>You instinctually turn, slightly cheered up, to greet who just might be a new friend
>"New fwein'?" you and Peeta yelp
>Standing on the rim of the now-empty spaghetti bowl is some kind of strange figure
>It's not a fluffy pony
>It actually looks just like Daddy, but with some kind of strange costume and much smaller
>"OH YEAAHHH!!! I'M THINKIN'IT'S YOU, BUDDY!!!"
>He's pointing at the fluffy pony who's out goofing around
>The fluffy pony runs toward the bowl
>"Yay! Funny tiny daddy!!"
>"OH YEAH, IT'S TIME TO PUT SOME HURTIN' DOWN!!!"
>Before you can even move a hoof, Rat Joe's elbow comes down on the fluffy pony's head
>It yelps and falls to the sharp grassies
>"Owwwies!! Why fwein' wanna gif' owies? You meenie!"
>The fluffy pony gets up, as Rat Joe regains his balance
>He charges toward the luchadore as you and Peeta watch in shock
>Rat Joe sticks his hands out forth and, to your disgust, his hands sink deep into the fluffy pony's big, cute eyesockets
>The most of the fluffy pony's body is catapulted up over Rat Joe, leapfrogging his body
>Upon landing at the heels of his feet, the bumpy strip on the fluffy's back manages to barely scratch rat Joe's back
>It draws blood, but doesn't do much to slow him down
>Having had his brains firmly penetrated, the fluffy pony lands on the ground and goes thoroughly to sleep
>Daddy's friends are making a lot of really loud noises
>You're scared
>You don't want hands in your eyes
>Rat Joe immediately locates his next victims
>"NOW WHICH ONE OF YOU HUG WHORES WANT SOME OF THE JOE NEXT??!!"
>You squeal in terror
 
>You take the string in your mouth and pull
>A thingy flies out immediately, as usual, aimed directly at his knee
>Rat Joe dodges this attack with ease, shifting his leg inward
>"OH, SO THAT'S HOW YOU WANNA PLAY IT, HUH?"
>He starts dashing towards you, and your babies, with all his speed
>You tug mindlessly at the string a few more times
>One more thingy is shot out, then it stops happening
>It heads straight for Rat Joe's head
>However, he uses his lightning-fast reflexes to swat it out of his way with perfect timing
>You fall down
>You cover your head in your hooves and cry, as Peeta has been doing
>The bumps cut your head
>You don't care
>"Puh- pwease no huwt b-babehs!! Fwuffy gu-, guh-, gunna be mu-, mummaaa!!" you plead through your sobs
>Rat Joe hears this plea
>He slows his pace to a jog and stops in front of you
>"Oh, so you're gonna be a mother are ya?! Is that what the Joe is hearing??"
>"Fwuffy haf' behbys... pwease d- don' huwt behbys...!"
>Rat Joe smirks
>"Of course I won't hurt your babies, NOW."
>Daddy's friends makes more mean noises
>"I'll take down your friend first, and I'm gonna save YOU FOR THE GRAND FINALE!!!"
>Daddy's friends are making noises that are so loud your ears are hurting
>"YEAH, HONEY, I KNOW HOW TO GET YOUR BABIES HERE EARLY, AND WHEN I GET THEM HERE, I'M GONNA-"
>From out of nowhere, comes Peeta
>Peeta is bear-hugging Rat Joe
>Rat Joe and daddy's friends are making different noises now
>They both go to the ground, Rat Joe under Peeta
>"Dank'oo fwein! No huwt behbys!! Gif huggies!"
>The bumps on Peeta's bands are cutting deep into the munsta now
>He's screaming
>So are daddy's friends
 
>Rat Joe manages to punch Peeta in the head and get him on the ground next to him
>Peeta is on his side, crying
>"Say no huwt babehs!! Why huwt fwuffies?! Peeta owies!!"
>Rat Joe gets to his feet, but finds that one of the bumps has dug deep into one of his legs
>He is limping
>"FUCKING NIMROD RETARD FURBALL!! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!"
>He limps around to the other side of Peeta and picks up the thingy you shot at him which he swatted away
>With a grunt, Rat Joe straddles Peeta
>"You think you can suprise ME?! FUCK YOU, YOU SHIT MACHINE!!! I'M A MOTHERFUCKING CHAMPION!!!!!"
>"Peeta sowwee! No wan' owiees!!!"
>To your onlooking horror, Rat Joe takes the thingy and jams it, sharp-end first, into Peeta's peepee place
>Daddy's friends and Peeta are doing nothing but making unthinkably loud sounds
>Peeta's tears soak the sharp grass below
>Rat Joe vacates the thingy from Peeta's wound
>"YOU DON'T FUCK WITH A MOTHERFUCKING CHAMPION!!!!!!!!"
>The thingy enters Peeta's gaping mouth, plunging through the roof of it with a wet noise
>The screams fill the room
>Everything is chaos
>Where is daddy?
>Daddy is in the back of his friends, not even watching you
>Watching picture glass
>Daddy doesn't love you
>Daddy doesn't love your babies
>Rat Joe doesn't love you
>"CHNNK"
>
>
 
>Daddy's friends are silent
>You are silent
>Rat Joe is silent
>All is silent
>Rat Joe turns his head to you with what is left of his energy
>You are crying
>"YOU-.... ... ..c- cunt..."
>Rat Joe falls to the ground, the bump on your hoof strip leaving the back of his neck
>He is sleeping
>Peeta is sleeping
>You wish you could sleep
>The silence goes on for what seems like forever, save for you, slowly bawling your eyes out
>All of daddy's friends are absolutely quiet
>
>You are scared by something brushing and firmly grabbing the scruff of your fluff
>You are lifted into null space above you, and the lights slowly regulate out to the brightness they were when you entered the room in your box
>You are being held in the air by a hand
>It's daddy's hand
>You are still sobbing
>Daddy holds you out so that you are looking at all his friends, now illuminated
>Daddy plainly says, "The fluffy pony who murdered Rat Joe."
>The room is still silent
>"Start bidding: US$1,000."
 
* * *
 
>Your babies are funny
>Today was the first time daddy fed you spaghetti
>Your babies were so happy about it that they were literally rolling around in the bowl
>You tried to get them out at first, but daddy said it was okay
>"No, don't worry about it. Their coats aren't that thick yet, I think it'll be fine."
>"Okay daddy!" you said, and resumed eating spaghetti
>"I hope you all enjoy that. It's only 'cause I think you've been very good lately. Especially my two favorite foals."
>later, your son popped out of the bowl and came up to you
>He bit at your fluff, yelling, "Mumma."
>"Wat behby?"
>"Mumma, why you no'eatin?"
>"Wha-"
>You had been doing that thing again
>Just standing there and thinking about things
>Thinking about sharp grass and small trees and small daddys and sleeping and not waking up
>"Mumma jus' dinkin'."
>"Wat?"
>"...dunno!" you said, embracing your son in a hug
>Your daughter came along and joined in
>You felt good
>Your foals went back to the safe room, spaghetti now finished, to play with blocks
>Daddy came over
>"Were you thinking about the games again?"
>"Wat game? Pway game?"
>"Good girl," daddy said.