two she just put down shuffle towards her belly to hug her teats, then start nursing. "Fatha haf wongest sweepies when Rat Munstas come an' twy tu eat Hewd, Fatha twy tu gif owies tu Rat Munstas su dey nu eat Mumma, buh dey eat Fatha instead..."
>The Herd sighs and moans, hugging each other as bad memories resurface. For months now, the Rat Swarms have been growing bigger and bigger, more vicious and willing to attack.
>Little Foal's mother, Bun-Bun, was merely the latest victim of their increased aggression, although one that hits close to your heart. Poor Little Foal still has Scary-Dreamies-Fits about losing her mother and needs to be hugged for a long, long time before she can go back to sleep.
>What had once been groups of twenty or thirty rats had become hundreds. What had been nibbling packs were now all-consuming swarms that could strip even a Fluffy Mumma down to mere bones and fluff in minutes.
>No-Lips looks sad by the news, however, that Bwun cannot tell him who her Mother's Mother's Mother is.
>You know that the No-Lips Herd has a rule that anyone who can claim a relation within three generations cannot have Special Hugs with each other. All-Mumma claims it's so that Fluffies don't have 'Bad Babies'.
>As you look down at the Lucky Baby, wrapped in your chest fluff, cradled in your arms, you wonder how any Baby could be 'bad'.
>"Uhm, No-Name, pwease, nee' gif Wucky Baybeh Miwk-Nummies." Bwun whispers into your ear, making you flinch.
>"Su-sowwy! No-Name jus' ... tinkin'. Aww owr Baybehs guud, su happeh, Bwun an' Clover suuu nice an' wuv'wey." You babble, blushing and looking down at the ground. "Suuu much dat No-Name haf do now, haf hewp Speshaw Fwiends moar, mus' be guud fatha fo' Baybehs!"
>"Tee-hee! No-Name siwwy!" Clover and Bwun say at once, but they're both blushing too. "Buh baybehs nee' wotsa nummies, Hown-Baybehs an' Earth-Baybeh haf dwunk aww miwk-nummies fwom Bwun's back miwk-pwaces, can No-Name howd dem, su Bwun can gif miwk-nummies tu Wucky Baybeh?"
>It takes some shuffling, and a lot of apologies to No-Lips for being so noisy during Story-Time as you shuffle the babies back and forth between you and Bwun, but soon Bwun is holding the Lucky Baby to the teats just behind her front legs, the bigger Baby easily hugging an entire teat as it nurses, while you and Clover hug a Foal each and Clover's two White Colts and Little Foal, er, Little Fillie, hug the remaining two.
>Fluff on Fire, this is a lot harder to do than you thought! The Baby in your arms keeps wanting to squirm around and keeps giggling and peeping, but No-Lips is trying to talk, and every time you try to shush the baby, you make more noise than it does!
>The Baby has Light Green Fluff, with a Dark Green Tail and a line of the same dark green on it's head, the beginning of it's Mane, like both of the Meanie Unicorns from Bwun's old Herd mingled together...
>But it giggles and squirms and looks so happy. It's horn doesn't glow or throw owie-spark-magic. It's a Good Baby, one of yours-and-Bwun's Babies, and it just wants to run and play and hug.
>"Soon, pwomise, yuu haf pway soon, buh yuu mus' be quiet, No-Name gif huggies an' keep yuu safe, den yuu pway." You whisper to the Green Baby as No-Lips, Gnaff and All-Mumma start talking loudly about 'Guud Fwuffies' and 'Moar Nummies' and 'Mus' haf moar Papers'.
>You do start listening when they talk about 'Papers an' Nummies Waid.'

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>Hateful, nasty, ugly baby! How dare it! How dare it steal hugs from No-Name!
>That is your Special Friend, and those are your Hugs! No-Name is trying to be such a good Fatha that he's neglecting you!
>Too many things, all trying to take No-Name for themselves! Your Special Friend is slipping out of your hooves, and this Meanie Herd is not letting you stop this from happening!
>You are Wed, and you are so furious right now! But! You can't go over and tell the Baby how bad it is, not after that Stuuupid Dummy Meanie No-Faced-Scary-Munsta Smarty Friend threatened to make you a Slave of his Herd if you didn't play nice with the Dummy Mares!
>Clover forced No-Name to be the Fatha of her babies, and now Bwun is doing the same thing! The! Exact! Same! Thing!
>Her Babies were put inside her by Swun and Wime, and most of them look like the two Unicorns, only one baby looks even remotely like Bwun, and not a single one looks even one bit like No-Name!
>YET NO-NAME CUDDLES THEM AND SINGS TO THEM AND TELLS THEM THAT THEY ARE WONDERFUL! His face goes all loose, he smiles and looks so peaceful, but they are not his Babies! YOU have HIS Babies inside you!
>But you're not allowed to be his Bestest Special Friend? You're the only one who has his Babies, his real Babies, but he's fussing over another Stallion's Babies instead!
>Hate. It fills you, warms you when the Herd drifts off to go back to the Papers to see how much is left that is still useable, and how much the Raiding Teams will need to bring back, when you're all alone, rubbing your belly.
>Soon, you'll start to get bigger. Soon, your Babies will grow, and you'll be a Fluffy Mumma.
>Then everyone will know. Then No-Name won't be tricked by the other Fluffies, or that saggy-already-has-foals-bitch, Clover, or your ex-friend-bitch, Bwun, or that Stuupid-Scary-Munsta-Smarty-Friend, No-Lips!
>He'll know that you are the most important thing in his life. You and the babies you are carrying inside you for him!
>He's so dense, it frustrates you so much! Why won't he challenge No-Lips? Become the Smarty Friend, rule the Herd, have the best nummies, the warmest sleeping places, first pick of the toys!
>But no, he tries to be nice, and all he gets is used by everyone, and then he has no time or energy to play all day with you, or to give you more Special Hugs, or to bring you the best nummies, like a Special Friend is supposed to do!
>"Come on, Fwuffies mus' hewp wit' Papers. Nu wan' Dummy Fwuffies be Meanies tu Wed an' hewr Baybehs." One of the few Nice Fluffies in this Herd whispers, tugging on your fluff.
>"Mus' gu. No-Name wiww be supa-Meanie if Wed nu hewp. Mus' pway pwetend wit' Hewd, make dem tink we do wat dey say tiww No-Lips tink we gon' be Dummy Fwuffies fo' him 'gain." The only other Nice Fluffy adds, looking at you with a warm smile as you sigh, nod and get to your hooves, shuffling after your two Friends over to the Papers.
>Only they understand that this whole Herd is wrong, and that No-Lips is teaching everyone to be Dummies and Meanies!
>They'll help you get No-name all to yourself, they promised!
>You're so lucky that Peach and Bluehorn are your friends.

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>Be Bwun, lying down again, this time on your back, as your Babies suckle at your teats.
>It tickles, when your precious babies draw out your milk, like a faint, feather-light touch deep inside your teats.
>Crunchy's Special Friend, Pink, is lying at your side, also on her back, both of you with large piles of Paper under your heads and shoulders so you can look down at your babies as you rest, and the rest of the Herd talks and talks about where they should get more Papers.
>You feel ... guilty. If not for being a Fluffy Mumma, you could help! But because you are a Fluffy Mumma, because your babies don't understand when it is right to make their not-pretties, even more of the precious Paper was wasted.
>Nobody blamed you. "Baybehs wiww be baybehs!" They chuckled as your Lucky Baby and your Green Baby made not pretties as soon as you sat down, but you felt so bad.
>The Herd is putting itself as risk for you and your babies ... and you can do nothing in return.
>"Das wite! Guud baybehs, haf wotsa nummies, Speshaw Fwiend comin' back wit' Nummies fo' Mumma, yuu haf wotsa nummies 'gain next bwite time!" Pink whispers happily to her Babies, but she has seven babies ... and you can see her teats aren't nearly as full as they should be.
>Your own teats still jiggle and wobble with milk, even with the voracious appetite of your babies. The Lucky Baby alone drinks almost twice as much as the others, but it's so much bigger too, so maybe that's normal for a Lucky Baby?
>Maybe ... maybe you can help Pink? Your own Babies have been drinking for so long, surely they're full?
>"Do-does Pink nee' hewp?" You ask hesitantly, reaching over to touch one of her front hooves with your own. "Bwun stiww haf thwee miwkie-pwaces wit' nu baybehs on dem ... does Pink wan' Bwun hewp gif miwkies, su baybehs can haf weawy fuww bewwies?"
>Pink looks at you in surprise for a few seconds, before speaking.
>"Why yuu ask dat? Pink haf wotsa miwk-nummies! Wots! Yuu sayin' Pink is Bad Mumma?" Her voice carries with it a great deal of pain, she thinks you're saying she can't look after her babies properly!
>"Nuuu! Nu dat! Buh Bwun wan' hewp fwiends, an' Bwun onwy haf fouw an' one baybehs, an' Pink haf fouw an' thwee! Bwun wan' hewp, su baybehs be fat an' haf wotsa happehs!" You babble, stroking her side with your hoof. You didn't mean to imply ... oh no, you didn't mean to say that Pink was ...
>"Nu! Yuu keep yuu miwkies fo' yuu baybehs, yuu nu shawe miwkies unwess All-Mumma owr Smawty Fwiend teww yuu tu do dat." All-Mumms's sharp tone makes you both flinch, as the wispy-fluffed, ancient Mare shuffles into view. "Is nice ting yuu wan du, Bwun, buh yuu baybehs stiww smaww. Twu bwite times, may'beh thwee, yuu gon' wish yuu kept dose miwkies fo' yuu baybehs."
>"Mummas onwy make miwk when haf nummies, an' Mummas make dere miwk ova wongest time, an' yuu gon' spend wotsa times in Haven now, nu weave tiww Baybehs can wawk on dere own." The ancient Mare continues, shuffling around to your side, to stare at your babies with a sad smile on her face. "Yuu nee' make shuwe dat Baybehs onwy haf wittwe bit of nummies, den haf sweepies and pway, den haf wittw bit of nummies 'gain, su yuu miwkies nu wun dwy tuu fast. Speshaw Fwiends haf tu wurk hawd to get wotsa nummies fo' Mummas so dey can make miwkies fo' Baybehs."
>"Den yuu haf to cawwy Baybehs tu Pawk su yuu can haf nummies when de Baybehs owd 'nuff tu weave Haven, an make suwe dey nu faww off, owr twy tu pway owr get miwk-nummies when yuu wunnin' tu Pawk. Den yuu haf to watch dem on gwasses, make suwe dey safe an' nu gon' wun away tu pway owr chase bug-fwiends, an' yuu stiww haf tu eat wotsa nummies." All-Mumma clicks her tongue in dismay and shakes her head exageratedly. "Nu easy ting tu do, Baybehs aw'ways wan' gu an' see new tings, dey nu unna'stan' dat City is scawy-bad-munsta pwace, nu tiww dey wose bwudda owr sissy ... owr Mumma tu Munstas."
>Now both you and Pink are sad, as you imagine your babies lost, abandoned in the Park or trampled under the Herd as everyone desperately rushes to get to the surface before daylight comes, and the Monsters wake up.
>"Yuu nee' Fwuffies tu hewp yuu! Speshaw Fwiends haf tu hewp get nummies an' be Toughies fo' Hewd, yuu nee' Mawes tu hewp yuu!" All-Mumma then grins, broadly, and reaches out with a swiftness you wouldn't believe a Fluffy her age could muster, to stroke a soft, wrinkled hoof down the back of the Lucky Baby, who chirps happily at the touch. "Yuu haf Clover, Bwun, tu hewp yuu, buh she aw'weady haf Foaws, an' soon dey be Cowts an' Fiwwies ... she gon' be tuu busy tu hewp yuu den. Yuu boff nee' Mawes who nu haf Baybehs owr Foaws owr Cowts an' Fiwwies."
>And then there's half the fluffing Herd gathered around you, big-big smiles on their faces, grinning at you and Pink and your babies.
>"Awwww poopies!" You mutter as you and Pink are suddenly smothered in Fluffies asking for a hug of your babies, if they can have a cuddle with the 'guud-smewwin' Fwuffy Mummas', can they be your attendants, is the Lucky Baby ready to be a Smarty Friend yet, does Pink want more moss-nummies, all at once.
>At least the Babies are happy to be patted and stroked ...



On the Rocks, Part 11

>You are Zodd, a Smarty Friend. The Biggest Fluffy in Stinky Waters, the Best Fluffy in the World!
>But it's all gone wrong! Your Stupid Herd does not like you anymore! The Mares say you are too heavy when you give them Special Hugs, the Stallions say you're too dumb to lead them. After only two days, they say they do not like you anymore!
>They pulled on your fluff, bit your ears, ran away when you try to fight back and called you Meanie names until you cried.
>Even the Sweet Mare who cuddled up to you that first night is being cruel to you. She tells you that Special Hugs with you is not fun for her, that you are too big and squash her.
>Says she liked the two Unicorns better, at least they didn't make the Special Hugs not fun for her. And that hurt worse than any fluff-pulling from the Stallions.
>They drove you away, not with kicks and bites, but with words. Hurty, Meanie words. Words that made you want to curl up and cry and cry and cry until the ground turned into mud and swallowed you up.
>Shuffling through the mud and muck, you come to the Wooden Nest that you found on the night of the Raid. Now, the fluffies inside are not making any noises anymore.
>Maybe they are sleeping, waiting till they have recovered enough to pull themselves out? Maybe you can dig them out, and they will be your Herd?
>But as you sniff the air, and recoil from the smell of bad things, you know it's a false hope. This is the foul, putrid smell of rotting bad things.
>Nothing is coming out of the Wooden Nest anymore, except for Mushrooms and Rats in a few days.
>But you’re soooo hungry, and what little water you can find here is rancid and fouled, drinking it just made you throw up. So hungry that even the terrible stench of the rotting Fluffies in the Wooden Nest cannot drive you away.
>You can’t find your way out of Stinky Waters ... you've tried ever since Sweet Mare and her Herd drove you out, but you can’t find the path your Herd showed you that led to the Park when they were pretending to be nice to you.
>Got turned around so much when they were chasing you .... you have tried to go back to their Safe Place to ask if they will please show you the way out of Stinky Waters, but they keep chasing you and yelling bad words at you.
>Maybe there could be something to eat in the Wooden Nest ... a secret stash of Nummies, like what No-Lips kept aside for the Fluffy Mummas during the Hot-Dry times.
>Dead Fluffies glare accusingly at you from inside. Tongues loll out of mouths that offer you macabre grin, swollen and bloated bodies have burst open and terrible smells assault you the closer you get, all the while small, black, meanie flies bite at your muzzle and ears.
>You see the Mare you tried to help so long ago is still there ... and there is another Stallion too!
>But ... what is he doing? At first glance, you thought he was trying to pull the Mare out, like you tried to do, but no, h’s ... biting her leg! He’s pulled off all the fluff on her leg and is biting her leg!
>No, that’s not right .... he’s got blood dribbling down his chin.
>You stop and stare, feeling sickened even as your tummy rumbles unhappily.
>He’s eating another Fluffy. You think to yourself in shock.
>Then he sees you. And then he grins, revealing teeth that are jagged and stained black, a grin that is far, far too wide, with eyes that look through you.
>”Who yuu?” The Cannibal Fluffy grunts, then tears off another mouthful of Fluffy Pony and swallows.
>Despite yourself, you feel drool forming at the corners of your mouth. So hungry!
>”Ah ... Fwuffie cawwed Zodd. W-why yuu gif owies tu Mawe?” You ask, trembling with fear. Will being big be enough to save you?
>So scared...this is not right! Fluffies do not do this to each other! No-Lips would be so angry!
>No-Lips would be ... would ...
>But there’s no more No-Lips in your life.
>.......... There no anybody in your life anymore.
>”Wectow haf nummies. Stupid Fwuffies hide, buh nu dis Mare. Wectow eats hew weggies.” The Cannibal says between chewing, staring at you strangely.
>”Yuu wost, Big Fwuffy? Yuu wost in Stinky Wa-Wa’s?”
>”Zodd .... Zodd found Hewd, be Smarty Friend, be Guud Fluffy, buh Hewd hate Zodd, say tuu big, tuu dumb...” You whisper, closing your eyes and letting a sob work it’s way up. “Zodd aww awone now. Nu haf fwiends, nu know way outta Stinky Wa-Wa’s.”
>You open your eyes ... where has the Strange Fluffy gone?
>Suddenly, blinding pain from your ear! The Strange Fluffy Snuck up from your side, and is biting your ear!
>”Waaaah! Nuu! Nu Huwties!” You shriek, and kick off to the side with you leg, feeling your hoof connect with the Cannibal’s chest.
>He tumbles away, and your ear throbs painfully. He tore off a great deal of Fluff, and even made you bleed!
>Why did he do that? He was getting nu-nummies from that Dead Mare! Why attack you?
>The smell of your blood in the air, and the twinge of your missing fluff, makes you feel so angry! You're so hungry, so thirsty, all you want to do is leave, but Stinky Waters won't let you out, and now the Fluffies are eating each other and hurting you!
>Stinky Waters ... hate Stinky Waters! Hate every Fluffy that lives here!
>Sweet Mare and her Bad Herd tricked you, pretended to be your Friend until they didn’t need you anymore!
>No-Lips's Herd abandoned you the first chance they could! But you were Best Fluffy! They needed you, but they abandoned you! It's why No-Lips sent you out on the Raid, so that the other Stallions could leave you behind!
>Now this Fluffy is trying to make you Nummies? No! NO! NO MORE!
>”Yuu fwesh, yuu twaste bettah!” The Cannibal grunts, struggling to get up as you rush over to his side.
>”YUU NU HUWT ZODD NO MOAR!” You yell, rearing up and bringing your hooves down onto his side.
>Pomf! Pomf! Pomf! Smack! Smack! Smack!
>Slowly the Cannibal's Fluff parts under your attack, and your hooves finally start meeting his skin.
>”Naaah! Bad Fwuffie! Nuu, Wectow nu is Nummies, yuu is Nummies, stawp!” The Cannibal shrieks as your hooves pound against his ribs again and again, slamming him into the ground every time he tries to get up and fight you, until you hear something crack.
>He shrieks in pain, squirming away, but he keeps twisting and whimpering as something inside him continues to crack loudly with each movement.
>No. He will not run away. Not from you.
>So much anger, so much hate for this place, all the stupid fluffies, your old herd, your new herd, everything.
>Hate for everything that is not you.
>Jump on top of the Cannibal and give him Bad Special Hugs. He screams and starts to yell about his poopie hole, so shrilly that his voice makes your ears hurt.
>So you push his head into the mud with your muzzle, glaring into the one eye you can see as it gets bigger, the pupil flying wildly around the eye as the Cannibal Fluffy looks desperately for a way to get out from under you.
>Good, now he will be quiet, making bubbles in the mud like a Dumb Fluffy!
>”Yuu ... eeenf ... bad an’ ... eeenf ... stuupid fwuffy! Eeenf! Eeenf! Zodd kiww .... eeenf .... yuu, make yuu .... eeenf .... nummies!” You growl at the Cannibal, this 'Wectow', as you show him who is Best Fluffy in a way that you do best.
>He stops squirming, stops kicking, stops resisting after a few minutes, but you don't stop.
>Keep on having Bad Special Hugs. Even if he stops fighting, it doesn’t matter.
>Hurt him. Hurt him and hurt him and hurt him till you don’t feel that blinding hatred anymore.
>Have the Good Feel, then roll off the Cannibal onto your back and pant heavily, your chest heaving, staring  up at the sky.
>Fluffy White Clouds drift in the sky, slowly, serenely. The Bright-Ball is hiding behind them. Everything is quiet.
>Finally, you muster the courage to look over at the Cannibal.
>He’s not moving. His whole head is buried in the mud, and there's blood trickling out of his poopie place.
>Good. He can hide all he likes, you are going to have Nummies now, and he can’t stop you!
>And yet, as you stagger towards the Cannibal, you feel so nervous ... no Fluffy you've ever met before today has done this. But fear, aggression and the gnawing in your belly drives you on.
>Rip out the fluff, like he was doing to the Dead Mare’s leg, and spit it to the side, till there's a bald patch of skin the size of your own head on his flank. The skin, all pink and soft, is still warm and soft ... you could almost believe the Cannibal Fluffy is just sleeping ...
>You lip at the skin, feeling something nagging at the back of your mind as you try to get purchase on his skin with your teeth.
>This is wrong, I’m a Good Fluffy.
>Shut up, Zodd is hungry.
>Don’t do this! Go back, beg the Herd to be your friends! You don't have to be the Smarty Friend!
>Stupid Fluffies lie to you, hurt you with words, trick you!
>There are other nummies! Moss, Hooman Nummies, stinky fruits! Eat those!
>But you have nummies right here! This Fluffy looks so fat, Fluffy Pony meat must taste soooo good!
>It takes several attempts, but finally your teeth break the skin, and you peel away a layer of flesh.
>The taste is .... blood, boo-boo juice, it always tastes bad. Always has, but the meat .....
>After two days of no food and barely any water, it tastes sooo sweet.
>Dive in for more of the Sweet Nummies, gore covering your face and chest as you tear mouthfuls out of your first kill, feeling rejuvenated as the warm, wet nummies fill your belly.
>”Num~mies num~mies wots a num~mies fo' Zo~odd.” You sing happily, until you hear a clatter behind you.
>You whirl around, teeth bared. This is YOUR NUMMIES! Nobody will take it away, not after everything you've been through!.
>There are dozens of Fluffies staring at you, their faces expressionless, so you snap your teeth and make your fluff stick out, trying to look bigger, meaner.
>More clattering, a lot more clattering, from higher up ...
>There's dozens more Fluffies climbing down off the mountains of garbage, their faces expressionless too, staring at you, at your bloody fluff, at the dead, partially eated Cannibal.
>Staring at your sin.
>”My nummies! Zodd nu be scawed nu moar! Zodd can kiww! Zodd can kiww an’ eat Bad Fwuffies!” You yell, running around and around your nummies as the Bad Fluffies encircle you.
>Then they grin, baring yellow, crooked teeth just like the Fluffy you just killed. They take a step forward, eerily in unison, and clack their teeth at you.
>”STAWP!” Somebody behind the pack bellows, and within a heart-beat, the rest of the Cannibals' grins disappear, and the Bad Fluffies retreat several steps.
>A new Bad Fluffy appears, bearing a curious, cross-hatched patchwork of burns across one side of his face.
>He looks at you, then the Fluffy you killed, then at you again.
>”Crump watch yuu, Big Fwuffy. Crump watch yuu cry an' run an' cry ...” He says, his eyes narrowing as he stares at you. “Tink yuu be jus’ moar meat fo’ Hewd. Den yuu kiww Crump’s son, den eat him. Buh yuu nu Stinky Wa-Wa’s Hewd, nu haf 'nuff scaws on face tu be Stinky Wa-Wa’s Fwuffy.”
>”Zodd be fwom Unnerground.” You grunt, glaring back. He’s almost as big as you are ... and has dozens and dozens of friends. Not good. “Zodd come tu Stinky Wa-Wa’s fo' Raid, buh aww Mares dumb or dead.”
>”Unnerground .... Crump heaw of Unnerground.” Crump mutters, then grins, displaying a disturbing mouthful of jagged teeth. “Zodd be New Friend of Crump’s Herd, get to keep wivving ... if Zodd show way tu Unnerground ... an shawe his nummies.”
>"Crump nu cawe dat Zodd eat Crump's son?" You ask, stunned. His own colt ... and he doesn't care?
>"Wectow was weak. Smaww. Had nu fwiends, was nu bwave owr smawty. Was suppose tu find nummies fo' Hewd, nu eat nummies awone. He be nummies fo' dat if he come bawk tu Hewd wit' nummies-juices on him anyways." Crump shrugs, staring at the bloody corpse behind you with all the interest as if he was staring at a rock. "If Zodd nu eat him, if Wectow won fite an' eat Zodd 'stead, den Hewd may'beh tuwn him into Nummies if nu can find otha Fwuffies next day, owr maybe water. Onwy de stwong, owr de smawty, wiv' in Crump's Hewd. Aww othas be Nummies."
>”Zodd wost, nu can wemembah whewe Unnergwound tunnew is nu moar ... buh Zodd do know whewe Crump can haf moar Sweet Nummies...” You reply, grinning broadly.

********************************************************************************

>You are Sweet Mare, and you wish the Stallion giving you Special Hugs would hurry up and finish. You've got better things to do that lie here and pretend to have fun.
>Zodd was heavy, so heavy he made you squish like a soft-ball-toy if he didn't stay standing while having Special Hugs, but he had a big No-No's, and that made the Special Hugs a lot of fun.
>Just ... you couldn't breath when he squished you, and that took all the fun out of Special Hugs. Stupid Big Fluffy would always forget to keep standing up, and you'd always lose the Good Feels.
>Had to get rid of him anyways, he was eating too much nummies, too loud when asking questions, too rough with the other Stallions.
>But wait, he’s back again...
>Is that blood on his chest and face! Has he been in a fight?
>”Nuuuu, Bad Fwuffie Zodd, we nu wan' yuu!” The Stallion giving you Special Hugs yells, trying to jump off to drive Zodd away again, but his legs won’t let go of you.
>You'll both have to leave it to the other Fluffies to drive him off until this Stallion has his Good Feels.
>You hope Zodd gets the hint and runs away for good this time ... the longer he's around, the more Fluffies might remember he gave you Special Hugs, and you were his Special Friend for a whole two days.
>”Buh Zodd wan' yuu. Zodd wan' yuu aww tu 'meat' Zodd’s Fwiends.” He says, grinning oddly, his teeth caked in blood. His eyes are ... wrong. The pupils are far, far too small. Is he ... giggling?
>”Zodd haf nu Fwiends! Zodd is a big meanie, tuu stupid tu wemembah any'ting!” Another stallion shouts back, puffing out his cheeks, but he doesn't advance on Zodd, aware of how much bigger the rogue stallion is, and everyone in the Herd remembers how Zodd made Mint and Swun have Horn-Sticky-Owies before taking over their Herd.
>”Yuu gu! Yuu gu, or Hewd nu jus' caww yuu Dummy dis time, we gif owies!” Another adds, rearing up to display his hooves. But again, he doesn't advance on Zodd.
>Cowards. You groan mentally as the Stallion on top of you pumps harder and faster. The sooner he's done, the better, if Zodd charges, you can't possibly run like thi~
>Clatter.
>Everyone looks up, surprised. The canyon of garbage around your safe place never moves, not even in the strongest storm! But it's not just garbage up there anymore.
>Scores of Fluffies creeping down the mountains of garbage, silent but for a single can they dislodged that clatters down ever-so-slowly.
>Where .... where did Zodd get so many friends so quickly?
>And why does that one have a funny mark on his ...
>Oh ... oh no. Crump. It's Crump the Cannibal. Crump the Foal-Eater.
>Zodd is giggling, rocking from side to side on his hooves, his blood-matted fluff glistening.
>”Zodd now haf many Friends! An they aww wan' tu ‘meat’ yuu!”
>”NUMMIES!” The Cannibals roar, charging down the slopes of discarded cans, white-goods and rags.
>Your Herd squeals in alarm, trying to rush back in to Safe Place, but the Fluffies all bunch up at the entrance, kicking and pushing each other as they all scream and gibber in terror, trying to reach the only real shelter they know.
>The Stallion's terror is finally enough that his legs listen to him and let you go, carrying him away to the Herd's Safe place where he's squealing in fear and biting at his friends' tails in an effort to pull them away from the entrance to the Safe Place so he can get into it first.
>You rush towards Zodd as fast as you can as you hear the screams behind you get more high-pitched, and the roars of the Cannibals get even louder. If he really is friends with Crump, maybe you can convince him to spare you! He did say he loved you! You'll offer to be his Special Friend again, and he'll get Crump to spare you!
>Zodd gives you a big hug as you reach for him, pushing your face into his bloody fluff and giggling, and you gag as the half-dried gore smears over your face, forcing itself into your nose and mouth.
>Almost against your will, your head turns so you can look over your shoulder, and what you see makes you scream in horror into Zodd's blood-soaked Fluff.
>The Cannibals are pulling your Herd out of the Safe Place's entrance, tearing off their fluff, pulling on their ears and tail, dragging them into the middle of the Cannibal's Herd.
>You see a squabbling mob of Cannibal Fluffies, their faces and chests stained red, and the flailing limbs and heads of your friends and family as they are pulled open and eaten alive, bursts and spurts of blood joining the torn fluff in the air.
>Other Cannibals surround you and Zodd, their teeth clacking, their eyes fixed on you.
>”Zodd, save Sweety, yuu wuv Sweety, yuu say many times!” You whimper, clutching Zodd's chest as those horrible, yellow, broken teeth fill your vision. "Sweety was wong, pwease, Sweet know dat Sweety was wong, pwease, be yuu Bestest Special Fwiend, gif yuu Guud Feews aww time, nu com'pwain 'bout squishies nu moar! Ha-haf yuu baybehs, pwomise, gif yuu Guud Feews an' many stwong baybehs!".
>”Zodd say, Sweety is Best Fwuffy...” He replies, nuzzling your head sweetly. “Zodd say, he save Sweety.....”
>You're sav~
>Zodd giggles and pushes you away with his hooves, and you trip and tumble back to land in the middle of the Cannibals, trembling with fear as they leer down at you.
>”Zodd, Sweety wuv yuu! Nu wan make yuu sad, but otha Fwuffies make Sweety! Nu! Nu wan yuu go!” You scream as the Cannibals close ranks around you, nuzzling at your fluff.
>”Zodd say, Zodd save Sweety fo’ Guud Fwiends. ‘Cause Sweety is Best Fluffy.” Zodd giggles, rocking back and forth on his hooves again, as the Cannibals lift their muzzles from you, stare into your eyes, and then grin, far too widely.
>And once again, your world is nothing more but screaming and horrible, yellow, broken teeth all around you.

********************************************************************************

>You are Zodd, Munsta-Fluffy, and you have decided that Raids are fun after all! They just need the right Herd to lead them, that's all.
>Crump is at your side, chewing on a mouthful of meat that hangs half out of his mouth.
>”Fat fwuffies. Good nummies. Hewd eat weww, nu haf make Choice of Weak Fwuffies in Hewd dis Dawk Time.” He grunts as Sweety starts to shriek and scream as the Cannibals prepare her for the feast, tearing out her fluff with their mouths and holding her kicking, squirming legs out of the way with their teeth.
>”Zodd happeh dat Zodd show Hewd whewe tu find Good Nummies.” You say, feeling the giggling welling up again. “Crump is right! Nothin’ scawy when Fwuffy is Munsta!”
>Crump nods, gulping down his nummies and burping loudly. “Is twuth. Fwuffies awways wunning, awways hidin’. But Munstas nevah wun, nevah be scawed. Munstas take an' take, su Crump teach Hewd tu be Fwuffie-Munstas, an' den we take an' take fwom de Weak Hewds, be happeh an' fat an' bwave tiww otha Munstas come, an' take fwom us. Crump's Hewd is stwong, we is bwave, we is meanie. Munsta's nu come fo' wongest time since Crump teach Hewd dis twuth.”
>He turns and gives you a crooked grin, and pats your shoulder with one hoof.
>”An’ we find Unnerground. An’ dis ‘Haven’ you tawk about. Crump Hewd haf many Fwuffies, we can find any'ting. Den we haf Safe Pwace, an' it aweady haf nummies fo’ us!”
>You and Crump laugh and laugh as Sweety finally stops screaming, reduced to gasping sobs as the flesh is torn from her belly, streaks of bloody tears down her cheeks. There are tears streaming down your cheeks too, but you don’t care.
>You aren’t Zodd anymore. You are a Munsta. And Munstas never get scared or feel sad.
>But they do get hungry ... and Haven is full of tasty Nummies just waiting for you.
>"Clover ... Zodd wan' show yuu new Fwiends. Nu get No-Lips tu yeww at Zodd nu moar den." You whisper as the delicious scent of the nummies inside Sweety Mare reaches your nose, and you and Zodd shuffle forwards to claim portions of the Nummies for yourselves.

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Chapter 12


>Be No-Name, helping Bwun and Clover clean your Babies.
>Well, Clover's telling you both the best way to clean the babies, but you and Bwun are doing the actual work.
>It's ... yikky work. Babies mess themselves all the time, you have to wipe off the worst of the mess with your hooves, but in the end you have to lick their fluff clean, or All-Mumma says the Babies will have the Worst Sickies ...
>Bleeeeeeeeeh.
>But you love your Babies, so you do it with minimal complaints.
>Lucky Baby, your yellow baby with both wings and horns and the beginnings of a fire-red mane, giggles and hugs your hoof as you clean it's bottom with your hoof, and then your tongue, and you smile even past the bitter taste.
>Despite all the hugging and cuddling from the rest of the Herd, the Baby still loves you and Bwun. It's even happy now, despite crying so much when the Dummy Mares wouldn't give it back so Bwun could give it more milk...
>Next is your Green Unicorn Baby ... oh!
>"Waaah, huggies!" You cry out in mock-surprise as your Green baby suddenly latches onto your muzzle with all four legs, giggling as you clean it's belly. "Baybeh su smawty! Gif huggies aw'weady!"
>Your baby giggles, then squeals with surprise and laughter as you blow raspberries onto it's soft little belly, trying to make it let go so you can keep cleaning, but all that does is make the Baby hug you more.
>You could easily just pull the baby off, but it's trying to give you hugs ... you don't want it to think you don't love it, but you do need to keep cleaning it ... uhm ... Oh!
>"Ehm, Bwun, hewp pwease." You mumble, turning to your Special Friend and bending down so your head is close enough for her to take the Foal away. "Nu can cwean baybeh if baybeh gif huggies tu No-Name's face!"
>"Hee hee, siwwy Speshaw Fwiend." Bwun laughs, reaching up to gently take the Green Baby by the scruff of it's neck in her teeth, and the baby immediately goes limp, a puzzled expression on it's face. "Wan' Bwun tu cwean baybeh?"
>"Nu, wiww cwean, jus' nee' hewp wit' baybeh huggin' No-Name's face." You reply, reaching for the baby with your hooves. "Nu wan' baybeh tink Huggies nu guud, buh mus' cwean baybehs so dey pwetty an' haf happehs."
>"Das wite! Yuu is guud Fatha, No-Name!" All-Mumma says loudly as she shuffles past you and Bwun, towards the other new parents, Crunchy and Pink. "Fatha's cwean Baybehs tuu, hewp dere Speshaw Fwiends! Is guud ting tu hewp wit' yuu baybehs!"
>The praise makes you feel warm inside, even though Clover is looking at you sadly, and you can feel the heat of Wed's angry glare boring into your back. You have pointedly not offered her a chance to help with the Babies, you don't want her anywhere near them, not with how Mean she's being.
>You and Bwun offered Clover a chance to help with the Babies, but she said it was important that they knew they only had one Mumma right now.
>That ... makes a kind of sense. Bwun has Milk now, but Clover's milkie-places are almost gone back to normal now. She's ... starting to smell good, which makes you very happy, but the thought of Special Hugs where your babies might see makes you feel ... dirty.
>It's strange, you never cared before Bwun's babies came into your life, Special Hugs were fantastic, and you saw many Fluffies in No-Lips's Herd having their Special Hugs with their Babies nearby or playing with the other Special Friends of the Stallion in question, but the very thought of your Babies watching you and Clover while you both grunt and squeak and giggle with the Guud Feels makes your No-No's shrivel up.
>Babies shouldn't see that. You don't know why you feel like that, but you do.
>Finally, after enduring several more 'surprise' huggies from your Green Unicorn Baby, you can finally declare it to be clean, and thus place it down next to Lucky and the Brown Foal, who immediately hug it as the Green Baby awkwardly shuffles towards Bwun's teats.
>The sight fills you with relief. You were concerned that the Babies might be jealous of Lucky getting so much attention, and so much milk, but they're very loving, very good-natured Babies. Lucky in particular, despite being so big, loves to give huggies to his siblings, but he hasn't made anyone squeak or peep in pain.
>That Lucky was so much bigger than the other Babies worried you so much. You were worried he might grow up to be a Biggest Meanie like Zodd, but he's such a sweet baby!
>Next is ... the Gold baby! Such beautiful fluff! It shines and shimmers in the light that filters in through the opening in the roof of Haven, even in the dim light of this 'Rainy Season'.
>You nuzzle the baby as you pick it up gently between your front hooves, smiling down at the baby, when the baby frowns.
>Quickly, you lift it up to your head, and open your mouth to say you love it, everything is okay, when the baby's face crinkles up and it squeaks "Nyeeee...."
>"Wha ... wha' wong? Baybeh hungwy? Cowd? Nee' huggies?" You ask it in a sudden panic! Oh no! Did you squeeze the baby too hard? Is it afraid to be this high? Does it miss Bwun already?
>And then it pees all over your chest, smiling in relief!
>"Naaaaaaaaah! Gowd Baybeh, nuuuuu!" You say loudly, trying to hold the peeing Baby away from you, but Gold Baby is peeing up somehow, and it arcs through the air and splashes on you and the Papers no matter what you do!
>"Mus' be cowt-baybeh, pee goin' fow'awds, nu goin' bawk." All-Mumma remarks dryly as she shuffles past, her mouth twitching as she tries not to smile.
>Fluff on fire, most of the Herd looked over when you shouted, and everyone's laughing at you and the Gold Baby! Aaaaagh!
>Nobody said being a Father was this embarrassing!

********************************************************************************

>Finally, everyone is clean. Lucky Yellow Baby, Red-Brown Baby, Green Unicorn Baby, Gold Baby and Dark-Green Pegasus Baby.
>It only took ten minutes to make sure everyone was clean, even with all the 'surprise' hugs and the peeing incident, but still ... it seemed to take forever!
>Had to go put your belly in the water that came in through the grate, let your fluff soak it up, and then drag yourself around on the ground.
>You're dirty, but at least you don't smell like pee anymore.
>Bwun couldn't stop laughing at you. She tried to scold the Gold Baby, but both she and Clover were whooping with laughter, unable to stop themselves.
>You sat Gold down, away from his very silly Mumma, and tried to explain that what he did was bad.
>All that happened was that Gold waved his front legs at you all the way through The Talk, and then shuffled over to give your front leggie a hug, cooing all the while.
>Being a Father can be frustrating ...
>Now you sit by Bwun's head, stroking her mane with your hooves and trying to tease out the knots in her hair with your teeth as the babies suckle at her teats, kneading the soft mounds with their forelimbs and their mouths wrapped around the small pink nubs of flesh, their eyes half-closed in bliss as they drink for the third time in their lives.
>schuu schuu schuu schuu schuu is all the noise they make as they drink ...
>All-Mumma and Clover both said that the Babies can only drink for so long, so they don't drain Bwun's milk-places too soon, but how long is too long?
>"Is ... wong 'nuff?" You ask Bwun softly, smiling at your babies. "Miwky-pwaces stiww oh'tay?"
>"Stiww feew wike haf wotsa miwkies ... gif baybehs wittwe bit moar, den dey come back fo' huggies 'gain." Bwun replies in an equally quiet voice, sighing happily as your hoof strokes her mane again.
>Babies are tiring to look after, and they haven't even been here one full day yet! They all want to play, to sleep, to feed, to poop, and never at the same time ...
>And Bwun's been taking the worst of it. The babies always want Bwun to hug them, and they whine when she takes too long, or cry when she puts them down to hug somebody else, or when she won't let them nurse constantly ...
>So while the Babies are being good, and are distracted with yet another feeding, you're grooming Bwun to help her feel better.
>Clover says she can't come over just yet, although it's obvious she wants to. The Babies having to know they only have one Mumma, and they can only have milk from that one Mare.
>All-Mumma quietly explained to you that the Rule was had been brought into place to protect Fluffy Mummas and their babies from Baby-Stealers, so that the Babies would know which Mumma was their real Mumma, so they didn't learn the wrong Mumma-Song by mistake.
>It made you so furious to think that anyone in the Herd could be so mean to separate a Fluffy Mumma and a Foal, just so that the Meanie Fluffie wouldn't be lonely! To make a Mumma cry and suffer, to make a Baby so terrified and sad, surely only the worst Fluffies would do something like that!
>But All-Mumma just smiled sadly at you and said you would understand those 'Worst' Fluffies when you lost one of your babies.
>Not if, when.
>That ... terrifies you. You don't want to believe it will happen. You, Bwun, Clover, even your bitchy Special Friend Wed, surely you'd all do anything to protect these babies?
>Anything ... you would do anything for them.


********************************************************************************

>"Wite ... Drips, Stumbles, No-Name, Brick, yuu gu wit' All-Mumma an' Mawes an' get nummies fwom Unner' Lake fo' Fwuffy Mummas! Wemembah tu watch Wa-Wa's, make shuwe nu Rat-Munstas swimmin' in dem, dat Wa-Wa's nu su high dat Fwuffies get wet an' haf cowdsies!" No-Lips barks to the assembled Stallions. "Honey, Wittles, Tricks, Bluehorn, Bandit, Dingle, Spruce, Bowl, Streak, yuu gon' sneaky-sneak tu Ova'gwound an' get Papers for sweepy-pwace. Yuu be extwa sneaky-sneak Papew-Waidas, nu tawkin', nu fitin', nuthin!"
>"Papew-Waidas, if yuu fin' nummies, buh dere Munstas neaw, weave de nummies, nu wowth wosin' Guud Fwuffies. Yuu see pwetty Mawes, fow'get dem, yuu haf pwettier Mawes back hewe. Yuu see Sketties wit' par'mee'san on it ..." No-Lips stops and grins as the Herd snorts with laughter at that old, old joke"Yuu is dummy fwuffies! Yuu haf Wongest Sweepies, an' yuu onwy jus' find out!"
>It helps to laugh at the danger, sometimes. To pretend, even if only for a few moments, that it can be avoided.
>The new Fathers, Brick and No-Name, are cuddling their Fluffy Mummas, promising them lots of Moss-Nummies, so they can have a lot of water so their milk keeps flowing, and plenty of nummies, even if it is disgustingly bitter fare.
>Admittedly, Moss isn't the best food for a Fluffy Mumma, but it's that or what grass and clover the Herd was able to bring back from the Park, and most of that was lost on the trip back when the Herd crossed the quagmire of muck, and lost one of their Mares.
>While the Paper-Raiders could scrounge for Nummies ... you weren't lying about them ignoring any Nummies they might find if the risk is too great. You're not about to demand your Stallions put themselves at even greater risk for a few mouthfuls of food.
>Paper is more important now, the Herd won't have the Longest Sleepies for missing a meal here and there, not with all the gorging they do in the mornings, and the abundance of the bitter-but-nourishing Moss in the Underlake.
>If the Rainy Season has come earlier than expected, you need to start stockpiling warm, dry bedding now, before the Sky Wa-Wa's ruin them all. Anything that can help keep the Herd warm and, most importantly, dry is vital to help stop the weaker Fluffies from getting the nose-drippy-yikkies sickness or the cough-cough-chest-hurties sickness, and then giving them to everyone else.
>Bwun is being very loud about her opinion on her Special Friend leaving her side, even though Clover is promising her that she and her Colts and Filly will stay by Bwun's side till No-Name returns, but you can't really blame her, not after what happened.
>Still, it makes you feel warm inside to know that Little Foal, er, Little Filly, is not only still alive, but thriving on the milk, care and love of Clover and No-Name.
>"Nuuu, nee' No-Name!" Bwun bawls unhappily, pushing away another Mare who tries to cuddle her, or rather, to cuddle the Lucky Baby that has a death-grip on both Bwun's teat and one of it's siblings, peeping in distress. "Tuu many Fwuffies aww wan' pway wit' Bwun's Wucky Baby! Nee' No-Name tu keep Fwuffies fwom hafin' tuu many Huggies, Wucky Baby nee'  Bwun an' No-Name!"
>Poopies. Seems that you need to remind some of the dumber Fluffies that a newborn isn't going to lead them to a Golden Age. Again.
>First time you've ever seen No-Name get angry in the short time since he joined your Herd, let alone actively hurt another Fluffy.
>When one of the other Mares told Bwun to stop being silly, she just wanted to hug the Lucky Baby a little bit more, even though it was bawling it's eyes out, you saw No-Name's ears go flat against his head, and his lips pull back into a snarl.
>And then No-Name snatched the baby off the stubborn Mare, gave it back to Bwun to soothe and cuddle, and then spun back around with his leg sticking straight out and pow, slapped the protesting Mare who wouldn't give the Lucky Baby back right across the face with his hoof.
>"Is nu yuu baybeh!" He screamed into her face, while the rest of the Herd looked on in surprise. "Bwun nee' gif miwkies tu baybeh, gif wuv an' huggies an' make Baybeh feew safe an' happeh, can Mawe nu heaw No-Name's baybeh cwyin'? Ev'wy Fwuffie haf huggies, den' wan' moar huggies, den' wan huggies 'gain, Wucky Baybeh nee' tu haf miwkies an' huggies an' wuv fwom Bwun or No-Name's Baybeh haf wongest sweepies!"
>Then you had to go and back up No-Name when the Foal-less Mares all ganged up on the Stallion and his Special Friend, demanding that they get to cuddle the Lucky Baby again, that they were Mothers many times over, that they could 'help' Bwun raise the Foal, that No-Name was a Stupid Stallion who didn't know poopies about Babies.
>You had to smack the loudest Mares, several times in the end, to make absolutely sure that they knew in no uncertain terms that the Lucky Baby was going to stay with Bwun and No-Name, and that you weren't going to take this sort of crap in your Herd.
>Most of the Mares had understood the moment you joined the arguement against them that they'd well and truly crossed the line, so they apologised to Bwun and No-Name and said they were just so excited to have a Lucky Baby as part of the Herd, then made themselves scarce.
>A few just whined or spat on the ground angrily and waddled off. You asked One-Eye to watch them while everyone else is out, to make sure that Bwun and her Babies are protected.
>Under normal circumstances, you'd send them out to get nummies from the Under-Lake, but you don't trust them enough right now, not with your Stallions splitting up to perform two raids on the one day, and everyone's tempers frayed and worn from the early start to the Rainy Season.
>The Stubborn Mares are that angry, they might decide to try and leave the Herd, or worse yet, try to double back and get to Bwun when the majority of the Toughies are absent ...
>Pink, for her part, is a God-send. She's happy to let her Foals be hugged by the other Mares who so desperately wanted to cuddle a Baby again and remember their own children, which has hopefully solved a big problem for you as that took some of the crowd away from Bwun and her own newborns.
>You've seen what happens when a Mare believes the Herd isn't safe for her babies. Some Mares snap and snarl, refusing to let anyone, even the other Special Friends of their Stallions, come close, others refuse to care for their own Babies and instead force them on the rest of the Herd, and some try to run away, into the Underground to find a new Herd, or to live on their own ...
>You hope Bwun doesn't try to run away because she thinks her Babies won't be safe in your Herd. You like Bwun, she's a calm, reliable Mare, she tries hard to make friends and be a good member of your Herd. It would be a shame if you had to put her into the Bad Fluffy Pit for trying to run away.
>Nobody is allowed to leave the Herd, because then they might tell the other Fluffies about Haven. You've lost some Fluffies in the Park, or on Raids, when they got separated from the Herd and nver came back, and each time you spent several nervous days fretting that they had died, or worse, they'd worked their way into another Herd and were filling another Smarty's head with the wonders of Haven ...
>All-Mumma spent a good five minutes verbally demolishing the Herd's Mares about how nobody harrassed them right after they had had their first ever lot of Babies, and how Mean they were, and how would they like it if somebody kept snatching their babies away, on and on till you thought your ears would be bleeding, and the Special Friends of those Mares rushed forwards and begged All-Mumma to stop, their Mares knew they'd been bad, please stop!
>So, All-Mumma will 'lead' the Fluffies heading to the Under-Lake, supposedly to dictate what nummies are suitable for the new mothers, but in truth she insisted on doing so as to continue to give a piece of her mind to the Mares without their Special Friends being around to intervene.
>"Dey know betta!" She hissed angrily in the relative privacy of the Old Fluffy Corner as the Old Fluffies planned what routes would be best of the Paper-Raiders to take, now that the Rainy Season has come. "Dey aww haf Baybehs befowe, know dat Baybeh nee' time wit' Mumma tu haf Miwk, tu weawn de wite Mumma Song, tu know who dere weaw Mumma is!"
>"Den yuu shuwe? Dis nu easy wawk fo' Owd Fwuffies, may'beh shouwd nu gu." Gnaff asked nervously, well out of hoof-range, but still ...
>"Yes, All-Mumma mus' gu! Stuuuupid Mawes! Fow'get dat Baybeh is Baybeh, tink dat it nu matta if baybeh cwy an' gu hungwy, jus' cause it not dere Baybeh! Fo' Poopies sake! Gon' smack dem tiww dey wem'em'bah ev'wyting dat All-Mumma teww dem!" The wispy-fluffed, Ancient Mare replied with unusual venom in her voice. "No-Lips say dat Baybeh is wucky, dat is oh'tay, wish No-Lips had towd All-Mumma 'bout Wucky Hewd, buh is oh'tay, No-Lips say he sowwy, nu tink dat he see Wucky Fwuffies eva 'gain."
>"Nuuu, wha' make All-Mumma su angwy is dat dese Mawes, many of dem aw'weady haf Baybehs many times, buh dey fow'get!" She continued to rant, pacing angrily around her faded, tattered pillow-bed while the rest of the Old Fluffies kept their distance. "Bwun shouwd nu haf scawies wit' hewr Baybehs! Fiwst Baybehs speshaw, aw'ways wemembah yuu Fiwst Baybehs. An' now Bwun gon' wemembah hewr Fiwst Baybehs an' Fwuffies twyin' tu take dem fwom hewr! IS NU GUUD TING!"
>Eventually, the Old Fluffies calm down All-Mumma enough to lead the expedition to the Under-Lake, and No-Lips appoints Wittles and Honey as leaders of the Paper-Raid Fluffies.
>"No-Lips nu gon' wead?" Bluehorn asks innocently, but the Smarty Friend scowls, knowing full well the blue-fluffed Unicorn is fishing for an excuse to cause trouble.
>He's been trying to pick fights ever since you upheld the Mares' right to leave their Special Friend, and he's been seen hanging around with Peach, who is a bitch in her own right, and Wed, who is rapidly becoming a thorn in your side on her own.
>Not good. You'll have to wait till things calm down a little bit before dealing with them properly, however. The Herd must have unity, or they will be divided, individuals who act to preserve themselves rather than the Herd.
>Dividing Bluehorn, Peach and Wed from the Herd and making them social outcasts would certainly solve the problems they cause the Herd now, but tomorrow, when Fluffy tempers flare as empty bellies rumble and individuals move at cross-purposes in Haven, having the idea that you can exile another Fluffy just for being naughty floating around inside their heads is just begging for trouble.
>"Smawty Fwiend No-Lips haf tu tink 'bout how Hewd goin' to get tu Pawk next bwite time." No-Lips replied coldly, glaring back at Bluehorn. "Dose Mawes who nu wike yuu awe gon' stay hewe, hewp wit' baybehs an' stay wamm, whewe dey nu gon' be weft behind by scawedy-fwuffie. Nu wan' dem weft fo' de Rat Munstas wike last time."
>Bluehorn flinches as several Mares titter or squeak insults at the length of his Horn and No-No's, and the Unicorn scowls furiously as the Stallions nearest him deliver 'soft' kicks to his side as they remember why Bluehorn is in such disgrace with the Smarty Friend at the moment.
>By reminding the Herd of Bluehorn's cowardice, and his willingness to put their most vulnerable at risk, the almost-immobile Fluffy Mummas, No-Lips puts the focus back on his insubordinate Stallion.
>"Smawty Fwiend an' Two-Socks mus' wurk hawd, mus' make shuwe dat what tunnews Hewd use next Bwite Time is safe fo' Fwuffies." No-Lips continues on, now ignoring the fuming Bluehorn. "We wost a guud Mawe. A guud Fwuffie haf wongest sweepies. Dis is nu guud, an' Smawty Fwiend mus' make shuwe dat Hewd nu woose moar fwiends tu Wainy Season!"
>"Fwuffies goin' out tu get Mawz an' Wa-Wa's fwom Unda'wake, yuu mus' keep wook-out fo' wost Fwuffies! Wa-Wa's bwing many tings down into Unner'gwound, an' owr Hewd mus' be weady!" The Smarty Friends adds, moving his focus to the handful of Stallions and the bulk of the Mares without Foals of their own right now, the group going out to collect the moss. "If yuu see new fwiends in Unner'gwound, make shuwe dat dey is Guud Fwiends. Nu wan' haf tu push Bad Fwiends into Bad Fwuffy Pit if nu haf tu, buh Hewd can nu wet otha Hewds know 'bout Haven, an' some Dummy Fwuffies tink dey can wun 'way fwom Hewd, after we take dem in, make dem pwetty 'gain, gif dem owr nummies!"
>Unhappy noises fill Haven. Everyone has seen or knows about one or two incidents where a Fluffy tried to run away, either because they couldn't handle living under No-Lips's strict rules, they wanted to bring more of their Friends to live in Haven even though the Safe Place was nearly full anyways, or because they wanted to make Haven their own, and the end result was always No-Lips asking the Bad Fluffy to repent and explain themselves.
>And almost always having to push the Bad Fluffy into the Bad Fluffy Pit when they refused, or tried to incite the other Fluffies to rebel.
>"Mawz-waidews, Gu! Yuu know whewe tu gu, fowwow All-Mumma, get what nummies she tewws yuu, WISTEN tu All-Mumma an' be Guud Fwuffies fo' hew!" You shout to that group, as they slowly wend their way out of Haven's blockaded entrance, while you turn to your Paper-Raiders and begin to dictate to Honey and Wittles the exact path they are to take to the surface and back again.
>Unfortunately, it takes a while to get Honey and Wittles to be able to get the path down exactly right, so you have to repeat it over and over again, while Bluehorn and Bandit look on and probably learn the route as well.
>Still ... you're not worried. Bluehorn might be a treachous, self-absorbed little twit, but he is a coward as well. you remember when you first absorbed his Herd into your own, making him just another Toughie, a stinging blow for the former Smarty Friend .
>He doesn't have the Special Lumps to do anything directly, and with all those other Stallions around, he won't dare cause any trouble.

********************************************************************************

>Be Bwun, nervously cuddling your babies as Little Filly and Clover's two white Colts groom your mane, praising you for being such a beautiful Mumma and having such wonderful babies.
>Having Clover just a few paces away helps calm your nerves, and you can tell she is furious at the antics of the other Mares.
>Babies are wonderful, and everyone wants to cuddle them, to assure these new lives that everything will be fine, but six of the Mares only wanted to cuddle Lucky Baby, and wouldn't give it back ... they were even squabbling amongst themselves over who would be the best Mumma of a Lucky Baby!

>But these are all your babies. Yours and No-Name's! YOU are supposed to be their Mumma, and no-one else!
>And now No-Name has to go and fetch nummies, which makes you worried. You didn't know this Herd could be so ... frightening when it came to babies, but Clover, and then some of the nicer Mares, came over, apologised and explained about how several weeks ago, a dozen of the Mares had had lost the babies inside their tummies after ignoring No-Lips and eating the Phoy'sun Nummies the Two-Legged Musntas had put out.
>About how some of the Mares who had eaten the Phoy'sun Nummies would never have Babies again, because of what the Phoy'sun Nummies had done to their naughty places. Even though they made the Special Smells, they couldn't wake up the babies inside their tummies anymore, no matter how much they had Special Huggies.
>Many of them had never forgiven themselves for that, and had dedicated themselves to helping the Foals of the other Mothers. Perhaps a little too much dedication, you thought!
>In your old Herd ... a Mare who couldn't have Foals was ... nothing. Not even a Special Huggies Mare. They just didn't exist in the eyes of the Herd. Fluffies would ignore them, walk around them and kick them out of the Fluffpile, would pretend those Mares did not even exist.
>You are so ... oop! No!
>One of the Babies is trying to get more milk! But you know that you can't give them more right now! You have to ration the milk, like All-Mumma and Clover say, so that the Babies can have some nummies all the time, rather than all the nummies at once, and then have tummy owies for a long time.
>It's the Golden Baby, squashing one of your full, jiggling milky-places as he tries to climb up the side of the teat, trying to get up onto the soft mound to put his lips around the teat.
>Sighing heavily, you bend awkwardly, for the other four babies are cuddling on your chest, and grab Gold by the hindquarters between your two front hooves, dragging him away from the nearest teat.
>The look of shock and surprise on Gold's face almost makes you relent, but All-Mummas warning that you'd wish you kept your milk makes you think about your babies, crying and bone-thin as they lay on the Papers, with you and No-Name arguing and shoving each other because you can't make milk fast enough for them.
>So you bring your Gold baby up to your face and awkardly turn the squirming baby around so his face is pointed towards you, and bump his teeny little muzzle with your own, and sing your Mumma-Song to him softly.
>"Is oh'tay, baybeh, yuu Fatha bwingin' mowe nummies fo' Bwun, den yuu jus' haf tu wait fo' wittwe bit, den yuu can haf mowe miwk-nummies, pwomise." You whisper to Gold as you hold him up, above your head, so he's looking down into your eyes. "We wuv yuu, we wuv aww owr baybehs, buh miwk-nummies nu weady fo' yuu yet, pwease be Guud Baybeh an' wait."
>Gold squirms and whines, but a few more muzzle-bumps and your Mumma-Song calm the Gold Baby down enough that you feel safe enough to put the baby down on your chest with the other babies, where the Green Unicorn and the Lucky Baby both reach out and squeeze Gold between them until they all go to sleep.

>Poor Pink, on the other hoof, isn't having nearly as much luck, as her babies have figured out that she can't stop them all from having Milk Nummies at once, and she is still having to struggle with her babies, even with two attendants aiding her and holding a baby each and trying to calm them down.
>"Hii hii hii!" The Babies chirp and laugh, thinking it's all a game as they crawl down to the teats, have a mouthful and then are gently dragged back up to their mother's chest, but Pink is sobbing in frustration, begging her babies to stop being naughty, while the attendants try to soothe the Babies they are holding onto, who squirm and cry and whine, because they aren't being allowed to 'play'.
>"Gu hewp Pink, she nee' Fwuffies tu hewp hew moaw." You whispered to Clover's two white not-quite-Colts, who rushed over to Pink and immediately hugged her neck, promising her they would help and give huggies.
>Babies are so much work, but your very blood runs cold when you think about them going away ...
>Clover says she'll help with your Babies as much as she can, but she also said that she has to keep an eye on her own Foals, the two white Colts and Little Filly, as they are getting old enough to start to want Special Huggies, but they're not old enough to be good parents.
>The Smarty Friend said that the Colts had to prove themselves first, as well ... but how?
>"Pweeeeeease! Baybehs stawp bein' siwwy!" Pink finally cries out loud, resorting to actual punishment to stop her babies from stealing more milk, clapping her hooves together and making a circle with her front legs, which she then drops down onto her belly and drags upwards, her front legs catching and rolling the babies back up to her chest, where they start to kick and fuss and cry.
>"Nu moar miwkies! Nu haf 'nuff, NU HAF 'NUFF!" She bawls, in great distress and shame, holding her remaining five babies tightly to her chest as they complain loudly about their game ending. "Pwease, wisten tu Mumma, nu can haf mowe miwkies, nu!"
>You still don't understand why Pink's milk-places aren't as full as yours. Pink might have two more babies than you, but the Lucky Baby drinks so much milk, it's almost twice as big as your other babies, even when it was just born.
>Both you and Pink get the same amount of nummies, both of you have Special Friends who love you very much, both of you sleep in the Papers every night so you're warm ... and you even came from the Stinky Waters, while Pink has spent her whole life in No-Lip's Herd.
>As your babies sigh and snore on your chest, hugging each other, you smile down at them and find yourself thinking of happier thoughts, of naming the babies, of grazing together with No-Name in the Park while Clover's babies play with yours ...
>"Does fwiend nee' hewp?" A voice asks suddenly, making you blink and look around ... oh!
>"Wed?" You say in surprise as your dark-red-fluffed Friend sits by your head, a big smile on her face.
>"Yes, Bwun, did yuu fow'get Wed?" Wed asks again, still smiling "Gon' be yuu 'Ah-ten-dant', gon' hewp Bwun wit' yuu Baybehs."
>"Buh All-Mumma say she gon' pick New Fwiends tu hewp Bwun wit' Baybehs." You explain, finding yourself raising your front-legs over your babies in a loose hug.
>You're trying to protect them ... Wed's being too nice. You know her, she's never this nice unless she wants something!
>"Buh is yuu fwiend, Bwun. Been yuu fwiend since Bwun was wittwe fiwwy an' Wed was baybeh." Wed coos, stalking around to your other side, her eyes fixed on your face. "Fwiends teww Wed dat yuu nee' hewp, an' Wed wuv Bwun, wan' hewp Bwun, hewp Bwun be guud Fwuffy, haf happeh, stwong Baybehs tuu."
>"Yuu know dese baybehs nu No-Name's baybehs. Shouwd nu be makin' him pwetend wike dis." Wed continues, still circling you. "If yuu say No-Name nu yuu Speshaw Fwiend nu moar, den aww of Hewd wiww haf tu hewp yuu an' yuu Baybehs. No-Name nu gon' be abwe tu get yuu 'nuff numies, nu wit' Meany Smawty Fwiend an' Clover aw'ways makin' him do tings fo' dem."
>"N-nu! Wuv No-Name, No-Name wuv Bwun an' owr baybehs! Bwun have tawk wit' Speshaw Fwiend, No-Name know dese baybehs fwom Owd Smawty Fwiends, buh he wan be dere Fatha, No-Name wuv dem!" You protest, hugging your chest, and the babies on it, to cover them in a protective double-layer of your fluff. Why is Wed saying these cruel and horrible things to you?
>She couldn't be trying to get No-Name all to herself again? After all you've done for her, she's going to ask you to leave one of the nicest and most understanding Stallions you've ever met, right when you've just had your babies?
>"Yuu is bein' Bad Fwuffie, keepin' No-Name wike dis." Wed snaps, her smile disappearing so fast you blink in surprise. "Dose baybehs awe nu No-Name's baybehs, he nu yuu Speshaw Fwiend! Yuu is bein' a Bad Fwuffie, Bwun, vewy Bad Fwuffie!"
>You start to cry, with loud, heart-broken sobs, as Wed circles you again and again, telling you you're a bad Fluffy, that your Babies don't belong to No-Name, that you're taking advantage of his kidness, that you're being a terrible friend.
>And then ... Wed shrieks, and you blink away the tears to see several Mares have rushed to your defence, their faces twisted into masks of rage as they dog-pile Wed and push her away to the far side of the Papers.
>And there's the scary, scarred Old Fluffy, One-Eye, standing at your side, glowering at the howling, flailing Wed as she's pushed into the far corner by the muzzles and hooves of the Mares of your Herd ...
>"GIF HEW PUNISH'MEN'!" He roars, and your babies peep in fear at his fury, already upset by Wed's shouting, and bury themselves deep as they can into your fluff, cowering against your skin.
>You whisper your Mumma-Song to your babies to try and soothe them as the Mares turn as one, lift their tails and deliver point-blank Sorry Poopies to Wed, making her shriek in horror as her beautiful red Fluff is smeared and ruined, leaving her sobbing in distress, half-burried under a pile of stinky, sloppy poopies.
>You're staring at Wed, wondering what you can do or say to fix this, when you feel One-Eye nuzzling your front legs, and the backs of the babies you weren't able to fully cover, his greying, scarred muzzle rubbing down their backs.
>"Is oh'tay, baybehs, One-Eye keep yuu an' Mumma safe, pwomise." He whispers softly, face crinkled into a sad smile. "One-Eye nevah wet baybehs haf saddies owr owies fwom Meanies. Nevah 'gain, pwomise."
>And then he looks into your eyes, and you see tears in his eye.
>"One-Eye nevah wet any baybehs haf owies owr saddies. Pwomise." He whispers as your Babies, now that nobody is shouting or crying, and they've been nuzzled and comforted, start to drift back to sleep.
>And with that, he settles down at your side, a warm, comforting presence as he stares with his one remaining eye at the distant, sobbing Wed, and for the first time since No-Name left your side to get nummies, you start to feel safe again.

********************************************************************************

>Be Bandit, foraging for Papers with the other Stallions of the Herd.
>While the Rainy Season has partially flooded the Underground and already claimed one Mare of your Herd, it has also cleaned the dirt and dust out of most of the tunnels.
>It was almost surreal to walk through the dark, cold stone hallways of your home and not get dirty ... it's been so long, you were a colt the last time the Rainy Season came, and then you were more interested in the smells the Fillies were making than what water could do to the Underground ...
>Also, the Sky-Wa-Wa's seem to have driven all the Munstas indoors, so there's precious few threats, even though the sun is so high overhead.
>Lots of Fluffies in the alleyways, however, bawling that their homes have been destroyed. Or trying to steal the few homes that escaped destruction from the Alleyway Hoomins, or worse still, each other ...
>Cardboard boxes that have collapsed under the freak rain-storm, leaving the Fluffies inside either entombed in wet, heavy cardboard that would harden and trap them once it dried out, or left shivering from fear and their own damp fluff as they stare at the ruins of their Safe Places.
>Your little band of Stallions passes one small Herd, sobbing and apologising to the 'Box-Fwiend' as they tear apart the water-logged remains of their home, while a Fluffy you think is their Smarty shouts at them to work faster, their nummies are trapped in there.
>Poor Fluffies, but that's what you get, living on the surface. It might be less scary on the surface, but you can never really have a true Safe Place.
>And ...
>"Nuuu, dis owr Safe Pwace! Yuu gu 'way, Hewd nee' dis fo' baybehs!"
>"Dis fo' Smawty now! Git out owr Smawty wiww gif big owies, dat is Smawty's new Safe Pwace!"
>"Nuu, yuu nu Smawty, Shin'ah'mon is Smawty, yuu is Dummy! Gif Safe Pwace tu weaw Smawty Fwiend!"
>As your little group of Stallions passes another Alleyway, close to three-dozen Fluffies fight, cry or pee in fear in the wet, narrow space as desperate Stallions and Mares brawl over a mostly intact cardboard box, but you can see the rain has gotten into the box's walls, you can see it sagging in on itself even now.
>Even if one Herd does manage to drive off the other two, the Safe Place will still fall apart sooner or later. All those owies they are getting will have been for nothing.
>Wet newspapers everywhere ... useless. Still, you've all managed to scrounge up a few pieces of dry, or mostly dry, paper from newspapers, food-wrappers and even some brown packing paper out of an unclaimed box you found.
>Honey wanted to take the Box back, it would have been big enough for five or six Fluffies to sleep in, maybe more if smaller, lighter Fluffies slept on top of them, but Wittles pointed out it would have taken the whole Herd to drag it back to Haven, and that was in the Dry Time.
>So you all left it behind after stripping the dry Papers out of it ... you wish you could have taken it though. Break the Box down into it's panels, take the best pieces back to Haven, and replaced the old, moldy walls of Old Fluffy Corner, put the thicker, heavier pieces under the Papers so the sleeping area was even more padded for the Fluffy Mummas, but with the way the Surface Fluffies are acting, wandering around with a even a single piece of cardboard on your back would have them attacking you in a frenzy.
>Another Alleyway ... but this one is covered overhead, the Buildings join at the third storey, but the Alleyway itself is the home to another Herd, this one with dozens and dozens of small Boxes, big enough for one or two Fluffies at most.
>And there's a Herd of Fluffies gathered, bickering and squabbling as several larger Fluffies stand in a circle, shouting at one another.
>"Is YUU fauwt! Yuu was suppose tu dwag Safe Pwaces back unna waww's, now Smawty's Safe Pwace is wuined!" One Toughie, an Earth-Fluffy, yells with a frantic note to his voice as he pushes an equally large Pegaus back onto it's haunches. "Now Smawty gon' be suuuu angwy wit' us when he get back!"
>"Fwuffie did push Safe Pwaces back! Buh yuu nu hewp, yuu off gettin' nummies an' nu shawin' wit' Hewd! Nu couwd get Smawty's Safe Pwace 'way fwom Sky Wa-Wa's, Mumma's wun 'way an' hide in dere own Safe Pwaces!" The Pegasus snaps back angrily, putting a hoof onto the Earth-Fluffy's nose and pushing back, deforming his fellow Toughie's face.
>"Nu Mawes fauwt! Scawy fo' dem, tuu soon fo' Sky Wa-Wa's!" Another Pegasus, an unusually large Mare, whines unhappily as she shifts from side to side. "Mummas twy to get baybehs tu safety, den ev'wy Fwuffie panic an' wan' be wamm an' dwy tuu!"
>"Dummy Fwuffies! Smawty gon' gif us aww Owies if he nu haf Safe Pwace when he get back!" A forth Toughie, a Unicorn, scowls and sends a single spark into the air, making the other Fluffies nearby flinch. "Mus' fin' new Box-Fwiend fo' Smawty! MUS'!"
>There's a lot of shouting, a lot of blaming and demands for one Fluffy family or another to give up their Box-Friend for their absent Smarty Friend, but that's understandable, nobody wants to be at fault for letting a Smarty's home get wre...
>The poopies is Bluehorn doing?
>Without so much as a word to you or the other Stallions, Bluehorn shoves and bumps his way into the meeting of this Herd's Toughies and shouts at the top of his lungs.
>"Yuu nee' new Box-Fwiend? Bluehorn know whewe new Box-Fwiend is, buh Bluehorn nee' Papews!" He shouts, drawing surprised looks from this Herd's members. "Owr Safe Pwace haf bad Wa-Wa's, aww owr sweepy-pwaces get wet an' be bad now. Yuu gif us Papews, we show yuu whewe new Box-Fwiend is!"
>You stand there, staring at the arrogant Blue Unicorn's back with a your mouth hanging open and a look of disgust and disbelief growing across your face, while Honey and Wittles put hooves to their faces and groan.
>That idiot. Even if you couldn't take the box with you this time, maybe you could have come up tomorrow with the entire Herd and taken it back in the dim light between the Dark Time, when most things are asleep, and the Bright Time, when all the Munstas are awake, but now ...
>Predictably, the Toughies mob Bluehorn, pushing him back and forth between them as they desperately demand he tell them where the new Box-Friend is right the fluff now, while Bluehorn tries to shove back and shouts loudly that first they must give him their Papers!
>"Nu! Show us New Box-Fwiend fiwst! Nu Papews tiww Hewd haf nu Safe Pwace fo' Smawty Fwiend!" The Toughie Mare squeals, shoving Bluehorn particularly hard, making the blue Unicorn fluffy stagger to the side and fall against the flank of the Pegasus Toughie.
>"NUUU! Yuu gif papews tu Bluehorn's Toughies, den Bluehorn take yuu tu New Box-Fwiend!" Bluehorn shrieks back, ducking his head and thrusting his horn at the Toughies, making them curse and flinch away.
>Wait ... Bluehorn's Toughies?
>"AWW FO' POOPIES SAKE! STAWP!" Honey bellows, making the squabbling Fluffies flinch apart and stare at him. "Wook! Honey an' Bandit gon' gu show yuu whewe Box-Fwiend is, an' yuu gon' hewp us find dwy papews fo' ouw Safe Pwace."
>"Bu-buh nee' new Box-Fwiend noooooow!" The Pegasus Toughie whines, starting to cry in frustration. "Smawty gon' gif us soooo many owies if he nu haf Safe Pwace!"
>"An' de wongew we tawk, de wess time we haf tu get Box-Fwiend befowe anotha Hewd take it. Nu wike dis, buh oh'tay. Yuu stay hewe, we gif yuu some of ouw papews, yuu biggest Fwuffies come wit' us an' bwing back Box-Fwiend." The Unicorn Toughie shouts even louder, glaring at all and sundry and bopping the noses of every Fluffy near him like a Toughie possessed, until everyone, even a scowling Bluehorn with boo-boo juice dripping from his bopped nose, pays attention. "Big Stawwions wiww gu an' get new Box-Fwiend fo' Smawty! Wittwe Stawwions stay hewe, hewp pwotect Hewd ... an' if yuu twy tu steaw Mawes, Hewd wiww gif yuu fwiends biggest owies!"
>"We haf 'nuff Mawes aw'weady! Jus' nee' papews so dey can be wamm an' nu haf wowwy 'bout cowd gwound on dere bewwies an' baybehs." Wittle replies, glaring at Bluehorn. "An' we nu yuu Toughies, Bluehorn. We NO-LIPS'S Toughies ... yuu teww nu-twuff 'gain, gon' bweak yuu weggies an' weave yuu up hewe fo' de Munstas!"
>After a few more moments of grumbling, the two groups of Fluffies start to split up into those who will stay and protect the safe place, and the bigger stallions, including the three Stallion Toughies of this Herd, who will help carry the new Box-Friend back for their absent Smarty Friend.
>The Alleyway Herd Fluffies join you, Wittles, Honey, Dingle and Bowl, two big Earthies that No-Lips sent to help you, while Streak, Spruce and Tricks stay behind, all of them small Pegasus who won't be strong enough to carry a Box-Friend.
>"We pwotect fwiends Hewd wike owr own!" Tricks says loudly, puffing out his chest proudly as he is soon joined by Streak and Spruce, and the other, smaller Stallions of this Alleyway herd.
>It takes a little bit longer as you have to round up Bluehorn to help carry the Box-Friend, and he whines the whole way about having to do 'Earthy' work.
>Stuuuupid, dummy, meanie Unicorn! Now you're all at risk, just because he wanted to look good to this Herd! They might demand you stay and be part of their Herd! You don't want that, you've got Special Friends and Foals waiting for you back in Haven.
>And Bowl and Dingle almost let slip that your Herd lives underground ... Wittles managed to correct them, saying they lived under a stone-walky-arch, or a 'bridge', not in the Underground.
>Because only a Dummy would live Underground, with the Rats and the Wa-Wa, right?
>Thankfully, they all laugh at that. Typical of Alleyway Fluffies, they think that living in between the Safe Places of the Hoomins, the Two-Legged Munstas, makes them safe.
>Fools. Fools and Dummies. Hoomins are the worst of the Munstas, although you feel a pinch of shame at that thought. These Fluffies aren't bad, just blind to the truth.
>There's the Box ... ah.
>Getting it off of the pile of garbage was hard enough, but carrying it back ... phew!

>This Box-Friend has doubly-thick walls, and is a lot heavier, so everyone has to crawl under it, then stand, and walk together to get it back to the Alleyway Herd's home, with their Toughies at the front to lead the way, and everyone else at the back to keep the Box from tipping over.
>Finally, after what seemed like hours, the Toughies shouted that the Box-Friend could be put down now, and with a collective groan of relief, you all waited for the Fluffies in front of you to crawl out, then rush to the back of the Box-Friend and support it while you wriggled out on your knees, until you were all out from under the Box-Friend, and then the Herd started to push it over onto it's side, so that the opening was on the ground.
>Damn ... your wings hurt something fierce. They don't like being squashed like that.
>Tricks is staring at you, looking like he's very worried ... oh, there's a new Fluffy! A Pegasus, like you, but he's just slightly bigger than ... the ... Toughies.
>Oh Special Huggies you in the Poopies Place and call you a Mare!
>"Yuu bwing nyu Box-Fwiend fo' Smawty. Dis guud. Buh yuu fwiends say yuu nu wan' join mah Hewd. Dis nu guud at aww." The giant Pegasus rumbles unhappily, shifting from hoof to hoof.
>Bluehorn opens his mouth, and coughs as Honey and you kick him on opposite sides of the chest at once to shut him up before he drops you all any deeper into the Poopies.
>"We haf Hewd aw'weady." Wittles explains to the Smarty. "We is No-Lips Hewd, jus' nee' papews fo' ouwr Safe Pwace. Bluehorn wisten tu yuu Fwuffies sayin' dat yuu Safe Pwace had Wa-Wa Owies, Bluehorn say he know whewe new Box-Fwiend be, we take yuu Toughies tu new Box-Fwiend if dey gif us some papews fo' ouwr Safe Pwace."
>"No-Lips Hewd ..." The giant Pegasus Smarty rumbles, looking grim. "Bwick teww At'was 'bout how No-Lips hewp his Speshaw Fwiend haf wongest sweepies when haf wurst sickies. 'Bout Meanie cawwed Zodd who nu pawt of yuu Hewd now. How Zodd gif Smawty Fwiend Gum biggest poopie-owies an' kiww most of Gum's hewd."
>"Zodd is baaaaaad Fwuffie. Did Bwick teww yuu how tu keep Hewd safe fwom Zodd de Meanie?" Honey offers, looking worriedly over the smaller Stallions of No-Lip's Herd, whom are all slumped over near this 'Atlas'.
>"Nu ... Bwick haf tuu many saddies ova Speshaw Fwiend hafin' Wongest Sweepies. Yuu expwain dis 'Gween Sketties Sickies' to At'was. An' yuu teww At'was how tu keep dis Zodd fwom gifin' Huwties tu mah Hewd." The larger Pegasus demands bluntly as the Mares and smaller Stallions of his Herd rush over to the new Safe Place of their Smarty Friend, carrying pieces of paper and even mouth-fuls of their own shed fluff to line it with.
>And there's not a scrap of spare paper left to be found! Even the papers you gathered are being snatched up by the desperate Herd, and no amount of begging or squabbling is stopping them. POOPIES! Stuuuuupid Bluehorn's gotten you all neck-deep in trouble, and for nothing!
>And now you're surrounded by 'Atlas's' Toughie Friends as Honey and Wittles try to explain everything that happened yesterday morning, and how Atlas can best protect his Herd from Zodd.
>Bluehorn's going to get his special lumps kicked in for this, if you can ever get away from this Herd!

********************************************************************************

>"Moaw mauz!" All-Mumma yells as the Nummies-Raiders pull the icky-tasting green moss off the walls, off the stones, and put it all in a plastic bag they scrounged from the Under-Lake's shores. "Nee' as much mauz as Fwuffies can cawwy, icky nummies, buh wotsa Wa-Wa's in dem, hewp Fwuffy Mummas make wotsa miwkies fo' baybehs!"
>Stumbles and Drips, the other pair of Stallions assigned to the Nummies-Raiders, stand watch at the entrance to the Under-Lake, on the look-out for Munstas.
>On the way here, you all heard Fluffies sobbing and wailing in the distance, but All-Mumma wouldn't let anyone look for the lost Fluffies, saying that they could be Meanies from an Alleyway Herd, Fluffies that you couldn't trust, that would try to take the Mares away from No-Lip's Herd unless they were scared of the Stallions guarding the Mares.
>Everybody looked at Stumbles and Drips and sighed after that comment, and the two Stallions got very upset and refused to speak to anyone for a long, long time.
>Be No-Name, and together with Crunchy, the other New Fatha, you're plucking mouthfuls of icky moss off the stones at the very edge of the Under-Lake, where it growest the thickest and greenest, and passing it to the Mares behind you, who in turn pass it on to the Mares in charge of filling the bag.
>You were confused why the Herd was collecting the moss this way, but with everyone passing the moss along so quickly, the bag is already half-full, and there's no moss being dropped or spat out or lost with Fluffies slipping and scrambling over the slick, damp stones.
>You and Crunchy were worried at being separated from your Special Friends and your Babies for so long, but with this method, you'll have plenty of Moss-Nummies gathered and be home again soon!
>There's also several very sad or frustrated-looking Mares scrabbling about, collecting straws and small stones to help rebuild Fluffy Markers lost during the flooding.
>All-Mumma certainly has a strong opinion on how the Herd should deal with babies. And a loud one at that. Still, you feel much happier, knowing those pushy, meanie Mares who tried to take the Lucky Baby away from you and Bwun have been told how mean they have been acting!
>Even if a few didn't repent, they're well and truly out-of-sorts with the other Mares after All-Mumma's lecture included all the Mares, not just the selfish ones.
>"Icky ... All-Mumma, yuu shuwe dese be guud nummies fo' Speshaw Fwiend?" Crunchy asks after passing over his mouthful of bitter moss to the Mare behind him. "Tastes icky-icky! Nu wan' Baybehs tu haf Icky-Icky Miwkies!"
>"Yes, dey nu guud an' nummy wike cwovah owr gwassies, buh dey haf wotsa Wa-Wa's in dem." All-Mumma replies, eyeing the slowly filling plastic bag as the Mares stuff and stuff it with mouthfuls of the bitter moss. "Mummas nee' wotsa Wa-Wa tu keep dere miwk comin'. Nu Wa-Wa's, nu miwk fo' Baybehs. Tuu scawy tu take Baybehs out of Haven jus' now, su mawz is best nummies fo' Mummas wite now."
>"Yuu mus' bwing wotsa Mumma-Nummies back tu Haven fo' yuu Speshaw Fwiends, wotsa Gwassies an' Cwovah, wotsa Mauz an' any otha nummies yuu can find, fo' yuu Speshaw Fwiends nu safe tu muv tiww dere baybehs can wawk an' speak." All-Mumma continues as Crunchy starts pulling the moss off the rocks, in larger patches now, a determined glint in his eyes. "Gon' take thwee, may'beh fouw bwite-times be'fow dat happen, an' Stawwions haf tu be de ones who bwing Nummies tu dere Speshaw Fwiends. Hewd wiww hewp, buh onwy a bad Speshaw Fwiend wet Hewd du aww de wowk!"
>That makes you flinch. You're a ... Scaredy-Fluffy. A bad Toughie. You weren't willing to risk yourself to save that Mare yesterday, you froze, and she slipped over the edge and drowned.
>Can you get enough nummies for Bwun, with the Lucky Baby drinking so much milk, and being soooo big? No-Lips said that the Lucky Baby must be protected at any cost ... he didn't mean ... didn't mean at the cost of the other Babies, did he?
>You tear off as large a chunk of moss as you can, pass it to the Mare behind you, and slip and slide over the slick rocks to the next patch of moss, filled with uncertainty.
>You weren't able to make Wed happy at all, Clover is so sad because she and Wed can't be friends, Bwun is depending upon you to provide her and your babies with Nummies, No-Lips is depending upon you to be a good Special Friend, even though you're so useless ....
>Finally, with the light of the sun beaming straight down into the Underlake, All-Mumma declares the bag to be full enough that the Fluffy Mummas will have plenty of nummies for the rest of the day, and the small group of Fluffies grab the handles in their mouths and begin the long, slow process of dragging it back to Haven.
>All-Mumma takes everyone back on a different route this time, much to the bag-carriers' disgust, but it's a Rule.
>Never follow the same path twice, so the Monsters can't follow the tracks back to Haven easily.
>Halfway back, however, they encounter a familiar sight ...
>"Spe-spe-spechaw Fwien-hend-hend ...." A Pale Green Unicorn Stallion whimpers, lying down on his belly, head hanging over the ledge as he cries. In the water below, snagged on a pile of rubble, is a small, water-logged pale-yellow Foal, as well as tufts of fluff of different colours. "Yuu ... yuu haf wongest Sweepies! Ouw baybehs ... mah Speshaw Fwiend ... why dis happen? Why dis happen?"
>Oh no .... his family must have washed down one of the open storm-drains, and the Fluffy Mumma and her Babies must have been too weak to fight against the Sky Wa-Wa and were carried into the dirty waters of the Underground.
>"Who yuu!" All-Mumma barks, shoving her way to the front of your little group, glaring at this strange Stallion. "Whewe yuu fwom? Who yuu Smawty Fwiend?"
>It takes several more tries before the Stallion snaps out of his sorrow enough to realise he's being spoken to, but by this stage, everyone who isn't carrying the bag of moss has toddled over and is hugging him, sobbing as they stare at the drowned baby and the pitiful patches of damp fluff on the rubble.
>Such a waste, such a tragedy.
>"Fwu-Fwuffie is cawwed Mangwe. Nu haf Smawty Fwiend nu moaw, Smawty Fwiend say dat Mangwe an' Speshaw Fwiend nu can be to'getha." The pale-green Stallion sobs, tearing his eyes away from his dead family to stare at you all. "Mangwe take Speshaw Fwiend 'way fwom Meanie Hewd dat teww us nu can be Speshaw Fwiends, gu hide in Safe Pwace tiww baybehs weady ... buh den Wa-Wa's faww fwom sky! Box-Fwiend faww apawt, Speshaw Fwiend get scawedy an' twy wun back tu Hewd ... den she get washed down hewe ... she dwown, ouw Baybeh's dwown ..."
>Everyone hugs this 'Mangle' tighter, sobbing with him, but All-Mumma looks ... confused, staring at the dead Foal, the patches of Fluff, then Mangle, and then finally the Storm Drain.
>But when Drips suggests they take Mangle back to the Herd to become a new Toughie, she only nods, her mouth set into a tight line.
>You understand she's worried, normally Bandit, Honey, Wittles or No-Lips the Smarty Friend would have final say on if a Fluffy could be brought back to Haven, but everyone is so sad for Mangle, he ran away to be with his Special Friend, only to lose her right after they had their very first babies? It's just too sad!
>But even though he's so sad and crying, Mangle doesn't have to be asked twice to help drag the bag full of moss back to Haven.
>It looks like he'll fit in just fine.
>You just hope the Paper Raiders are having an easy time up on the Overground ....

********************************************************************************

>Be Honey, leading the way back to the tunnel you will use to re-enter the Underground, your Paper-Raiders in single-file behind you, with Wittles and Bandit at the back, making sure somebody doesn't cause anymore near-disasters with his poopie-making mouth!
>Everyone has as much paper as they can safely carry and still move fast, and Atlas let you all go with his blessing ... but still you and Wittles insisted that everybody take a longer, confusing route back to Haven, just in case he was the type of Smarty to lie.
>Somehow, Bluehorn managed to not dig your collective Sorry Hole any deeper throughout the big Pegasus Smarty Friend's interrogation, thank the First Fluffy, but that may have more to do with everyone taking turns kicking him in the ribs every time he opened his fluffing mouth than any wit on Bluehorn's part.
>Atlas asked why you were all hurting a Herd-Mate, naturally, and you all mentioned how he'd left three Mares, two of them precious Fluffy Mummas at that, to be eaten by Rat Munstas while he ran away.
>After that, it was harder to get Fluffies to stop kicking Bluehorn, and only because you pointed out your group needed the stuuuuupid Unicorn alive to carry the paper you needed.
>Bluehorn, naturally, carries the heaviest burden, and bitches about it constantly, but you learned to ignore him very early on, when No-Lips first brought him and his tiny little Herd under control.
>Still ... you were never able to get your original papers back off Atlas, but these papers are almost as good. You've got almost four whole newspapers worth! The papers is going to grow so big!
>But it's definitely time to head back to the Underground. The Two-Legged Munstas, the Hoomins, are starting to emerge from their ugly, mean-looking Safe Places, and the clouds that brought the Sky Wa-Wa's are all drifting away, turning white and wispy.
>And worse still, the Alleyway Fluffies are getting ready to riot. Their Box-Friends have all fallen apart, been torn apart by all the fighting or have warped considerably from getting wet, and without something solid overhead to keep the cold wind off them at night, they're getting desperate for any kind of shelter.
>And a nest of fresh paper is almost as good as a Box-Friend.
>Two Herds spotted your little convoy at the same time, and it was only a pre-existing rivalry between the Smarties that allowed you to flee without fighting, because as soon as the two recongised each other, they sent their Toughies in to fight over who would fight you for the papers.
>Naturally, you kept running rather than waiting to see who won. Seriously. No-Lips is right when he says that most Smarty Friends are actually Dummy Friends.
>You've seen miserable Fluffies sobbing as they try to assemble the broken, water-damaged remains of the Box-Friends into nests, Herds squabbling amongst themselves over whose fault this is, solitary Fluffies eyeing your convoy with naked envy ....
>Yes, definitely time to head home. Now.
>"Waaaaaaaaait! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait!" A new voice reaches your ear, and as you turn, you see a small Colt, almost big enough to earn the right to mate, rushing over to you.
>Oh, for Fluff's sake ...
>"Wha' yuu wan', wittwe Fwuffie?" Bandit asks, narrowing his eyes as the Colt runs right up to the convoy, oblivious to the danger of approaching strange, possibly hostile Stallions. "Yuu wost?"
>"Nuuu, am wookin' fo' Speshaw Safe Pwace!" The Colt says, so eager he's almost bouncing on the spot. "Smawty Fwiend say dat Fwuffies dat wiv in Unna'gwound haf Spesahw Safe Pwace dat Munstas nu can find!"
> ... Oh sideways Special Hugs! Somebody let slip about Haven!
>"De-dere nu such ting!" You manage to say after a long, awkward pause as every Stallion in the convoy looked at each other in horror, mouths working silently as they tried to figure out the best lie to tell, without being obvious. "Nu such ting as Speshaw Safe Pwace! Munstas aw'ways find Safe Pwaces, is why Fwuffies mus' muv dere Safe Pwaces aww de time!"
>"Nuuuu, dat siwwy! Fwuffie's Hewd wiv in Stinky Wa-Wa's, nu haf muv Safe Pwace!" The Colt presses on, oblivious to the frantic expressions of the now panicked Stallions as he rushes up and tries to hug each one, threatening to dislodge their cargoes of precious paper. "Buh Smawty Fwiend say dat otha Fwuffies might kno' whewe Speshaw Safe Pwace is! Yuu hewp? Smawty say he gif name-name tu Fwuffie if can fin' Speshaw Safe Pwace! Pwease hewp Fwuffie haf name-name?"
>Another awkward moment, with the Colt looking from Stallion to Stallion with an earnest smile, utterly oblivious to their distress.
>"Nu, is nu siwwy. Stinky Wa-Wa's is safest pwace in Cee'tee." You finish lamely, then turn and walk doggedly onwards towards the alleyway where the storm-water drain is ... and that damn fool of a Colt walks at your side, babbling about how he's going to find this Safe Place, and his Smarty Friend is going to be so proud of him and finally give him a name-name.
>"Wook, wittw Fwuffy, yuu nee' tu gu. Now." You finally snap, glaring at him, which finally makes the little idiot stop his self-absorbed chatter and flinch. "We is goin' tu owr Safe Pwace, which is nu in Unna'gwound. Yuu mus' gu. Yuu is nu pawt of owr Hewd, Smawty Fwiend gon' be weaw angwy if yuu come wit' us, make us gif yuu many owies, may'beh Wongest Sweepies su yuu nu teww whewe Safe Pwace is!"
>"Buh ... nu! Fwuffie mus' fin' Speshaw Safe Pwace!" The Colt protests, his eagerness to please his absent Smarty Friend apparently over-riding any sense of self-preservation. "If yuu Safe Pwace is nu Speshaw, den Fwuffie keep wookin', oh'tay? Oh'tay!"
>And then he toddles forwards, convinced that he's right and the arguement is settled ... then stops about a half-meter away, looking over his shoulder at you in puzzlement that you've stopped.
>All the other Stallions come and stand at your side, now very frightened, and very angry.
>This .... dummiest-dummy-Colt isn't getting the message. Not. One. Word.
>You're either going to have to scare him off, or give him the Longest Sleep to preserve the secret of Haven.
>And even if he is dumb ... you don't want to hurt him, it's just a Colt, trying to be helpful to his own Herd.
>"Nu, yuu is nu wistenin'! If yuu fowwow us, ouw Smawty Fwiend wiww be suuu angwy wit' yuu!" Honey pipes up, glaring at the Colt and puffing up his cheeks. "What yuu Smawty Fwiend du if stwange Fwuffies fin' yuu Safe Pwace? How he stawp dem fwom tewwing otha, Meanie Fwuffies fwom comin' back an' takin' yuu Safe Pwace?"
>"Buh dere pwenty of otha Fwuffies whewe ouw Hewd is! Is nu pwob'wem, even if otha Smawties awe aww dummehs!" The Colt says loudly, then smiles.
>"Nuuuuu, yuu is nu wistenin'! Yuu is now ah'wowed tu see ouw Safe Pwace!" Bandit chips in, wings fluttering wildly. "We gon' haf tu gif yuu owies if yuu twy tu fowwow us!"
>"Buh Smawty say, aww Fwuffies mus' fin' Speshaw Safe Pwace! Why yuu gif owies if Fwuffie's Smawty Fwiend teww Fwuffie tu fin' yuu Speshaw Safe Pwace?" The Colt replies, looking utterly confused.
>Uuuuuuuuuuuungh. He doesn't get that his Smarty Friend's demands mean nothing to Fluffies from another Herd. Owies it is then.
>You feel terrible as you all advance on the little Colt, who is still looking at you with complete confusion obvious on his face, still trusting until the first kick lands.
>He screams the entire time that he's trying to be a Good Fluffy and find the Special Safe Place for his Smarty, why are you being so mean, can't you take him to the Special Safe Place, he just wants to know where it is, he just wants to have a name-name!
>You all mostly go easy on him, kicking him lightly, but you're all so much bigger than he is. The Earth Fluffies, Dingle and Bowl, wince with every kick they deliver because they're almost four times the size of the Colt, but this Dummy Fluffy has to know he can't follow you.
>After a minute of 'soft' kicks, the un-named Colt is curled up into a tiny, sobbing ball, and you all shuffle away, shouting at him that it's not safe to approach strange Fluffies and try to find their Safe Place.
>You just hope he remembers for next time. You won't be able to go so easy on him then ... and most other Herds would either kill him, or force him to serve their Herd as a Slave, or worse, if there is a lack of Mares, the Smarty might dole out the young Colt as a Sometimes Special Friend to the more desperate Stallions.
>The lot of you frowning, you all begin to trot back to Haven, filing down into the storm-water drain and the sewers of the City, leaving the sobbing, heart-broken Colt behind to nurse his bruises and shattered trust.

********************************************************************************

>Everything hurts.
>You thought they would be happy to help you. Smarty Friend is wonderful, he's always brave and smart and strong, even the other Smarties must look up to him, all the Mares and Mummas in your Herd belong to him, surely he's the biggest, bestest, smartest, prettiest Smarty Friend in the whole world!
>But those Meanies didn't help! They kicked you, knocked you down, told you that you couldn't follow them!
>You ... couldn't fight back.
>But as you limp back to where the Herd was last, you find your Smarty Friend, a Black-and-Grey Unicorn, is talking quietly with several of his Toughies.
>"Is twue, dere wotsa Fwuffies wit' nu Safe Pwaces nu moaw." One whines unhappily, his ear bleeding around the edges. "Dey wan' Safe Pwaces, Smawty Fwiends awe scawed dat dey nu gon' be abwe tu keep dere hewds safe an' wamm nu moar."
>"Wotsa Fwuffies wookin' fo' New Hewds ... we take dem ova dere, tu hide unda seat-thingy, wike yuu say." A second Toughie, this one also bearing several bruises on his face and legs, says with more than a hint of pride in his voice as he points to several park-benches, which are crowded to overflowing with squabbling, bawling Fluffies packed in tightly underneath them. "Some twy tu be Smawties, buh dey smaww an' scawed an' wet, nu vewy bwave owr Smawty at aww."
>"Dat guud, dat guud. Keep de Mawes, keep de Stawwions dat wiww wisten tu yuu." Your Smarty says, then chuckles. "Keep de Mawes fo' yuu an' yuu an' yuu ... buh nu yuu, yuu nu bwing back nuthin!"
>"Is nu Fwuffy's fauwt, Smawty Fwiend!" The unlucky Toughie whines, dropping down onto the dirt and bawling. "Nu Fwuffie know whewe 'Speshaw Safe Pwace' is! Nu Fwuffie eva heaw of dis 'Haven', an' now de Awwey-way Hewds aww wan' find it fo' dere hewds now!"
>"Smaaaawty Fwiiiiiiiiiiiend!" You peep, but the Toughies are all too busy cheering about their new 'Special' Friends, or whining that they have tried so hard, and you're drowned out by the noise.
>"Is nu Smawty's fauwt if yuu nu guud! Yuu nu gon' get yuu Speshaw Fwiend back tiww Haven is found!" The Smarty Friend snaps back, glaring at the Toughie. "If Leaves is weawy gonna twy tu weave Big-Big Hewd, dem de Dummeh Fwiends awe gonna twy an' weave aw'so, twy tu take aww de nummies an' aww de toys, is nu guud! Dey know aww owr Safe Pwaces, an' we know dere's, Hewds nee' Leaves tu make Dummeh Smawties wisten tu Smawty, owr dere gonna be big twoubwe, an' Hewds gon' fite an' fite an' fite tiww dere nu Fwuffies weft!"
>"SMAAAAAAAAAAWTY FWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEND!" You shout, trying to be heard over the hubbub as the Toughies and your Smarty debate if they have enough Stallions to fight off both of the Dummy Herds.
>"Who is ... wittwe Fwuffie, Smawty Fwiend is ... who gif yuu owies?" Your Smarty Friend sighs, then gasps as he sees all your bruises, pushing past his Toughies to nuzzle your head.
>You're glad he doesn't give you huggies. You want huggies, but everything hurts right now ... even your hooves!
>"Fwuffie found otha Fwuffies, wike yuu say. Dey haf papews in dere Fwuff, an' dey goin' tu awwey'way wit' scawy dawk pwace dat gu unna'gwound." You sob as the Toughies cluster around you, licking your owies and praising you for being brave enough to come back to the Herd on your own. "Dey say dere Smawty gon' be angwy if dey bwing stwange Fwuffie back ... buh am nu stwange, am Fwuffie! Am Fwuffie, wan' know whewe Speshaw Safe Pwace is, haf name-name, wike Smawty pwomise, buh dey Meanies, kick Fwuffie an' teww Fwuffie nu tu fowwow dem."
>"Dey ... gu into de Unna'gwound?" Your wonderful Smarty Friend asks softly as the Toughies all go silent, looking back and forth in surprise. "Dey cawwyin' papew in dere fwuff?"
>"Couwd be dem ... Leaves say dat Unna'gwound get vewy cowd at Dawk Time. Nee' wotsa papews den ..." A bold Toughie offers, chewing on his bottom lip as he thinks. "Buh ... is dawk an' scawy, an' dere Rat Munstas down dere ... how dey nu get eaten?"
>"Owr may'beh No-Lips Hewd is weawy dat bwave an' stwong dat even Rat Munstas nu wan' fite dem." Another Toughies mumbles, going pale under his fluff. "We gon' haf tu fite Fwuffies who nu 'fwaid of Rat Munstas? Dat sound bad, Smawty Fwiend, if dey can fite Rat Munstas, dey gon' make Hewd haf Biggest Owies ..."
>"We gon' know one way owr otha!" Your Smarty Friend says, a tight grin spreading over his face. "Go' get owr best Scout! He gon' take wittwe Fwuffie on his back, gon' gu fin' whewe Fwuffies went into Unna'gwound, den come back and teww Smoke! We gon' fin' Haven fiwst, den bwing Smoke's Mawes dere, haf dere baybehs, haf many baybehs dat aww gon' gwow up big an' stwong, den nu Fwuffie evah gon' gif us twoubwe 'gain!"
>Everyone starts cheering then, and you do too, even if you don't understand everything Smoke is saying.
>All the owies, all the scary moments of wandering alone, all of it was worth it!
>He's going to give you a name soon, you're sure of it, just like he promised! Smoke's the best Smarty Friend ever!

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>Be No-Lips, telling this .... Mangle .... all the rules of your Herd. Of what is expected of him, when the Herd goes for nummies, where the poopies are to be made, and that he's never allowed to leave your Herd.
>Of course, you couch the last part with the threat of Rat Monsters in the Underground preying upon solitary Fluffies, so he's scared of them, rather than you, but this Stallion is a bit slow by anyone's standards, especially for a Unicorn, so you could have told him anything, and you think he'd believe it.
>Still, your heart goes out to him. To have run away with his Special Friend to escape a Herd that wouldn't let them be together, then to lose both his Special Friend and their babies like that? Terrible, absolutely terrible.
>He hasn't picked a very good time to join the Herd, however.
>While you and Gnaff were going over the routes for tomorrow's Nummies-run and the remaining Fluffies of the Herd were watching the entrance to Haven, it seems Wed tried to bully her friend Bwun into breaking up with No-Name.
>Big mistake, especially considering that One-Eye was in charge while you were busy in the Old Fluffy Corner. You almost feel sorry for the young red Mare. One-Eye gets very, very angry when Foals are on the line ...
>One-Eye was furious at Wed's behaviour to a precious Fluffy Mumma, especially when Wed's little tantrum set Bwun's babies to bawling, and the troublesome red Mare is now huddled at the far end of Haven, where she has  managed to scrape most of the Sorry Poopies out of her fluff, but the stench will linger for days, even if she keeps washing her fluff out in the rapidly shrinking puddles in Haven's floor again and again.
>Unfortunately for her, that means for days, everyone is going to remember exactly what she's in trouble for every time they get one whiff of her, and she's not going to get one single hug for comfort or sympathy until that terrible stench fades. She's also go no chance of joining the evening Hug-Pile stinking like that!
>The stench is also the only reason All-Mumma, driven into a rage by Wed's antics, didn't pluck the self-absorbed young Mare bald on the spot. You haven't seen All-Mumma this spirited in ... what feels like forever.
>A grim-faced No-Name feeds his Special Friend mouthful after mouthful of moss, while Clover and her trio of Foals play with Bwun's babies to make them happy once more. No-Name said he wanted to talk to you about his babies sleeping inside of Wed, but you told him Mangle needed to understand the Herd-Rules first.
>Couldn't afford to have him acting up like Wed and Bluehorn. You've got too many things to do to have more troublemakers running amok in your Herd!
>Seriously, what a terrible day all round. What else could go wrong?
>"NO-LIIIIIIIIIIPS!" You hear familiar voices bawling from outside of Old Fluffy Corner, and with Mangle shuffling after you, whispering 'wotsa wules!' under his breath, you emerge to see your Paper-Raiders have returned, laden with enough paper to see the Herd's sleeping place restored to full size, but their faces are full of panic.
>"Wat wong? Nu shouties, yuu know dat!" You bark at your Stallions, rushing as fast as your old legs will carry you towards them.
>Is that ... blood? On their hooves? They've run back so fast they've torn up all the skin on the undersides of their hooves!
>"We got pwob'wem, Smawty Fwiend!" Honey gasps for breath as the Mares start pulling the papers out of their fluff, and you can see each Stallion is winded, sweating heavily even. "Biiiiig pwob'wem!"
>"Do teww. We haf pwob'wems hewe tuu." You mutter, then sigh as everyone starts yelling at the top of their lungs, all at once.
>You just had to ask, didn't you?
>Slowly, with the Stallions talking over each other and arguing about minor details, the whole story of their 'Raid' unfolds, including Bluehorn's little gaf about them being his Toughies, how this 'Atlas' nearly captured the smaller Stallions and thought that Zodd was still a part of your Herd.
>But the part that makes your blood run cold is the story of the Colt who wouldn't stop asking for the 'Special Safe Place' and had to be given owies so the Stallions could escape into the Underground.
>"Jus' fwuffin' pew'fect." You groan, closing your eyes and sagging.
>At least the Colt didn't ask for Haven by name. If your Herd can stay quiet and out-of-sight for a few days, the Surface Herds will hopefully forget about the 'Special Safe Place' and it will become just another fantasy of a home that Monsters can't find, another tale for the Alleyway Mummas to tell their babies when they get scared of the shadows and strange noises during the Dark Time.
>You could just live off the Underground Lake's moss for the next few days, it's full of water and regrows very, very quickly, but that much moss makes even the toughest Fluffy fart uncontrollably, and Haven would have to be evacuated before the Herd choked to death on their own Poopie-Place Noises....
>One Unicorn baby making a spark because it doesn't know any better ... no more Herd!
>Poopies. Looks like the Herd is going to have to go to the Trough for their Nummies for the next few days. Just terrific.
>One of the worst places for Fluffies ... but at least the Herd will be able to get a lot of food, enough that they can eat all day long if they wish.
>So long as the 'Packs' don't see them ...
>"ICKY! Dis nu nummies!" You hear Pink whine loudly, then Crunchy yelps as his Special Friend spits her mouthful of moss right into his eyes, the bitter juices inside the moss burning the sensitive organs and making the Stallion scream in pain.
>................ Oooooh, yes, it's going to be one of those days alright.

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Chapter 13


>You are Leaves, Mare and Smarty Friend of your Herd. It's been three days since you threatened to leave the Big-Big Herd, and after days of Eggs and Smoke trying to talk, bribe or threaten you into staying, you finally found a way for your Herd to escape the patrols of Toughies that the other Smarties had out, guarding the entrances to the Big-Big Herd's sleeping place, tagging along with your Herd whenever you went out for Nummies or to find clean water.
>To guard against Munstas, they said. Phah, if that's true, then you're a Hoomin!
>Salvation came with the aid of a small Herd that had joined your own shortly after the Big-Big Herd began to fracture, led by an angry, embittered Dark-Yellow Pegasus called Scoop.
>Scoop had lost the majority of his Mares to a pair of opportunistic Raiders that used an attack by Monsters to sneak in and kidnap all but one of the Herd's Fluffy Mummas and three mares, and thus was justifiably paranoid about losing his remaining Mares.
>Naturally, Scoop rejected joining Smoke's Herd outright once he realised Smoke monopolized almost every mare in his own Herd, and Eggs and Smelly were too busy screaming obscenities at each other over after a group of mischevious Foals had snuck over to steal milk from another Herd's Fluffy Mumma, so Scoop was presented with with a choice of three angry or treacherous Smarties, and you as the sole voice of reason and compromise.
>In a way, Smoke's obsession with having every Mare that he can lay his hooves on as a part of his personal Harem is the only reason your Herd was able to escape the blockade of Toughies that Eggs and Smoke had set up.
>When five of Smoke's Mares snuck out of the Harem to try and be with their Special Friends, the black-and-grey Unicorn threw such a fit that he ordered all of his Toughies to go searching for them, and Scoop ran right over to you to let you know that there was now a way out of the wide 'valley' where the Big-Big Herd made it's home.
>He's a good Toughie, even if he does slip back into calling himself 'Smarty' now and again, and as such you've made it one of your top priorities to ensure that Scoop's intergration into your Herd goes smoothly. Good Toughies are worth their weight in nummies, especially in times like this.
>Scoop's Toughies are also fairly decent Fluffies, but most are scaredy-Fluffies that run away, rather than fight or try to help the Mummas and Babies get away. At best, they can be attendants and gatherers and maybe Scouts, but they're just not brave enough to earn the rank of Toughie.
>Still ... at least you managed to get the majority of your Herd out safely. Those that wouldn't leave, or were absent when you made the call to flee ... will have to survive on their own.
>You just hope the other Smarties' rage is not spent on your missing Herd-mates. That they can hide in the crowd of the many Herds that make up the Big-Big Herd and make their own escape before it's too late.
>You had intended to take your Herd to the Soft Bed, to let the Mummas have their babies in a soft, safe, warm place, but the Herd led by Coal had taken it over several days before-hand, and had beaten up every scout and Friend-Speaker Fluffy you and the other Smarties sent his way, offering him a position as a leader of the Big-Big Herd.
>So, with no other real options left open, you take your Herd to a Secret Safe Place, a place where you hope the Fluffy Mummas can spend the next few days in peace.
>Coal is a Meanie Fluffie who makes his Herd do what he says by hurting them. He bullies the Foals so they grow up afraid of him, kicks the Stallions in the Naughty Places when they not do what he says so they're in too much pain to fight back.
>He even has Special Hugs with Mares even if they do not want to, and you remember one Mare who managed to get away, joining the Big-Big Herd and sobbing about Coal stomping on her Babies because she wouldn't stop singing to them when he was trying to sleep.
>The Soft Bed was good place, a place where all the Herds once took their Fluffy Mummas to be safe and warm, but it's no longer a Safe Place with Coal and his Toughies in control of it.
>And trying to fight Coal would merely cost you good Fluffies for nothing, because sooner or later, the other Smarties will come looking for Safe Places for their own Fluffy Mummas, and the Soft Bed is known to almost every Herd in Stinky Waters.
>So you have to risk it, leading your her to the Secret Safe Place, one only you know about, that's far away from Stinky Waters and the angry, troublesome Smarty Friends that hold sway there.
>It’s where you crawled to when No-Lips abandoned you, taking the Herd back into the Underground, because you were too scared of the dark tunnels to go back down.
>Even though you assure the other Fluffies that the Secret Safe Place is not far from the temporary home you all made in an alleyway, your Herd is terribly afraid.
>You’re moving so far from Stinky Waters now, away from territory most of them have spent their entire lives in, towards the far-side of the Park where nobody knows where the food or water or hiding places are, and you've taken a twisting, turning path to throw any Scouts that Eggs, Smelly or Smoke might send after you into confusion, so you have taken a very long time to get to the Park, almost the entire night.
>The Sun will be coming up soon, but you drive the Fluffies on, forcing them to graze as they walk, the few Unicorns you have making Horn-Lights so that Fluffies can see where they are walking, so that the Fluffies behind the Mummas can make sure the Babies stay where they are supposed to and don't get stepped on if they should fall off their mothers' backs.
>Better the Horn-Lights than relying upon the flickering Light-Balls that line the Black Roads to let the Herd see where they are going.
>Horn-Lights can go out very quickly so the Fluffies can hide in the darkness, but the flickering Light-Balls stay bright no matter how many times you and the other Fluffies beg them to go dark.
>You try your very best to remember as much as you can about your Secret Safe Place, where the bushes grown thick and tangled, near a pair of rusting metal swings. Where the bushes are high and block out the sky, and the ground under the trees and bushes is covered in dry, dead leaves.
>You vaguely remember No-Lips always seemed on the verge of tears whenever his Herd came near that place. One-Eye and Gnaff too, always seemed upset, and would cry and sob about lost friends and evil Hoomin Munstas.
>You remember when the No-Lips Herd was racing to get away from a Dog-Munsta that had attacked it, and No-Lips made the entire Herd run a huge way around an old, pushed-over tree, his teeth clenched so tight you thought they would break.
>You never understood why. That tree would have made a perfect place for your Herd to stay safe, even during the bright time! But No-Lips was adamant that nobody was to go anywhere near that side of the Park, or ever speak of that fallen Tree.
>"Dat twee nothin' buh heawt-owies an' twoubwe." He barked angrily after some Toughies challenged him on the matter, back inside Haven. "Wast Fwuffie Hewd dat wewe dere wost evwy'ting. Evwy Fwuffie got snatched up by de Two-Legged Munstas, evwy Mumma, evwy Toughie, evwy Baybeh. Is a baaaaad pwace whewe Fwuffies shouwd nevah gu!"
>When you finally find the small copse of bushes, you're greeted by the familiar barrier of thick, woody branches, tangled into a spikey barrier too strong for the Monsters to break through, but still bearing broad leaves to keep out the cold winds that strive to make Fluffies cold and the fragile, delicate Foals have the Longest Sleep.
>You have to circle the bushes a few times to find the opening because of all the new growth on the bushes, and it’s hard to snap the branches out of the way, and pull them out.
>Even as ugly and tough as they are, still the bushes grow and try to live. You can respect that.
>Stupid Fluffies who are eager to sleep after a long, nerve-wracking night on the move try to make other holes into the dead, hollow space inside the bushes, but you yell at them, pull their ears and bop their noses to make them stop, ignoring their sulking and pouting.
>”Onwy one way in, Dummy Fwuffie!” You shout as a dumb Stallion tries to force his way in before you plant a hoof square in his face to reinforce your command. “Onwy one way in, dat way Munstas nu can fowwow! Eat, get gwasses fo' Fwuffy Mummas, Hewd mus' hide an' wait fo' Baybehs tu be big 'nuff tu wawk on dere own! Den Hewd can try tu find bettah Safe Pwace!”
>A ragged cheer goes up, even from the bopped Fluffies. Everyone hates Stinky Waters, with it's foul puddles of tainted water, swarms of small, biting bugs and filthy garbage as far as the eye can see, but it’s safe from the worst of the Munstas, who find it even more detestable than Fluffies do. Stinky Waters might make all Fluffies miserable, but at least there they can survive almost completely untouched.
>Everyone was worried about coming to the Park through the Night, with no real way to tell where they were going but your memories, and the pale pink light of the Sun creeping up behind them. The Hoomins will be running around soon, looking to bully the Fluffies, hurt them and kill them and make everyone sad.
>But you, Leaves, are the Smarty Friend, and you have told them they will be safe. They trust you ... because if they don't, then there is nothing they can trust, no hope they can hold deep inside and use as strength to carry on when everything becomes hopeless and bleak.
>It takes the better part of ten minutes for you to clear the opening in the bushes, but finally you push, pull, snap and chew enough old, dead branches and twigs out of the way to make a decent passage into the heart of the copse.
>Memories flood back as you wander around the dead patch inside the bushes. Of being cold and alone, of the hunger that gnawed at you in an endless torment when your fear kept you from going out, of when that Herd found you, and you thought you were saved.
>But it was not salvation that found you. A Bad Smarty Friend, and Bad Herd, who were delighted to have a new Toy. They hurt you simply because they could, gave you Bad Special Hugs until you bled from your No-No's and could barely walk, they wouldn’t let you graze until after they had eaten all the best nummies and had their fill of their Bad Special Hugs, and worst of all was when they kept on kicking you in the tummy, kicking and kicking and kicking.
>”Nu nee' baybehs, Dumb Mawes nu fun tu push 'wound.” One of the Stallions had remarked when you had begged him to stop hurting you with his kicking. “Dumb Mawe gif Speshaw Huggies an' Guud Feews tiww yuu nu muv, den Hewd fin' new Dumb Mawe.”
>One morning, as the Bad Smarty and his Bad Stallions had started to fight over who was supposed to have Bad Special Hugs with you first, you ran. You ran and ran until you had crossed the Black Road and had reached the relative safety of the Alleyways before risking looking back over your shoulder to see what your captors were doing.
>The Stallions were too busy having Bad Special Hugs with smallest Stallions of their Herd by then.
>And by the time you had worked up the courage to escape, there were no other Mares left in the Bad Herd, they hadn't been able to get up after their daily tummy-kickings and been left behind, or they had refused to eat and let themselves starve to death rather than endure this painful existence any further.
>You can only hope that the Bad Herd destroyed themselves through infighting. With all your Mares, you'd be a irresitable target for th ... oh!
>Your Herd has followed you in while you were day-dreaming. Fluffy Mummas squeaking about Meanie Sticks poking them go silent in awe as they are rolled around the dead space inside the bushes.
>The floor is covered with dead leaves, and the bushes, while dead inside, still have a lush, green coat of leaves outside, so unless you were looking in from the ground level, it would just be one solid mass of green bushes.
>”Aww Fwuffy Mummas into Safe Pwace!” You bark, and the Stallions and Mares rush to obey, the Fluffy Mummas of your Herd being pushed in first while the other Fluffies wait impatiently for their turn to enter this new 'Safe Place'. They know you are Smarty Friend that cares about them, that you are a Good Fluffy who looks after them.
>You hope it's enough for them. You don't think you could live with yourself if you led like Eggs, Smelly or Smoke did.
>You know you try so hard to be a Good Smarty Friend. You try to remember how No-Lips used to lead his Herd, and try to do the same. And you remember the Bad Smarty, and try to do the opposite of whatever he did too.
>Shortly, every Fluffy is crowded inside. It’s tighter than you thought, but then you have Scoop's Herd, as well as more Fluffies that had left their Herds to join yours, but nobody minds too much.
>After the long, fretful trek across the City, being crowded together in a warm hug-pile in a new, hidden, clean Safe Place is heavenly.
>The Secret Safe Place smells nice, after all, of clean air and fresh dirt and grasses, so pleasant after the harsh, bitter-chemical stench of Stinky Waters and it's rotting, fermenting, oil-stained muck and garbage.
>It's not surprising that everyone starts to nod off, even you, and the Herd only wakes up when the sun is glaring over the top of the buildings, far too bright now for Fluffies to risk going out for more nummies now.
>”Nu Fwuffie is tu make poopies in Safe Pwace,” You begin, clopping your hooves together to draw wandering attentions back to you. “Onwy Fwuffy Mummas can, 'cause dey nu can muv, it okay for dem. Evewy Fwuffies who can muv haf gu make dere poopies faw 'way fwom Safe Pwace!”
>Complaints greet your proclamation. Whining and muttering and selfish grumbling. They don’t want to leave, its warm here, safe as well. If Fluffy Mummas don't have to leave for poopies, why do they?
>”Leaves, why Fwuffies nu make poopies hewe?” A younger Mare whines, shuffling her hooves in the dirt. "Munstas ouw'side, nu wan' gu ouw'side, wan' stay hewe, be wamm, be safe."
>”Do yuu wan' haf sweepies in poopies? Wan' baybehs haf tu wiv in poopies?” You snap back, fixing the younger Mare with a annoyed look. "Yuu wan' baybehs haf stinkies an' cwy, 'cause dey haf to wawk in poopies 'cause Wazy Fwuffies nu wan' muv?".
>The younger Mare squeaks in horror and rapidly shakes her head back and forth, as do several other Fluffies.
>”We at Safe Pwace fo’ Fwuffy Mummas! So baybehs nu haf Owies owr Scawies, su Baybehs knu who is dere Mumma, an' can haf wotsa Miwk-Nummies wit' nu Otha Baybehs fwom Otha Hewds twyin' tu take dere Miwk!” You explain, gazing out over your Herd, noting with pride every single head is fixed on you. “When baybehs can wawk, when baybehs be Foals, den Hewd can twy tu fin' bettah Safe Pwace. Park is nu Safe Pwace fo' wong, buh for few days, is oh'tay.”
>”If Fwuffy Mummas make Poopies, Fwuffies mus' push dem 'way,” You continue, picking up a dead leaf in your mouth and pushing it along the ground, pushing the dirt up and towards the edge of the bushes. “Push 'way fwom owr Fwuffy Mummas, so Fwuffy Mummas an' Baybehs smeww pwetty, nu get ickies owr haf sickies.”
>You get the rest of the Herd practicing with the leaves. Most are just hopeless, but a handful seem to pick up on what they are supposed to be doing fairly quickly.
>By the time everyone knows what they are to do, the Sun is right overhead, and the Herd has pushed a lot of dirt up towards the sides of the bushes.
>Good. The low wall of dirt will help keep the Cold Winds out, and help hide the Fluffies if anything else comes sniffing around the Secret Safe Place.
>The Sun seems to take forever to climb back down to the other side of the sky, but the Bushes keep the worst of the sun off your Herd, so while everyone complains about being sweaty, nobody is so hot that they need water just yet.
>Hoomans walk past, their ugly, unfeeling hooves stomping on the ground just a few meters away, Metal Munstas roar past on the Black Paths, but the Hoomans do not come into Bushes, content to yell and push and talk about meaningless things, and the Metal Munstas and their Black Path are too far away from the bushes to be a threat to the Herd.
>Your Herd busies itself with making the Fluffy Mummas as comfortable as they can. Shallow holes are dug in the soft, loamy earth, and the Fluffy Mummas rolled into them on their sides, so that they can rest comfortably without all their weight being put onto just their bellies.
>Sticks and Twigs poking into the hollow space of the Safe Place are snapped off, and you direct the Herd to use them to help push dirt up around the edges of the Safe Place, to help block out the cold winds that comes at night, and will try to sneak in through the bases of the bushes.
>Some Fluffies complain that they are hungry again, but you and your Toughie Friends shush them and tell them to be quiet. Hoomans might hear their complaining, come and hurt the Fluffies.
>When Fluffies cry and try to run out the exit because their tummy-owies are too strong for them to bear anymore, bawling about wanting to have just one more mouthful of Grass, you have to hit them with your Hooves and hold their faces into the ground until they stop struggling, reminding them all the time  that there are Munstas waiting outside, waiting for just one Fluffy to emerge, and then the whole Herd will be at their mercy.
>You’re scared too, but the Herd must stay here, and be quiet. When the Sun goes down, you can risk taking the Herd out to graze, and drink from the many ponds in the Park, but not until the Sun goes down and the Hoomins go away.
>Then one of the Fluffy Mummas starts to whimper and thrash her legs, kicking up little clods of dirt.
>”Hiii-Hiccups soww-wyyyy! Poopieeees! Biiiig Poopieeeeees!” She whines, squirming and thrashing in her shallow hole, and you shuffle over to see what all the fuss is about, stepping over sleeping Fluffies to reach Hiccups.
>But it’s not Poopies! She has bloody Wa-Wa's dribbling out of her Naughty Place. And then ... a small, black thing starts to push out of her Naughty Place!
>”Baybeh Wa-Wa's! Hiccups, yuu is gon' be a Mumma vewy soon!” You whisper, staring at the tiny little creature that is slowly being pushed out of Hiccups’s Naughty Place.
>Small, wet, slimy, blind .... your heart surges with love and a bitter-sweet longing as the newborn plops heavily onto the ground, struggling feebly within the thin, squishy sack.
>You lick it clean, the sack breaking easily under your tongue's caress, then gently grab it by the scruff of it's damp neck and place it at Hiccup’s head so the New Mumma can properly greet her child, and as you shuffle back to Hiccup's other ends, your eyes stray to her teats.
>Her teats are nice and fat and plump, twice the size of her hooves now, warm to the touch and smelling sweet, just like the milk inside them.
>You've always made sure that all the Fluffy Mummas in your Herd got first pick of any food the Herd found, because they had babies inside them that needed so much food or else the Fluffy Mummas and their Babies had the Longest Sleep.
>A lot of Fluffies grumbled, especially the younger Fluffies who didn't understand how dangerous it was to be a Mumma, how easy it was to take the Longest Sleep because you couldn't stop making milk for your babies, but even as the Smarty Friend, you also didn't eat when the Herd ran short of food, and that made most Fluffies share their food as well, although you know a few were greedy.
>Other Fluffies are coming over as well. Hiccup’s Special Friend, Wick, is nuzzling Hiccup’s face as she whimpers and starts to strain again.
>An older Mare called Mink has joined you, staring at Hiccup’s naughty place with a worried expression. She reminds you of All-Mumma in a way, so you're quite happy to have her come and help you with Hiccup's babies.
>You’re still quite worried, however. Hiccup is a small Fluffy, she was only a month old, but had Special Huggies as soon as she started making the Special Smell.
>Wicks got such a smacking for that ... but little Hiccups is so fat, so bloated with her babies.... so many babies inside her. Maybe too many for such a little Fluffy.
>The next baby is squeezed out after much groaning and straining, and gives a healthy cry, and you feel hope that you are only worrying too much.
>Wicks insists on taking the second baby, and showing it to Hiccups, who cuddles it to her chest and tells the baby it’s the most precious thing in the world, before Mink impatiently tells Hiccups that the baby must have milk, and the new parents blush and apologise.
>Then the third foal comes, and Hiccups screams in pain as it squeezes out of her ... and something is wrong.
>Too many lumps. Too many lumps on the baby, all of them moving. No, not lumps ...
>Mink whimpers in shock, her face going deathly pale under her fluff, and you feel like you're going to faint.
>Two heads thrash and open their tiny mouths, but no sounds come out. Too many legs flex and shudder, trying to hug the slick, bloodied fluff around their mother's No-No's, but the legs keep getting tangled on each other instead.
>”Ba-Baybeh?” Hiccup asks weakly, and Wicks starts to trot around to see, his face beaming with pride and excitement.
>”N-n-nu baybeh, is poopies dis time.” The Older Mare grunts loudly, moving to block Wicks, checking his approach with her whole body, her face a tight, expressionless mask. “Smarty Friend push poopies 'way?”
>You find yourself doing just what the older Mare asks, you heart frozen inside you, your mind blank and numb with horror and sorrow.
>The strange little baby is squirming and struggling, the heads and legs thrashing, but it’s still not making any noises.
>Your leaf covers the tiny, misshapen little thing, a mercy that stops anyone else in the Herd seeing it, but thankfully most of the Herd is more interested in seeing the babies than seeing you push 'poop' out of the Safe Place.
>Feeling numb as you try to push the monster-baby out of the Safe Place, you keep going out of the opening that leads into the Safe Place, and further still, until you’re clear of the bushes.
>When the warmth of the sun starts to work it's way through your fluff, however, you blink and shake as if waking up, looking around yourself in horror. Hoomins are everywhere, eating, playing, yelling, arguing ... thankfully, none of them appear to have seen you yet.
>You went too far, too busy thinking about the twisted Baby, and how you're going to explain it to Hiccup and Wicks. You put your entire Herd at risk, and you call yourself a Smarty Friend?!
>Why does the Baby have two heads? How can it have so many legs? Why did this happen to a good Fluffy like Hiccup?
>You back away as quickly as you can, leaving the leaf covering the squirming, misshapen foal, and shuffle back to the Safe Place, feeling very cold and small. It's not right to abandon a baby, but ... it can't possibly be left with your Herd. Just thinking about the baby makes you feel sick to your stomach.
>If you had any nummies left in you, you think you'd have mouth-sickies right now.
>It's not a Fluffy Pony or even a baby ... it's a Monster that was hiding inside of Hiccup, that must be it. It was different from the rest of the Herd, far, far too different to be a Fluffy ...
>Wicks would never be able to understand that it's not Hiccup's fault that she couldn't tell that the Monster Baby was inside her, nor would Hiccup be able to cope with having carried such a terrible creature inside her, next to her Babies.
>They must never know what happened. They'd never be able to cope with the knowledge, and the Herd itself might turn them out in fear that one or both of them might actually be a monster in disguise.
>Hiccups is in labour again when you re-enter the Safe Place, groaning in pain as Wicks licks her face and tells her she is the Best Fluffy. There are five damp little babies now, suckling eagerly from her teats and making happy little noises even as their mother shudders and moans with birthing pains.
>You feel sick, deep inside, like when you ate rotting food, but far, far worse, like you have a cold sickness in your belly.
>Mink is cooing, telling Hiccups she is almost done, that her belly has shrunk so much, that her Babies are all wonderful.
>As you watch, another baby is slowly pushed out of the groaning Mare, the muscular contractions of birth pushing out first the head, then the body in two-three-four convulsions.
>Whole.
>Normal.
>It gives a small wail of protest at the light and the cold before the Older Mare starts to clean it, and Wicks takes his cleaned baby away to introduce it to its Mumma.
>You sigh in relief and lean against the dead inner branches of the bushes, heedless of the pain as small twigs poke through your fluff and scratch you.
>When the Messy Boo-Boo's come out of Hiccup's No-No's, you manage to gather your courage, push your way forwards to grab it, yelling at your Herd's Mares that it is time for 'Speshaw Mawe Nummies' and drag the after-birth around to Hiccup's head, who looks at the blood-slick mess with confusion before you explain to her this is a special Mumma Nummies that she must eat so she can make a lot of milk.
>You, as well as many Mares, know from bitter experience that Mares who do not eat the Messy Boo-Boo's often have problems, most often not making enough milk in the first two or three days, or they have ... other problems. They become listless and don't want to do anything at all, or they cry all the time and believe they are the worst Fluffy Mummas ever, or they get angry at everything for no reason at all, sometimes all at once!
>A very confused Wick is gently but firmly pushed away by the other Mares who, in turn, make all the other Stallions look away or block their view of Hiccups with their own bodies.
>Back at Stinky Waters, all the Stallions would be far away at this stage, congratulating Wicks on becoming a Fatha and playing with the Big-Big Herd's toys, but the Herd doesn't have the luxury of that much space anymore.
>Some Stallions just never seem to be the same after watching their Special Friend gobble down the Messy Boo-Boo Nummies ... one thought it was a Foal, just still yikky and messy, and never forgave his mate for eating their 'baby', and nothing you or the other Mares could say could convince him otherwise.
>Hiccups sniffs the bloody mess, confused and not a little bit upset as to why she has to eat the 'boo-boo nummies', but after a few licks, her eyes go wide in surprise and she gobbles up the soft, wet mass.
>You and Mink share a smile as Hiccups mumbles around her mouthfuls about the 'messy boo-boo nummies' tasting yikky and good all at once, but she couldn't stop eating them!
>It doesn't take long to lick her face clean, and then the Mares all shuffle away so everyone has a chance to hug Hiccups and tell her that her babies are beautiful.
>Most of the Herd is crowding around Hiccups and Wicks, asking to see the babies, praising Hiccups on being such a Good Mumma, congratulating Wicks on becoming a Fatha.
>As the Herd rejoices over the six new babies, Mink shuffles over to you, looking very, very tired.
>”Why ... why? Why dis happen?” You whisper as she leans her head against your shoulder, shuddering as the older Mare finally allows herself to cry. “Why baybeh haf ... haf su many weggies, haf two heads?”
>”Mink nu knu, Mink thought dat Smawty Fwiend might knu.” She whimpers softly into your fluff. She’s shaking as well, crying in fear and confusion. “Mink haf baybeh once, be'fowe join Leaves Hewd, baybeh was aww wong tuu. Mink twy tu be Guud Mumma, gif miwk, hugs, wuv baybeh even when Hewd say it Munsta, but Baybeh aw'ways haf owies, weggies nevah wisten tu Baybeh ... Baybeh cwy an' cwy, buh nu couwd du nuthin', Mi-Mink had tu gif Baybeh the Wongest Sweepies, aww Mink couwd do tu hewp Baybeh ...”
>”Mink is a Guud Fwuffie, nu guud fo' Baybehs tu haf Owies, if dere be nu otha way, den it betta fo' Baybeh tu haf Wongest Sweepies.” You assure her, nuzzling the older Mare as she continues to lean into your fluff for comfort. “We nu teww Hiccup an’ Wick. Nu wan dem be saddies. Dey nu unna'stan' dat Munsta-Baybeh nu dere fauwt.”
>”Leaves is guud Smawty Fwiend,” Mink whispers, her shaking slowly going away. “But Mink .... Mink is scawed, Smawty Fwiend. Nu see Ug'wee Baybehs ti Mink gu tu wiv wit' Hewds in Stinky Wawas. Stinky Wawas bad fo' Fwuffy Mummas ... Hewd nu can gu back dere.”
>She might be right. Stinky Waters is full of bad things for Fluffies, but those bad things are also the only things that keep the Monsters away.
>Watching your Herd crowd around Hiccup, Wicks and their six beautiful children, cooing and giggling as the babies suckle eagerly on their mother’s teats, you find the sick feeling inside of you giving way to a cold, harsh determination.
>Haven. No-Lips. You must have Haven for your own Herd. No-Lips must die, as well as his Toughies, and you will take all his Mares, his Colts, his Fillies and the Babies into your own Herd.
>Haven is scary because of all the Rat-Munstas that live in the surrounding tunnels, but it's cleaner than Stinky Waters could ever be, it has it's own water that is cold and sweet and clear, and there were other caves down there, you remember, caves where the grass grew even in the dark, short, bitter grass, but grass that your Herd could eat during the times when it was too dangerous to go out to forage for food.
>Once all the Fluffy Mummas have given birth, and the Babies become Foals, you’ll have enter the Underground and find Haven ... and kill No-Lips and his Toughies, take over his Herd and Haven.
>There is no other alternative. You can’t let your Herd become like that twisted, horrible thing that must be slowly dying under it's leaf. Fluffies aren’t meant to have two heads, or so many legs.
>Fluffies weren't meant to be monsters.

******************************************************************

>Be No-Name, holding one of the Herd's rock-balls between your hooves and waiting for the Babies to stop hugging each other.
>Today is the very first day that the Babies are able to walk on their own, talk on their own, and were able to meet each other without their Mummas being there. They've never actually hugged another Fluffy before that wasn't you, Bwun or each other.
>Bwun and Pink are quite relieved to have somebody else handle the babies for a while, while Clover and the other Mares groom them and make them feel pretty again.
>You never realised that being a parent was such hard work! There's so little time to play or sleep nowadays, the babies are always doing something, either together or on their own, and never at the same time.
>Poor Clover's making a very nice smell right now, and giving you sideways glances that make you feel all hot and fluttery inside, but you're so tired you think your hooves are going to fall off ...
>And Bluehorn's two Ex-Special Mumma Friends had their babies as well! Lots of Earth Fluffy Babies, all so pretty and healthy too! The Mares were sad, their old Special Friends were both Unicorns like them, but No-Lips said that the babies were all wonderful, even if they weren't Unicorns like their Fathas, and that the Herd would cherish them and their Mummas.
>You don't know why, but Bluehorn had a screaming fit when he saw that all the babies were Earthies.
>He's certainly never going to be the Special Friend of those Mares, not after all the terrible things he said about them and their Earthy Babies!
>He's one strange Unicorn Fluffy. And getting stranger by the day.
>All-Mumma was right about the milk-places, however. Even with all the nummies you, Brick and the Herd have gathered, the Mares teats still aren't as full as they were when the babies first came, and the current Fluffy Mummas stopped being so big and round.
>And the babies don't understand the difference between 'now' and 'later'. It's all one continuous 'now' for them, they have to be reminded all the time that they can't keep going down to their mothers' teats for milk whenever they feel like it.
>They know their Mummas love them, they know they can have milk from their Mummas, but they don't understand that the milk can run out. That they have to wait till later to have more milk.
>Pink in particular is frantic because her teats are almost limp these days, despite poor Brick working himself to the brink of exhaustion trying to get her as much nummies as he can during the morning raids and then dragging back almost an entire bag of moss-nummies during the day.
>She's so desperate to put more milk into her teats she's eating anything and everything that is given to her, even rotten nummies. She sobs and cries that she hates the taste of the rotten nummies, but she looks at her babies, and then forces those terribly icky nummies down and holds her hooves over her mouth so the icky nummies can't escape like they did the first few times.
>Your babies have finished hugging Pink's babies, the Lucky Baby towering over everyone else and hugging three of Pink's babies, and now all twelve of them are staring at the rock-ball in wonder as you hold it up over your head.
>"Baybehs, dis is 'Wock-Baww'. Is a toy, an' bewongs tu Hewd, su yuu pwease be gentwe wit' it." You say loudly, gently putting the marble down on Haven's cold stone floor and bumping it towards the cluster of babies with your muzzle. "Yuu woww Wock-Baww tu each otha, is fun!"
>Your babies cheer and rush out, trying to hug the 'grandfather'-sized Marble, but it just ends up being five Foals all piled up against the giant marble, giggling and peeping.
>You picked this Rock-Ball out of the dozen the Herd has managed to collect because not only is it the biggest Rock-Ball the Herd has, it's also clear, so the babies can see through it and still see you, but somehow, inside the Rock-Ball are more bright, sparkly dots than you can count, all glittering in the sunlight that filters down into Haven.
>It's a wonderful toy, and the babies are utterly entranced by how pretty it is, bumping their muzzles against the hard surface to try and play with the sparkly dots, or trying to hug the giant Marble, without much success.
>Pink's babies, on the other hand, all slowly trudge forwards, cheering as well, but they don't look very energetic. Or very plump for that matter, not like Bwun's babies.
>They're ... kinda smelly as well. All-Mumma is worried about the fact that Pink's not making as much milk as she should, even with Brick and the Herd bringing her back piles of clover and grass for nummies.
>You'd love to bring Pink some more nummies yourself, but you've got your hooves full keeping Bwun's appetite satisfied. She's not mean, or being greedy, she's just ... impossibly hungry all the time, and it scares and confuses her just how hungry she's become.
>Being a Fatha isn't easy, and being a Mumma looks even harder.
>You wish that ... that it was easier, but it's not. Clover has to deal with two little Colts who have just figured out the difference between Mares and Stallions, as well as dealing with Little Filly who is utterly blind to the clumsy ruse cooked up by her two 'brothers' and the real objective of their 'new game', and you have nobody else who can be spared to help out.
>You only have two Special Friends, and that's all you need or want.
>Red tried to bully Bwun into leaving you, caused your babies to cry, and then, stinking of Sorry Poopies and with Bwun crying behind you, she started to tell you how you should be with her only, how the other Mares weren't pretty like her ...
>How only she had your true babies inside her. How you were a fool for pretending to be the Fatha to Bwun's dummy babies.
>That ... hurt, more than any words should.
>You know that Wed has babies that you put inside of her. But they are not any more or less important than Bwun's babies.
>No-Lips said he would deal with your babies inside Wed when the time was right, but you had to be patient, and above all else, say nothing to Wed that might cause her to try to hurt the babies that were hiding inside of her.
>The very thought of them getting hurt makes your blood run cold, so it's not hard to remember what No-Lips said to you.
>And since nothing you have tried to make Wed be friends with Clover, Bwun and the Herd has worked ... you say nothing to her at all anymore.
>You walk around her when she tries to stand in your way so you have to talk to her, stand still as a rock when she forces her hugs on you, look straight through her when she tries to rub her muzzle against yours.
>Hurting Wed like this makes you feel so low you feel like crying, but the thought of the babies sleeping inside her being hurt by their mean, selfish mother fills you with such loathing for Wed that you find you can keep the charade up.
>You just hope that No-Lips really can do something about your babies that are sleeping inside of Wed. You don't want to leave them in her care a moment more than you have to, for their sakes.

****************************************************************

>Be Bluehorn, the only real Smarty in Haven.
>Your stupid foolish ex-Special Friends gave birth to all dummy Earth Fluffies! ALL OF THE BABIES ARE DUMMIES!
>All that work and all that risk, getting the Fluffy Mummas back to Haven, putting up with their bitching and moaning, being humiliated by being publicly rejected, and it's all been for nothing! Not one single baby that is a Unicorn, a Smarty Fluffy like you!
>And the Not-Snake you recovered from the Underground Lake is in the Bad Fluffy Pit, beyond your reach, and also worthless!
>When All-Mumma led the Moss-Raiders to the Underground Lake, she took the bag with her to gather more nummies, and when the Moss was distributed to the Fluffy Mummas, the snake was discovered ... and All-Mumma just grabbed it, dragged the fading rubber snake to the Bad Fluffy pit and threw it in like it was nothing!
>The Herd just thought it was a stick! A stick! For the love of Fluff ....
>All of your plans have turned to Poop! Nothing is working, you have no friends to help you, thanks to your verbal slip-up a few days ago, you've even been demoted from Toughie-status down to just a gatherer.
>A Unicorn, JUST A GATHERER?!? Inconcievable!
>Peach has had the 'funny feel' with half the un-mated Stallions' in the Herd, Wed is in absolute disgrace and spends most of her days in the far corner of Haven with her belly dragging on the ground, bawling about how her beloved Special Friend is such an idiot while the other half of the Herd's un-mated Stallions mount her, and you're barely spoke to except for barked commands from ... well, everyone.
>You are half tempted to challenge No-Lips to a fight to be the Smarty Friend, damn the consequences, but only a Toughie can issue that challenge .... and you're likely never going to become a Toughie again. Dammit!
>All you can do now is endure and hope that Peach, Wed and the other Fluffy Mummas have lots of Unicorn Fluffy Babies, Smarty Babies, like you.
>They'll be Smarty like you, you can train them to listen to you like Smart Fluffies should, then you can leave, take them with you once they're old enough not to have to need their Dummy Mumma's milk!
>Leave! Leave! How you hate this place! Haven itself seems to conspire against you! The Green Wall! The Poop Maze! The Old Fluffy Corner! The Bad Fluffy Pit! They're all out to get you, to stop you from assuming your rightful place as the Smarty Friend!
>Before you were beaten by No-Lips, your Herd assimilated into his own, you had everything! Mares to have Special Huggies with whenever the desire arose within you, a Toughie who obeyed your every wish, Smarty Unicorn Babies that adored you!
>Since he came into your life, everything has turned to Poopies! Your Mares left you to be Special Friends with the Toughies of No-Lip's Herd without giving you a second glance, your Babies all grew up and forgot about how wonderful you were, your Toughie ate some of the Glowing Mushrooms and became a Mushroom Mumma ....
>It's not fair. It's not right! You are the Smarty Friend! YOU ARE THE SMARTIEST SMARTY FRIEND IN THE WHOLE FLUFFING WORLD!
>Yet now you're reduced to carrying grass for the Herd to snack on during the day, pushing the poop to the Poop-Maze at the entrance to Haven and scraping the Papers clean of the messes that the Babies leave!
>How your stupid ugly Ex-Special Friends smirk when they order you to clean the papers that their dummy Earthy Babies messed up!
>RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>It's almost enough to make you want to start lashing out at everyone, just to try and make them submit to you like Dummy Fluffies should do to their Smarty Friend, but every Stallion is set against you, every Mare thinks you're a dummy, every baby is being raised to think you're a meanie, and that fluffin' old poopy-head No-Lips just won't die!
>So all you can do ... is not have a plan! It's brilliant! If everything is conspiring against you, plotting to derail your carefully laid-out plans, then it's simple! Don't have a plan, just be ready to move whenever the chance comes!
>So simple, yet so brilliant! You are a genius!

****************************************************************

>"Dere some'tin' wong wit' dat Fwuffy." Mangle murmurs as he helps you to cuddle and soothe the babies that weren't able to play as long as they wanted to with the Rock-Ball before you had to give it back to the Colts and Fillies for their own games. "Wat his pwob'wem?"
>"Dat jus' Bluehorn. He's cwazy." You, No-Lips, reply with a sigh as the blue Unicorn, sitting at the Green Wall and nursing his bruises, suddenly breaks into hysterical laughter, making everyone flinch and glare at him, before going back to whatever it was they were doing.
>Eating, hugging, sleeping, playi ... oop.
>"Sowwy ..." Gold baby peeps unhappily, as you feel a familiar wet warmth trickle down your belly. "Sowwy! Wuv fatha! Sowwy!"
>Again with the pee-pee in your fluff ... looks like the Gold Baby has a problem with holding it in when he gets scared or startled.
>Well, everyone has that problem every now and again, but with the Gold Baby, it's a constant struggle for him to not make Bad Pee-Pee's.
>"Fwiend make bad pee-pee's ..." Mangle murmurs, staring at the Gold Baby but with an affectionate smile across his face. "Why Fwiend du dat?"
>"Uh, baybeh nu su guud at howdin' in pee if get scawed." You reply, a little confused before all your attention goes back to soothing the Gold Baby, who is mortified to have peed on you again and keeps hugging your chest fluff, babbling how sorry he is.
>Mangle doesn't call babies 'Baybehs' like everyone else in the Herd, he calls them 'Fwiends'. It's not a bad thing, just ... a little awkward. They aren't ready to be 'Fwiends' just yet.
>It's not that babies can't be friends with the adult Fluffies, but it's ... too soon for them to be called that. They aren't nearly big enough and independant enough to warrant being 'Friends', with all the responsibilities that term entails, so right now they need to stay as 'Babies' so the Herd can protect them.
>All-Mumma said Mangle was a little bit broken in the head, but that losing everything like he did could make any Fluffy broken inside.
>No-Lips the Smarty Friend said that different Herds had different ways of saying things. Maybe Mangle's old Herd tried to make their babies happy by calling them 'Friends', so they knew they were loved even as babies?
>"Mangwe gif huggies tu fwiend, make fwiend happeh whiwe No-Name gu wash bewwy fwuff." Mangle offers happily, bending down to put the babies he is cuddling down on the ground, then sitting up and reaching for the Gold baby still squirming in your arms.
>"Eh ... nu. Tank yuu, Mangwe, buh is time fo' Baybehs tu haf sweepies soon. Wook at dem, dey aww su tiwed now." You smile back at him, and on cue, half the babies start to yawn loudly.
>They did roll the heavy 'giant' marble around for the better part of an hour, after all. Your babies are a little bit tired, but Brick and Pink's babies are exhausted ...
>Still, Mangle looks upset, but nods.
>"Is guud. Nu wan' fwiends get tiwed. If Speshaw Fwiend wouwd haf had sweepies when towd tu, den she nu be tuu tiwed tu get 'way fwom Sky Wa-Wa's." The pale-green Unicorn mumbles sadly, shuffling away to the Poop-Maze at the entrance of Haven.
>......Poor Mangle. It seems like everything reminds him of his Special Friend and their babies, and the day they drowned because of the storm a few days ago.
>Now that you think about it, Gold looks a lot like the Yellow Baby that had gotten caught on the rocks and drowned ...
>He must have wanted to cuddle ... the ...
>"Yuu wiww unna'stan' dose 'Wowst Fwuffies' someday, No-Name. When yuu wose a baybeh, yuu wiww unna'stan' ..." All-Mumma's sad, wrinkled face flashes through your mind's eye as you remember her chiding you about your comments on Fluffies who would steal babies from their rightful parents.
>To have lost everything, and then to be surrounded by things that reminded you of that loss, all the time ...
>"Wai'! Mangwe!" You yell to the shuffling backside of the other Stallion. "Yuu can haf sweepies wit' baybehs tuu!"
>And Mangle's smile as he looks over his shoulder at you is brilliant.
>It looks like, for the first time in days, you've done something right for a change!

****************************************************************

>Your heart .... hurts, even though your body is having the Good Feels.
>Be Wed, and you feel like you're breaking apart inside.
>For three days now, ever since you tried to make Bwun stop being such a Meanie and leave your Special Friend alone, everything has gone horribly wrong.
>No-Name misunderstood, thought you were bullying the stupid not-his-babies Babies that Bwun had forced on him, and turned away from you when that evil, old Smarty Friend declared you were now a Special Huggies Mare.
>Your beautiful Fluff has become matted and full of burrs, because nobody will groom you now. And that's because there's still a whiff of the Sorry Poopies around you.
>Because they all think No-Name belongs to Bwun and Clover now, not you, and they are being Meanies about it!
>You want to rub your belly and tell your babies it will be alright, No-Name will understand soon, but you have to brace yourself with all four legs.
>Tricks is clinging to your back, thrusting away wildly, going "Eeenf eeenf eeenf!" at the top of his lungs, while behind him three more Stallions all wait for their turn.
>Peach is just a few feet away, making encouraging noises as other Stallions have Special Huggies with her ... both she and All-Mumma said that your Babies aren't at risk of drowning in Special Huggies Juices, not until the eigth or ninth day of you being a Fluffy Mumma. And the babies won't be ready to stop hiding in your belly for more Bright Times after that!
>And you've only been a Fluffy Mumma for four days now ... you've got so long to go.
>Such a long time to go, but you've got to try and get No-Name to notice you again, to remember he loves you bestest of a-aaaaaagh!
>"Nuuuu, dat wong pwace! DAT NU PEE-PEE PWACE!" You shriek as one of the Earth Fluffies waiting for his turn finally cannot wait anymore, pushing the wildly thrusting Tricks off your backside and mounting you ... but he's so much bigger, his pokey thing goes too high, and pokes your poopie place!
>"Shu' up! Stuuuupid Meanie Mawe!" The Earthy grunts, shoving his way in even as you shriek at the top of your lungs in panic and pain. "Yuu twy tu huwt yuu fwiend's baybehs, yuu is a Bad Fwuffie, yuu is a Meanie!"
>IT HURTS IT HUUURTS IT HUUUUURTS IT HUUUUUUUUUUURTS!!!!
>By some small mercy, the Earthy Stallion is a quit shot, and within twenty seconds, it's all over, but you lie crumpled on the floor, sobbing with your poopie place an angry, throbbing agony that dominates your attention.
>Why ... you're a good Fluffy ... you gave your bestest special huggies to No-Name ... you gathered grass like the dummy, meanie Old-Fluffy Smarty Friend demanded ... you poop where you're told to ...
>All this, just because you want No-Name to love you like he should? It's all you ask for, for your Special Friend to love you, and play with you, and be with you, but he's always having to be a Scout, or playing with Bwun's babies, or cuddling with Clover ...
>"Hey. Hey! Ge' up! Wan' mah Speshaw Huggies!" Another Stallion is barking at you, poking your side with his hoof as you lay on your belly on the ground, trying to make sense of it all.
>"Weave Wed be. Yuu wan' haf Speshaw Huggies, haf wit' Peach. Wed nu vewy guud at dis jus' yet." Peach grunts as her current Stallion finishes, rolling off her back to lie limp and panting on the ground. "She onwy jus' become Speshaw Huggies Mawe, haf baybehs inside hew ... nu gif hew Poopie Huggies next time, Bowl! Dummeh Bowl, yuu suu stuuupid!"
>"Buh been waitin' fo' so wooooong!" The Stallion whines, looking from you to Peach, who now has every other Stallion looking for a Special Hug lined up behind her.
>"Nu! Bowl gif Bad Huggies tu Wed, Wed's poopie pwace haf boo-boo juices naow!" Peach snaps, glaring at the Stallion in question, but Bowl just sticks his tongue out at her as he waddles away. "Nu wan' hew haf scawedies! Nu can haf New Mumma go 'poof' an' weave baybehs behind!"
>"Fin' ... buh gon' teww One-Eye an' No-Lips dat Wed nu gif Speshaw Huggies, wike Speshaw Huggies Mawe shouwd!" The Stallion whines, giving you one last shove before joining the end of the que behind Peach, grumbling the whole time.

>It's just .... not fair. You can't make No-Name understand when you're trapped like this, when your fluff is all matted, when you stink of Sorry Poopies and Special Huggies from other Stallions!
>How can you make him understand ... that he must be your Special Friend alone, that only you have his real bab ...
>Through your tears, you see two familiar forms shuffling away from the Herd at the far end of Haven.
>No-Lips and Clover, waddling side by side, giggling to each other as they move towards the outside of the Papers, where there's some space.
>They are nuzzling each other, giggling and rubbing against each other ...
>Oh no, Clover was making the Special Smell! She's trying to seduce No-Name! If she has his babies too, he'll never understand that the babies you are carrying at the best of his babies!
>As the outrage fills you, driving away even the pain from your backside, No-Name whispers something to Clover, who giggles, and then he starts to stroke his muzzle down her back and side, working his way down to her tail ...
>No! He's completely entranced, they're going to have Special Huggies! Clover's going to try and take No-Name away from you forever!
>You struggle to your hooves, desperate to stop this travesty, when you're mounted again!
>"Speshaw Huggies Mawe is weady 'gain? Huw'way, nu haf saddies nu moaw, yuu is weady fo' moaw Speshaw Huggies!" A dirty-blue Pegasus with only one wing cheers happily, hugging your back for a brief moment before he starts to give you Special Huggies, and then there's a babble of voices as the Stallions argue over who should be next.
>Unable to move with the Stallion holding you, all you can do is stand there and glare at Clover, who is stealing your Special Friend away right before your eyes.
>Stand there and dream of seeing Clover .... and Bwun, sitting where you are, crying and begging for you to forgive them, while you and No-Name play with your babies, and those two stupid, ugly, selfish Mares are forced to let all the other Stallions give them Special Huggies!
>No-Lips will be yours alone! Or nobody will have him!

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>The next Nummies-Raid occurs next morning, well before the sun rises, as the No-Lips Herd starts to sort themselves into groups in readiness for the start of their day.
>Most of the Stallions and half the Mares who are without Foals, Colts or Fillies gather by the entrance to Haven, standing as close to each other as they can while they shiver from the cold.
>Those who stay behind, either to be attendants to the Fluffy Mummas, or in the case of the Stallions, those who have pulled up lame over the long trip to the Trough or are otherwise unfit for the long journey, form a tightly-packed wall of warm bodies by the Fluffy Mummas at the very back of the Papers, trying desperately to impart their own warmth to the newborn Foals and younger Fluffies, who lack the adults' longer, thicker coats of dense fluff.
>The Herd has to get up earlier, because the Trough is further away from their home, Haven, than the Park that they normally graze at.
>Also ... there are other Herds there, Herds that do not even obey the loose Rules that the Alleyway and Park Herds hold to.
>"Weady? Wemembah, nu stawp fo' otha Fwuffies if nu pawt of owr Hewd! De Twough Fwuffies awe bad fwuffies, angwy fwuffies, wiww gif yuu huwties jus' cause dey can!" No-Lips barks at the Herd finished their final goodbyes.
>No-Lips hugs Bwun, then all of her Babies, promising them many nummies for their Mother, then hugs Clover, pausing to rub a hoof softly over her belly, the two of them sharing a quiet moment with their foreheads pressed against each other as they both stare down at Clover's belly.
>She's pregnant now, their last coupling having the desired effect, for them at least. It's a touch soon for Clover to have Foals again, immediately after her previous two Foals were weaned, but it was what she wanted.
>Wed, on the other hand, almost screamed herself hoarse when Clover excitedly claimed she'd had the 'funneh feew' right after her Special Hugs.
>Wed's now got two of the older Mares who were rendered sterile by the poisoned spaghetti watching over her all the time now, with orders from the Smarty Friend and All-Mumma to break her legs if she so much as speaks about trying to hurt her babies again.
>Last night, Wed's tantrum ended in her demanding that her babies come out right now and show No-Lips that she was his Bestest Special Friend by bouncing up and down on her belly, trying to force them to come out.
>On the other side of the smaller group of Fluffy Mummas and Mares with new offspring, Brick and Pink hug each other tightly, silently shaking with grief as their remaining babies peep and hug the entwined fluff of their parents, oblivious to their parents' distress.
>Last night, one of Pink's babies went missing in the evening Hug-Pile. Nobody could find it, nobody had the baby snuggled into their fluff, it was just ... gone. Pink was distraught, and Brick almost got into a fight with several Mares who tried to console Pink with idea that the loss of one baby now meant she had lots of milk for her remaining ones.
>No-Lips was furious about the 'theft', and made all the Mares line up, and checked them all for signs that they might have stolen the baby and tried to feed it, but none of them had any boo-boo juice on them, or traces of the baby's fluff on them.
>Everyone is nervous, it's obviously not a Munsta at work, because if that were the case, nobody would have woken up, but for a baby, and one of Pink's lethargic, skinny babies at that, to just up and disappear? They could barely muster the energy to play, let alone walk across the entire Hug-Pile without needing to stop and rest and going back to sleep in somebody else's fluff...
>So it must be someone within Haven. One of their own has resorted to stealing babies, and worst of all, has disposed of the baby before their crime could be discovered.
>It's a nagging feeling at the back of everyone's mind as the Raiders move out towards the Trough, that they might have left one of the worst of their kind back at Haven, with their precious children.

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>Be No-Lips, the ancient Smart Friend of the Herd that bears your name.
>Your attention is divided, and you know that's not safe, but you're torn between trying to keep a lookout for monsters, trying to keep the route from the Trough to Haven clear in your mind, and running through the likely suspects within your Herd who might kill a Foal rather than risk punishment for stealing it.
>It's one of the more vile things you've seen your kind do to each other, and you've seen so much madness and evil over your six years ...
>You didn't say anything, didn't want the Herd to crowd around it, but you sent Gnaff to check on the Bad Fluffy Pit, just in case the Bad Fluffy in question had thrown the baby in there to escape punishment.
>But Gnaff saw no tufts of fluff or floating bodies in the Bad Fluffy Pit, or any sign of the Dragon, but that means nothing, the Dragon can disappear for days at a time into the Deep Tunnels, doing unknowable Dragon-things that, quite frankly, terrify you just to think about.
>Besides, unless the Baby had been given the Longest Sleepies by the Bad Fluffy, then the whole Herd would have woken to the Baby's desperate peep-ing the instant it left the warmth of the Hug-Pile.
>So that means the Baby must have trusted whoever took it ... not that it's hard to earn a Baby's trust in the first place, but it must have been somebody the baby knew, to not make it peep at all when taken from it's Mumma's fluff in the middle of the night ...
>So that leaves the Attendant Mares, Crunchy or Pink .... none of those choices feels right, however. Pink's not likely to hurt her Foals, not with how she's throwing herself into being a Mumma, and Crunchy is all but killing himself working to keep Pink fed so she can make Milk for the babies.
>The Attendants ... maybe. But they are all seasoned Mares with many pregnancies to their names, chosen by All-Mumma herself to help Pink because of her problem with her milk-places not working right.
>Could it be the Green Unicorn, Mangles? He's a new-comer, and he's ... strange. But he's not 'familiar' to the babies yet, and he's too loud and clumsy to sneak into the middle of the Hug-Pule at night.
>Wed and Peach are under guard all the time, and even then, Wed's getting too heavy with her babies to be able to walk ontop of the evening Hug-Pile without somebody noticing her, and Peach has absolutely no interest in babies, not even her own.
>Bluehorn is an obvious choice for who would be cruel enough, but he's exiled to the far edges of the evening Hug-Pile as well. And nobody trusts Bluehorn these days, not enough to let him walk over them, literally, to get to the Fluffy Mummas.
>Bwun, Clover and No-Name also sleep at the middle of the Hug-Pile, because of Bwun's babies, but none of them would have motives to kill one of Pink's babies, and knowing them as you do, you can't imagine any of them being that vicious and cruel.
>It's a mystery, but one you have to solve, or else the cracks of fear that are spreading through the Herd will cause divisions, they'll stop trusting each other and start to squabble, splintering into factions and miniature Herds with the Fluffies they trust ...
>The tunnels get narrower down here, and the ceiling comes down so low that the Herd could touch it if they stood on their hind-legs, but soon the air starts to get fresher, and the smell of the City seems more and more distant even though the first pink hints of sunlight are starting to filter over the towering sky-scrapers of the City.
>The Trough. At first glance, it's a paradise, as your Herd slows to a creep just before the final corner and you see the ground smothered with a thick, lush crop of grass, clover and weeds atop a muddy, mucky ground, a veritable feast that could feed your Herd for ... for many, many Bright Times.
>Many of your Fluffies are drooling as they take in this smorgasbord, but you and the Toughies all bop them on the nose and remind them of the threat here.
>Slowly, watching the skies and the tops of the 'valley', your Herd creeps out of the drain and over the grass, with a little bit of whining from some Fluffies that you aren't letting them graze, when you emerge from the small 'valley' of the drain, and the first of the Trough's treasures is right there in front of you.
>It's always infuriated you that the Two-Legged Munstas, the Hoomins, are so vicious and cruel to your kind, yet they have so many nummies that they can throw them away when they go bad. There is no reason for them to be so mean and hateful, not with so much food available! What could possibly drive them to such acts of cruelty when they have so much ...
>Truly, the Hoomins are Munstas.
>Here at the 'Trough', or the Green Waste depo, there are piles of fruit and vegetables thrown away from chain-store supermarkets, lawn-cuttings and  garden clippings and more, all piled high and left to rot by beaucracy and laziness on behalf of the Humans involved.
>For the Fluffies, the slowly decomposing piles are a bountiful source of food, at least for the first few days, bedding and even shelter itself once all food-value has been lost, and the gently sloping dirt walls that rise to meet the chain-link fence that keeps the bulk of the waste in the Depo out of sight form a welcome hiding place from the casual glance of the Humans who might be nearby.
>Unfortunately, the abundance of food and shelter also brings a large number of Fluffies to the Depo, and their constant fighting over space and the solitary source of water in the Trough has rendered them into savage, warring family-groups.
>The first 'Mountain' is a pile of lawn-clippings, starting to curl and turn yellow and brittle as they dry out, but the Herd bypasses them, even though a few Mares mumble that the drying grass would make excellent padding material for their nests.
>That grass wouldn't make good fodder at all. It might fill the bellies for now, but the stomach-aches it would cause later could cause the Fluffy Mumma's to sour their own milk, or worse still, stop making milk altogether.
>The fact that the Trough Herds haven't dismantled the pile to take back to their own territories is also a clue that there might be something wrong with the grass-mountain.
>Another hidden treachery within the Trough. Sometimes there are pesticides, or worse, sprayed onto the refuse before or after it is brought to the Green Waste Depo, and what looks like a gift from the Gods could very well be the source of a slow and agonizing death for the unlucky eaters.
>Beyond the first mountain are bigger and bigger piles of dry or decaying green-waste that the Herd slowly creeps around, staying tightly packed, always watching the tops of the mounds, of these 'mountains', for sentries posted by the Trough Fluffies.
>The first sign of these feral, savage kin-fluffies is on a mountain of branches and lawn-clippings that the Herd keeps their distance from, while scores of Fluffies covered in scars and bald-patches glare down at them from shallow 'caves' made in the 'mountain's' sides by tangles of branches where the dead, drying grass has fallen through have been painstakingly expanded by the natives.
>The next threat the Herd encounters is a long, shallow 'slope' of rotting fruit and vegetables that is the site of a vicious brawl between almost a fifty Fluffies, howling, wretched, battered and hunger-maddened Fluffies who slip and sink and scramble across the decaying morass in their efforts to claim the least-rotted fruit for themselves, leaving the weak and the injuried to be mired in the sticky-sweet corruption left behind by the fighting, slowly sinking into the morass.
>Flinching with every scream, with every cry for help, the Herd shuffles onwards to the 'Treasure' they found the second day they came to the Trough.
>Several more mountains of leathery fruits, mold-spotted vegetables and garden-clippings later, they come to it, a small 'mountain' of carrots, celery and beans, dumped by a super-market a week ago.
>Baked under the sun and then drenched by the rain before being baked again, most of the produce is browned and leathery, covered in a soft layer of white mould, fodder for only the most desperate, but the Herd pulls off the top layers, grimacing at the gruesomely bitter taste, to reveal the fresher produce, kept moist and relatively fresh by the layer above and the humidity of the decomposition below, and start to load up the Mares with their finds.
>Long and slender, most of the carrots and beans can be safely threaded into the fluff, held in place by a friend licking a particularly large clump of fluff over the prize, where the spit will dry and the fluff will stick to whatever it touches.
>The celery takes the longest to collect, but it's also the best of the prizes, even if the leaves are somewhat wilted, because it's green like nummies should be.
>By the time the Herd has finished 'securing' their prizes, the pile is down a full foot in height, there's not a spare tuft of fluff not put to good use on the Mares' backs and dawn is well underway, the pink, tentive light from before giving way to the harsh yellows and oranges of full day-break, and the Mares, clustered safely within the ranks of the Stallions, make a break for the drain, with No-Lips in the lead, looking to the sides and peaks of every 'mountain' for possible threats.
>So it is with great surprise that he sees a small, bedraggled Mare with both ears chewed to ragged stumps shivering on the ground in front of his Herd, with a small, squeaking lump on her back that he can only assume is a small, newborn baby, the Mare staring at him with wide, shocked eyes.
>The Herd manges, with a few bumps and muttered complaints about being squashed, to stop their clumsy charge before they trample the young Mare, and for a brief moment there is silence, the whole Herd staring fearfully at this lone Mare, who in turn cowers at their numbers, mumbling under her breath.
>It is the young Mare who breaks the tense silence first, reaching out a hoof to No-Lips.
>"Yu-yuu nu fwom hewe .... y-y-yuu is ... a 'Hewd'?" She stammers, still crouched on the ground, but a look of hope starts to fill her eyes. "Yuu ... come tu Twough tu take ova?"
>No-Lips shares a glance with his Toughies, then shakes his head.
>"Nu, we jus' come tu get nummies, den weave. Dis pwace is bad fo' Fwuffies, Fwuffies fite aww de time, nu hewp each otha, spoiw aww de nummies ..." He explains quietly, and the young Mare shakes, sobbing quietly.
>"D-den nu Fwuffy gon' be safe hewe ... mah baybeh ... he gon' haf biggest owies ... owr he gon' be wike Bwudda, an' be a Meanie ..." The Mare whimpers, collapsing onto the muddy grass and shaking with her tears. "Nevah gon' get outta hewe. Nevah ..."
>"Am sowwy, buh nu can twust yuu. Twough Fwuffies awe dange'wous." No-Lips sighs, and looks around, noting the Herd is staring at him nevously as they pass by. His own words about not trusting the Trough Fluffies have come back to haunt him. "Yuu can twy tu 'scape fwom hewe. Haf nummies, wun', twy tu find otha Hewd who nu know 'bout Twough."
>One of the Mares squeaks in alarm as she feels a small, wrinkly carrot fall out of her fluff, but the press of the Herd forces her on, the carrot being trodden into the dirt under the hooves of the Herd.
>".... Eeheee heee heee ..." The Mare shakes, giggling in a high-pitched voice, eyes closed tightly. "Nu Fwuffy evah gets ouwt ... nevah ... nevah ... NEVAH! NEVAH! NEVAH! NEVAH!" and as she shakes, the oily bundle falls off her back, squeaking and squirming, revealing itself to be a small mouse that scuttles away, back up the sides of the nearest 'Mountain'.
>"Ev'wy Fwuffie, fo'awds!" No-Lips barks, the Herd abandoning all attempts at stealth as they rush forwards towards the drain, the Trough echoing with the mad laughter of the Mare.
>Behind them, from a 'mountain' of decaying lawn-cuttings and dead brances, a pack of Fluffies descends to where the Herd encountered the mad Mare, sniffing the ground and howling in rage.
>"Stwangews! Dis ouw pwace, yuu gon' get Biggest Owies fo' comin' hewe!"
>"Dey haf Mawes! Suuuu many Mawes, make dem shawe!"
>And then the dreaded phrase ...
>"Dey haf fwesh Nummies!" One Stallion roars in outrage as he roughly pushes the "NEVAH!" shouting Mare aside and snuffles around the week-old carrot smushed into the dirt, prompting howls of fury or delighted cheers from every Trough Fluffy within range, who in turn pass the call on and on through-out the Trough.
>"Nu stawp fo' nuthin'! If Nummies dwop, weave dem, can aw'ways get moaw Nummies, nu can get new Hewd-Fwiends!" No-Lips pants as the Herd rushes around the base of another mountain, the echoing cries of the Trough Fluffies waking up the Pack above them, who shout out challenges or demands for the Herd to give them the nummies, but the size of the No-Lips Herd gives the smaller Pack of the Trough Fluffies pause, granting the Herd a chance to get past before the Pack comes tumbling down their mountain, howling abuse at the Herd, and then the other Packs who have come rushing to investigate the outcry.
>The Herd pants with their exertions, they have spent all morning getting to the Trough, then digging through the discarded produce to find the freshest morsels, and now they are running for their lives in unfamiliar territory.
>The Packs, on the other hand, have spent the morning either sleeping or in the case of the smaller or more desperate Herds, sneaking out to steal food or fight for territory.
>They have fresh legs and a furious disposition to begin with, and it is only their natural distrust of anyone outside their family groups that prevents the Packs from joining together and overwhelming the Herd.
>"Gif fwesh nummies!" "Dis my wand! Yuu gif Mawes tu come onto my wand!" "Gif yuu owies, take yuu nummies!" and more threats spurr on the No-Lips Herd, but they are tired after a long journey, and loaded down with food, and the gap between the Herd and the squabbling, shoving Packs diminishes even as the Herd closes in on the drain that will take them back to the sewers.
>"Qui-quick'wy! Stawwions, spwead out, gif sowwy poopies, buh nu stawp wunnin'!" Bandit suddenly yells, running to the side and lifting his tail, slowing for a brief moment as his face strains, and then he releases a torrent of semi-liquid shit behind him that splatters over the mud and grass, causing the Packs to howl and shove each other to try and avoid running over the top of the disgusting pile.
>The rest of the Stallions, and the Mares closest to the back of the Herd, all try to do the same, some having more success than others, but the sudden 'barrier' of Sorry Poopies stalls the Pack for tens of precious seconds as they push and shove each other futiley to try and avoid being pushed by the reckless charges of those behind them into the stinking messes left by the No-Lips Herd.
>Packs fall to blows as they are pressed into the ugly messes left behind by the No-Lips Herd, turning and savaging the Fluffies behind them who pushed the front-ranks into the sorry poopies, and the gap widens as more and more Packs have to divert around the brawls to try and catch up to the Herd.
>For every small, wrinkled carrot or flaccid stalk of celery that the Herd drops in it's haste, the Packs descend ravenously upon the 'fresh' produce, punching and kicking and biting for the chance to eat the choice morsels themselves even as their hooves grind the prizes into the dirt with their struggles, the scent of the broken vegetables driving the Trough Fluffies wild with hunger and jealousy, causing more and more to pile into the brawl, seeking this 'treasure' for themselves.
>Desperately, the Herd runs into the 'valley' that leads to the opening of the drain, and curiously, the Trough Fluffies that still chase them start to scream in horror and try to break off the chase.
>"Munsta pwace!" "NUUUUUU!" "Nu, nu Munstas, NU MUNSTAS!" "Come bawk, Munstas eat de nummies an' de Fwuffies!"
>But the No-Lips Herd does not stop, and the Trough Packs mill nervously several meters from the drain, arguing over whose fault it was that the 'Big Pack' got away with all the nummies, only to be eaten by the Monsters that live underground, along with all their Mares.
>Then some bright spark decides that now is the best time to take over the territory of the other Packs, while they are absent.
>Unfortunately, he does so while thinking out loud.
>Now it's a frantic race back to the front of the Green-Waste Depo by the Packs, squabbling and snapping at each others' ears and tails as they do so, leaving a few weakened straggers behind to either catch their breath or try to get back up on broken legs.
>One of which is the young Mare that No-Lips would not take into his Herd, staring nervously at the entrance as she hears her Brothers and Cousins shouting obscenities at each other and the other Packs.
>But above all else, No-Lips's words ring in her ears. She sits and paws at the grass, fixated on the entrance until she is alone on the muddy, churned grass, when a familiar tugging makes her squeak in alarm and look down.
>Her only friend in the world, a small mouse, is clinging to her belly fluff, nose twitching, it's eyes staring up at her searchingly. If not for her Friend pretending to be a baby, her Brothers would likely have forced their Special Hugs on her again and again ...
>"Come on, Mou'fee. Gon' fin' a ... a Hewd, jus' fo' us." She whispers, getting onto her hooves and smiling as her friend Mouse clambers through her fluff to ride on her back, like a Baby should, and shakily makes her way into the terrifying maze of her people's legends.

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>"Ev'wy Fwuffy oh'tay? Nu haf owies? Check 'gain, make shuwe dat we aww hewe!" No-Lips barks over the hubbub of the Herd as families reunite and soothe the Raiders over their near-brush with death, and the nummies are taken off the backs of the Mares, sorted and counted and laid out in a row.
>You are No-Name, and you're still shaking with fear and adrenaline. Today was not the first time your Herd encountered the Trough Fluffies, but it was the first time you ever saw that many of them. And all of them so angry at you.
>Most of the time they would just glower down at the Herd or curse at you, too afraid of the sheer size of the Herd, but sometimes they would throw sticks or even pebbles at you.
>If not for your thick coats of Fluff, the Herd surely would have gotten worse than bruises and scratches ...
>How could that many Fluffies live together, fighting as they do? No-Lips and Bandit said that the Trough only had one watering hole, a leaky old fire-hose that dribbled it's precious water into a shallow, cracked concrete bowl, which only held a little water at a time, the rest dribbling out through the cracks and was wasted. How could that many Fluffies survive with only that much water?
>Clover and Bwun both hug you tightly between them, praising you on coming back safely, and with so many nummies! Clover's two white Colts don't hug you, sulking in the far corner of the Papers with bruised noses after they were caught trying to mount each other, but Little Filly does, squirming her way between Bwun and Clover to press herself against your belly.
>Your babies ... they play in the shallow nest that Bwun has been using, shuffling around awkwardly and chasing each other's tails. They probably didn't even know you were gone, and the sight of them playing innocently, that they are so happy fills your heart, and makes the shaking start to stop.
>"So gwad tu be bawk." You sigh and bump muzzles with Bwun, then Clover, smiling at both of them. "Hope de nummies be vewy guud, had tu dig tu get dem!"
>"Dey wook vewy nummy ... when No-Lips say dat Hewd can haf dem?" Bwun promises you, but she's eyeing the carrots and beans hungrily.
>"Dere were Meanie Fwuffies at de Twough ... chased Hewd, made Mawes dwop some of dere nummies. No-Lips jus' wan' make shuwe dat nu Fwuffie haf owies owr got wost." You explain, then start to giggle as one of your Foals trips on a piece of loose paper, and then the other Foals, still a little bit clumsy on their hooves, run into the Foal's backside, clumping together and squeaking and gigging. "Wook! Bwun, wook, Baybeh's make dere fiwst Hug-Piwe!"
>The next few minutes pass blissfully as you, Clover, Bwun and the three little Fluffies cuddle the babies and sing to them.
>You hold the Lucky Yellow Baby and sing to him about the Park, as does Clover while she holds the Red-Brown Earthy Baby, Bwun snuggles her Green Unicorn Baby, Little Filly giggles and holds your Gold Earthy Baby awkwardly to her body, while Clover's twin White Colts hug the Dark-Green Pegasus Baby between them and eagerly sing to it about playing on the grass of the Park.
>"No-Name, huwwy! Bwing Mawes, Smawty Fwiend gon' wet us haf nummies now!" Tricks shouts as he bumps his head into your back, making you cough and stop singing. "Wotsa hungwy Fwuffies, mus' get nummies fo' Bwun! Bwun is a Fwuffy Mumma, mus' haf wotsa nummies!"
>Tricks gets hugged for being such a good friend, for making sure you and your Special Friends get a full share of the prizes, and as a reward, you let him carry the Lucky Baby on his back until you all get to the line of Fluffies.
>It's ... kind of shocking to see just how big the Lucky Baby is getting. Tricks is kind of small for a Stallion, but the Lucky Baby is already big enough that he's too heavy for Bwun to carry along with the other babies.
>He's a third the size of a full grown Fluffy, and he's only five days old. No-Lips says that a fully grown Lucky Herd Fluffy is twice the size of a normal Fluffy ... just how big will the Lucky Baby be before he doesn't need Bwun's milk anymore!
>Just how did the Lucky Herd stay hidden from the Two-Legged Musntas anyways ... will the Lucky Baby be able to stay in the Underground when he's fully grown? Will he be able to leave Haven, or will he be stuck inside, unable to escape without having to batter down the poop maze to get in or out?
>"Toughies fiwst, Den Fwuffy Mummas, den Scouts, den otha Stawwions!" No-Lips the Smarty Friend shouts as the Herd talks excitedly about the coming feast, sorting itself by the ranks of the Stallions. As a Scout, your place is about the middle of the line, just ahead of the unranked Stallions, and even though you know it's likely you'll have to make do with the nummies the Toughies turned down, it does make you smile to hear the Lucky Baby, now on your back, saying "Hewwo! Wucky wub yuu!" and "Fwiends! Wan' pway wit' fwiends!" to the nearest Fluffies.
>He can speak whole sentences, where the other Babies still have trouble with more than a few words. You and Bwun are so proud, but the other Fluffies sometimes seem a little bit startled by how fast the Lucky Baby is growing, both in body and mind.
>He's still a little immature though ... and he doesn't have teeth yet either. He's still just a Foal, just a really really really big one!
>The line of nummies is ... wow, that's a lot of nummies.
>But by the time it's your turn ... a good half of the nummies have been taken. All-Mumma is directing the Fluffy Mummas to take most of the beans and carrots, which is good, they need a lot of milk for their babies, but ...
>The Toughies get one of each type of nummies, a bean, a carrot and a stick of celery, while their mates without Foals get two nummies each .... as a Scout, you get a bean and a carrot. Clover, as just a Mare now, without any milk in her teats, gets a carrot and a half a stick of celery, and the two White Twins and Little Filly get a carrot between them to share.
>You're grateful for the nummies, of course, but you sort of thought there would be ... more.
>The Stallions without rank will just get one carrot, bean or celery stick, and the Mare without nursing Foals will get the same. Foals old enough to have teeth of their own will get what's left over, or what their parents can spare them.
>"Oh'tay! Fwuffies, is nu safe tu gu bawk tu de Twough! Next bwite-time, gon' haf gu bawk tu de Pawk." No-Lips is shouting over the hubbub as the line shrinks and the Herd gets more vocal about the short rations. "We gon' haf tu hope dat Awwey-way Hewds haf' fow'got 'bout Haven, su we can haf' gwassies 'gain!"
>Most of the Herd cheers, but some complain that they don't want to eat 'dumb old grass' anymore, and a few others shout that it's not safe, the other Herds probably still want to find Haven!
>You're worried that the Alleyway Fluffies might still be looking for Haven as well ... but Herds can be talked to, tricked by smarter Fluffies like No-Lips and his Toughies.
>You don't want to think what would happen if the Packs from the Trough followed the Herd back to Haven ...

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((BECAUSE I'MA FUCKIN' LORD OF THE HERP-A-DERP-A))

This chapter got lost in my spam last night. Takes place between chapter 13.5 and 14.0

>Be No-Name again, waking up with Bwun and your babies at your belly, and Clover on top and the now-familiar feeling of a damp warmth on your belly fluff.
>Rrrrrrrgh. You can smell the faint, bitter tang of pee in the air. Still, this time, it's not the babies fault ...
>Clover is lying across the both of you, mumbling happily in her sleep, while you and Bwun hug each other, to make sure the babies stay warm, trapped between all the fluff the three of you can muster, with her milky-places right next to them if they need to have nummies during the Sleepy Time.
>All-Mumma said that it was alright for the  babies to drink as much as they wanted to during the Sleepy Time, otherwise the Mummas would get no rest at all because they'd have to stay awake all night to deal with the babies.
>And she praised you on getting Clover to lie across the both of you as well, so the Babies were protected on all sides from the cold.
>What none of you said out loud was that this way, none of the babies could be stolen. If anyone tried to reach in between your bodies, you'd feel their hooves moving through your fluff.
>Poopies and pee-pee from the babies in your fluff is nothing compared to the soul-shrivelling horror of losing one of your babies ... just thinking about it makes your head pound and your stomach feel sick!
>Close-by, you can see Crunchy and Pink have hugged each other as well, with their attentdants lying on top of them for additional warmth for the babies between them.
>"Eeenf ..." You hear somebody muttering nearby.
>Ugh, not in front of the babies ....
>"Spe-speshaw Fwi-iend..." The same voice groans, and you can now pick out the faint shff shff shff of something making the Papers move.
>Dammit, it may be cold, but to have Special Huggies right near the babies? Stuupid Fluffies, what if the babies start to ask what 'Eeenf' means?
>Your babies just figured out that some of them can pee standing up, and the others have to squat. You're not sure you're emotionally ready to handle fielding questions about why they have different pee-pee places yet!
>"Eeenf! Eeenf eeenf eeenf!" And now you can't help but look around, trying to find who the loud idiot is ... oh, it's Mangle ....
>He must be asleep, he's giving Special Huggies to the Papers itself. Must be smelling all the nearby Fluffy Mummas, all so close, and with Fluffies all around him, he must be so warm he's dreaming he's having Special Huggies with his Special Friend.
>Soon, he gives a low, loud groan and stops moving, and you wrinkle your nose in disgust.
>Ugh, Sticky-Huggies-Juices, right in the warmest, dryest part of the Papers. That's going to be fun, trying to explain that to the babies ....
>But now in the relative silence now that Mangle has stopped making so much noise, there's something new .... a familiar noise, but heavily muffled, as if from far away.
>Peep peep peep peeeeeep.
>The sound of a Baby in distress!
>And panicked your cry of "BAYBEH!" echoes so very, very loud in Haven, causing everyone to leap to their hooves, babbling loudly, including Mangle, who jumps up, revealing a small, sticky, familiar shape under his belly fluff.
>It's one of your babies ....

****************************************************************

>Be No-Lips the Smarty Friend, standing on the backs of Honey and Wittles so your Herd can all see you. With all the fury the Fluffies are feeling right now, you have to maintain control and show no emotion yourself, even though you feel sick inside.
>A Foal-Special-Hugger. Mangle is a Foal-Special-Hugger. You all trusted a Foal-Special-Hugger and let him join the Herd, sleep right next to the Fluffy Mummas and their all-too-fragile babies!
>But it all makes sense now. The baby caught in the filty waters of the Underground where your Herd first encountered Mangle, the different coloured tufts of fluff scattered all over the place, it's all connected, but none of you realised a Fluffy this dumb could be that smart.
>Mouthfuls of Fluff from the nests of Fluffy Mummas, so the baby he kidnapped wouldn't want to leave the cardboard box, so it would think it was 'safe', surrounded by the sweet, relaxing smell of a Fluffy Mumma.
>Why he calls babies 'Fwiends', not 'Baybehs' like everyone else. He doesn't see them as too young, too little, too dependant. He only sees a smaller, cute Fluffy.
>No-Name and Bwun almost tore Mangle's ears off before your Toughie Friends managed to get into the middle of the screaming, outraged mob and somehow restored order. You had to smack No-Name so hard to make him stop trying to get at Mangle that you made his sniffer dribble blood from both holes, and even then he still wanted to attack Mangle.
>It's been years since this last happened ... the sickness you felt when it happened was the spark that burnt away your apathy towards everything at the time, that made you want to live again, if only to ensure such Bad Fluffies never held power over a Herd again.
>And now ... your eyes flick to No-Name, Bwun and Clover and their family, and you feel your blood pound furiously, the roar almost drowning out the angry muttering of the Herd.
>The Gold Baby ... Mangle managed to sing the Gold Baby away from his Mumma, which is why it didn't panic when he took it away from his Mumma. You've never heard of a Stallion being able to immitate a Mumma's Song before!
>Gold 'came' to Mangle, believing in the dark that his Mumma was singing him up to her head to have cuddles, but when the little baby managed to pull himself clear from his parents fluff, Mangle grabbed him, still singing his Fake-Mumma Song, and then covered the Gold Baby with his whole body and ... and ...
>You feel sick ....
>Poor little Gold sobs in his Mumma's arms about being scared, about his hurt  poopie place, about the pain in his belly, terrified of his father because Gold goes into a screaming fit if he's held by any Stallion now, while Clover and the three younger Fluffies, Little Filly and the two White Twins, console the other babies, promising them nothing bad will happen to them.
>No-Name holds the Lucky Baby tightly to his chest, stroking it's head with his free hoof as he tries to calm the baby down, but his eyes, full of hate and loathing, never leave Mangle, who sits in the middle of the circle of angry, spitting, cursing Fluffies, looking utterly confused.
>He told the whole Herd everything ... and then expected you all to understand that what he did wasn't wrong.
>He can't understand why what he did is so abhorrent ... to him, there is no such thing as a 'Baby', just a smaller, cute Fluffy, no matter how many times you tried to explain it to him!
>All-Mumma is at Bwun's side, inspecting the Gold Baby and doing what she can to soothe the family, but the look she shoots you is one of sorrow.
>You suspected as much. A Stallion's No-No inside of a Baby's poopie place ... there were boo-boo juices leaking out from the Gold Baby's mouth and poopie place when the light of the Unicorns' Horns was brought to bear.
>"Kiww him, KIWW HIM!" "Foaw-Speshaw-Huggah! MUNSTA FWUFFIE!" "Whewe yuu take owr baybeh! Whewe is OWR baybeh?!" "Bweak his weggies, weave Mangew fo' de Rat Munstas!" The Herd yells and bellows, stamping their hooves and glaring hatefully at the pale-green Unicorn, who stares at them all with confusion and hurt written plainly on his face.
>"Enuff! TOUGHIES! Make shuwe nu Fwuffies shout nu moaw, nu wan' Munstas tu come!" You shout over the mob, and your remaining Toughies rush around, bopping noses and swatting ears until the Herd is reduced to quiet, angry muttering. "Mangwe! We wew'come yuu tu Hewd, shawe owr nummies, wet yuu sweep wit' Fwuffy Mummas, an' yuu gif Speshaw Huggies tu twu Baybehs! Wat yuu haf say? Why yuu du dis Baddest-Bad ting tu yuu fwiends?"
>"Buh is nu bad! Speshaw Huggies guud! Fwiend wook su much wike owd Speshaw Fwiend, nu couwd hewp, wan' haf Speshaw Fwiend 'gain!" Mangle bawls, pointing to the whimpering Gold baby, whose Father snarls and leans over to shield the wounded Foal with his body, but the Gold Baby is so traumatized that it starts to peep desperately, probably associating the slightly musky scent of a Stallion with the pain and fear it must have felt earlier. "Is oh'tay, is nu bad! Why yuu aww bein' meanies! Fwiend wuv Mangwe, Fwiend say su, su mus' be guud, mus' be oh'tay!".
>"Dummy! Aww baybehs say dey wuv Fwuffies, dey is baybehs, dat wut dey do!" All-Mumma snaps back, roughly pushing No-Name back away from his traumatized child before turning her attention back to soothing the Gold Baby.
>The Herd growls and splutters in rage, but manages to keep it's distance, their outrage clearly visible in their faces and angry whispers.
>Mangle doesn't get what he has done is one of the worst things a Fluffy Pony can do to it's own kind.
>What the hell kind of Herd did he come from anyways?
>"Is a baybeh! Nu big 'nuff fo' Speshaw Huggies! STUUUPID MANGWE!" "Baybeh nu haf speshaw smeww yet, nu is Cowt yet!" "MUNSTA!" "Whewe yuu hide Brick an' Pink's baybeh! Teww us!"
>"Mangwe, du yuu unna'stan' dat Fwuffies who awe tuu wittwe nu can haf owr gif Speshaw Huggies?" You shout over the angry demands of your Herd. "Du yuu unna'stan' dat we gon' haf punish yuu fo' dis? Dat yuu haf gif Wuwst-Bad-Special-Huggies tu a Fwuffie dat nu weady fo' Speshaw Huggies, dat tuu wittwe, dat .... dat may haf Wongest Sweepies because yuu gif dem owies inside wit' yuu No-No's?"
>"Nuuuuuuu, jus' gif huggies, an' owies gu 'waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" Mangles shouts back, now bawling in distress.
>He just does NOT understand ... he's just like how Zodd was, ignorant of how he could hurt others.
>But first ....
>"Mangwe, if yu teww us whewe Crunchy an' Pink's baybeh is hidden, we nu gif' tuu many huwties ... buh if yuu nu teww, we gon' gif yuu de Wuwst Owies." You say in your loudest, bestest 'Smarty' voice, glaring coldly at the confused Munsta in your midst. "Whewe is de baybeh?"
>"Nnnn-nu! NU! IS NU BAYBEH, IS FWIEND, IS SPESHAW FWIEND!" Mangle starts to shout, puffing his cheeks and glaring back at you, at No-Name, at Brick. "MEANIE FWUFFIES NU GON' TAKE MAH SPESHAW FWIENDS 'WAY 'GAIN! NU NU NU NU!"
>The Herd roars and spits furiously, shrinking around Mangle before your Toughies run around and half-heartedly bop more noses and swat more ears, all the while a trembling Mangle stands there, cheeks puffed even as his eyes water with tears.
>"Teww us whewe Crunchy an' Pink's Baybeh is an' Smawty wet yuu gu." You bellow, and the whole Herd goes silent, staring at you in disbelief. "Baybeh is moaw impow'tant dan any'ting! Yuu teww, an' we wet yuu gu. Yuu nu teww ... Smawty gon' wet No-Name an' Crunchy gif yuu de Wongest Sweepies, Mangwe. Du yuu unna'stan' dat?"
>"NUUUU! IS MANGWE'S SPESHAW FWIENDS! NU MEANIE FWUFFIES NU GUN SAY WE NU CAN BE TOGETHA 'GAIN!" Mangle screams back, bouncing up and down on his hooves, cheeks puffed out as much as he can.
>"Den yuu haf made yuu choice! Crunchy, No-Name, yuu can gif Mangwe owies tiww he haf Wongest Sweep-hey!" You shout, but before Crunchy and No-Name can put down their babies and deliver their vengeance, the Herd roars in fury, the back of the mob splitting to the sides, while the rest charge, butting and kicking at Mangle, pummeling him relentlessly, pushing the wretched Unicorn towards the pit that leads to the deeper part of the Sewers, Mangle screaming and pleading for his 'Special Friends' to save him.
>But the Gold Baby is too small and heartbroken, and deep in your heart, you know Pink and Crunchy's baby is .... dead by now. So thin, with no fat, and no other Fluffies to help keep it warm, it would have had the Longest Sleepies by now.
>The Herd howls and snaps at Mangle, bucking or head-butting him away when he tries to flail his front hooves at them, screaming in his face that he's a bad Fluffy, that he's a Monster, that he's Evil, when Mangle rears back to flail at them one more time ... and topples back into the Bad Fluffy Pit.
>You hear his terror-filled squealing, and then the splash and the ragged cheer from the Herd as he hits the pool at the bottom of the pit, close your eyes and sigh.
>How many times will your Herd have to suffer ... how many times will they endure these betrayals and setbacks before they start looking for a scapegoat for everything?
>But for now, you climb down off Wittle and Honeys' back and begin the long, draining process of calming the Herd down, and pray to whatever is listening that All-Mumma can heal the pain that the new parents must be feeling right now.

****************************************************************

>Be Mangles ... and you're heart-broken AGAIN!
>Another Meanie Herd, with far too many rules ... and they use stupid words for little Fluffies, calling them 'Baybehs'.
>Dummies. They can speak, they can play, they are Fluffies now! Your Special Friends said they LOVED YOU! They wanted to be with you!
>Just like what your Fatha said to you, when he took your Sissy as another Special Friend.
>Mumma was so proud she was crying ...
>But a stuuuuuupid Cat-Munsta ate Mumma before she could say how proud she was.
>You hope your Special Friends can sneak away from their Dummy Herd, you can't sneak back into that place anymore, not like what you did with the Special Friend before them.
>You fell into a pool of water, and if not for the current dragging you into these new tunnels, you're sure you would have sunk and drowned.
>You threw a piece of trash into the tunnel that brought you to this ... place, to see how fast the current was, and the wrapper just went spinning away into the darkness faster than you could possibly run ....
>Scary ...
>It takes a while to remember how to make your Horn-Light, sitting there shivering from the cold and the humiliation as you hear the Meanies Herd shout insults into the Hole they pushed you into.
>There's no going back that way, so all you can do is hope to find your way back up, so you can sneak in and take your Special Friends away from those Meanies.
>Filled with bitter thoughts, you make your Horn-Light as strong as you can, and start walking in a direction chosen at random.
>Dirt. Dirt and filth and stinky, mucky water, so icky that it barely flows at all.
>And then ... glowing blue mushrooms!
>You MUST be near Haven then! Only at the entrance to Haven did you see these mushrooms, glowing blue with fine tendrils hanging down below the caps.
>There's other Mushrooms down here as well that you don't recognise, glowing a sickly shade of green, much like your own fluff, but these are conical, made of rings of the same mottled-blue stuff as the first type of Mushrooms ...
>Was there another entrance? You don't remember ...
>And then there's a horrible, booming roar, and you squeak and poop, so scared you let your Horn-Light splutter and die, plunging you into a darkness broken only by the slowly pulsing light of the mushrooms.
>Something shuffles through the darkness before you, something huge, dragging across the ground .... and then there's a splash.
>For what feels like forever, you stand there, teeth chattering in the pale, pulsing blue and green glow of the Mushrooms, wondering where the Munsta is ... and then a miracle occurs!
>Daylight! There's a tunnel, right in front of you! It must be daylight, you can see the walls and floor painted with that glorious yellow light!
>"Huw'way! Gon' gu an' get mah Speshaw Fwiends bawk!" You cheer, rushing forwards and leaping over some Meanie Sharpy stones that line the walls of the tunnel, and grimace as your hooves hit something warm and sticky!
>This tunnel doesn't smell pretty at all .... and it's not bright at all! The walls are just a yellow-orange colour! But it's your only chance ...
>And it's only a few steps forwards ... and find to your disgust that you can't go any further, your head bumps into the roof of the tunnel, and the dark hole leading to the outside is so small you'd have to crawl on your belly to get through... and then a gust of hot air blasts out, making you squeal in disgust as thick, disgusting, ropey strands of yikkies plaster your face.
>What the Fluff kind of tunnel is th~
>With a sudden snap, the Alligator's jaws slam down on the pale-green unicorn, once, twice, thrice, the Fluffy's screams unending as blood and tufts of fluff spray out the sides of the twisted, deformed Aligator's mouth, followed on the third bite by one of the Fluffy's legs, still twitching.
>Rumbling contentedly at the unlookedfor meal, the Aligator that the No-Lips Herd calls the 'Dragon' slinks back into the shallow channel in the tunnel and half-swims, half-crawls back to the Bad Fluffy Pit, hoping to bask in what little warmth it can.
>Less than a minute after the Aligator leaves ... the conical green Mushrooms start to pulse faster, detaching from the piles of filth and dirt, attached to half-seen shadows that circle the remaining tufts of fluff silently, flashing back and forth to each other, before the severed leg is found and is swiftly pushed into the waters, along with the few remaining tufts fluff.
>Silently, the shadows return to their positions, but not before one brushes past one of the more common, round mushrooms, and a narrow, delicate muzzle cautiously extends and takes a mouthful of the toxic plant, chewing slowly.
>"Guu' Nummies." The shadow whispers in the quietest, softest voice, before the conical mushroom pulses one more time, and the Depths return to silence.

****************************************************************

>It's late afternoon, and you are No-Name.
>Your babies have mostly settled down from this mornings ... nightmare.
>The Lucky Baby keeps looking at you, at the Smarty Friend, and the Bad Fluffy Pit, looking scared, confused and nervous, while the Gold Baby won't have anything to do with anyone but Bwun, holding onto her fluff and sobbing.
>Poor Gold won't even nurse alongside his siblings, he just lies curled up into a ball, fighting his owies until everyone is pulled away by you and Clover, and then he runs down, nurses, then runs back and curls up on the far side of Bwun's nest, sobbing again.
>You tried to hug him, to let him know you love him, but Gold screamed and babbled about 'Huggies bad' and 'huwties'.
>It wasn't an 'Owies' scream, but a 'Scaredies' scream.
>That ... that Munsta, Mangle, has made your Gold Baby believe that Huggies are terrible, awful things, and that Stallions are Munstas.
>The Herd was so kind, knowing neither you or Crunchy wanted to leave your Special Friends alone after all the horror of this morning, returning from the park with enough grass to keep Bwun and Pink and the other Fluffy Mummas sated.
>Bwun didn't want to eat, but she knew no food meant no milk, and the babies need milk.
>Crunchy and Pink, close by, hold their babies even now and croon to them, heart-broken over the fact that their missing baby will never return, but still happy that the evil Fluffy who is responsible for their heartache will never return from the Bad Fluffy Pit.
>You wish you could feel the same, but right now, your heart has too many owies.
>Mid-sigh, you're distracted by an urgent tugging on your leg-fluff, and when you look down, the Lucky Baby is there, a tuft of your fluff clenched in his mouth, a panicked look on his face.
>"Fatha! Bwudda haf boo-boos! Boo-boos!" Lucky chirps in distress, and as you turn to look, you see Gold leaning against the side of Bwun's nest, sobbing loudly, with streaks of blood down the backs of his hind-legs.
>You're not alone in your panic, as Bwun, Clover and the rest of your family heard Lucky's words, and now everyone crowds around the Gold Baby, reaching out to try and stroke his back one moment, before flinching back just before contact.
>Gold hates being touched now ... but he has Owies, and they need Hugs to be fixed! But if you hug him, he'll scream and be sad and hate you ....
>Finally, you can't stand it anymore, not being able to hold your baby, his crying because he's in pain and afraid, so you gently lean over, hold him between your hooves and hold him to your chest, crying yourself.
>"Am suuu sowy, baybeh. Am wuwst Fatha eva, nu was watchin' when Meanie Mangwe gif yuu owies, nu can make yuu owies gu 'way." You bawl as Gold shivers within your arms, hugging himself and peeping miserably.
>Even now, he can't hug you, he's too afraid of the stallion-smell you make, so you pass him to Bwun, who cuddles him to her chest, and immediately Gold latches onto his mother and nuzzles his way down to Bwun's skin, almost completely buried in her fluff.
>You can only hope that Gold will be able to understand you'd never hurt him, as you stare helplessly at Gold until the peeping and baby-talk of your other Babies lets you know they are getting cold and lonely, and you toddle off to entertain them until Gold feels brave enough to leave Bwun's fluff again.
>You just don't know what to do anymore ...


****************************************************************


>It's the next morning, and you are No-Name again, watching your babies nervously.
>You barely got any sleep at all last night, even though you know Mangle is long gone, you slept fitfully, waking up several times to nuzzle your babies and check that they are all alright.
>Gold is nestled in between his sisters, the dark-green Pegasus, and the reddish-brown Earth Fluffy who looks so much like Bwun, and finally he looks calm.
>Your other two foals Lucky the Alicorn and the Green Unicorn Baby, have cuddled up to you, having gotten sad at Gold's crying every time they tried to hug him, and you sigh and run a hoof down their backs.
>A mumble makes you flinch, and you look up to see Clover on the other side of you, asleep on her back, with her two White twins and Little Filly sprawled in front of her.
>There's ... a lot of space around the Fluffy Mummas now. Nobody wanted the Herd to pile around them, even though the Bad Fluffy was gone.
>Everyone wanted to make sure that the babies, all the babies would be safe, and so there's a space around the nests of the Fluffy Mummas twice the length of a Fluffy.
>It's colder ... but you don't think you could handle having so many Fluffies near your babies after what has happened in the last two day.
>All too soon, however, you drift back to sleep, only to be shaken awake by Bandit, and told that today you have to come out and be a Scout for the Herd.
>And today, Bwun will be taking the Babies with her to the Park, so they can play in the sunlight and feel real, fresh grass under their hooves.
>Both you and Bwun mull this over as the babies drink their fill of milk, and with Clover's help, tuck them into the fluff on their Mumma's back.
>Well ... almost everyone. Lucky Baby has to ride on Clover's back, because otherwise there would be no room ...
>At least the Gold baby isn't so upset to be near another boy now. He is accepting Green's hugs, but every time you come near him, he flinches still.
>"Maybeh pwain' on gwasses make Gold feew bettah." You whisper to Bwun as the Herd rumbles and mutters, getting into formation for the long journey to the Park. "Pway an' be wun an' chase, maybeh Gowd fow'get de meanie tings?"
>"Maybeh ... baybehs, haf tu howd on tight, Mumma goin' tu wun weawy fast, nu can stawp if baybehs fa-faww off." Bwun stammers at the last, and you both turn pale under your fluff as the mental images of one of your precious babies being trampled in the dim light of the Underground tunnels floods your minds. "Pwease, nu wet gu of Mumma."
>But you can't do much else ... you're already being called to help lead the Herd to the Park, so you have to leave your vulnerable babies to Bwun and Clover.
>At least Clover's White twins, and Little Filly, are big enough that they no longer need milk, and can run just like a big Fluffy now.
>The whole trip up to the Overground, you can't help but keep glancing over your shoulder to check on Bwun, but soon the Herd reaches a tunnel where the faint pink light of dawn is seeping down, and for once, the drain opens up in between two buildings that form a natural box-canyon, with the fence that surrounds the Park between them, and heavily damaged at that.
>Plenty of holes for the Herd to walk through, many big enough that even the solitary Fluffy Mumma in the Herd at this time can be rolled through without even touching the edges of the hole.
>Scouting for the Herd is an agony, as every second you are apart from Bwun, Clover and the babies, you're tormented by images of Gold trying to run away and getting lost, or a Flying Munsta attacking the Herd, or a Rat-Munsta Swarm rushing out of the Underground to eat the slower Fluffies.
>On your return to the Herd, you report that there is a lot of hoof-marks in the dirt under the benches and trees, but there's so many that they go all the way up to the grass, so there's no way to tell how many Fluffies there were, or which direction they went to.
>And disturbingly ... Tricks, Crunchy, Bowl, Dingle, Streak, Spruce and Bluehorn all reported the same things. Every possible bit of shelter in this part of the Park looks like it's played host to dozens of Herds.
>No-Lips looks horrified at the thought of several dozen Herd's worth of Fluffies being in the Park without him knowing, but curiously, there's not one piece of poop, fluff or .... or boo-boo stains anywhere.
>So it wasn't a running fight between different Herds, at least. But so many Fluffies together, and the grass hasn't been grazed down to the white, tough, nasty-tasting layer?
>Finally, you're given leave to be with your Special Friends, and you rush back to see Bwun lying with her back half on it's side, while her front half remains upright and balanced on her knees as she grazes like a Mare possessed, giving you a quick smile before going back to her task.
>Clover, Little Filly and the Colts are taking turns as look-outs for Bwun inbetween snatching up mouthfuls of grass, while your babies...
>You don't realise you've been holding your breath until you see your Gold Baby, riding around on the Lucky Baby's back, giggling as the Lucky Baby lurches around on the grass, shouting happily about how cool and 'crunchy' the grass is under his hooves, while your other three babies nurse from Bwun's exposed belly.
>You desperately want to go over and hug them all, but you also don't want to scare Gold again ... so you smile at them and tell them how proud of them you are, and then start to graze.
>It should be a half-hour or so until the sun rises to the point where the Herd has to go back to the Underground. Hopefully the babies can play the entire time, and Gold can forget his fears and his nightmares, if only for a little while.

****************************************************************

>Be Wed ... your hooves are cold, your nose is cold, your poopie-place burns with the cold ... and you're stuck here at the back of the Herd without a single friend.
>Peach had to stay behind at Haven today to play nurse-maid to the injured Stallions, and Blue-Horn won't talk to anyone now, just keeps grinning and talking about a 'Not Plan' to thin air.
>"Huwwy, haf moar gwassies." One of the two Meanie Mares that the Dummy No-Faced Owd-Stuuupid-Meanie Smarty Friend ordered to guard you demands, poking your cheek, hard, when you lift your head to look for No-Name.
>You're not sure how you feel about him now. He was so bold, so angry and vital, when that strane Stallion, Mangle, was caught giving Bad Special Huggies to one of Bwun's babies, but ...
>It wasn't one of his babies! But now he's so protective of them you doubt you'd get within a few feet of Bwun before you'd be attacked.
>"Gwaze! Now! Yuu baybehs nee' aww de miwk dey can get!" The second Meanie Mare barks, shoving your head roughly back to the grass, and you sob bitterly before taking another mouthful of this too-cold grass.
>You're not sure if you love No-Name anymore. He's a dummy who won't listen to you, won't play with you all the time, won't love you alone like a Special Friend is supposed to ....
>But he is the Fatha of your babies! Surely when he sees them, how pretty and wonderful and better than the not-his Babies Bwun has tricked him into loving, he'll understand, and love you again.
>Take you back to Stinky Waters, become a Smarty Friend and together you can lead a Herd bigger, stronger and prettier than this one!
>"Am haffin' nummies, nu huwt Wed nu moar, Meanies!" You protest, whining as the cold grass sits in your tummy and makes it cramp. "Jus' wan' tawk tu No-Name 'gain! Pwease, jus' wa' tawk tu Speshaw Fwiend!"
>"He nu yuu Speshaw Fwiend nu moar. Yuu is a Meanie Fwuffie who twied tu huwt yuu fwiend's baybehs, make hew cwy." The first Meanie Mare scoffs, glaring at you with contempt written clearly across her face.
>"Buh dey nu his baybehs! Why yuu nu unna'stan'? Bwun twickin' him, dose baybehs, an' dat Munsta baybeh, nu awe No-Name's!" You spit back, but you're too afraid of the bigger Mares, and their threats to break your leggies, to do anything more. "Wed is his bestest Speshaw Fwiend, nu Bwun, nu Clover! Haf his baybehs fiwst!"
>"Cch! Wisten tu hew. Tink tight no-no's an' baybehs aww she nee' tu be Speshaw Fwiend!" The second Meanie Mare snorts, then both Mares start to bray with laughter, and your cheeks go red with shame.
>But the Fluffies in front of you keep moving, grazing as they go, and for a short while, you can see No-Name sitting there on the grass, smiling and waving to the not-his babies, that little, annoying Filly leaning against his side.
>He will learn you are his Bestest Special Friend, or he will never see his Babies. If he won't love you, you won't let him love your babies! You'll hold them in your tummy forever!


****************************************************************
Chapter 14

>Be Bandit, watching over the Herd as they graze in loose formation. Your Special Friends wave at you, or wink, or lift their Foals up for you to see, but you've not been released from your duty yet, and so can only smile and nod at them.
>You have to keep watch for anything now, anything that might even remotely be considered a threat to the Herd.
>The numbers of tracks the Scouts found worries No-Lips, and quite frankly, horrifies you.
>So many Fluffies ... so many Herds.
>Did they all come together to try and find Haven for themselves? But you know what most Smarty Friends are like, such meetings almost always end in somebody getting their fluff torn off and their Herd taken away, at best.
>"Nummies fo' Toughies, Smawty Fwiend says tu eat, Hewd haf gu' bawk tu Haven soon." Tricks mumbles, dropping a couple of stale fries at your hooves, which you gobble down on the spot, nodding to the clever little Pegasus before resuming your vigil.
>Besides, there's motion from one of the small copses of trees closer to the heart of the Park, and your heart climbs into your throat as you spot the familiar bright patches of colour that marks your kind.
>There’s another Fluffy Herd creeping out from the trees around the Lake in the middle of the Park, too far away for you to make out anything more than a tightly clumped pack of brightly coloured fluff ambling around just outside of the tree-line.
>They don’t seem to be aggressive, but No-Lips is standing on the edge of his Herd, facing the new Herd, his Fluff standing on end.
>You, Wittles and Honey all shoot each other worried looks. Your Herd has a lot of Mares, but only five Toughies and four Scouts ... if there is a fight, you've got to hope that their Stallions are either cowards or dummies.
>Most of the Mares in the Herd are too busy eating or taking care of the Foals and babies to pay attention to anything happening outside of the Herd, but one or two seems to have noticed the new Herd, and the anxious whispers spread through the Herd, causing the Mares to whimper and whisper to each other, and attendants to try and get the Mummas onto their hooves and load the Babies onto their backs.
>By the time everybody is on their hooves and all the Foals and babies are accounted for, the Other Herd has stopped their wandering and spread out, grazing as well. A couple of Fluffies are standing just like No-Lips, facing No-Lip’s Herd and not moving.
>No-Lips doesn’t move, even when you break your orders and rush over to him to whisper "Wat Smawty Fwiend wan' Toughies do?"
>"Fo' now .... nuffin'. Dey nu come neaw us, we nu gu neaw dem." No-Lips grates, his eyes locked onto the other Herd. "Toughies! Haf gwassies-nummies quickwy, Scouts, come hewe, nee' yuu stan' wit' Smawty, make Hewd wook scawy wit' Smawty!"
>There’s some protesting from the Scouts, but even some of the unranked Stallions have rushed over to stand with No-Lips, forming a barrier of harsh glares and puffed cheeks.
>You shuffle around the Herd, grazing as you go, looking for your Special Friends so you can let them know exactly what is going on, but before you can finish your fifth mouthful of grass, the cry goes up.
>”Fwuffies! Be weady, dey come!” No-Lips shouts, rearing on his hind legs and pawing at the air. The other Stallions mimic him, trying to look scary.
>The Other Herd is advancing. Slowly, bunched up together, they are moving towards No-Lips’s Herd, their Stallions out the front, cheeks all puffed up.
>It looks like it's going to be a fight after all....

****************************************************************

>You are No-Name, and No-Lips the Smarty Friend called you away from your Special Friends and your babies to help defend the Herd against another Herd.
>You're upset, of course, the Gold Baby was just starting to understand that you were not like Mangle, the Bad Meanie Unicorn who gave him poopie-hugs, when the order came, but No-Lips lets you stay in his Herd, lets you be a scout and helps keep your Special Friends save in Haven.
>But this new Herd is smaller than the No-Lips Herd, but they have more Stallions. Up at the front of your Herd, there is No-Lips the Smarty Friend, Bandit, Wittles, Honey, Tricks, Spruce, Streaks, Bowl and Dingle, all puff-cheeked and with their fluff standing on end.
>The unranked Stallions were ordered to get back into the Herd and be prepared to follow You and whatever Toughies they could if the battle turned poorly, and you were to lead the Mares back to Haven, and tell One-Eye he was to be the New Smarty.
>This 'New' Herd has what looks like two Smarty Friends, given how they are advancing in lock-step with each other, a Red Pegasus and and a Blue Pegasus, both with their cheeks puffed out
>Strangely, as the New Herd finally comes close enough for you to make out individual Fluffies within it, you see that this Herd is almost all wingy Fluffies. No Unicorns, and only a scattering of Earth Fluffies.
>"Owr gwassies, nu yuu's!” One of the Bad Smarty Friends yells, stamping a hoof down onto the grass and scowling at No-Lips, who narrows his eyes but says nothing.
>”Owr gwasses! Yuu wan' dem, gif us yuu Mawes!” The other Bad Smarty Friend, this one a bright Blue, adds as he leers at the shivering, whispering Mares of your Herd.
>”Gwasses for Evwy Fwuffy! Aw Fwuffies know dat!” No-Lips replies, loudly but calmly. “Nu Hewd can eats aww of dese gwasses. No-Lips Hewd not stay, onwy eat gwasses, den go ‘way.”
>”Nu teww nu-twuffs, yuu is nu No-Lips! No-Lips is gweat Smarty Friend! Haf biggest, meanest Toughies, haf Speshaw Safe Pwace dat nu otha fwuffie can find!” The Blue Bad Smarty Friend snorts, then spits at No-Lip’s hooves. “Yuu get Owies if yuu wie an' say yuu is No-Lips!”
>”Buh he nu haf wips! Make owd fwuffie teww whewe Speshaw Safe Pwace is!” A Mare in their Herd yells, beginning to show signs of her Bloat, or pregnancy.
>”Stuuuupid! Dis nu can be No-Lips, is tuu smaww, is nu scawy at aww!” The Red Bad Smarty Friend yells back, but your own Herd starts to mumble in surprise.
>The Surface Herds still haven't forgotten about Haven ... this is terrible! If they beat you, they might be able to bully one of the Toughies into revealing where Haven is, and all the Mummas and babies and sick Fluffies who had to stay behind will get the Biggest Owies!.
>”Smawty is No-Lips.” No-Lips says loudly, but you can tell he’s angry now from the way his fluff is standing on end, and his teeth grind together. “Wook at No-Lips. Two-Leg Munsta took No-Lip's face, made No-Lips scawy an' ugwy. Dere is nu otha Fwuffie dat haf face wike No-Lips!”
>The two Bad Smarty Friends scoff, but their Friends don’t look too brave now, one of them is actually pooping and shivering.
>And now the Mares of both Herds are crying, saying they don’t want fighting, can't everyone just hug and play together?
>”Wisten tu yuu Mawes. Pwenty o’ gwasses for aww Fwuffies, an' dere nu nee' tu fite.” No-Lips is saying loudly, the two Bad Smarty Friends still scowling, but their Toughies are nodding to No-Lip's words. “Fwuffies nu shouwd fite, dere pwenty of Munstas dat wan' gif Fwuffies owies, is nu smawty dat we shouwd du dat fo' dem .....”
>When No-Lips says 'Munstas', you  flinch and realise everyone is focusing on the meeting of the two Herds, not their surroundings. You're a Scout, that's supposed to be your job!
>You swivel your head left and right and see a flash of unfamiliar colour, a neon-orange Fluffy, at the outer fringe of your Herd!
>It’s a Stallion, and he's grabbed one of the younger Mares by her tail, before he starts trying to drag her away.
>The Mare had a mouthful of grass at the time, and you can see her mouth opening and her body shaking as she tries to cough the half-chewed mess out of her throat to call for help!
>The rest of the Herd is too focused on watching No-Lips try to talk these two Bad Smarty Friends out of a fight..
>”Hey! Wat yuu doin' dat fo'! Yuu huwtin' owr Mawe!” You yell, trotting over to the strange Stallion and drawing attention to him in the process, causing a great rumble of anger to rise up from your Herd, and severl yips of dismay from the New Herd.
>”Stuuupid! Wickers, yuu is su stuuuuupid!” One of the Bad Smarty Friend Yells, and there is a lot of shouting now, Fluffies yelling about Mares being stolen, about meanie Fluffies not letting them have Grass, about selfish Fluffies keeping the Special Safe Place all for themselves.
>Mares with Foals are circling around the Fluffy Mummas, but Mares who don’t have Foals are rushing up to join the Stallions on both sides of the argument.
>The Mares belonging to the Bad Herd are, however, smacked and told to get back, that fighting is the job for a Stallion.
>The Stallion trying to steal the Fluffy Mumma squeaks as he sees you coming towards him, and lets go of the Fluffy Mumma’s tail.
>”Stupid Fwuffie! Wickers finawy gon' haf Mare! Stupid Fwuffie gu way, Wickers wan' haf Speshaw Huggies 'gain!” He yells, spitting out the young Mare's tail to puff up his cheeks at you.
>That is one of No-Lip’s Herd Mares, you remember her, one of Wittle's Fillies who was so kind to you when you first joined the No-Lips Herd ....
>There’s boo-boo juice at the base of her tail where the Stallion's efforts at dragging her away tore out large chunks of her tail-hairs.
>Boo-Boo juice ... just like what your poor Baby had when Mangle ... when he ...!
>You scream in rage and attack, the world fading to this one wretched, selfish Stallion, overlaid by the image of a pale-green Unicorn whom betrayed yor trust.
>You both rear up onto your hind legs, flailing with your front legs and trying to bite each other.
>His hooves only hit your chest-fluff, but you remember when No-Lips hit you to make you stop trying to give Mangle the Owies he deserved, No-Lips bopped you on the nose and ears.
>Your Hooves crack against the Bad Stallion’s face, making this 'Wickers' squeal, and two trails of Boo-Boo juice leak from his sniffer.
>”Owies! Meanie, gif Mawe tu Wickers, WAN' HAF MAWE WITE NOW!” The Bad Stallion shouts in pain, holding one hoof to his bruised snout and resting his weight on the other, leaving himself wide open.
>Still consumed with fury, you grab his ear in your mouth and pull, unbalancing this 'Wickers' and causing him to drop to his chest onto the grass, and you hold him there by pressing one of your hooves onto the  back of his neck. It’s hard to hold onto his ear with your blunt little teeth, but you’re so angry now you keep crushing your teeth together even though your jaw aches.
>Shake your back and forth, like you saw a Dog-Munsta do when it caught a Rat-Munsta, growling deep in your throat as you do so.
>The Bad Stallion is screaming now, trying to pull away, screaming that he doesn't want Mares anymore, he'll make do with hooves again, but you will not let him get away! You are going to punish the Bad Stallion, like Mangle should have been!
>There's a horrible shriek, and Wittles is pulling away, but you have his ear firmly in your mouth, shaking your whole body side to side, refusing to let go.
>All of a sudden, your mouth tastes yikky ... like Boo-Boo juices!.
>But the shrieking grows even louder ... and the Bad Fluffy runs away! But you've still got his ear?
>You spit it out, and stare at the ear in surprise and not a little bit of disgust. Bits of skin and fluff dangle off it, but most of the ear ripped clean off Wittle's head, and now he's leaving a trail of boo-boo juices on the grass as he runs back to the copse of trees his Herd came out of earlier.
>The young Mare you saved is hugging your back leg, babbling about how scared she was, how grateful she is for saving you, but then you both flinch as you hear more screams from behind you!
>Bad Herd is attacking your friends! You must get back to the front lines!
>”Gu bawk tu Hewd! Mus' gu hewp Smawty Fwiend!” You shout to the young Mare as you rush towards the fight, where you can see Fluffies rearing and wrestling in the growing light of dawn.
>Tricks is being stepped on by two Pegasus, crying as they try to step on his legs and break them, while Streak and Spruce have tackled a large Earthy between them and are gnawing on his ears in tandem.
>Bandit and Wumm-wumm are wrestling with two Bad Stallions, Bandit having pinned his opponent and is savaging the Bad Fluffy's head, ears and back of the neck, and Wumm-wumm has shoved his horn into the mouth of his rival, and is shooting sparks down the Bad Stallion’s throat.
>The Bad Stallion is screaming a lot, but is too stupid or angry to stop biting Wumm-wumm’s horn.
>Wittles and Honey headbutt a third Bad Stallion’s head between their own, making him scream and fall to the ground, rolling back and forth with his head clutched between his hooves, before they move on to tackle the Red Bad Smarty Friend.
>But No-Lips is alone, fighting the Blue Bad Smarty Friend and three other Fluffies! Despite this, he bucks one Fluffy, then uses the recoil to headbutt another in the flank, but he is breathing heavily, and blood trickles from his mouth ...
>The few Mares of the Bad Herd are squealing and running away, many of them with savaged ears or bitten legs. The Mares of the No-Lips Herd are just as injured, but there were more of them, and they were furious beyond belief.
>The Park is for every Fluffy, and it always has been. It is to be shared, not divided up between Herds. The No-Lips Mares are arguing over whether they should keep chasing the Bad Herd, go back to protect the Fluffy Mummas, or help the Stallions as you run past them, shouting at them that Tricks needs help, that the Smarty Friend is fighting alone!
>As you close in on him, No-Lips bucked again, this time hitting a Bad Stallion in the leg, making the Bad Stallion fall down with his leg sticking out to the side at an unnatural angle, but the other Stallions and the Blue Bad Smarty Friend jumped on No-Lips, and started pulling out his Fluff with their teeth, making your Smarty Friend shriek as his old, faded red Fluff is torn out of his skin!
>You have to help him! He’s your Smarty Friend! He saved you!
>”No-Name comin'! Smawty Fwiend, No-Name comin'!” You shout at the top of your lungs, throwing yourself into the melee!


****************************************************************

>You are No-Lips. Smarty Friend of one of the oldest and most successful Herds in the City. You’ve helped other Herds, because you believed that the only way for your kind to survive was to band together, but always there were other Smarties who thought only of expanding their own territories, who never thought beyond their wants.
>Perhaps the only legacy of the Lucky Herd was the Four Rules, now known as the Old Rules, one of which stated that the Park belonged to each and every Fluffy equally, because it was the single best source of grass in the entire City.
>And this Herd claims the Park as their own? The fools! You were willing to walk away, but one of their Stallions attempted to abduct a Mare, before No-Name spotted him, and the whole thing turned to poopies.
>Straining your body, you buck one of these 'Bad Fluffies in the shoulder, feel a grim sense of satisfaction as the bones snap and the Bad Fluffy goes down, squealing in pain with his leg pointing out to the side, before stars appear before your eyes, and you feel dizzy again.
>Everything ... hurts. Teeth, eyes, ears, legs, tail. You’ve been kicked a lot. In the old days, you could fight tirelessly, these Pegasus Fluffies would be nothing ....
>But your chest hurts the most. Your heart feels like it's burning, you're finding it hard to breath, your eyes are clouded with small, bright points of light every time you try to move.
>Then you are knocked over by a vicious head-butt, and all the air leaves your lungs before you hit the group like a sack of potatoes.
>Before you can catch your breath, however, the Bad Fluffies start jumping on you, and you shriek as you feel something snap inside you.
>Then there is a blur of grey fluff as No-Name tackle the Blue Pegasus Smarty Friend off you, your Scout's muzzle and chest stained with blood.
>You're not half the wuss I thought, good Fluffy, fight for your Herd! The words cross your mind, and a feeling of pride fills you, before a hoof comes down and smashes into your neck, making stars appear before you, and causing you to cough and curl up involuntarily into a ball.
>And then salvation comes, in a most unlikely form!
>The Mares of your Herd are charging as well, biting the tails and ears of the Stallions who jumped you. Your Mares, even the New Mares from the last Raid, are coming to your rescue!
>”Waaah? NUUU!” The Stallions cry out in surprise, pressed in on all sides as your Mares force them away from you. “Why yuu Mawes fite? Mawes nu fite, onwy Stawwions, Mawes awe fo' Huggies an' Baybehs!”
>”PAWK IS FO' AWW FWUFFIES!” The Mares scream, flecked with blood and foam and tufts of Fluff torn from their rivals as they dog-pile the Bad Stallion. They’re driven beyond reason now, by an instinctive need to protect the Fluffy Mummas and their Herd against any threat.
>The Bad Stallions scream again, this time in pain as they are buried under a wave of enraged Mares, all of whom are kicking and biting and stomping furiously with all their might.
>”Scawed Fwuffy Mummas!” “Nevah forgif yuu Meanie Fwuffies!” “Gwasses is fo’ evwy Fwuffie!” The Mares yell as they kick and bite the Stallions, the cheering of your Herd in the background urging them on to greater brutalities.
>It seems to take forever to struggle back onto your hooves. Everything .... hurts. Everything is swimming, like you are under water, and everything sounds so far away...
>See one of your Mares reach down and bite the naughty place of a Bad Stallion.
>Other Mares are holding the Bad Stallions in place by lying across them, or holding their ears and tails and pulling back, pinning the Bad Stallions down.
>See that same Mare pull back, and hear a blood-curdling shriek as the naughty place tears off.
>”Yuu is a Mare now! Now yuu nu fight nu moar!” The Mare screams, spitting the naughty place back at the Stallion’s face. He’s screaming and thrashing around so much he knocks the Mares around him off their hooves.
>You watch him limp away, bawling, thick spurts of boo-boo juices pumping from the wound. With that much boo-boo juice leaving him, the Bad Stallion die soon. You sorry for him, to have the Longest Sleep without his No-No's, but gwasses for every Fluffy. It is one of the Four Rules, since before even you were born.
>The other Bad Stallions are in a complete panic now. They are fighting, kicking, biting, but when the Mares flinch away from their attacks, the Bad Stallions take to their hooves and try to run.
>Two more get pinned and the Mares of your Herd do more terrible things to the Bad Stallion’s Naughty Places.
>Must help your Stallions ... your Herd can't afford to lose any more Fluffies, you're only just able to hold your own with so few Toughies!
>Wittles and Honey have the Red Bad Smarty Friend on ground. Wittles is holding the Red Pegasus’s head down, pounding at the back of the Pegasus's head with a free hoof, while Honey ...
>Honey is trying to chew the Red Pegasus’s wings off. One wing is a mangled mess already, the other stuffed deep into Honey’s mouth.
>”Nu huwt owr Fwiends! Nu take owr Mares! Yuu is a Meanie-Bad Fwuffie!” Wittles is screaming, biting the fluff on the Red Pegasus’s head and tearing off clumps of Fluff and skin as he struggles to hold the Bad Smarty Friend down. “We teach yuu wesson! Nu fight No-Lips Hewd!”
>”Smawty du wat Smawty wan'! DIS OWR PWACE, SMAWTY SAY SU!” The Red Pegasus is yelling in defiance, then squeals in pain as Honey changes tactics and pulls back.
>There is a sickening pop, and then the Red Pegasus’s wing comes off, a long fountain Boo-Boo juice pumping irregularly into the air.
>Bandit is kicking a Bad Stallion off Tricks, who was curled up on the ground, his neck and shoulders plucked bare by his attackers, and Wumm-wumm is shooting sparks at another Bad Stallion, purposefully aiming at the face.
>Wisps of smoke are forming as the constant stream starts to catch on oily, greasy patches of Fluff, and the Bad Stallion is screaming in fear.
>The idiot must have never fought a Unicorn before, you imagine.
>Bowl, Dingle, Spruce and Streak have corralled your Herd's Mares, preventing them from giving chase any further.
>But where is ...
>No-Name! He saved you!
>”Whewe is No-Name? Whewe is mah Scout?” You cry in alarm, turning awkwardly in a circle.
>”No-Name? No-Name!” Bandit shouts, moving away from his rival, who takes the opportunity and bolts back towards the tree. “No-Name dere, Smawty Fwiend! He gif Biggest Owies tu Bad Fwuffie!”
>You stagger past the Mares and their bloody sport with the captive Stallions to where Bandit was pointing.
>Two Fluffies, collapsed on the ground together.
>There’s blood everywhere ...
>So much blood. Both Fluffies are stained with it, lying together, you can barely tell where the Red Pegasus begins, and the Grey Earth Fluffy ends.
>”Nu ... nu wike dis.” You whisper.
>Over the angry shouting and cheers, you can hear Flfuffies crying, and as you look up, you see Little Foal, Clover and Bwun trying to come over to where No-Name is lying on the blood-soaked grass, Bwun's babies clinging to the backs of the Mares.
>”No-Name! No-Name!” They are crying, trying to dodge around the blood and fluff-splattered Mares, who try to push them back to the Fluffy Mummas.
>The Bad Stallions that are left are not moving anymore, lying limp and broken on the grass.
>A few more kicks, just to be safe, and then the Mares start limping back to the Herd.
>Tricks is crying, being lifted onto Honey’s back by Bandit, Wumm-wumm and Wittles. He’s so little, it should not be too hard for Honey to carry him back.
>This happens, you know it does. Fluffies die, sometimes to Munstas, sometimes to Fluffies, sometimes to stupid things like too much water in Underground or trash that falls and crushes them.
>But you liked No-Name. He was too soft, but he was always nice to Mares, always willing to carry everyone's Foals ... He would have made a great Smarty, but never a Smarty Friend.
>He never had that ... cruelty inside him that a Smarty Friend needed to keep the Herd in line, and more importantly, alive within the horrible confines of the City.
>”Yuu was a Guud Fwuffie, No-Name.” You whisper to the entangled bodies. “No-Lips nu fow'ghet yuu, No-Lips pwomise.”
>”No-Name ... haf Wongest Sweepies?” Wittles asks softly, trotting up to your side. He has several ugly-looking bruises on his face and legs. Everyone has lots of Owies, now that you can have a proper look.
>If not for your Mares joining the fight, it's likely you would all be lying on the grass, like the Bad Fluffies are now ....
>”Yah. No-Name gif Biggest Owies tu save Smawty. Gon' miss him.” You sigh sadly, and turn around to face the Herd.
>Fluffy Mummas and Mares with Foals are cheering, shouting that the gwasses are for everyone. They are hugging and licking the Mares and Stallions who fought, telling them they are Brave Fluffies.
>”Fwuffies!” You start to shout, but break into a coughing fit. Still, it’s enough to get everyone to pay attention. “Mus' eat gwassies! Mus' eat, Hewd haf gu soon, is nu safe, Bwite Baww is comin'!”
>”Buh gwasses awe diwty naow!” Somebody whines. It’s true, the grass is covered in blood and fluff and the dead bodies of the Rival herd.
>”Den eat gwassies dere!” You point a hoof towards the grass further into the Park. “An' eat dem fast! Must be in Unna'gwound befowe Bwite Baww cwimbs ova de Hoomin Safe Pwaces!”
>Whimpering as their injuries start to be felt as their adrenaline fades, the Herd starts to roll the Fluffy Mummas towards the new feeding grounds, their injuries slowing them down.
>Honey complains the loudest. Heh, he always complains.
>”Why Honey have tu cawwy Twicks an' woll Mawes?” He whines, shuffling along at the back of the Herd.
>”Honey be quiet, cawwy fwiend.” Bandit retorts, fluttering his wings angrily. “Honey nu see Bad Stawwion twy tu take Fluffy Mumma, Honey cawwy Twicks!”
>”Bandit nu see Bad Stawwion tu! Why Bandit nu haf tu cawwy Twicks!” Honey snaps back as the Herd shuffles on.
>You turn back to the two corpses, to engrave the image in your mind, along with so many other Herd-mates and Friends ... and smile.
>No-Name is moving! He's slowly getting up onto his hooves, he's groaning, but he moving!
>Wittles is laughing, he’s happy too!
>”No-Name nu haf Wongest Sweepies afta aww! No-Name is awive!” Wittles laughs, rushing forwards to grab No-Name by the scruff of his neck and drag the Fluffy away from the dead Bad Smarty Friend.
>”Thwoat ha-haf owies...” No-Name whimpers, staggering to his feet.
>You shuffle over and check the offending area. He has nasty bite-marks, but only fluff and a little bit of skin are missing.
>”No-Name be fine. No-Name is Good Fwuffie.” You console him, then decide to throw dignity to the wind. He did save your life, after all.
>So you give No-Name a great big hug.
>Wittles is staring at you both with his mouth wide open.
>When you look over your shoulder, the whole Herd is watching, babbling excitedly.
>”No-Name is siwwy name, Guud Fwuffies get tu haf Guud Names,” You say, then laugh, feeling a great weight fall off your chest. It’s been so long since you had Hugs. Or given them to another Fluffy without a plan in mind. “No-Lips tink of Guud Name, yuu gu be wit yuu Speshaw Fwiends, dey tink yuu haf Wongest Sweepies.”

********************************************************************************



Chapter 15

>You are Honey, one of No-Lip's best Toughie Friends, a Good Fluffy who Raids for Mares, gives Good Special Hugs and always loves his friends.
>Right now though, you’re not sure you love Tricks as much as before. He’s heavy, and keeps hugging you because he’s scared and has bad owies from where his fluff was torn away by the Bad Fluffies at the Park.
>Tricks is a Friend, but you have to carry him and help roll Fluffy Mummas.
>It’s tiring. And you have owies too.
>It seems almost everyone in the Herd has owies. Everyone is whimpering or crying or limping.
>Even No-Lips.
>You always thought No-Lips was invincible. No-Lips the unbeatable Fluffy that could scare the poopies out of any Fluffy who got on his bad side.
>It makes you scared to see him like this. Small. Beaten. Having to lean on other Fluffies just to limp back to Haven.
>He always seemed to be in control, always sure of his path, and that the Herd feel brave, feel like they were invincible too.
>Just saying you are a part of No-Lips Herd gets you instant respect and Hugs from other Herds, because No-Lips has been a Smarty Friend since ... forever. He's the Smarty that even other Smarty Friends listen to!
>Together, your Herd beat the Bad Herd in the Park so badly that Bad Fluffies who tried to keep all the grasses to themselves ran away, and the Bad Herd broke up, with many of their Stallions taking the Longest Sleep on the grasses right there.
>But why does it feel like your Herd lost that fight?
>”Twicks sowwy. Twicks sowwy Honey haf cawwy Twicks.” Twicks sobs, burying his face in the fluff on the back of your neck.
>”Twick is nu dat heavy. Honey nu mind.” You murmur as you feel the tears start to touch your skin.
>You feel bad for not loving Tricks so much a few moments ago.
>Tricks is silly Fluffy who always plays and comes up with silly games, and he's small and weak, but he's also a Friend. Your friend.
>Tricks is always giving Hugs to sad Fluffies or doing his walking-on-front-hooves trick to make the Herd laugh and be happy when it's not safe to go out to Overground.
>Maybe it's not so bad to carry Tricks for a few more minutes.
>You are very glad that this tunnel to Park does not go past Metal Train Munstas. You would not be able to hold Tricks down if they came.
>You remember how Tricks cried and cried and hit himself with his hooves, because he too small to hold Greenie down when the Train-Munsta came. How he screamed and railed against himself, calling himself a Bad Fluffy and trying to throw himself into the Bad Fluffy Pit until No-Lips managed to convince Tricks that he was not Bad, just small.
>..........................
>You think you are strong enough to carry Tricks back to Haven.
>You can be Strong for your friend.

********************************************************************************

>You are No-Name, a Fluffy Pony who currently has terrible owies on your throat.
>A Meanie-Bad-Fluffy Smarty Friend bit your throat as you rolled around on the grass together, tore away all the fluff and lots of skin.
>Blood keeps dripping down from the bite-marks and into your Fluff, and the coppery scent makes you feel sick.
>Little Filly keeps bumping you, telling you that “Fwiend No-Name mus' wawk stwait! Nuuu, No-Name, nu wob'wuu!”
>But .... No-Lips say you will not be No-Name for long.
>He said he would give you a proper Herd-Name when the Herd gets back to Haven. No-Lips praised you, said you were very brave for fighting so hard, and that you saved a Fluffy Mumma, so you get to sleep in the Papers again tonight.
>You are so excited, you want to run back and get a proper Herd-Name right now, but your legs disagree, they want to fold up and sleep.
>Looking at No-Lips, the way he is sandwiched between Bandit and Wumm-wumm, you think that maybe all of No-Lips wants to sleep.
>It seems like forever, but the Herd finally reaches Haven.
>Everyone is sighing in relief.
>Whatever Munsta knocked over the Fluffy Markers didn’t come this way, all the Markers are safe.
>Gnaff shuffles down from Old Fluffy Corner, grinning with a piece of moss hanging out the side of his mouth.
>He stops grinning when he gets close enough that even his old eyes can see the state everyone is in.
>”No-Lips tu Owd Fwuffy Cow'nah, naow!” He demands, butting Bandit and Wumm-wumm in their hind-quarters to make them move faster. “Ev'wy Fwuffie, take Foaws tu Papers, den wick each otha's Owies cwean!”
>”We do dat aw'weady!” Somebody whines. Boo-Boo juices do not taste pretty ....
>”Wick Owies, cwean dem, put dem 'gainst Gween Waww, make Owies get smawwer!” He shouts back as the Old Fluffies, those that can move about, shuffle out and start to shout questions at Bandit, Wumm-wumm and No-Lips.
>Guess you aren’t getting a new name anytime soon.
>That’s okay, you are so tired ... all you want to do is fall down in a heap and sleep.
>It's all you can do to muster the strenght to tell Little Filly she is a very good Fluffy for helping you walk back to Haven, and say loudly to Clover and Bwun that it's almost time to rest.
>But your eyes play tricks on you, making everything swim before you, and just before you make it to Papers, you collapse just a few feet from it.
>”No-Name!” Clover and Little Filly whimper, nuzzling you.
>"Speshaw Fwiend, nu haf sweepies hewe, pw-pwease, be stwong!" Bwun sobs, and your babies peep in alarm as they pick up on the distress of your Special Friends.
>”No-Name jus' ... tiwed. Weggies tiwed tu, nu can cawwy No-Name nu moar.” You grunt, trying to crawl forwards but failing to do more than make yourself even more tired.
>Bwun is saying something to you as she is leads her Foals towards the papers, but you can't hear her, or the Foals.
>Owies. Clover has grabbed your fluff and is rolling you over onto your side.
>It makes your neck flare with pain as Little Filly starts to lick your sore neck, and then Clover helps, showing Little Filly the proper way to help with Owies.
>It still hurts a little, but they trying to help and make sure the owies doesn't get too many ickies in it, so you to to not complain much. And then Bwun's Foals are climbing all over you, crying and crying.
>Clover's White Colts hug your head from behind and tell you that they love you, that they want you to play with them when you feel better, but they all sounds so far away.
>You want to say something, but everything gets so heavy, and you can’t tell your eyes to stay open anymore.
>”Pwease nu weave me...” You hear somebody say, but you can’t tell who.

********************************************************************************

>You are Bluehorn, and you couldn’t be happier.
>No-Lips looks like he has so many Owies, a Foal could kill him right now.
>Every Fluffy that went out has bite-marks on their faces and legs or blood on their Fluff.
>See that wuss, No-Name, lying on the ground with Clover and her foals around him, licking him and hugging him.
>Almost every Stallion that went out this morning is bruised and limping as well.
>No-Lips had to be carried in by Bandit and Wumm-Wumm! It's incredible, that annoying Stupid-Won't-Die Smarty Friend looks like he's half-dead! FINALLY!
>Maybe you will not need the Not-Plan after all. Maybe No-Lips will die during Dark-Cold time, and you will be able to become the Smarty Friend after all.
>Tell the new Smarty Friend you saw Crunchy and Pink's missing baby in the Bad Fluffy Pit, make them come over to see, and push them in when they are leaning over to see ... but it will be dangerous!
>Fluffies almost always try to hug something when they get scared, even the bravest Toughies have their limits, even Smarty Friends.
>If the new Smarty Friend gets so scared that he stops being a Smarty Friend and hugs you when he goes in, he will drag you into the Bad Fluffy Pit with him.
>No point in being a Smarty Friend once again if the Dragon eats you too.
>But you've made mistakes, you need to butter the Herd up, make them believe you're the Best Fluffy in the Herd again, make them think it was No-Lips who was the Meanie, not you ...
>Be a Good Fluffy, make them like you. Good Fluffies would be welcome in Old Fluffy Corner, so you would be able to sneak in at night and put your fluff over the faces of the Old Fluffies.
>If they go ... the Herd loses it's history. In a few days, you'll be able to say whatever you want, and eventually the rest of the Herd will believe it!
>A few tufts of fluff from some of your rivals, scattered around the bodies, will help shift any blame away from you.
>Mangle might have been a Dummy, but he did have one good idea.
>Then you will once again be the Best Bravest Most Wonderful Smarty Friend. Be so Brave, every Mare want to be your Special Friend. Be the Best Smarty Friend, so every Stallion do what you so so they can be Best Fluffies also.
>Be so Wonderful, that no Fluffy ever try to question you or ask why you not do things way No-Lips did.
>You would tell Earth Fluffies to go out and get food from Stinky Waters, follow them out when other Fluffies of your Herd are left behind, playing together in your Haven and destroy Fluffy Markers so the Dumb Earth Fluffies get lost and die.
>Make Pegasus Fluffy Stallions go out next. Send them to the Park and tell them to use Metal Train Munsta tunnels so they get Biggest Owies from the Munstas and never come back.
>You decided it would be best to keep the prettiest Pegasus Fluffy Mares for Special Hugs when Unicorn Mares are Fluffy Mummas and don't want to have Special Hugs.
>So busy thinking of how happy the Herd will be when it only be Unicorns, you not hear Wittles sneak up on you.
>”Bluehorn! BLUEHORN! DUMMY FLUFFY! WISTEN TU WITTLES!” He yells in your ear, making you squeak and jump away.
>”Wat Stuupid Fwuffie wan'?” You demand, trying to stop your heart from being a meanie and pounding on the inside of your chest.
>”No-Lips wan' tawk tu yuu, No-Lips say ‘imp-ow-tant’,” Wittles sounds out the new word, looking very concerned. “...says dat Smawty Fwiend nu can wait.”
>”Bluehorn gu den. Wittles nu make woud noise in Blue-Horn’s ear again, owr Bluehorn gif owies.” You promise, making a spark leap from your horn to the cold stone floor near Wittle’s hoof.
>Wittle doesn’t even blink.
>”Wittles haf moar owies den have hooves tu cownt, nu scawed of Unicorn who weave Mawe an' Fwuffy Mummas, who weave dem to be nummies fo' de Rat-Munstas.” He says, then spits on the ground in front of you and walks back to the Papers without even a second glance
>Oh, that bastard! You think to yourself as you trot towards Old Fluffy Corner. Somebody is getting very close to the top of my ‘Get Rid Of’ list, Wittles, and guess who?
>Knowing you're already in trouble with the Herd, you rush to the Old Fluffy Corner, but recoil at the entrance. Smells of old cabbages in here! Phew!
>No-Lips is lying on a ragged pillow, All-Mumma is licking his owies on one side, while Gnaff and Some-Legs work on the other side. One-Eye has his ear to No-Lip’s mouth, and is nodding slowly.
>”One-Eye du, No-Lips, One-Eye pwomiss.” The Older Fluffy whispers and shuffles past you, giving you a small bump on the shoulder with his nose as you try to push past him. “No-Lips haf many Owies, need time to make them go ‘way.”
>”Wat yuu wan’ Bluehorn do den?” You demand angrily. You were summoned by No-Lips, not One-Eye and his ugly face!
>”Nu make No-Lips muv, he need tu haf sweepies. An' nu be Meanie ... One-Eye wiww nu be faw, Bluehorn...” One-Eye grunts as he squeezes past you, and you grimace as you feel the muscles on One-Eye at work under his scarred hide.
>He might be an Old Fluffy, but he was also one of No-Lips Toughie Friends before One-Eye got told to stay behind and guard Haven. No-Lip's oldest friend, and the Fluffy who trained every other Toughie the Herd has ever had.
>One-Eye dispensed many Owies in No-Lips's name before he became an Old Fluffy and took up guarding Haven permanently, and One-Eye is always running around Haven, doing laps of the Herd's Safe Place, never just sitting still and talking like other Old Fluffies.
>He has to be introduced to the Bad Fluffy Pit first, you decide, because One-Eye might try to be Smarty Friend after No-Lips dies. He's certainly got the respect of the Herd ... and he scares the poopies out of everyone when he gets angry.
>”Yuu come in now, Bluehorn.” All-Mumma whispers, her face all bloody from where she has been licking No-Lip’s cuts and scrapes clean.
>You feel sad that All-Mumma must have the Longest Sleep as well, but she was also a Smarty Friend till No-Lips beat her in ahoof-wrestling challenge and took her Herd into his own.
>”Wat No-Lips wan' Bluehorn tu du?” You ask with as much respect as you can force into your voice. The Plan is almost ready, nothing must go wrong now!
>”B-bluehorn mus' ...” No-Lips stops to cough weakly, and you see a little bit of blood in his spit. “... mus' work wit’ otha Fwuffies, get Nummies for Herd who tu sick, who haf tu many Owies, tu weave Haven fo' Nummies.”
>”Moar mawz.” You groan, rolling your eyes. You hate that terrible food.
>”Mawz, yes, guuf fo' Fwuffies, wots of wawas, even if taste yikky.” No-Lips grunts, trying to stand up, but Gnaff and Some-Legs hold him down, babbling that No-Lips must rest, must heal.
>”Dat awl?” You try to keep the contempt out of your voice. You know what happens when the Herd has a fight, the Mares are led by a handful of Stallions to the Under-Lake to gather Moss and bring it back to Haven for Fluffies to eat, or to be put against Fluffy-Owies.
>”Nuuuu. Bluehorn gon' gif his Hown-Wite tu Stawwions when dey gu tu Ova'gwound an’ Waid fo Hooman Nummies.” No-Lips whispers, and you feel the blood run cold in your veins.
>Oh Giant Steaming Piles of Fresh Hot Poopies.
>Hooman Nummies Raids. Why does No-Lips want Hooman Nummies?
>That's very dangerous. The Herd only does that when Park Grass goes all yellow, and Under-Lake dries up completely.
>Those sorts of Raids only happens rarely, but it happens. You've been on Hooman Nummies Raids three times, three times you thought you going to get the Biggest Owies.
>Most of the time, the Herd just sits in Haven and hugs each other and try to ignore the pain in their tummies. Every Fluffy get so thin and weak, but it only take a few days, and then moss has grown back in Under-Lake as the Wa-Wa's come back again, and that is enough to keep the Herd alive till Park is green again.
>But with so many Mares, and only a dozen Stallions ... Maybe Bandit and Wumm-wumm and Stumbles and Drips will be able to go. The other Fluffies are wusses and will claim to have too many Owies to go.
>Have to store food in your own fluff for long trip back, which makes Fluffies smell tasty to everything, including other Fluffies.
>Have to scavenge food out of Big Metal Things, kick them over and steal the Hooman Nummies, which makes Big Scary Noises and make Hoomans wake up and hurt Fluffies.
>Have to fight Dumb Herds who eat Hooman Nummies all the time, and are all soft in the head. Dumb Herds who eat Hooman Nummies all the time and then never want to eat Grass, never want to go Underground, never want to smell not-pretty even if it means they get Owies.
>And Hoomans never leave enough food for all the Fluffies, so it often turn into big fight and then everyone tries to grab what they can and run away when Two-Leg Munstas or other Munstas come running for their share of the Hooman Nummies.
>”Haf gu now?” You whine, your tail drooping. This is the Worst. Thing. Ever!
>THE NOT-PLAN IS COMPLETELY COVERED IN POOP NOW! How are you supposed to kill No-Lips and the other Old Smarties if you're up on the surface, getting owies yourself?
>”Nu now....” No-Lips chuckles softly.
>Oh Thank the Fluffy Gods.
>”Nu is Dawk-Cowd time yet. Bluehorn haf pwenty of time to sweep befow Waid. Yuu couwd be out aww Dawk-Cowd time wookin' fo' nummies fo' de Hewd.”
>...................
>POOP!

************************************************************************************************

>You are No-Lips, Smarty Friend .... and you’re dying. The Longest Sleep will come soon, and you have much to do before you leave your Herd for the last time.
>The other Old Fluffies tell you that you will be fine, that you’re just sore and sad and tired, but you know .... something tore loose during the fight, something that is making you leak boo-boo juices out your mouth and nose.
>Felt this 'Tear' inside your chest pull and tear every step of the way back to Haven. The only thing you could compare the pain to was the Sharpy Toy that the Hoomin Munsta used to cut your face off as a Foal ...
>You feel like crying, but you can’t, a Smarty Friend has to be Brave, has to be Strong.
>A Smarty Friend must always show courage, so the Herd does not need to be afraid.
>Some-Legs is using his stubby Horn to make Light as All-Mumma and Gnaff groom you, making you pretty again.
>Thank them and give them hugs when they come around to your front.
>Hurts too much to move. Hugs ... hurt, and that's a torture in and of itself, because all you want to do is be hugged so you can stop being so afraid.
>Gnaff doesn’t understand, he can't see past the bruising on your sides, doesn't realise the blood in your mouth comes from deep inside you.
>All-Mumma does understand though. You can see it in her eyes, hear it in the hitch in her voice. She’s so sad as well.
>”You haf been guud Smarty Fwiend.” She whispers, shuffling slowly to your head, touching her nose to yours. “All-Mumma so happeh tu haf been fwiends wit No-Lips.”
>”No-Lips happeh tuu, All-Mumma. Yuu guud friend, hewp Hewd, gif smawty ideas tu Mawes an Fwuffy Mummas.” You sigh, then cough, feeling the tearing pain inside again and tasting fresh, hot blood on your tongue. “No-Lips haf make Choice soon. No-Lips ha-haf pick new Smawty Fwiend.”
>”Nuuuu, nuuu, No-Lips wiv, No-Lips jus’ haf owies! We hewp, we gif Huggies an’ Nummies tiww yuu few bettah!” Some-Legs whimpers, the light from his horn wavering in his distress.
>Gnaff grunts in alarm, his mouth full of your fluff, and you feel him hug you.
>Ouch. More pain. You yelp, and Gnaff squeaks and lets go, whimpering. Now he understands.
>”No-Lips haf Biggest Owies...No-Lips haf much boo-boo juice leaking inside.” You try to explain, rising weakly from the ragged pillow. “Buh Hewd need de bestest Smarty Friend we can gif dem. Su, befowe No-Lips haf Wongest Sweepies, No-Lips mus' make Choice, an’ pick bestest Fwuffie we haf tu be de new Smawty Friend fo' Hewd.”
>The Old Fluffies whimper and cry, but they finally agree.
>And then they rush forwards to give you hugs. It hurts. It hurts so much you can’t stop yourself from crying.
>But that’s okay. They are your friends. They love you so much they can’t help themselves.
>And Hugs help make you feel brave again. Help you hide the tears you shed into All-Mummas fluff as she hugs you and lets you bury your face in her pale, soft white fluff and let the tears come out.
>Soon, you will not be a Smarty Friend, and then it be alright to cry out loud again.
>And if you should go to the Long Sleep before Blue-Horn, Bandit, Wumm-wumm, Kook, Stumbles and Drips get back, One-Eye will see to it that your Choice is enforced.
>The Herd cannot survive without the Fluffy you choose, otherwise. No other Fluffy is Smarty enough, Brave enough and Kind enough to be a Good Smarty Friend.

********************************************************************************

On the Rocks, Part 16


>You are Bandit, a pale blue Pegasus Fluffy with a band of black fluff across your eyes.
>Bluehorn is leading the Hooman-Nummies Raid, or rather, he's at the head of the group, making his Horn-Light, but he’s such a coward. Keeps trying to find Hooman-Nummies on the ground, or in the shadows.
>So you all left him behind to sulk and cower in the shadows. Drips and Wumm-wumm have their Horns glowing softly as you, Stumbles and Kook tear open a black plastic bag.
>Their lights are weaker than Bluehorn's, because they are distracted by their bruises, but at least they aren't cowards who are wasting time on the Overground!
>Does Bluehorn want to get eaten by a Munsta? The longer you're up here, the more danger you're in! Stupid Fluffy!
>You shove your muzzle into the bag to take a whiff ... phew, it smells terrible but there’s Hooman Nummies inside, you’re sure of it.
>Yep, small yellow greasy things, nasty smelling veggies, even some small hard sweet things.
>Stuff them into Kook’s and Stumble’s fluff, and they stuffs some into yours, and you keep going.
>Blue-Horn keeps making comments that he should be leading, but everyone is ignoring him.
>He left his Mares behind to save himself. He’s a Bad Fluffy who is only allowed to come on this Raid because he is the one of the few Stallions who is not covered in Owies and Hurties.
>Find another black back to tear open. More fruits and veggies, these ones smell better, fresher. Good Nummies for the rest of the Herd that is so badly hurt.
>You're all busy stuffing everyone’s fluff with the nummies when you heard a voice.
>”Yuu find Nummies fo' Guud Fwuffies?”
>Oh fluff me sideways.
>It’s one of the Dumb Fluffies, the ones that live in the Alleyways and won't leave.
>Scratch that, several Dumb Fluffies, all of them staring at you, and your cargo of pilfered Hoomin Nummies with longing.
>All with that glazed, vacant look in their eyes that Fluffies who do nothing but eat Hooman Nummies get. They are being far, far too loud as well, cheering that ‘Nice Fwuffies find us Nummies!”
>You and your Herd-Mate share a look of disgust and trot away, leaving the bag behind them and clustering together tightly.
>The Dumb Fluffies whine and shout for you to come back and share your Nummies, but soon start bickering and squabbling amongst themselves as they guzzle the Hooman Nummies you weren’t able to pick up, pulling each other out of the bag and shrieking about 'best nummies' and 'tail owies'.
>Hear a bang, and then a Hooman shouts. It's a sound like thunder, but there's malice in it. Hatred.
>Blue-Horn squeals and runs away behind a garbage bin. Kook and Drips hug each other, and Stumbles starts to shake so hard that the Nummies fall out of his fluff.
>”SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU LITTLE FUCKERS!” The Hooman-Monster bellows, and he does something in the darkness, you see something dark fall from his window ...
>Something large and heavy hits the Dumb Fluffies, and they shriek in pain and fear, almost drowned out by the sound of splintering glass and plastic.
>In the dim, flickering light of the street-lights, all you can see are two Fluffies lying broken amidst the ruins of their 'treasure', bones poking through their fluff, pawing weakly at the air.
>Their friends have run away screaming onto the road, and you can hear more Hoomans shouting in the distance, more windows slamming open, more angry voices demanding that 'Fuckers' need to 'shut up'.

>The Hooman-Munsta threw a a long black thing at the Fluffies, you can see the old cassette-player broken in half next to the two dying Dumb Fluffies it hit.
>”Fwuffies mus’ keep muvin’, dis is a  bad pwace now.” You whisper, and the Fluffies quickly gather up the nummies, stuff it back into their fluff and shuffle onwards.
>More black plastic bags lying on the ground of the alleyways as you move further and further from the cleaner parts of the City, but less nummies inside them now, or nummies so bad that even the hungriest Fluffy would think twice.
>More and more Fluffies around too, whining that they are hungry, that they are cold, please share Nummies, please give them hugs.
>You have to kick them aside, harden your heart against their tears and pleeding, you even have to bite one Fluffy who tried to puff up his cheeks, but after just one bite, he wailed and curled up into a ball, sobbing that everyone was a Meanie.
>Stupid Fluffies, should be in the Park, or in the Underground, anywhere but here! Stupid Fluffies who think that the Hoomin-Munstas can love them, or will be nice to them.
>All they are doing is leaving themselves exposed ... you've seen the terrible things that the Two-Legged Munstas, the Hoomin-Munstas, do to Fluffies just because they can.
>All the misery and pain they inflict for no other reason than because a Fluffy Pony can't possibly fight back!
>So many Munstas, all of them wanting to hurt Fluffies. But Hoomins are the worst, because they hurt Fluffies just because they can.
>You're packing some more not-quite-yikky fruit into Blue-Horn’s fluff, with the Bad Fluffy whining in whispers that his Fluff is getting sticky, when three Stallions creep out of the shadows.
>”Yuu haf nummies?” They whisper, crouching on the cold, dirty ground. “Fwuffies wost, Smawty an' Hewd got taken by Hoomins, so cowd, so hung'wy, pwease, we jus' wan' wittwe bit of nummies?”
>Glare at them ... and hear Kook make a disgusted noise as the yellow thin things keep slipping out of his Fluff.
>Possibly a bad idea, but your Herd is desperately short of Toughies ...
>”Yuu can haf dose nummies ... if yuu hewp us find an’ cawwy moar Nummies back tu owr Hewd.” You grunt, kicking Blue-Horn in the leg when he starts to say ‘No Stawwions, onwy Mawes!’
>The new Stallions are overjoyed, however. They rush over and gobble up the stale, cold fries like they were the first bits of food they’d had all week.
>Judging from how loudly their tummies are growling, that’s possibly true.
>”Yuu be guud Fwuffies, nu gif owies unless we say, nu huwt owr Mawes or Baybehs, maybe No-Lips wet yuu join.” You say as the Stallions look up from the remains of their ‘feast’.
>They gasp and whisper to each other.
>”No-Lips! No-Lips Hewd!” “Wah, bwavest Fwuffy!” “He gif Biggest Owies to Meanie Park Herd!”
>After greeting-hugs and names are exchanged, you order the rest of your group to keep moving ... and the Stallions shuffle after you, still whispering.
>Another black garbage bag, some more nummies, this time some small sweet hard Nummies, and one of the new Stallions rushes forwards and picks it up in his mouth .....
>You are going to give him the biggest owies of his life if he ...
>No, wait, he’s stuffing it into your Fluff.
>”We be guud fwuffies!” He says happily, nuzzling your fluff.
>You hope so. They seem nice enough. You’d hate to have to push them into the Bad Fluffy Pit if No-Lips says they cannot stay.

********************************************************************************

>You are Blue-Horn, and this is humiliating!
>A Unicorn Fluffy, reduced to carrying nummies for other Fluffies! Icky, Sticky, Smelly Nummies at that!
>You had hoped that Wumm-wumm and Drips would take your side, but they are Meanie Fluffies too, and only obey Bandit.
>Assholes, all of them. Keep leaving you behind, putting the stickiest, dirtiest Nummies in your fluff.
>Even Kook and Stumbles get nice, dry nummies stuff into their Fluff, and they could not get any Mares on the last Raid.
>And now there three New Friends! Bandit is not supposed to do that! And he gave you an owies when you tried to tell the New Friends they were not welcome.
>At least they are carrying more nummies now.
>Finally, everyone seems to have enough food. It’s all smelly nummies now, but it is nummies nonetheless.
>Shuffling towards a sewer-grate when you hear the sound of something big coming your way.
>Look over your shoulder.
>Great Steaming Piles of Fresh Hot Poop!
>”HOOMIN!” You shriek, shuffling forwards as fast as you can, the nummies in your fluff jiggling and rustling, dangerously close to falling out.
>The other Fluffies look back, see the Hoomin coming and yell in fear too.
>Hoomins ... they are the worst of the Munstas that live in the City. Hurt Fluffies just because they can, everything they do is to cause more suffering and pain for Fluffies. They even built the City to trap Fluffies and keep them from escaping, filling it with other Munstas to eat the Fluffies that they could not catch and torture themselves.
>There are no other Munsta like Hoomans. No other Munsta can walk on two legs, have so little fluff or hair, or worst of all, can speak words just like Fluffies. So scary, because even though they can understand Fluffies, they still want to hurt them!
>The new Fluffies pee in fright, making you curse as your hooves splash through the warm puddles they leave behind, Bandit’s wings are fluttering furiously as they try to help him run faster and both Wumm-wumm and Drips are spluttering, their light fading in and out as their panic threatens to overwhelm their control.
>”C’mere, you little shits. Old Tom’s hungry...” The Hooman sneers, revealing a horrible, cavernous mouth full of rotten, broken yellow teeth behind two thin, stained lips.
>His face is lined with age, filthy and covered in spots, and his eyes are a dirty yellow, flicking from one Fluffy to another in anticipation as his long, hideous fingers flex and stretch with popping noises that make your fluff stand on end.
>”Not too much meat on you lot, but that’s fine, there’s a lot of you.” The Bum chuckles, coughing suddenly, and the Group rushes as best they can for the sewer grate. Their only chance is to escape before the Hooman can snatch them up, break their legs, crack their necks and eat them alive!
>”Fwuffies, wun, nu stawp fo' nuthin’!” Bandit urges, leading the pack, shuffling desperately as he tries to keep the nummies in his fluff from falling out.
>”NO SHIWT, ASSHOWLE!” You shout back, feeling a rising tide of panic fill you.
>You’re the last one of the group.
>Hooman is advancing now, spitting curses at you, his long, filthy coat spreading out in the wind and making him look so big, he is blotting out the sky.
>Don’t stop keep running don’t stop keep running DON’T LOOK BACK keep running!
>Fluffies reach the sewer grate and squeeze through the thick, meanie bars, dropping some of their nummies, and the New Fluffies stop to try and pick them up.
>”Stuupid! Fow’get de nummies, wun!” You yell as you squeeze past them, losing several nummies in the process.
>Can hear the booming of the Hooman’s huge, ugly feet behind you. Can feel the ground shaking as he runs towards you.
>Two of the New Friends listen, grab a mouthful of the nummies and run into the Underground, hot on your heels.
>Third one does not, panicking, trying to pick up all the nummies.
>Hear the Hooman laugh, see the Hooman’s terrible hand come down and snatch up the New Friend, hear the New Friend squeal in pain and fear as the Hooman’s terrible hand squeezes him in a crushing, unbreakable grip.
>His kicking legs knock a few of the nummies into the Underground, and Your Herdmates snatch them up, stuffing them into each other’s fluff.
>New Friends are sitting there, hugging each other and crying as they listen to their friend beg and plead.
>”Nu wan haf owies pwease nu be guud fwuffy gif hug gif many hugs hooman pwease nu huwties nu nu nu pwea~!” His pleading ends with a horrible crunching noise, and you all whimper as you see a trickle of red blood fall from up high onto the ground, dribbling into the Underground.
>”Fuck, only the one. Hell, he’s got some raisins on him ... little bastards, stealin’ an Old Man’s food!” The Hooman grumbles, stomping away.
>You can all see the New Friend hanging limply in the Hooman’s hand, and there are other Hoomans waiting in the alleyway.
>Hoomans arguing, fighting, throwing punches that you can hear all the way across the road, punches that would kill a Fluffy Pony instantly just barely making the Hooman’s flinch.
>Kook and Stumbles are forcing the New Friends to move, pushing them onwards down the Underground to where Haven is.
>You stay and watch the Hoomans fight, the New Friend being snatched back and forth like a rock-ball between two squabbling foals.
>They are just so big, so fast, so strong.
>Nothing a Fluffy Pony can do can hurt them. They are the Munstas of all Munstas.
>Feeling very small, you follow the group, hoping that you never have to see another Hooman again for the rest of your life.

********************************************************************************

>You are No-Lips, a Fluffy Pony without lips and the Smarty Friend of your Herd.
>You’ve led wisely, with both compassion and unrelenting control, for the past five years.
>Under your leadership, the Herd has prospered and survived, becoming as close to the ideal of the Lucky Herd as you can manage ... you just hope that Shango, the warm, gentle Smarty Friend of the Lucky Herd, would understand your failings.
>But .... you’re dying now, the Longest Sleep is almost upon. It hurts to be hugged, there's boo-boo juice inside you making it so hard to breathe, to move is pure agony ....
>Every Fluffy is crying, sobbing and holding each other as Some-Legs and Gnaff drag you out of the Old Fluffy Corner on a ragged pillow so you can speak to the Herd one last time.
>No-Name is sitting there with one of his Mares, shaking his head back and forth in disbelief, and he’s not the only one.
>Foals, Mares, Stallions, all of them can’t believe you’re dying.
>As far as you know, no other Smarty Friend has lived as long as you have.
>No-Name, Little Filly ... so many Fluffies to give names to.
>You'll have to start with the Foals .... have to make sure they know how much you cherish them, give them Good names. Brave names. Strong names. Names they can bear with pride.
>It might be the last thing you can do for them.


****************************************************************


>”Mus huwwy!” Bandit grunts, even as the Fluffies gasp for breath, the blue Pegaus kicking over another Fluffy Marker in the gloom and then pushing the stones and straws into the rivers of murky water that flow all through the Underground.
>Nobody dares to make Horn-Lights now. This time, the darkness of the Underground is the Fluffies' friend.
>The rattling of the stones, sticks and straws on the cold, dirty concrete echoes down the tunnels of the Underground, and makes everyone so nervous, but it's not the only noise that echoes through the cold concrete passages.
>Fluffies.... so many Fluffies! Shouting, demanding, angry Fluffies, all shouting for Haven!
>At first, all the noises seemed coming from the direction of Stinky Waters, whole Herds bickering and squabbling as they try to navigate the dirty and confusing ledges that border the horrible, dirty water in the Underground.
>But now there are echoes everywhere, and clusters of Fluffies can be found near every entrance to the Overground, babbling about 'Speshaw Safe Pwaces' and 'Haven'.
>Fluffies shouting at Bandit, Kook, Blue-Horn, Stumbles, Drips and yourself, the Pink male Unicorn Wumm-wumm to slow down, to show them the way to Haven.
>It’s terrible. It's the worst possible thing! Everyone has been so careful, even going so far as to hide from the surface Fluffies for an entire week, but they just won't forget about Haven!
>Bandit's new Friends sob and struggle to keep up, terrified of the darkness and heartsick over the loss of their friend. Everyone has to stop every now and then to rest, and pick up nummies that fell out of their fluff.
>You have to help Bandit push the stones that made up the Fluffy Markers into the dirty water. You dare not leave so much as a pebble behind for the Bad Fluffies to follow!
>Fluffies are everywhere, in groups of five and six or sometimes whole Herds, bumping and shoving each other, yelling that Haven should come out now.
>Bandit ordered you and Drips to shower some Fluffies that were following you with sparks, a calculated risk, because as soon as the Horn-Lights illuminated the passages of the Underground, you could hear a chorus of Fluffy voices screamed out "Haven!" and got even louder as their owners rushed towards you.
>One of the Fluffies you hurt with your horn-sparks squealed and ran away, the other two tried to press on, pushing forwards against the sparks, even as their skin developed black spots and their fluff started to smoulder.
>Finally, one couldn’t take the pain anymore and tried to escape, but blinded by tears, only succeeded in tackling his friend and pulling both of them into the Dirty Water.
>It took them a long, long time to drown .... heard them begging for help, from you, from the other Fluffies, even from each other, as their fluff slowly got heavier and heavier and dragged them down.
>You're sure you'll hear them in your nightmares for weeks to come ...
>Finally ... Haven.
>It's taken so long to get back to Haven, the Cold-Dark time is almost passed, but you've had to destroy as many Fluffy Markers as you could, to protect Haven.
>Honestly, you never paid much attention to them before. They were just ... ‘there’. Things to see, not things to think about.
>Bandit looks both angry and terrified. Keeps muttering that somebody ‘tawked’ and how the Herd is in danger.
>Fluffies wend through the narrow, twisting passageway between the walls of old, dry poop and the stinky-bad glowing blue-mushrooms to enter Haven itself, and are greeted by a strange scene.
>No-Lips is lying on an Old Fluffy Pillow, legs dangling off the sides, with a line of Foals in front of him.
>”Yuu ... be Ice.” Your Smarty Friend says loudly, then coughs, flinching as if in pain, before rubbing a hoof on the Foal’s head. “Ice, Foaw of Clover, Foaw of Daff’o’dil!”
>”Ice, Foaw of Clover, Foaw of Daff’o’dil...” The Herd mumbles, looking oddly subdued.
>You wish they'd be more excited, Naming Days are supposed to be fun!
>But, everyone has owies. Nobody has eaten today ... and they are going to be even more sad when they hear the news.
>Another White Foal is being brought forth, and No-Lips stares at him, mumbling with his eyes closed.
>”We caww yuu ... Ash! Ash, Foaw of Clover, Foaw of Daff’o’dil!” The Smarty Friend says loudly again, and the Herd repeats.
>Foals where were named hug each other and squeal with delight. It’s a big day to get your name, and be recognised as a Stallion or Mare.
>Finally, your group is noticed.
>Fluffies toddle over, taking the Nummies out of your fluff and bringing them over to the Old Fluffies to sort through.
>”Bandit! Yuu bawk ... an’ haf New Fwiends?” No-Lips calls, coughing again with a grimace, as the Stallions trot over to their Smarty Friend. “They is guud Fwuffies? Bwave? Nice?”
>”Dey ... wisten. Nu shure if bwave owr nice yet.” Bandit says, his wings fluttering. “Buh, No-Lips, dere be Fluffies in de Underground. Bad Fluffies fwom Stinky Wa-Wa’s. Bad Fwuffies fwom de Awwey'ways. Dey aww comin' down tu de Unna'gwound, an' dey aww wookin' fo' Haven.”
>The Herd reflexively hugs each other, Foals, Named or Un-Named, seeking out their Mothers and Stallions turning to their Mares.
>”Yuu ... yuu do Smawty Ting den, wike yuu was towd, Bandit?” No-Lips asks softly as the Herd whimpers and tries to console each other.
>”Yes, No-Lips. Bandit an' Good Fluffies bweak aww Fwuffy Maw'kews dat we find, go aww ovah Unna'gwound tu bweak as many as we can. Buh ... dere be otha Fluffy Markers we nu can find in dawk.” Bandit replies, but hangs his head in shame at the last.
>It's not his fault, you've all been running all evening getting nummies, and most of you have owies from the fight this morning ...
>”It be ‘nuff. It gif Bad Fwuffies scawy time tu wun awound in dawk an’ cowd wit’ nu way tu know whewe gu.” One-Eye grunts, stepping out of the Herd, his scarred face set into an evil look. “Yuu guud Fwuffy, Bandit. Aww yuu be guud Fwuffies, even you, Bluehorn-Wussy-Fwuffy.”
>Blue-Horn grates his teeth together, but wisely remains silent. One-Eye is old, but he’s mean and strong and smart.
>”How many Bad Hewds? Two, Thwee?” No-Lips grunts, trying to push himself up-right on his pillow.
>”Moar. Moar an' Moar. ‘Nuff Fwuffies to fill Haven many, many times.” You hear Bandit say unhappily.
>Old Fluffies give each worried looks. No-Lips looks sad but resigned.
>”Aw’ways knew dis day come. No-Lips hope dat No-Lips wouwd nu be Smawty Fwiend when it happen ....” He groans, then flops back down onto the pillow. “Fwuffies! Mus’ name Foaws, den ... den No-Lips haf make Choice. No-Lips haf tuu many owies tu wead Hewd, No-Lips am tuu owd tu fite any moar. No-Lips mus’ choose New Smawty Fwiend, afta aww Foaws haf dere names!”
>The Herd gasps, shocked out of their fear by the news.
>You’re a bit stunned too! No-Lips is .... No-Lips! The bestest Smarty Friend you've ever heard of! The Oldest, Wisest, Toughest Fluffy in the World!
>But ... who will be the next Smarty Friend?


****************************************************************


>Be No-Name, and your head is spinning, this is all so much to take in!
>No-Lips ... will not be Smarty Friend soon? But ... he always been Smarty Friend, Fluffies like Clover say he's been the Smarty Friend since ... forever!
>And there are bad Fluffies from Stinky Wa-Wa’s and the Alleyways, all coming to steal Haven away and make you all have the Longest Sleep?
>Bwun looks worried, hugging her Foals tightly as they nurse without a care from her teats, too small to understand the situation.
>Well, most of them. Lucky keeps looking around with wide, nervous eyes, his wings fluttering anxiously.
>Clover is nuzzling Ice and Ash, her two White-fluffed Foals, and Little Filly is sitting at your side, sniffling.
>She hasn’t got a Name yet. And she's loves No-Lips like a Friend, she's so sad that he's going to go away...
>You haven’t been given a proper Herd Name yet either. And if you had a choice, you'd never have one, if it meant No-Lips stayed as the Smarty Friend.
>Wed is sitting on the other side of the Herd, her face contorted into an unhappy mask as she stares at you.
>”Yuu pwomise Wed, New Hewd be safe, New Smawty Fwiend be stwong an' nice, bu' he owd, he haf owies, an' now Bad Fwuffies awe comin’!” She yells at you, rubbing her distending belly with both hooves.
>”No-Name nu know dat Bad Fwuffies come, owr dat Pawk Hewd be meanies, bweak Owd Wules, twy tu keep Gwasses all for themselves.” You shout back, feeling extremely guilty. Whatever has happened between you and Wed, you did promise Bwun and Wed that No-Lip would keep both Mares safe.
>”Yuu is nuu a Bad Fwuffie.” Bwun sighs, grunting as she rolls to her feet and starts to pick up her foals, pulling them off her teats and awkwardly placing them on her sides, where they instinctively latch onto her fluff, awkwardly climb until they lay flat on her back, buried in her fluff. “Nu Fwuffy can teww wat happen tomo’wow.”
>”Wiww pwotect yuu both." You whisper to Bwun and Clover as the Lucky Baby whimpers, tugging on Bwun's fluff until Clover picks him up and cuddles him. "Wiww nu wet Bad Fwuffies huwt owr fam'wy any moar.”
>You see Wed puff up her cheeks in annoyance, but No-Lips speaks again, and everyone turns to stare at him.
>”Send ouwt Wittwe Fiwwy!” He says, a pained expression on his face.
>While Wed was arguing with you and Bwun, more Foals had been named.
>Little Filly gives you a hug, then skitters out to No-Lips, her wings flapping rapidly with excitement.
>”No-Lips happy tu see yuu, happy tu see yuu get yuu fiwst Hewd-Name.” No-Lips says, smiling as he puts a hoof on Little Foal’s head. “Wat we Name yuu ....”
>There’s silence as No-Lips thinks, Foals hushed by their parents, and in the case of those that won’t shut up, pressed into their mother’s fluff face-first.
>”We caww yuu .... Lavender!” No-Lips says, loudly, with tears in his eyes. “Lavender, Foaw of Bun-Bun, Foaw of Dai-“ He stops to sob, shaking, gazing down at Little Filly, no, Lavender. “Foaw of Daisy ... an' of No-Lips!”
>Lavender is sitting there with her jaw open, stunned, and the Herd is whispering and cheering.
>Nobody knew No-Lips had any surviving Foals! Bun-Bun never said anything! So that means that Lavender is his family!
>”Yuu is ... Fatha of Mumma Bun-Bun?” Lavender asks, shuffling up to No-Lips and sniffing his muzzle. “Mumma’s Mumma be ‘Daisy’?”
>”Yes ... yuu be mah fam'wy, Lavender.” No-Lips sighs, nuzzling Lavender and smiling softly. “Bun-Bun aw'ways wan' teww yuu, buh No-Lips say nu. Nu wan' yuu few diff’went fwom de otha Fwuffies.”
>Lavender sobs and rears up to wrap her hooves around No-Lip’s neck, and the old Fluffy hugs her back, tears falling from his eyes.
>”No-Lips wish couwd teww yuu soonah. Buh yuu be Mawe now, nu Foaw. Yuu be big, bwave, smawt Mare, jus’ wike Bun-Bun.”
>You hug Clover, then Bwun, and even Bowl, who is sitting next to you.
>Lavender has a real family! You’re so happy! You’re so ....
>No-Lips is dying. It's why he needs to choose a new Smarty Friend.
>Oh ... oh no.
>”No-Name! Yuu come!” No-Lips yells, and you shuffle forwards, thoughts spinning in your head.
>No-Lips is dying, and Lavender only has a short while to spend with her Family before No-Lips goes on the Long Sleep....
>”Yuu join Hewd ... an' many tink yuu nu wast wong. Nu Smawty Fwiend, nu Toughie Fwiends, nu even Owd Fwuffies.” No-Lips says, giving you a tired grin as he stops to catch his breath, Lavender still standing at his side, her eyes filled with tears. “Buh! Yuu pwove us aww wrong! Yuu nice Fwuffy who cawwy foals, be good Scout who find nummies an' safe pwaces, be Brave Raid-Fluffy who bwing back Guud Mare wit’ nu Huwties, be Good Fwiend who gif owies tu Bad Fwuffies an’ save Mawes.”
>”Dere be any Fwuffy here who say No-Lips nu be Good Fwuffy?” No-Lips asks the assembled Herd.
>Some Fluffies, especially the Mares that wanted to be the Mumma of the Lucky Baby, shake their heads and open their mouths to complain, but their neighbours poke them with hooves or horns till they stop grumbling.
>Your Mares look happy. Even Wed looks happy ... then she scowls when she sees you looking at her, turning her face away.
>Most of the stallions look happy too, but Bluehorn looks like he’s about to throw a fit, and Bandit looks uneasy.
>”Den ... Smawty-Fwiend caww yuu ..... MIST!” No-Lips says as loud as he can.
>”Mist! Mist! Mist!” The Herd chants, drumming their hooves on the floor of Haven.
>”Mist ... Fwuffy am cawwed Mist.” You whisper, feeling moved. Your Herd Name ....
>”Yuu is wike de Mist. Yuu hide many tings, buh yuu awso pwotect Fwuffies an’ hide dem too.” No-Lips grunts as he struggles to his hooves. “Now, Smawty haf to make choice 'bout who be new Smawty Fwiend. Lavender, Mist, pwease gu back tu otha Fwuffies naow.”
>You and Lavender shuffle back to your positions, to be greeted and smothered in hugs by your Mares, the Herd still rumbling and whispering about No-Lips claiming Lavender as his family, and your new name.
>”Fwuffies ... No-Lips watch, as Smarty Fwiend must do! Watch Fwuffies, see who is gud at finding nummies, who guud wit’ Foals, who is Mean, who is Nice.” No-Lips says, being supported on both sides by Gnaff and One-Eye. He looks so small between the two other Fluffies, and he’s shaking heavily, in great pain from being held by his friends.
>”No-Lips watch Stawwions, Watch fo’ Guud Fwuffy who can be New Smarty Friend.” His eyes sweep over the Herd, teeth clenched tightly against the pain as he gathers the eyes of every Fluffy in the Herd.
>”No-Lips tink long an’ hawd. Smarty Friend mus’ be Bwave, buh nu Stuupid-Bwave, mus’ be Mean when Hewd is stubborn or scawed, but Nice otha times. Mus’ wemember many tings, be many tings tu many Fwuffies.” No-Lips coughs, a spatter of bloody phlegm splattering his chest-fluff. “Dere onwy One Fwuffy in Hewd who can do dat ... an’ No-Lips wan' Stawwions to fowwow him, be his Guud Fwiends, hewp him.”
>”Bandit! Yuu come! Yuu is de New Smarty Friend!”
>Bandit strides forwards, his wings fluttering, as the other Stallions hug each other and whisper comforting words, or cheer out Bandit’s names.
>You like Bandit. He’s very brave, very strong, nice when you talked to him, so you cheer his name too.
>”No-Lips an’ Old Fwuffies haf many tings to teach yuu before next Bwite-Time ... yuu come to Old Fwuffy Corner, an' we teww yuu evwy'ting yuu mus' know as de Smawty Fwiend.” No-Lips wheezes, gazing fondly at Bandit as the Blue Pegasus nervously approaches.
>”W-wha' happen next Bwite-Time?” Bandit asks softly, just loud enough for only the Old Fluffies to hear, his face displaying his nervousness.
>”Dat is when Smarty Friend Bandit an’ Hewd mus’ weave Haven forevah.” No-Lips replies sadly as Gnaff and One-Eye take hold of the corners of his pillow and start to drag the former Smarty Friend back to the Old Fluffy Corner.


On The Rocks, Part 17

>You are Mist, formerly No-Name, a Grey Earth-Fluffy with a scarred fore-leg.
>You have two Special Friends, Clover and her two white Foals, Ice and Ash, Bwun and her five Foals, all too young to have names, or even be left to play on their own ...
>You had a third Special Friend called Wed ... but she was silly, and mean, and selfish, and No-Lips broke your bond, and made her a Special Huggies Mare, but not before she fell pregnant with your babies....
>Oh, and Little Foal has been under your care from the start. No, Wait, her name is Lavender now.
>No-Lips, the Herd’s ancient, infamous Smarty Friend, named all the Foals within the Herd that had grown their teeth, to celebrate them living long enough to stop being Foals and start being Stallions and Mares, and then named you as well, to formally induct you into the Herd.
>Then he named Bandit, a pale blue Pegasus Fluffy with a band of black fluff across his eyes, as the New Smarty Friend.
>No-Lips got terrible Owies during the fight at the Park, and says he will be going on the Longest Sleep soon.
>The whole Herd cried when they heard that, they did not want their Smarty Friend to go away.
>Bandit spent most of the night in the Old Fluffy Corner with No-Lips and the Old Fluffies, One-Eye, Some-Legs, Two-Socks, Gnaff and All-Mumma, and learned how to be a Good Smarty Friend.
>Bandit looks tired. Tired and frustrated and sad and lonely.
>When you gave him hugs to congratulate him, he just stood there, shivering.
>”Nuuu ... why Bandit haf do ...” He whispered, staring at some place far over your shoulder.
>You think he's staring towards the Bad Fluffy Pit.
>But right now, the Fluffies of the Herd are rushing around, pulling up driest bits of paper from The Papers, where the Herd’s Mares, Foals and Fluffy Mummas normally sleep, and are twisting the paper into long, thin strands.
>Twist and twist, twist and twist.
>All the Fluff that falls off Fluffies is to be gathered up and spread over the floor, with the driest Old Poop from the entrance to Haven.
>Yikky, Yikky Work! Lots of Fluffies are complaining about getting dirty, but nobody stops working.
>Bandit says that No-Lips taught him a very nasty trick to play on the Bad Herds who are coming to take Haven from the Herd.
>Your Herd must leave Haven, you don’t have enough Fluffies to fight off the invaders, but Bandit promised that the Bad Fluffies would pay dearly for taking your home away from you.
>No-Lips and the Old Fluffies are watching as some Fluffies twist paper into long, thin pieces, and other Fluffies push the cardboard boxes from the Old Fluffy Corner down in front of the Wall of Old Poop that normally blocks off most of the entrance to Haven.
>Bandit ordered that be knocked down too, and spread over the floor and mixed with all the shed fluff.
>And then he shouted that no Fluffy was to make Sparks. Ever.
>Glared at Blue-Horn, who was only pretending to work, whom blew a raspberry back at Bandit, but started to properly twist his bit of Paper this time.
>Then the twisted strips of paper were to be laid down and pressed into the layer of old poop and shed fluff, and then covered with as much fluff as the Fluffies could gather.
>Line of twisted papers have to touch all the way to the middle of Haven, Bandit said, and have to go all the way to the entrance to Haven too.
>Both lines of Twisted Paper must be hidden, and must lead to Old Fluffy Corner, where the Old Fluffies will play the Nasty Trick on the Bad Fluffies.
>The Bright-Ball is starting to shine down through the grate overhead. It's far too late in the day for anyone to go to the Park for nummies now ...
>Fluffies start to complain that their bellies are still empty, and if it’s Day outside, they can’t eat at the Park.
>”Bandit know! Bandit know Fluffies haf nu Nummies, Bandit haf nu Nummies either, buh nu wan' Hewd get Owies, Huwties or Boo-Boos!” He shouted, tears of frustration in his eyes. “Buh Hewd mus’ make sure Bad Fwuffies awe tuu busy, haf tu many Owies tu fowwow Hewd to New Safe Pwace!”
>Everyone hung their heads in shame and apologised, returning with new vigor to their tasks.
>Finally, the Nasty Trick is ready...but what now? Only the Old Fluffies and Bandit seem to know exactly what the Nasty Trick is ...
>Bandit turns back to No-Lips and the other Old Fluffies, biting his lips.
>”No-Lips, yuu weawy shuwe?” He asks hesitantly as the Herd gathers at the blue Pegasus’s back, placing their Foals on each other’s backs. “Hewd mus’ weawy weave? Hewd couwd fiww entwance wit’ poop an’ rocks, hide tiww Bad Fwuffies go ‘way?”
>”Nu, dat wouwd nu wurk fo' wong. Bad Fwuffies know now dat Haven is in de Unna'gwound now.” No-Lips wheezes, bloody spit drooling from his mouth. “Dey nevah stawp comin’ now. Even if Bwave Fwuffies gif de Biggest Owies tu evwy Bad Fwuffy in Unna'gwound now, moar wiww come.”
>”Old Fwuffies wiww stay, pway de Nasty Twick and gif owr Hewd time tu wun.” Gnaff adds, tenderly grooming No-Lip’s lank fluff with his hooves, his eyes red and swollen from crying.
>”One-Eye wiww gu wit Hewd, as No-Lips say.” One-Eye grunts unhappily, giving his old Smarty Friend a look. No-Lips shakes his head and whispers something. “One-Eye wiww hewp yuu wemember wat Old Fwuffies teww yuu, Smarty Friend Bandit, tiww yuu nu need be towd nu moar.”
>”All-Mumma so pwoud of yuu aww.” All-Mumma, her long, ghostly fluff and long, flappy skin smiles, revealing gums almost totally rotten and toothless. “All-Mumma know dat Fwuffy Mummas an’ Mawes take guud cawe of Foaws and Baybehs, be nice tu dere Stawwions.”
>”We be Guud Fwuffies.” The Herd murmurs back, sniffling and crying.
>It’s really happening ... the Herd is leaving Haven for good ...
>And you're all going to leave Old Fluffies behind to play the Nasty Trick. Today is the last day you will see any of them ever agian.
>Everyone surges up into Old Fluffy Corner, unable to stop themselves, to give the Old Fluffies hugs, tell them goodbye.
>Nobody says it, but everyone knows. Old Fluffies will not be coming after the Herd.
>The Old Fluffies will not survive the anger of the Bad Fluffies who might survive the Nasty Trick.
>You hug Some-Legs, tell him you will remember to play Rock-Ball with your foals like he taught you, and get told you are a Good Fluffy.
>You hug Gnaff the balding Old Fluffy next, and tell him he is still the Prettiest Fluffy in the Herd, and he smiles and hugs you back.
>You can’t find the words to tell All-Mumma how much it meant to you for her to give you cuddles when you first joined Herd, when everyone was mean to you because you didn't know grass was nummies, or how to be a Good Feral, so you just hug her and bury your face in her wispy Fluff, and she hugs you back, crying as well.
>No-Lips ... nobody can hug No-Lips, he’s in too much pain.
>He’s leaking Boo-boo juices inside.
>So everyone touches his muzzle with their own, and whispers how much they love him.
>You tell him, you will try to be the Best Fluffy, like he is. You will follow Bandit like you followed No-Lips, and try your hardest.
>”No-Lips know yuu wiww. Guud Fwuffy, Mist is Guud Fwuffy.” He murmurs, then coughs, spitting more bloody mess onto his pillow.
>You grab a tuft of shed fluff from the ground and scrub the bloody phlegm away, so he doesn’t have to sit in the Boo-Boo Mess.
>Then other Fluffies push their way in to say goodbye, and you have to leave.
>Needing a shoulder to lean on as sorrow fills you, you spend the next few minutes looking for your Special Friends, but your attention is drawn to the new Smarty Friend, Bandit, who is staring at the Bad Fluffy Pit, with that same haunted look on his face.
>So you shuffle over to the gloomy pegasus and give him hugs again. You're worried about your Special Friends and babies. Bandit has to worry about the whole Herd.
>”We fowwow yuu, Bandit. We fowwow Bandit de Smawty Fwiend.” You whisper, and to your surprise, you are hugged back!
>”Tank yuu.” He whispers back at you, and gives you a squeezy hug. “Bandit need aww Fwiends he can find.”

****************************************************************


>Late last night ...
>You are Bandit, the New Smarty Friend. A pale, powdery-blue coloured Pegasus Fluffy with a band of Black Fluff across your eyes.
>No-Lips, the former Smarty Friend, and the other Old Fluffies, are telling you things, how to be a Smarty Friend, and more importantly, how to be a Good Smarty Friend.
>What they say .... makes you so very sad and hurt and confused inside.
>About how Foals who smell bad, smell bitter, who will need more care to live than the Herd can provide. You have to take them away and place them as far from the Herd as you dare so the Munstas will eat them, not the Good Foals who smell Sticky and Sweet and Fluffy-Like.
>About how some Mares will never been Good Mummas, and must have their Foals taken away and given to Good Mummas, so that the Foals will live, and the Herd can grow strong.
>About how Stallions like Mangle and Zodd must be watched carefully, and controlled if they can be useful to the Herd, or cast out if they are a menace. No-Lips looks very sad when he talked about Zodd, and how Zodd had once been a good Fluffy, but he never seemed to understand how much he hurt other Fluffies by being so rough.
>How Fluffies must sometimes eat Very Bad Things that Fluffies having the Longest Sleep offer them from the Sleeping Fluffies’ Tummies in times when Herd is very, very hungry, when all other Nummies are gone, and the Herd has no other choice.
>You also know way to the 'Faw Unner'ground', they told you that so many times you could find it in your sleep, making you recite the words again and again as they made you follow the path on the map they had made on the wall of the Old Fluffy Corner until your hoof hurt.
>”Fowwow Yellow Wights wit' Red Pointy Wines unda dem tiww yuu find pwace wit’ many Twain-Munsta's ...”. No-Lips had told him, in the silence as the other Fluffies of the Herd slept. “It is a vewy bad pwace, Twain-Munstas often come, wots of Two-Wegged Munstas, buh if yuu wait tiww Twain-Munsta stawp tu pick up Hoomans, den yuu and Hewd can wun unda de Rail-Munsta, an' find Secwet Tunnews.”
>”Secwet Tunnews awe Noisy, Scawy, buh Two-Legged Munstas nu can fowwow, Rat Munstas nu wike Twain-Munsta noises an’ stay ‘way, buh dose noises bad fo Fwuffies tu. Yuu use Secwet Tunnews tu go on, fowwow dem stwait, den yuu find Ova'gwound ‘gain.”
>”Buh Overground is a Bad Pwace!” You protested, feeling panicked. This was all so much, so soon! And the Train-Munstas! So scary! So big and fast and mean, so strong they can tear Fluffies away from the Herd without even touching them and drag their victims down the Tunnels, make them bleed and cry and stop moving!
>”Nu dis pwace. It gu unda Biggest Two-Legged Munsta Homes, so it be vewy scawy, buh dere be pwaces whewe Many Hewds couwd pway an' haf nummies. Buh Fwuffies mus’ stay Unna'gwound when de Bwite-Time comes, as Two-Wegged Munstas evwy-where. Buh dere no otha Munstas, Two-Wegged’s scawe dem aww 'way.” Gnaff murmured, his eyes half closed.
>”Is very scawy pwace, buh it onwy pwace Bad Fwuffies nu can find owr Hewd now.” All-Mumma added between grooming No-Lips and trying to make him feel better. “If Stinky Wa-Wa’s Hewds know ‘bout Haven, den soon aww Fwuffies in City know ‘bout Haven. Fwuffies fight an’ die an’ kiww tiww Hoomans can fowwow de sounds, an’ aww Fwuffies in de Unna'gwound get snatched an’ cwunched.”
>You stood there, trembling with fear, confusion and, yes, excitement.
>Part of you was eager to see this ‘New Underground’, to set hoof where you’d never been before, to be the Brave Fluffy who led the Herd to their new home.
>But the responsibilities ... they weighed on you like rocks, crushing you.
>Mares would depend upon you to protect them from Meanie Fluffies, both from inside the Herd and Raiders from other Herds.
>Foals would look up to you, and try to follow every action you took, good or bad.
>Stallions would rely upon you to decide the daily activities of the Herd, and would be the first to die if you chose poorly.
>”Fwuf .... Bandit .... Bandit nu is weady tu be Smarty Fwiend.” You said loudly, shuffling forwards and crouching down to stare into No-Lips’s eyes. “Bandit is jus’ nu weady!”
>No-Lips cracked a crooked smile at you, and cough-laughed.
>”No-Lips was nu weady eitha, buh yuu is Guud Fwuffy.” And then he coughed again, and blood sprayed onto the pillow under him once more "Nu Fwuffy is evah weady, buh yuu mus' find yuu own way fow'awds. Someday, de Lucky Baby be big an' stwong an' smawty. He gon' wook tu yuu tu teach how tu be a Smawty Fwiend ... den yuu nu haf tu be a Smawty nu moaw. Den, yuu can be fwee ...."

********************************************************************************

>You are Gnaff, and you wave one last time to your friends and family as the Herd shuffles out of Haven with tears in their eyes, the Mares and Stallions pushing the Fluffy Mummas in the middle of their group, all of the Fluffies being very good and being very careful to not scuff up the shed fluff and dried poop.
>Some-Legs is practicing for the Nasty Trick, his horn glowing and glowing till it hurts to look at. He's practicing so hard his horn is actually bleeding ...
>All-Mumma and Two-Socks are sitting by No-Lips, who is burbling with every breath now, struggling to breathe even though Two-Socks and All-Mumma keep lifting his pillow with bits of cardboard so he can lie at an angle and not have to breath in his own boo-boo juices.
>His eyes are so sad as he looks at you. Regret, guilt, pride and love stare back at you.
>You can't help but sob and feel the tears run hot down your cheeks. All your life, you've been a silly Fluffy, never brave enough to be a Toughie Friend, never able to keep a Special Friend happy for longer than a single pregnancy ... but No-Lips never doubted you, and never stopped being your friend.
>It’s not fair that No-Lips has to suffer like this, to endure such a a slow, painful way to die. You imagine it's a lot like drowning, but slowly.
>It’s not the way you want No-Lips to go.
>He saved you from the Bad Smarty Friend so long ago, drove the Bad Smarty Friend and Bad Toughie Friends into the Bad Fluffy Pit after they killed One-Eye's baby with Bad Special Huggies, and hurt all the Mummas and Fathas who tried to protect their precious babies.
>And now you can’t even give him Hugs anymore, because it hurts him too much.
>You have to sit by his side and keep lifting him off the Pillow by the scruff of his neck, and let All-Mumma and Two-Socks prop the pillow up more so No-Lips can keep breathing, and Two-Socks just put the very last piece of cardboard under No-Lip's pillow ...
>”No-Lips is ... su sowwy.” He groans, spitting out another mouthful of Boo-Boo Mess as he does. It’s almost all Boo-Boos now. “No-Lips ... wan' Fwiends tu wiv.”
>”All-Mumma haf wived fo' wong time. Maybe tu wong.” All-Mumma replies softly as she tries to push the pillow into a taller shape, without much success. “All-Mumma haf many baybehs who haf many baybehs of dere own, and dey haf baybehs tuu, we aww haf many funnehs, many saddies. All-Mumma ... is weady. Weady fo’ Wong Sleepies wit’ No-Lips.”
>”Some-Legs weady tu.” Some-Legs murmurs, shuffling up to you all, sweat dripping off him, his horn all swollen and bleeding from the spiralling lines in his horn from the crippled Toughie practicing the Nasty Trick over and over again. “Some-Legs pwotect Hewd ‘gain. Some-Legs be Bwave Fwuffy, one moar time.”
>"Two-Socks nu 'faid of Wongest Sweepies. Two-Socks weggies aw'weady haf Wongest Sweepies." The crippled Toughie grunts, then sighs and looks out over the much-altered Haven. "Jus' ... wish it nu haf tu be wike dis."
>”Gnaff ... is scawed. Buh Gnaff wiww nu wun. Gnaff wan' tu show No-Lips dat Gnaff is nu a siwwy Fwuffy nu moar, dat Gnaff can be Bwave Fwuffy!” You reply, trying to sound brave, but you can’t keep the sadness out of your voice.
>Silence reigns in the eeriely empty 'Haven' as the Old Fluffies gaze fondly at each other.
>”Is ... nu so bad.” No-Lips murmurs, reaching out a hoof. Everyone does the same, covering each other’s hooves with their own. “Hewd wiww be safe, an’ fwiends ... fwiends wiww be togetha at de end.”
>”Togetha.” You all whisper as the sounds of the Bad Fluffies screeching and howling in the tunnels of the Underground gets louder and louder.


********************************************************************************


>You are Smelly, the Smarty Friend of Big-Big Herd.
>Smartiest Smarty Friend of the Herds in this City, no less.
>So smarty, that you left Eggs and Smoke with their Dumb-Big Herds back in stuuupid Stinky Waters, and rushed to the entrance to this ‘Underground’, your stallions in front, the Mares and foals pushing the Fluffy Mummas behind you.
>Stallions go in first, kill the Fluffies in this ‘Haven’ the Raiders spoke of, then stand guard and keep all the other Fluffies out while your Mares and Fluffy Mummas get settled in.
>But you can hear Stupid Eggs and Mean Smoke shouting orders from somewhere within the Tunnels. You'd know those voices anywhere, after months of arguing with them over who was the Smartiest Smarty Friend!
>Just how fluffing big is this damn place? You've been running all night, and still no sign of Haven!
>Plus, your Herd got fragmented when your Mares and Foals and Fluffy Mummas fell behind your Stallions and You, so now you just grab whatever Fluffies you find and tell them they are now part of the Greatest Smarty Friend’s Herd.
>Your stallions were horrified, but you reminded them that finding Haven meant they'd have a safe place to bring their Special Friends and babies to, so they push on relentlessly, determined  to claim Haven first, and then go looking for their mates.
>Finally you find your first clue ... stones.
>Stones on the otherwise smooth ground. Could this have been one of Leaves's fabled 'Fluffy Markers'?
>Then one of your Unicorn Toughies find tracks. A scattering of hoof-marks in the thin layer of dust, as if Fluffies were walking one behind the other, pausing only by the Fluffy markers, where the tracks get confusing, before carrying on again in another straight line.
>Fluffies tried to cover their tracks by sweeping their tails behind them, but they missed a few....
>”Fowwow Smelly, yuu Smawty Fwiend haf found Haven!” You cheer happily!
>”GUUD! NOW YUU GIF TU ME!” Smoke roars at you, his horn sparking as he glares at you from across the other side of the tunnel, the slowly moving river of Dirty Wawas between you your only protection from his Nasty Horn-Sparks!
>”Nuu, is mine, aww of dis is mine!” You shout, and charge forwards, hoping to follow the tracks.
>”Miiiiine! Haven bewongs tu Eggs, nu yuu dummies!” Eggs yells, his Herd appearing at the junction of another tunnel, on a third ledge.
>The three Smarty Friends puff up their cheeks and glare at each other, even as the Fluffies in their Herds shout and reach for their ‘Friends’ and ‘Special Friends’ that have now be co-opted into the rival Herds.
>”MINE!” All the Smarty Friends shout at each other, charging as one towards Haven.

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>As the screaming reaches it's highest peak, a seemingly endless stream of Fluffies come tumble into Haven, cheering, screaming, hugging, fighting.
>Three in particular are being particularly mean, biting at each other’s throats, kicking at their rivals' tummies and naughty places, grappling and howling insults as their ears and fluff are bitten and torn.
>A sickly Green Pegasus, a Dark Blue Pegasus, and a Black and Grey Unicorn.
>"MINEMINEMINEMINE
MINEMINEMINEMINE!” They shout non-stop as their Herds squeeze into the opening of Haven, some of them fighting, others hugging, yelling that they missed their friends, where did they go?
>Mares roll Fluffy Mummas into Haven, squabbling and blowing raspberries at each other even while the Fluffy Mummas babble greetings and try to give each other hugs.
>Foals scramble and wail in fear, trying desperately to not get stepped on or rolled over by the howling, bickering, fighting adults.
>The Old Fluffies of the No-Lips Herd whimper as they hide behind the biggest piece of cardboard left in the Old Fluffy Corner, hearing the screaming and fighting and knowing that the end of Haven has come at last.
>Gnaff is peeking around one corner of the cardboard, waiting for the right moment to give the signal. You all have to wait until Haven is almost full before the Nasty Trick can happen.
>Too few Fluffies trapped inside, and Bad Fluffies will run away back into the Underground, and your Herd will still be in danger as these angry, selfish Fluffies spread further and further through the Underground, seeking a way to return to the surface and dragging any Fluffies they find into their Herds.
>Too many, and Nasty Trick might not work, and those that are driven away by the victors will seek out new Fluffies to rebuild their Herds as well!
>Some-Legs is working himself up, stomping and swearing, his horn glowing again, so much glowing that he’s sweating and shaking.
>No-Lips has his eyes closed, and is whispering something to All-Mumma, who is crying and nodding her head.
>”Fwuffies awmost tu de Bad Fwuffy Waww.” Gnaff whispers as the Herds keep pushing their way into Haven, fighting and bickering over who should have Haven, who invited these dummies, where are their babies.
>The three vicious, 'Mine' shouting Fluffies have separated from their Angry Hugs Ball, facing each other in a little circle, snapping their teeth and crouching low to the ground.
>All three are bloodied, their fluff stained and matted and torn, but none of them look like backing down.
>Without their Smarty Friends, the Herds just keep coming in, complaining about dry poop under their hooves, asking where all this fluff came from, demanding to be taken to the Safe Places their Smarty Friends told them about.
>”Nu can bweave! Nu moar Fwuffies!” Several Fluffy Mummas shout, barely heard in the din of Fluffy Voices shrieking and screaming as close to two hundred Fluffy Ponies scramble into Haven, with more bickering and yelling outside, pressing in tightly to the point many of the Fluffies within Haven are having to stand on their hind legs to avoid getting squashed.
>Nobody wants to get near the Smarty Friends and the wall of stones, however, nobody wants the Smarty Friends to give them Huwties or drive them away from the Safe Place.
>More and more Fluffies outside of Haven shout and bawl and fight, climbing on top of each other or wrestling each other to the ground, desperate for the sanctuary of ‘Haven’.
>The noise is so loud it's actually painful! There must be dozens of large Herds out there, and the tunnels of the Underground bounce back every scream, every shout, every curse a hundred-fold on top of that.
>There must be scores of Unicorns out there, there's so many bright flashes outside the entrance you'd almost swear it was the middle of the day there!
>”No moar woom, No-Lips! Fwuffies nu wan' go near Bad Fwuffy Pit!” Gnaff whispers as Fluffies start to get pushed up onto the raised section of the Old Fluffy Corner, getting dangerously close to the cardboard lean-to the Old Fluffies hide under.
>”Do it naow!” No-Lips grunts in pain as All-Mumma pushes him up onto his hooves, his disfigured face a mask of pain and anger as bloody drool spills out over his teeth and down onto his chest.
>Haven has been ruined forever by the greed of these Herds. These Fluffies will never stop coming, never stop fighting, and their jealousy and hatred will inevitably bring the dreaded Two-Legged Munstas into the Underground in force ... unless the Bad Fluffies can be made to believe that the Underground is the most terrifying place to be, and never want to return.
>The Bad Fluffies have made Haven a Bad Place, just like the Alleyways, just like Stinky Waters. You can all hear the screams of Foals as they are crushed and stepped on in the pushing, shoving melee, the howling of the Stallions as they brawl and grapple for position, the Mares shrieking in terror and rage as they buck and kick for the right to have a Safe Place of their very own.
>A Fluffy Mumma just had a Scaredy-Fit from being squashed and went Fwoooph, setting all the other Fluffy Mummas into a leg-flailing, endlessly-shrieking panic as fluff and wet, sticky Foals rained down on them.
>You all sob, even No-Lips, as you see the newborns disappear into the scrum, never to return. It's not right, that the Foals should suffer for the cruelty and selfishness of their Herds ... but there is no other way to save your Herd from these Bad Fluffies.
>Fluffies are grabbing each other, wrestling on their hind legs or biting and tugging on each other's ears, nose or throats, trying to throw their rivals out of Haven as those outside the entrance push and strain, desperate to go inside, and slowly the knot of Fluffies within the entrance to Haven swell in numbers, pushing the already crowded Haven into ever tighter quarters to the point that there is now only a mere foot of space between the fighting Fluffies and their three savage Smarty Friends.
>”Mine! Aww mine! Nu haf tu shawe wit' yuu two Dummies nu moar!” The Sickly Green Pegasus whines, his wings all but a blurr of motion on his back.
>”Yuu is stuuuuuuuupid fwuffies! Dis aww fo’ Smoke's Speshaw Haw'wem! Aww of it!” The Black and Grey Unicorn shouts back, his horn bent at a strange angle, sparking ominously from the cracks that the fighting has caused.
>”Is mine! Haven fo' Best Smawty Fwiend! Yuu both gu!” The Deep Blue Pegasus shrieks in fury, stomping his hooves angrily.
>Some-Legs shuffles forwards, his cheeks puffed out, sweat sliding off him as he strains, placing his swollen, bleeding horn on the twists of paper ... and they smoulder.
>Puffing his cheeks, Two-Socks blows gently on the smouldering twists of paper until they burst into flame, crackling ominously as the twists curl up after the flame dances down their lengths, spreading throughout the shed fluff and slowly ignighting the dried dung that once made up the maze that led to Haven.
>Smoke ... most Fluffies don’t know what it is exactly, but they do know it’s bad, it hurts to breathe it in, it smells bad, it makes it hard to see.
>But all Fluffies know that Fire is a terrible, terrible danger, and must be avoided at all costs. A single spark can set a Fluffy on fire with ease, and if that Fluffy should try to get hugs to make the Owies go away ... the whole Herd can burn!
>And as the smouldering paper catches fire, the nearest Fluffies squeal in alarm, then shriek in terror as the fluff and shed fluff over the twists of paper quickly catch fire, spreading the Nasty Trick onwards like a wave of dancing red grass under their hooves and bellies.
>The shed fluff the No-Lips Herd so painstakingly colleted curls up and makes terrible, stinky smoke as soon as it catches fire, filling the air with smoke and terrible smells, and then the dried poop soon burns for a long time, making the smoke even thicker and stinkier!
>Fire crawls along the twists of paper, slipping under brawling Fluffies towards the entrance and the cardboard, and towards the middle of Haven, the flames licking at their bellies and tails, making those poor unfortunates howl in surprise and horror as their sweaty, greasy fluff starts to curl and smoke, small fire-babies being born all through their coats of fluff!
>But ... Fluffies have stomped on the twisted paper leading to the middle of Haven! The chain of twisted paper has been broken, and the fire has to spread over the shed fluff and poop, and that takes a long time!
>At least the Fire is giving Bad Huggies to the Fluffies it was running under, and as they try to roll on the flames or get hugs to make it go away, they spread the fire to other fluffies and other patches of shed fluff and old poop!
>They howl and try to run, or roll on the Fire to give it Bad Hugs of their own, but there’s too many Fluffies, they can barely move, and the Fire easily jumps from one Fluffy to the next!
>The Fire that rushed towards the entrance eats the Cardboard, the dried poop and the shed fluff and gets very, very big. You can feel the heat of the Fire as it gets so big that the flames lick along the roof of Haven, even from the Old Fluffy Corner.
>The fighting Fluffies outside of Haven shriek as those trapped in the entrance get set on fire, and probably try to get Hugs to make the pain go away.
>You see in your mind the tightly packed crowd going up in flames all at once, mortal enemies locked in their final poses as the flames consume them all.
>The remaining Fluffies inside Haven are in a panic, but there’s too many of them still! The ones at the Bad Fluffy Pit are more afraid of their Smarty Friends than the fire!
>”Dwop de Waww!” No-Lips grunts, and you rush to push the piece of cardboard you were all hiding behind over, grimacing as the heat of the Fire hits you with it's full force, making your Fluff crinkle and start to melt.
>”Fwuffies! FWUFFIES! Onwy safe pwace is in Guud Fwuffy Howe!” No-Lips bellows in his best Smarty Voice, spraying boo-boo juices with each word, but he's only just loud enough for the panicking Fluffies to hear him over the shrieking of the Burning Fluffies and the crackle of the Fire! “Guud Fwuffy Howe onwy way out of Haven, if yuu wan tu wiv, yuu mus' jump into de Guud Fwuffy Howe!”
>”Guud Fwuffy Howe!” Those at the back scream, pushing forwards with a strength born of sheer terror and desperation, trying desperately to escape the growing numbers of Fluffy Friends who howl and dance and try to give Hot Bad Hugs, flames licking around their tummies and tails and under their throats.
>”Wat? Nuu, is howe, is bad!” The Blue Pegasus Smarty Friend shouts back, but the Fluffies are panicking, driven beyond reason into a frenzy of terror by the terrible smell in the air, the shrieking of the Fluffy Mummas as they all start to have Scaredy Fits and pop as the flames dance across their bloated bodies, packed in tightly together by their now fleeing or dead attendants, the fluffsplosions flinging wet, whimpering Foals through the air.
>The Herds all rush forwards, ploughing into their Smarty Friends and scattering the low wall of stones before them.
>”Guud Fwuffy Howe!” They shout in desperate need to escape the pain and fear and flames ... and then howl in dismay as their hooves meet empty air ... and a deep, deep hole filled with water.
>”NUUUU!” The Fluffies in front yell in outrage and denial as their friends and Herds push onwards, desperate to escape the spreading fire that licks eagerly at the shed fluff and dried Fluffy Pony poop.
>The first row falls like rain-drops, screaming all the while, then the second row tries to stop, but cannot fight the momentum as over a hundred and fifty Fluffies behind them wail and stampede forwards towards the ‘safety’ behind the Stone Wall.
>The third and fourth ranks protest loudly as they are pushed in, screaming that this is not right, that the 'Good Fluffy Hole' is a lie!
>Stones from the wall that once separated the Bad Fluffy Hole from the rest of Haven are kicked into the Bad Fluffy Pit by desperate, scrambling Fluffies, battering and burying Fluffies who were pushed into the hole by their Herds and have yet managed to stay on the surface of the water, the view of the death that awaits the Fluffies obscured by the smoke in the air and the bobbing, shambling tails and backsides of the Fluffies in front until it's too late.
>Those Fluffies spooked by the screams of those in front turn and grab at the Friends behind them, desperately seeking a way to climb back over their friends.
>”Is oh'tay, Fwuffie hewp yuu!” Those behind them shout, hugging their friends and charging forwards, blinded by the fluff now pressed firmly to their faces as they charge forwards ... into empty air.
>You watch for as long as you can, but the smoke gets too thick before the last of Bad Fluffies runs blindly into the Bad Fluffy Pit. None of the Old Fluffies can hear any other Fluffies in Haven now, only the crackle of the Fire and the echoing shrieks of those few Fluffies who were outside of Haven at the time of the Bad Trick.
>Some of the smoke is going out the grate, but there’s so much of it. You can’t see the sunshine anymore, and everything is lit by the red, dancing glow of the Fire as it slowly chews it's way through the dried poop and dead Fluffies, spitting more bad black smoke into the air.
>The Nasty Trick worked ... and now you must pay.
>”Fwiends...” No-Lips says, then coughs, boo-boo juice splattering his chest. “No-Lips su sowwy ... yuu ... we has Hugs now.”
>Everyone shuffles over slowly, coughing and crying from the bad smoke getting into their eyes and throats.
>Together, you all pull No-Lips up, onto his bum, and everyone hugs one last time.
>Press your faces together and whisper goodbye.
>”All-Mumma wuvs yuu aww.” All-Mumma whispers softly as the smoke starts to give you all hugs too, creeping into the little spaces between your fluff and tickling your throats once again.
>”Two-Socks is pwoud ... tu haf been a Toughie Fwiend 'gain.” Two-Socks replies, feeling the coughing welling up in his chest once again as the smoke chokes them all.
>Some-Legs can't even speak, so exhausted from the Mean Trick, but you can tell from his face that he's as sad and scared as you are.
>”Owr Hewd wiww wiv. Fwiends ... yuu is Guud ....” No-Lips manages to say once more, before he coughs, splattering the darkest boo-boo juices over himself again, and goes still, falling back against the wall of Old Fluffy Corner, limp, his eyes blank and unseeing.
>"Gu ... guh'bye, Rust." You whisper. Finally ... the fight is over. Rust is at peace, and the Herd will live on.
>Everyone sobs and shuffles over as best they can to lean on the wall with No-Lips and give him the Last Hugs that come before the Longest Sleep.
>It’s all alright, you tell yourself as the smoke starts to make it impossible to see anything anymore.
>Soon, you’ll be with No-Lips, All-Mumma and Some-Legs and the rest of the Old Fluffies again.
>It’s all alright now.


****************************************************************


On the Rocks, Part 18

>Be Bandit, the new Smarty Friend of the No-Lips Herd.
>Some Fluffies asked earlier if they should call the Herd Bandit's Herd now, but you said no, it is the No-Lips Herd.
>You feel in your heart, with bitter-sweet pride, that it will always be the No-Lips Herd.
>Fluffies must be quiet, no talking, crying or shouting, as they race towards the train-station.
>Other than the distant shrieking of the Bad Herds in the Underground, the only noises that can be heard is the patter of soft hoofs on the dusty floor, and the soft rattles when the Herd knocks over their Fluffy Markers, pushings the stones into the water to hide their trail.
>Fluffies at back of the Herd have very important job of sweeping their tails back and forth to hide the Herd's tracks, making the dust and dirt of the Underground all messy again, without the hoof-prints of the Herd in it.
>You can hear the terrible Honk Honk Honk and Screeeeeeeeeeeeeech noises of the Evil Train Munstas in the tunnels growing steadily louder, and it's only the fact that No-Lips and the other Old Fluffies are probably dead right now that stops you from turning the Herd around and finding another way to the 'New Underground' rather than risking the Herd to the fickle whims of the Train-Munstas.
>This is a bad time to try and cross the Rails, lots of Evil Train Munstas are awake at this time of day, but the Herd has no choice. One-Eye swears that this way, and this way alone, offers the best chance of getting to the New Underground without taking paths through territory held by the Rat Munstas or going above-ground during the day.
>Fluffies whimpered, even after you told them 'Nu noises!' when they smelled the bitter smell of smoke on the air-currents.
>You all heard the sounds of Fluffy Ponies screaming and shrieking bouncing off the walls of the Underground.
>It was a sound that you were sure would haunt your dreams for the rest of your life, whole Herds screaming out for salvation from the flames.
>So, the Nasty Trick worked. Your Herd will be spared from fighting the other Herds ... but at what cost?
>But you couldn't help yourself, and you sobbing in front of the Herd, even though you didn't stop running.
>The cunning Smarty Friend, No-Lips. All-Mumma the Wise and Gentle. Gnaff the Pretty. Some-Legs the Brave. All were gone forever.
>And Haven too. Burned to ashes to drive the Bad Herds back up to the surface. All the rock-balls, all the Papers, the Old Fluffy Corner, the Old Fluffy Pillows, everything.
>One-Eye cried with you, whispering that he wanted to stay with his friends to the end.
>Herd must keep moving, however. The Train-Munstas only stop at certain times of the day, and you dare not let the Herd wait out in the open, not with enraged Fluffies that survived the Nasty Trick behind them and the unstoppable Munstas in front.
>Then .....


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>Be Zodd, Zodd the Munsta-Fluffy.
>Crump's Herd is a Good Herd. You wish you'd found it sooner.
>Here, nobody picks on you or calls you a Dummy because you're bigger than they are.
>Fluffies in this Herd like you because you're so big, because you are so strong.
>One time as the Herd went raiding for Fluffy-Nummies, you remembered that, when you followed No-Lips, you would carry things for the Herd, sometimes even other Fluffies.
>So when Crump's Herd catches the Dummy Fluffies and turns them into Nummies, you carry the Nummies on your back after they stop moving, back to the Herd, so Mares and Foals can have fresh Nummies without having to leave the safety of the Nest.
>Crump says it's a good thing that you're willing to help out. Even a Herd of Munstas must work together.
>Crump's Toughie Friends like you too. They groom you, compliment you on being so big and fierce, tell you how to be good Toughie Friend too.
>Crump gave you Hugs last night as well after you all started to settle down for the night.
>Not Special Hugs, but Hugs. Friend-Hugs.
>Crump told you "Zodd is a Guud Fwuffy. Crump happy tu haf Zodd in Hewd. Yuu hewp Fwuffies, an' yuu Munsta-Fwuffie wike us."
>That made you think of Sweety Mare, and how she said she was happy to have you in her Herd as well, but Sweety Mare lied. She only wanted you around to be a Carrying-Fluffy, like No-Lips before her.
>Crump doesn't lie, though. He likes you, helps you understand that your old life was a mistake, that you're with your real Herd now.
>A Herd where it's good to be strong. Where being rough is expected, and even rewarded with position and respect.
>So when you stumbled onto the entrance to the Underground while tracking Bad Fluffies to take back to Crump's Herd for Nummies, you yelled and yelled till Crump's Herd found you.
>"Zodd find it! Crump, Zodd wemembah! Dis is Unna'gwound! Dis is way tu Haven!" You couldn't contain yourself, dancing from hoof to hoof.
>"NUMMEHS!" The Herd roared, clacking their teeth and pushing and shoving each other in their excitement.
>"Fwuffies! Mares an' Foals go back tu de Nest!" Crump bellowed, grinning savagely, his cross-hatched scars livid in the cold morning light. "Toughie Fwiends come wit' Crump, find Haven, get de Nummies, den lead Hewd tu Safe Pwace an' Nummies!"
>Mares and Foals complained a little bit, but the biggest Not-Fluffy Mumma Mares were loaded down with what nummies the Herd had found, and trundled back to the Nest to eat in safety.
>"Zodd wemember how to find Haven?" Crump asked, sniffing the entrance cautiously. "Is dawk. An' Crump smeww many Fwuffies. Many, many, many Fwuffies. An' smoke ..."
>"Zodd wemember. Zodd make Crump happy, show Crump dat Zodd is Gudd Fwuffy, be Guud Fwiend to Hewd who make Zodd feww wike he haf Fwiends 'gain." You promise, nodding eagerly.
>It took a while, but you did remember. You had to go far, far into the Underground, but then you found a Fluffy Marker, and shortly after that you remembered what the Hoomin Symbols on the Tunnel Walls meant.
>It was the long way to Haven, but every Fluffy Marker you were looking for the other way was gone or scattered across the ground, sticks and straws that were supposed to point the right ways lying in the water or missing!
>"Dat way gu to Unna'gwound Wa-Wa's." You had pointed out the way to the place where the Moss grew, and several Fluffies were sent to scout out the passages.
>Crump's Herd is very smart, as at Crump's orders, his Toughies start to make Fluffy Markers like the one you found, even if there not many stones, leading all the way back to Stinky Wa-Wa's.
>"Fluffy Maw'kews is a guud idea. Fwuffies nu can get wost den." Crump had said, smiling warmly at you. "An' Crump smeww Fluffies ahead .... moar Nummies fo' Toughie Friends!"
>Sure enough, a few passages down, a handful of Mares clutched Fluffy Mummas, desperately trying to calm them down.
>"Nuuu, Fwuffy Mumma, nuuu, nu scawedy-fits!" A pale green Mare begs, pulling a Fluffy Mumma's face into her Fluff, trying to soothe her friend.
>Her colour .... reminds you of Clover.
>Clover gave you good Special Hugs. One of the few Mares you could actually put the whole of your pee-pee place into.
>Just thinking about what you used to do with Clover makes your Naughty Place get bigger.
>Fluffies next to you blink and gasp. Even Crump raises an eyebrow and takes a half-step away.
>"Zodd haf Pwan." You grin and shuffle forwards, keeping your naughty place low and out of sight. "Smarty Friend Crump, Zodd haf ting to ask. Pwease, can yuu hide, yuu is vewy scawy. Fwuffies see yuu, Pwan wiww nu wurk, haf chase de Mawes den ..."
>"Crump wiww hide. Yuu wiww bwing Mawes tu Crump .... an' Fwuffy Mummas. Crump is vewy hungwy." Your wonderful Smarty Friend nods, and shuffles behind the corner of a side-passage to hide.
>"Fwuffies, we pway twick! Say we hewp Mares get back tu Stinky Wa-Wa's!" You whisper, and the other Toughie Friends begin to understand.
>Everybody shares a chuckle, then creeps forwards on their bellies.
>They are almost ontop of the Mares when they are seen, and several Fluffy Mummas squeak in alarm.
>"Nu cwy! Nu scawedy-fits!" You say, keeping low to the cold ground. "Mares come wit' Fwuffies! Take back tu Stinky Wa-Wa's! Take back tu Bwite pwace wit' fwiends!"
>"B-b-buh Haven!" A Fluffy Mumma bawls, hugging her distended belly and rocking back and forth in distress. "Smawty Fwiend Smewwy say Haven is guud pwace fo' Baybehs to gwow!"
>Fluffies know about Haven already? Hrmmm, that's not good.
>No, wait, it is good. A lot more Nummies then, the Nummies will come to the Herd that way!
>"Haven guud, buh it dawk, cowd an' scawy." You assure the Mares and Fluffy Mummas as the other Toughie Friends shuffle through the Mares and Fluffy Mummas, starting to push the females towards the way to Stinky Wa-Wa's.
>The Mares whine and fuss, but the Fluffy Mummas are eager to rolled out of the Underground, back into the sunshine and the world they understand.
>The Mares insist on resuming their rolling duties, and 'graciously' the Toughies assume a guarding position behind the Mares, following them closely towards the small tunnel where they left their Smarty Friend ... and then Crump steps out of the shadows, grinning savagely.
>The Mares and Fluffy Mummas all poop immediately, squealing in shrill little voices, "Nuuuu! Is Crump!" and "Meanie Munsta Fwuffie found Mumma!" as your fellow Toughie Friends laugh and close ranks behind them.
>"Is guud Nummies." Crump says happily, baring his yellow, broken teeth in another savage grin. "Haf Mawe Nummies hewe, woll Fwuffy Mummas back tu Nest...."
>Some of the Toughie Friends whine at this order, giving Crump their best Sad Eyes.
>"Oh .... fine. Haf one Fwuffy Mumma. Nu moar!" He relents with a gusty sigh, but he's grinning. Crump is a good Smarty Friend!
>The Mares pee themselves in fright, and the Fluffy Mummas squeal in horror, trying to push each other with their hooves.
>"Eat hew! She fatty!" "Nuuuu, Fwuffie is Fwuffy Mumma, nu is nummies! Nu is nummies!" "Wan woll, Fwuffie wan woll 'way fwom Munstas! Why weggies nu hewp Mumma!?"
>Several Toughie Friends come trotting past, dripping wet with big, happy grins on their faces, and say they have found the Underground Lake, a good place for their Herd to rest on the way to Haven, many of them with sticks and stones stuffed into their Fluff and mouths.
>Underground Lake is safe place to rest, the water is much, much cleaner and nicer than what little water could be found in Stinky Waters.
>They will build more Fluffy Markers so that their Herd can move around freely in the Underground, until everyone memorizes the paths.
>Crump says this is good. They must build the Fluffy Markers, then the Toughies can come and have their share of the Nummies.
>The Mares are forcibly separated from the Fluffy Mummas, and the fattest of the Fluffy Mummas is left behind, wailing pitifully as her friends are rolled away by the damp Toughies.
>"Fwuffy Mumma be guud fwiend tu Munstas! Nuu make Mumma into Nummies, pwease!" "Yuu wet us join Hewd? We be guud!" "Nu nummies! Why weggies nu hewp Fwuffy Mumma woll!"
>"Why? Why! Fwuffie is Guud Fwuffy! FWUFFIE IS GUUD FWUFFY!" The fattest Fluffy Mumma squealed shrilly as her friends, the Mares, were pushed down and had their fluff torn off their bellies and legs.
>"Zodd! Take Fwuffy Mumma dere!" Crump shouted, pointing around the corner where he was hiding. "Nu wan' her haf Scawedy-Fit! Wan' eat some Mumma-Nummies, nu wan' eat Fwuff an' Baybehs!"
>"Woll, woll, woll dah Nummies!" You sing cheerfully, rolling the crying, shuddering Fluffy Mumma away from her friends, leaving her on her back, helpless in her bloated state.
>She's wiggling her legs furiously, but she's so bloated with babies she can't move her body one bit!
>Shamble back to the rest of the Toughies for a mouthful or two of nummies, your tummy growling contentedly with fresh hot meat inside it, then come back to find her still lying on her back, legs flailing pitifully in the air.
>"Nu nu nu nu nu! Big Scawy Fwuffy back! Weggies, why yuu nu hewp Fwuffy Mumma!" She screams, sobbing pitifully as the echoes of her own cries come back to her like cruel taunts.
>"Fwuffy Mumma!" A Toughie Friend says happily, peering around the corner to leer at the fat, bloated Fluffy-Nummies. "Soooo soft! Soooo fwuffy!"
>Soft .... fluffy ....
>The Green Mare was already Nummies when you came back from rolling this Fluffy Mumma away. You didn't get the chance to give her Special Hugs and have the Good Feels.
>Your Naughty Place is still hard ...
>"Zodd haf Funnehs fiwst!" You say loudly, then mount the Fluffy Mumma. It's the first time you've ever had Special Hugs face-to-face with a Mare, or had Special Hugs with a Fluffy Mumma at all!
>OoooooooooooOOOOooooh! Her belly is so big, so soft! It feels like her belly is hugging you back! Her Naughty Place is so soft too! So soft, so warm and nice!
>Why would No-Lips say this was a bad thing? It's ... wonderful!
>"Nuuuuuuu! Nu wan' Special Huggies! Fwuffie is Fwuffy Mumma! Nu Hugs, Nu Hugs!" She cries as you have the best Special Huggies of your life, her legs flailing ineffectively in the air as she stares you right in the eyes, begging you to get off her.
>Ooooooh! It's beeen so long! Fluffy Mummas really are the best at Special Hugs!
>The rest of the Toughie Friends are babbling, excited by the show you're putting on for them. You can hear them asking you to hurry up, they want Special Hugs with a Fluffy Mumma too!
>Crump is there, beside you, staring at your Naughty Places, and the Fluffy Mumma as she sobs and bawls and begs for you to stop.
>Your Smarty Friend grins wickedly and forces his way into the line of Toughies to sit behind you, ignoring the complaints of his Toughie Friends.
>The Fluffy Mumma is so soft, every time you move, her belly and fluff ripples away, then ripples back, slapping back at you. Can feel her fat, milk-gorged teats slapping you too.
>Sooooo soft. Smells soooooo good. Feels so good too!
>"Eeeenf! Eeeeenf! Eeeeenf!" You groan loudly, eyes rolling in your head, gripping her hips tightly with your front legs. "Yuu gif-eeeeenf Good Speshaw-eeeeeeenf Huggies! Eeeeenf-eeeeenf-eeeeeennnnnnNNNNFFFFF!"
>Aaaaaaaaaaaaah, Good Feels.
>Lie there for a few moments to get your breath back, then push off the Fluffy Mumma and shuffle past her.
>She's sobbing, staring at you with big, sad eyes.
>"B-buh .... am Fwuffy Mumma .... Fwuffies nu haf Speshaw Huggies wit' Fwuffy Mummas, bad fo' baybehs ... Speshaw Huggies Jui'cez bad fo' baybehs!" she whimpers as Crump takes his position and has starts to have Special Hugs too, grunting eagerly. "W-why do dis tu Fwuffy Mumma! Nu do anyting tu Fwuffies!"
>"We awe nu Fwuffies, we awe Munstas." You inform the Fluffy Mumma as you turn around and shuffle back, grinning to the other Toughie Friends. "Fwiends, stiww Nummies weft?"
>"Some!" "Tasty Nummies!" "Zodd shawe guud Game wit' fwiends! Nu tink of dis befowe!"
>There's a few mostly-eaten Mares lying on the cold ground, some tasty treats only gnawed on a bit lying steaming still inside them.
>Bury your head in the opened stomach of a Mare and chew slowly. Until you get proper Munsta teeth, it's hard to chew Fluffy Pony Nummies, but it will happen sooner or later, Crump promises you. Then Nummies from Fluffy Ponies will be easier to eat.
>It's good to be a Toughie Friend in Crump's Herd.
>Feeling very full by the time you decide to go back and see how the other Toughie Friends and Crump are doing.
>Everyone has had Special Hugs by now, and the Fluffy Mumma's rear end is all sticky now. That is a lot of Good Feels Juices ...
>The Fluffy Mumma is lying on her back with her legs just dangling at her sides, sobbing quietly, her naughty place bleeding and leaking Good Feels Juices.
>Walk over to start pulling her fluff out, when you see something that grabs your attention.
>Teats. Big, full, soft teats, two lines of those wonderfully soft breasts capped with those hard, round little cherry-red teats, running up from between her hind legs, up to just under her chest.
>They felt so good on your belly, warm and soft and so nice against your fluff and skin.
>............ Just one snuggle wouldn't hurt?
>Bury your face in her belly, smelling that warm, wonderful smell that Fluffy Mummas seem to give off, then suck on a teat.
>Mmmmmmmm, warm, sweet, delicious milk! It explodes over your tongue, a delicious tide of sweet warmth that makes you feel all happy and loved, makes you remember back when you were small, and all the world's ills could be made right with a Hug from your Mumma ....
>"Nuuu .... nuuuu moar .... pwease nu moar, Miwk fo' baybehs...." The Mare whimpers, then kicks you in the face!
>It's a weak kick, you barely felt it, but still! This Nummies-Fluffy kicked you!
>How dare she kick Zodd the Munsta-Fluffy!
>"Moar nummies?" The other Toughies cheer, squabbling as they decide who will go first.
>"Nu kick Zodd!" You shout at the Fluffy Mumma, rearing up onto your hind legs and bringing your front hooves down on her belly.
>"Owies! Nuuu! Baybehs, owies is bad fo' baybehs!" The Fluffy Mumma squeals in alarm, regaining some of her vigor as her belly ripples and wobbles under your blow, and some of her teats squirt milk into the air.
>"Zodd gif Owies?" Crump asks curiously, a Toughie Friend licking some of the blood from the Mare-Nummies off his face.
>"Nuuuu ... Zodd make Fwuffy Mumma haf Baybehs ... den Zodd have Nummies!" You laugh as a wonderful idea springs into your mind, and you strike the Fluffy Mumma's belly with all your might, again and again, her shrieking filling the air as the Toughie Friends laugh at the way her body ripples and wobbles after each strike, grinning eagerly as the smell of her warm milk fills the air.

>"Wobbwe!" "Wobbwe!" "Wobbwe!" The other Toughies laugh and cheer with each strike, the Fluffy Mumma squealing in terror and trying to roll herself away in between each strike, until finally, you feel a wetness on your belly.
>Look down .... a baby! Only the head though ....
>Another strike, and it's pushed out some more!
>Covered in Good Feels Juices though ....
>Yikky ... you aren't going to eat that one!
>A third strike makes it pop out completely, and it mewls loudly as it hits the floor with a wet-sounding plop noise.
>"Nuuuu, baybeh, Mumma hewe! Baybeh nee' huggies, nee' miwk!" The Fluffy Mumma whines, her urge to clean and bond with her newborn blocking all else from her mind.
>You crouch down, gently gathering the foal up by the scruff of the neck, then stand, putting your front hooves, and most of your weight, on the Fluffy Mumma's distended belly, dangling the Foal over her.
>She reaches for the wet, Good Feels Juices-covered baby with her front legs but she can't quite bend as much as she needs to with her belly still so full of her other babies, unable to reach her precious Foal, looking at you with pleading eyes. "Pwease, gif baybeh, nee' huggies, nee' wuv fwom Mumma! Baybehs nee' Fwuffy Mumma's miwk!"
>"YUU MIWK IS FO' MUNSTAS NOW!" You bellow, shaking your head and flinging the squirming, dripping foal over the Fluffy Mumma towards your fellow Toughie Friends, who snatch it out of the air.
>"NUUUUUUUUU!" The Fluffy Mumma screams as she sees her baby torn in half by two Cannibals, tears flowing from her upside-down face, then grunting in pain as you give her Owies again.
>More Foals slowly come out, squirming and mewling, but none covered in Good Feels Juices like the first. This is good, the Good Feels Juices tasted terrible!
>More Foals fly over her head, chirping in blind, instinctive panic and fear as they are fed to the laughing, jeering cannibals. The Fluffy Mumma stops shrieking after the third Foal, she just lies there, sobbing and grunting with every blow you deliver, her eyes fixed on the gruesome sight of the Cannibals tearing her precious children apart not more than few inches from her head.
>Finally, no matter how much you strike, no more babies come out, so you have some more milk nummies.
>Crump then lays claim the rest of the teats, sucking them dry one by one, and you shuffle forwards, leering at the Fluffy Mumma as she lies on her back, face wet with tears and the blood of her newborns.
>"Fwuffy Mumma is guud Nummies." You whisper to her before your teeth clamp down hard on her throat.
>She gives a final, few feeble thrashes, then goes still.
>Toughie Friends are so fat from Baby-Nummies on top of Fluffy-Nummies, many of them can barely walk.
>You and Crump are still hungry though ... hungry enough to eat a Fluffy Mumma whole!
>But ... what's that sound?

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>The No-Lips Herd stares across the divide of the Underground Tunnel, Fluffies whimpering, shaking and peeing themselves in fear.
>You are Mist, and if you had had nummies in your tummy right now, you would have thrown up already.
>Fluffies are ... eating other Fluffies! Munstas! Fluffy Munstas!
>Even in the dim light of the Underground, you can see them glaring back at you, baring broken, jagged  teeth in evil grins, blood dripping down their throats and chests.
>"Zodd! Is Zodd!" A Mare shrieks, hugging a Stallion for comfort as a huge Fluffy lifts his head from the neck of a Fluffy Mumma, scowling at you.
>"Fwiends! Fwiends, come hewe..." Zodd grins, his eyes too wide, his grin too big, blood and gore staining his muzzle and chest. "Fwiends come wiv in Zodd's tummeh! Fwiends come wiv wit' Zodd!"
>"Nu! Hewd, we gu!" Bandit shouts, glaring angrily at Zodd. "Yuu is Bad Fwuffie, Zodd. Vewy Bad Fwuffy! No-Lips was wite tu nu twust yuu."
>"No-Lips is siwwy owd Fluffy!" Zodd shoots back, leering at Bandit. "Zodd make him nummies too! Crumps Hewd is Best Hewd! Bwave! Nu scawedy! Nu caww Zodd meanie names or make Zodd cawwy Treasures!"
>"Fwuffies, wun! Mus' get 'way! Fowwow Bandit, nu go otha ways!" Bandit shouts, shooting one last glare at Zodd, then trots forwards.
>The Herd whimpers, their eyes glued to the horrible scene of their former Herd-Mate covered in gore, glaring at them and shouting about them living in his Tummy.
>You keep pushing the Fluffy Mummas and Foals in front of you, stopping them from dropping down and trying to hide, with Honey and Wittles helping as much as they can.
>The Bad Munsta Fluffies try to follow, but their side of the Tunnel has a smaller passage in the middle, and their ledge disappears into the darkness.
>The Cannibals snap and howl their frustration, but cannot follow.
>"Zodd knows way! Fowwow Zodd!" Zodd shouts in a cheerful voice, charging down the side passage, with his new friends in tow. "Zodd be Guud Fwuffy, show Smarty Fwiend Crump an' Toughie Fwiends where Nummies are 'gain!"
>Poopies. You think to yourself as the No-Lips Herd moves far too slowly. Zodd was always the fastest Fluffy in the Herd....
>Now fueled by fear, the Herd rushes as fast as they can, abandoning all pretense of stealth as they head towards the train-station, Foals and younger Fluffies too short-legged to keep up are carried on the backs of their parents or other Fluffies, and you stare with a thundering heart at the backs of Bwun and Clover.
>Clover is carrying the Lucky Baby and Lavender, while Bwun has the rest of your babies on her back, tightly clutching her fluff and peeping in terror as the desperate panting and cries of fear set them off.
>Ice and Ash, Clover's two White colts, keep pace with you at the back of the Herd, but only barely, and you spend what little breath you can spare on encouraging them to keep on running, that they have to be brave Fluffies and help you guard the rear of the Herd.
>It's natural for a Fluffy that's scared to want to crouch down and hide, behind anything they can find, even their hooves in the most desperate cases, but those Munsta Fluffies won't be fooled so easily, not with Zodd helping them.
>Screeee-Screeee-Screeeeeeeeeeee!
>Everyone screams as the loud, piercing noise makes their heads hurt and starts to slow down, but nobody stops completely.
>They are more afraid of the Cannibals than the Train-Munstas. A Train-Munsta might kill them, but Zodd will!
>"Huwwy! Dat noise mean de Twain-Munsta stoppin'!" Bandit yells from the front of the Herd. "Nu Fwuffy mus' stawp! Mus' jump ova de Zap-Owie-Waiws, get unda de Twain-Munstas an' wook fo' de Secwet Tunnews!"
>"Mus' huwwy! Wisten tu yuu Smawty Fwiend, nu stawp fo' scawy noises!" You beseech a Mare who has given in to the stress and is standing in place, her eyes screwed up tight. "Wun! Munsta-Fwuffies comin', dey gon' huwt yuu, wike dey huwt de Fwuffy Mumma!"
>"Nu wan' du dis nu moaw, wan' Haaaaaven, wan' Papews an' All-Mumma!" The Mare screams, dropping to her belly and dropping her hooves over her eyes. "FWUFFIE NU WAN' WEAVE NU MOAW, GON' HIDE AN' GU BACK TU HAVEN!"
>Wittles ran back to help you try to push the Mare back onto her hooves, but the Herd kept on running, and with a curse and one last kick, Wittles abandoned the Mare and told you to follow.
>"Dummeh! Yuu gon' be Munsta Nummies! WUN!" He screamed at the Mare, but she simply flattened her ears and kept her hooves firmly clamped over her eyes.
>Your heart sank ... already the Herd has lost another friend, after sacrificing so much!
>By the time you caught up to the Herd, everyone was milling by the entrance to the lair of the Train-Munstas, muttering nervously as Mummas and their babies were helped to jump over the rails, but your eyes were on the Train-Munsta ...
>It just sat on the half-sunken rails, impassive and covered with grime and the strange multi-coloured symbols the Two-Legged Munstas scrawled on walls and other flat surfaces, it's hollow insides filled with red-faced Hoomins all arguing, pushing each other for space, to get into the Train Munsta's belly, to get out of the Train Munsta many poopie-holes, for the right to sit down or be with their friends.
>And your Herd has to crawl under that thing to find the ....
>"EEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Your hear a Fluffy voice, the Mare you left behind, scream in terror, followed closely by the mocking laughter of the Cannibals.
>Oh no, the Mare ...
>And now the whole Herd is rushing out towards Bandit and the Fluffy Mummas all at once, rather than a few at a time like was planned, babbling about 'Bad Fwuffies' and 'Mus' hide fwom Munstas!'.
>As you and Wittles rush out after the last of the Herd, you hear a distant rattling noise, followed by a slight tremor that runs right up your legs and into your body, and feel your heart sink.
>Not now!

****************************************************************

>You are Zodd, running just behind the main group of Crump's Toughies, next to Crump himself.
>You and Crump had to break the Nummies' leggies, so it couldn't run away, but the rest of the Toughies had been ordered to keep going and try to catch up with your old Herd.
>Dummy Fluffies, don't they know they can't outrun Munstas?
>But this place ... it's familiar. It's familiar, but it's making you scared at the same time! Why ... you can't quite seem to remember ....
>"Dere dey awe!" "Nummies! Nu make Fwuffie wun!" "Wan' haf moaw Fwuffy Mumma Speshaw Huggies!" "Wan' eat de baybeh nummies! Suuuu sweet, su soft!"
>The screaming of your Old Herd is music to your ears. For every time you were called a Bad Fluffy, for every time you were made to carry nummies back to the Herd alone, for every time you got scolded for giving 'Bad' Special Huggies, which are impossible, because Special Huggies always feel good, you feel as if each scream of terror washes away the sting of those days.
>"Hnnn! Yuu ... owd Hewd ... wun fast!" Crump pants alongside you, his face pink from exertion, while the cross-hatched scars have turned a livid purple. "Dey stwong ... may'beh we take some of dere Mawes bawk tu de Nest, make dem haf stwong baybehs befowe we make dem nummies."
>"Zodd ... wike dat. Wan' bwing Clover ... *pant* ... bawk tu Crump's Hewd." You and your Smarty Friend gasp as you slowly fall behind the Toughies. "Onwy Mawe dat ... Zodd couwd haf ... weaw Speshaw Huggies wit'."
>And then, you hear the Toughies up ahead cheer ... and then there's a noise, scary, terrifying, shaking the very walls of the Tunnel as it grows louder and louder.
>"NUUU! Dat is Twain-Munsta noise!" You cry out in alarm. "Toughies gon' get owies, mus' make dem come bawk!"
>But no matter how hard you and Crump try, your legs are too tired to move faster, as the screeching and rattling of the Train-Munsta's strange round legs rushing along the half-sunken rails in the ground grows loud enough to be physically powerful, almost drowing out everything else.
>Everything except the sudden screams of your friends, the other Toughies, before the Munsta-Noises overwhelm even that, leaving you and Zodd flattened on the ground, holding your hooves to your ears and screeching in pain as the noise drives spikes of unbearable pain right into your head.
>It's only when the screeching comes to a sudden halt at it's very loudest that you and Zodd can catch a moment to sob for the loss of your friends and stand, bleeding from your ears, and rush towards the end of the tunnel.
>There's two Train-Munstas here, side by side, the one closest to you with the blood and fluff of your friends stuck to it's wheel-leggies, the other slowly picking up speed as it pulls away down one of the Train-Tunnels, already filled with Hoomins inside it's hollow belly, jets of steam emerging from underneath it's belly.
>And under the wheels of the first Train-Munsta are your friends, or what's left of them, smeared along the rails or bisected by the wheels of the train.
>And there's no sign of your old Herd ... Zodd howls in outrage and pain, but it's no use. Several Toughies, lost forever against a Munsta.
>For you and Zodd, it is a long, humiliating walk back the way you came, both of you burning with shame and frustration that the No-Lips Herd could lead you into such a devastating trap.
>"No-Lips ... No-Lips! Gon' kiww yuu fo' dis, No-Lips!" Zodd growls under his breath as you both flinch as the clattering of the Train-Munsta's wheel-leggies grows fainter and fainter behind you.

****************************************************************

>Sobbing with relief, the No-Lips Herd gathered in a small storeage room that the crawl-space tunnel they picked led to, not more than a hundred meters from the train station.
>Several of their number sit on their rears, looking around confused, asking who their new friends are, where are they, where's the food.
>Those ones didn't quite jump over the rails. They've been made into Dumb-Friends when they brushed the electrified rails with their hooves or tails, and now all the Herd can do is help them learn the basics again and wait for their memories to return over time.
>Poor Wittles is hugging one of his Special Friends to his chest, the Mare asking why her no-no's hurt, which is streaked with blood. The shock caused her to give birth, her belly only just starting to swell, and the half-formed lumps she gave birth to had to be left behind when the second Train-Munsta came rumbling down the tracks.
>"Du head-count 'gain! We wost Haven an' owr Owd Fwuffies, nu wan' wose any mowe Fwuffies!" Bandit shouts over the hubbub, pushing his way through the Herd and counting up groups of 4's until he finishes, looking very unhappy. The Herd is several Fluffies short...
>"Yuu is oh'tay? Weawy?" Mist asked his mate, Bwun, stroking her back and their babies nestled deep into her fluff. "Was so wowwied, thought yuu miwky pwaces touched de owies-wines!"
>"Nu, Bwun am oh'tay. Jus' wand on meanie stones an' faww ovah, nu get zap-owies." Bwun sighs as Clover nuzzles her from the other side. "Am just gwad dat Ice, Ash an' Lavender nu get owies."
>On the ground by your hooves, the Lucky Baby is consoled by Lavender, Ice and Ash, the little Alicorn Foal bawling as the stress of the morning, as well as the screaming of the Herd and the Train-Munsta noises has sent him into a terrified panic, and he's not the only Fluffy, foal or otherwise, who has suffered as such. Unlike the other babies, the poor Lucky Baby is too big to hide in anyone's fluff, so all you can do is hug him and try to hide him from the scary things with your bodies.
>You and Wittles had to stop to help turn the fleeing Herd to wards the right  tunnel, and by the time you had managed to get everyone running in the right direction, the cannibals had been literally right on your tails.
>If you hadn't been weighed down with the Lucky Baby, who was too heavy for Bwun to carry over the rail-line with his four normal-sized siblings already on her back, you're sure the powerful wind the Train-Munsta brought with it would have blown you away like it had Cannibals snapping at your tail ...
>"Anyone know whewe Tinkle is? Raggy? Splotch?" Bandit shouts, and the Herd shouts back that Tinkle and Raggy have become Dumb Friends, but it's up to you to tell Bandit the bad news ...
>"Smawty Fwiend ... Mist so sowwy. Splotch nu wan' move, got suuu scawdies dat she nu wan' wun nu moaw, she cover hew eyes wit' hew hooves an' nu wun nu moaw, even when we beg hew." You shout, waving to the new Smarty Friend to try and attract his attention. "She ... she scweamed jus' befowe Hewd wun out of tunnew an' undew de Twain-Munsta, an' de Bad Munsta Fwuffies wewe waffin' ... Mist tink dat Splotch hafin' de Wongest Sweepies."
>Bandit groans at the news, and everyone sighs or sobs. Splotch was a good Fluffy, even if she never seemed to be able to have a baby of her own. To know she was killed by the Cannibals is disheartening to say the least.
>Eventually, Bandit says everyone must keep moving, despite the Herd missing several Fluffies, they must reach the 'New Underground' before something else finds them.
>The tunnel on the other side of this chamber is quite low and narrow, the Herd will only be able to march three fluffies abreast, and Bandit has to make sure that there are unicorns spaced evenly, so that everyone can have some light and keep an eye on the babies, to make sure that if they do fall off, they won't be stepped on.
>Fluffy Mummas have to be rolled on their own ... thankfully, you have a new friend to help you with that.
>The only problem is, now it's you and Clover helping to roll Wed, who has bloated to the point that it is now easier to roll her, even if Wed has to tuck her legs in tightly to avoid them getting caught.
>It's faster, not more comfortable, and she's going to have sore legs from being rolled over them time and time and time again ... and Wed is puff-cheeked and glaring at you and Clover right now. Oh poopies, the day just keeps getting worse. At least she isn't threatening to harm your babies yet.
>So with Wumm-Wumm behind you to make a Horn-Light at the very back of the Herd, the Lucky Baby clinging to his back and Bwun at his side, so the babies are all together, you and Clover roll Wed to your place at the back of the Herd and begin the long march to the unknown.
>You just hope the missing Fluffies are okay ....

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>Be Bluehorn! Bluehorn the Genius! Bluehorn the Hero!
>Stuuupid Bandit! Stuuupid No-Lips! STUUUUPIIIIIIIIIIIIID HERRRRRRD!
>All those Dummy Fluffies were to busy trying to run away, they didn't notice when you and Peach slowed down and drifted to the side of the Herd until the Herd came to to a junction, and you and Peach were able to charge down the smaller, darker passage, the Herd blinded by their tears.
>"Nee' find new Hewd ... bettah Hewd, dat nu caww Peach dummy, dat nu wan' Peach haf baybehs an' be Mumma aww de time." Peach chatters gleefully, and you can't help but roll your eyes at her antics. A Mare that doesn't like looking after her own babies? She'll be a Special Huggies Mare again within a week.
>You had hoped to take more Fluffies with you, but everyone still believes that you 'abandoned' your Mares ... well, whose the Dummy now? Haven is burning, the Herd is running for it's life, and every other Fluffy in the city is now stuck in the sewers, lost and fighting each other for a Safe Place that no longer exists.
>A pity you couldn't take Wed with you. She's shallow and petty, but also quite pretty. She could have been good leverage to get you into a new Herd as a Toughie, but she'd also never shut up about her precious 'No-Name' Not-Special-Friend either.
>Besides, the No-Lips Herd is too well known, there are too many Fluffies in the Herd with unique colors or features. Even if they make it out of the Underground, they'll be hunted forever by the other Herds who will still believe that Haven is real.
>First, however, you have to get to the Park with Peach, find a small Herd that you can join and then take over once you get a feel for what the Herd's Fluffies are like.
>You've had enough of Dummy Fluffies. Only a Smarty Herd from now on!
>Still, at least all your plotting and planning is finally showing some results. You know the Underground like the back of your Hoof, and you know were all the entrances and exits are.
>Even if Haven is lost, the Under-Lake still exists, and you can use the Underground Tunnels to lead your Herd around the City, during the Bright Time or the Dark Time, and be relatively unmolested by the Munstas.
>You found several Fluffies recently, crying on the ground and badly wounded, with bite marks that match Fluffy mouths and bruises in the shape of hooves. Many of them had broken legs or were in so much pain they could barely move, so you ignored their pleas for hugs to help with their owies.
>One was half-burnt, and you knew the poor Fluffy would have the Longest Sleep soon, so you left it behind without a second glance.
>Only Smarty Fluffies can join your Herd. You won't let what No-Lips wrought happen to you. Only Smarty Fluffies, so the Herd doesn't have dummies in it like Bandit, Honey or Wittles.
>Dummies like Peach, even ... if she has Unicorn Babies, you'll let her stay as a Special Huggies Mare, but she's just so damn dumb!
>Finally, you find an entrance leading up to the Park .... Haaaaaaah, who would have thought daylight and fresh air could feel so good?
>No-Lips was wrong to deny the Herd the chance to spend a day in the Park. It's so warm, so pleasant ...
>"Huwwy up! Wan' gwassies, Peach am hungwy!" Peach shouts behind you, head-butting your flanks in an effort to make you move.
>"Shu' up! Dummeh! Haf tu wook fo' Munsta fiwst, den we can fin' new Hewd!" You retort angrily, your good mood spoiled. Stuuuuuupid Peach!
>At least there's no Hoomins nearby ... you rush out of the tunnel, grinning as you recognise the landmarks.
>That tree ... that must be the home of the Lucky Herd ... this part of the Park grows wild, the Hoomins rarely come here, it'll be the perfect place to ... to ...
>Oh poopies, there's a dozen Fluffies at the base of a thick copse of bushes, pushing poopies away with sticks clutched in their mouths.
>Wait ... what?
>The only reason you can think of them even going near Poopies is that those bushes must be their 'Safe Place'...
>"New Fwiends!" Peach exlaims, rushing past you towards the other Fluffies, who look up in alarm before returning the Special Huggies Mare's greeting.
>Gah, she's an idiot! Has Peach learned nothing from what has happened? Haven, burnt to the ground, our former Herd on the run, the Underground awash in wounded and dying Fluffies all fighting for a Safe Place?
>"Hewwo! We wost, Meanie Fwuffies take owr Safe Pwace ... can we join yuu Hewd?" You shout, racing after Peach. In truth, one of the main reasons you brought Peach in on this plan was because a Mare, especially an already pregnant Mare, was a boon to any Herd. Riding in on Peach's coat-tails would let you slide easily into any Herd, and give you a chance to impress the Smarty.
>Now you'll have to scramble to make a good impression, thanks to Peach's impatience and stupidity! RRRRRRGH!
>But a Mare emerges from the bushes and starts to give orders to the Stallions ... and they obey!
>"Nu shout! Nu wan' Munstas tu heaw us! Yuu, new Fwuffies, yuu come, be quiet, an' join hug-piwe." This mottled-green Mare snaps, glaring at the Stallions who look mortified and hang their heads. "Whewe yuu come fwom? Stinky Wa-Wa's? Otha side of Pawk?"
>"Fwom Haven!" Peach cheers proudly, and you face-hoof.
>Urge to smack a Mare, rising.
>"Buh Haven is nu moaw." You add, bumping Peach aside as you rush over. "Fwuffies had tu wun, Bad Fwuffies come down, twy to take Haven ... Smawty Fwiend an' Owd Fwuffies stay bawk tu pway a Meanie Twick on de Bad Fwuffies. Haven now fuww of fiwe-owies an' smoke. Is nu guud pwace for any Fwuffie now."
>Now you're mobbed by Fluffies as you and Peach are hustled into the 'Temp'o'wawy Safe Pwace' by this Mare called 'Leaves'.
>Thankfully, all Peach wants to do is lie down and get off her hooves, and is soon being fussed over when the ... your new Herd discovers she's a Fluffy Mumma.
>And oh, the tales you spin for this Smarty-Mare, and how she hangs off your every word ...
>Perhaps being the Smarty Friend's Special Friend would be a good place to start ...
>After all, you listened carefully at the walls when Bandit was being told over and over and over again how to get to the 'New Underground', you're sure with a few days of scouting, you'll find the entrance, and can take your new Herd down after them, kill all the Dummies, and bring back the Smarty Fluffies and the Fluffy Mummas back here.
>It takes a lot of effort not to grin as Leaves hugs you and praises you for being brave enough to lead a Fluffy Mumma out of the Underground on your own, and a lot more effort not to start laughing as the Herd starts to praise you as well.
>The No-Lips Herd will rue the day that they crossed Bluehorn, you swear on your horn!

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>Deep in the sewers, in the old supply room known as 'Haven' to the Herds, something stirred in the old, crumbling refuse pit, a low, angry rumbling that drowned out the sobbing of the few Fluffies that remained alive in the shallow slope of burned and maimed bodies and stones from the low wall that had once blocked the 'Bad Fluffy Pit' off from the rest of 'Haven'.
>Emerging into the pit, the twisted, deformed Alligator the Herd refered to as 'The Dragon' sniffed the air cautiously, the horrific stench of burned shit and hair warring with the desire to feed, and the realisation that the rubble and the mangled and burnt bodies in this pit had done something unique.
>They formed a ramp to the upper levels of the sewers, a place the Alligator had not been able to access since it had been a mere hatchling,washed deep into the oldest parts of the sewers years ago when it's owner had thrown it out after one nip too many.
>"Pwease, hewp Fwuffie, haf owies, am scawed ..." A voice whispered, ragged with pain, as the Alligator starts to slowly climb up the 'ramp', clawed feet crushing stones and Fluffies alike as the 'Dragon' claws and thrashes and wriggles it's way to freedom.
>Soon, the water in the Bad Fluffy Pit is dark, dark red from the boo-boo juices squashed out of the dead and dying  under the Dragon's great weight, and the scarred, deformed titan roars in defiance as it manages to put one claw, then another, over the rim of the pit, lashing it's tail and knocking bodies flying as it awkwardly surges over the lip and towards ... freedom.
>Free. Free to hunt the rats that grow fat and juicy. To swim in water that can cover it. To bask in the daylight once again ...
>Giving vent to another raspy bellow, the Dragon surges towards the exit of Haven, scattering ashes and burnt fragments of Fluffies in it's rush to return to deep water.
>Yet in the dying echoes of the Dragon's victorious cries, something else appears at the edge of the Pit.
>Two large, thin, fragile ears appear at the lip of the Bad Fluffy Pit, twitching back and forth independantly of each other, before a head appears, cautiously scanning the abandoned room for signs of danger.
>A short, ringed horn just between the two large, delicate ears, and large, sensitive eyes narrow in pain as the bright light of day sears them, but soon there is a Fluffy with long, wispy white fluff, pale red eyes and two over-large ears standing at the very edge of the Bad Fluffy Pit, staring in wonder at this new world.
>And curiously, as the Fluffy stares at this new world, the Fluffy's horn pulses with green light ... and then it's fluff begins to pulse with colouration, turning from white to blue, blue to orange, orange to red and then to black before fading back to white again.
>And soon, it is joined by another, and another, and another still, until Haven is full of these strange albino Fluffies, all silent but for whimpers of pain as the newcomers from the Pit are greeted by the, to them, painful rays of light from the newly-risen sun.
>And then their horns all begin to flash, endlessly repeating the same patterns as small, fanged mouths open and close, throats long used to uttering words only in whispers straining to shout.
>"Ha-Hav-HAVEN!" One manages to squeak loudly, causing all the others to flinch away and then drop the ground, stock-still.
>But the Dragon does not return. For a whole minute, there is silence.
>The Dragon no longer needs their sacrifices. The Dragon lead them to the ramp of dead surface Fluffies, to this new world ...
>This new world is ... painfully bright, but so vast! And as the Albinos start to shuffle around their new world, pushing aside the debris of the dead, something impossibly large starts to groan from within the Bad Fluffy Pit, and scores of Albinoes rush back to the pit to assist in dragging their precious cargo to the surface.
>The Age of the Lucky Herd has passed long ago.
>The Age of the Fluffy Herds ended in flame and selfish desire.
>It is not time for the new order to arise.
>It is the Age of the Changeling Fluffies.