Zach stepped through the open gates of Mulberry Mansion and looked about the place, whatever fortune Charles had he certainly used it well but not to the extent of feeling like he was showing off. The house was impressive sure, but the Mansion name was ironic, it looked like a regular modern two story house with a sleek designer finish.
Well, as regular as you could get buying a house for just under a million.
To Zach it was a remarkable if somewhat subdued depiction of Charles wealth, to the Fluffies it might as well have been Skettiland.
âDis homesis am INCWEDIBEW!â Dandy gazed up at the smooth stone finish with partial wood panelling across the entrance, each piece varnished to a near mirror shine.
âYep.â Zach said, adjusting the carrier cage in his arms. âSashaâs daddy is very rich so he can afford to buy bigger homes for them. I hope none of you start wishing for a bigger home than the one we have.â
âOwange nu suwe on big homesie, wemind hew of twee pwace.â Orange said with a tremble, the memories of her harsh youth still hurting her after so long.
Snowdrop and Dandy cuddled Orange, letting her feel a little better, whilst Apple stayed at the front, keenly watching around for dangers.
âDaddeh twust Sah-sha daddeh?â She asked Zach.
âMiranda vouches for him, and Sasha seems like sheâs happy. Iâll play nice but you keep an eye out for any trouble, ok?â
Apple nodded and put on her best serious face, giving Zach a good chuckle just as he knocked on the door. A moment later and it opened, to Zachâs surprise it was Charles on the other side and not a butler, giving the riches Charles seemed to have Zach half-expected the place to be swarming with staff, but Charles was â as far as Zach could tell â alone.
And as ever, impeccably dressed, this time wearing a black shirt and a shining dark-blue waistcoat under a purple coat with a black and yellow chequered pattern and a feather collar.
Once again Zach wondered how Charles was pulling it off so damn well.
âZachariah, you made it. Fabulous, come in, come in. Would you like a drink?â
âIâm good for the moment thanks, I gotta admit, I was expecting a doorman or someone like that, you caught me off-guard when I saw you.â
Charles waved away the ridiculousness of Zachâs statement and led him down the hallway.
âOh nonsense Zachariah, I donât go in for that kind of slave labour. I have a small security detail here for my safety and the safety of my Fluffies, had one of my breeder friends April pay a good amount for an Alicorn colt from a farmer couple out in the countryside, the farm was attacked by junkie scum, burned the house and killed most of the coltâs family.â
âJesus.â
âYep, the couple lived although they never financially recovered from the whole thing. Never did find the coltâs body, or his sister, but the point is darling, people will do crazy things when it comes to designer Fluffies, they think Fluffies are dime-a-dozen pests, so when they hear that same pest with a 10 Grand price-tag theyâll try something BECAUSE itâs just a pest. My guards are well-aware that my Fluffies come first and I have zero tolerance for any lax behaviour, they get paid well enough to take the job seriously. Other than that I share the home with three of my closest friends but theyâre all upstairs, we wonât be seeing them today, instead weâre here to see this little lady.â
Charles opened one of the door in the hallway and presented Zach and the Fluffies with the biggest playroom any of them had ever seen, Zach briefly wondered if the room alone was bigger than his house.
âWOWSIES!â
Zach placed the carrier on the ground and opened the door, the Fluffies stepped out and gazed around them, a lilac carpet, as thick and fluffy as the warmest mummah led into walls painted with playing, smiling Fluffy families and their human owners, going to the park, to the funfair, to the circus. And the toys, so many balls and blocks and stuffy-friends, more than any of them could even count.
And then one real friend, Sasha came bounding up to the family, beaming wide.
âYU CAME! Sah-sha hab biggesh heawt-happies tu see nyu fwiends gain.â
Sasha went up and hugged each of them, going from Snowdrop to Orange, to Apple and Dandy last, both Zach and Charles noted that Dandyâs hug lasted noticeably longer than the other three.
Charles knelt down and stroked Sashaâs mane. âOk Sasha, daddeh and mister Zach have to go talk about human things for a moment, why donât you show your new friends where everything is and weâll be back shortly.â
âOk daddeh, dis way fwiends, Sah-sha show yu whewe tu make gud-poopies fiwst.â
As Sasha led the family to the litterbox, Charles led Zach out of the room.
âYou sure itâs safe leaving them in there alone?â
âTheyâll be fine Zachariah, you worry too much darling. Itâs a safe-room for a reason and I have security cameras linked to my phone, see.â
Charles pulled out his phone and showed Zach the app that let him view the inside of the safe-room, in crisp HD, Zach was able to see Sasha pointing out the litterbox to the others and then leading them to the corner with the ballpit.
Charles put his phone away. âTheyâre safe Zachariah, I promise you. Besides, we have some important humans things to discuss.â
âI had a feeling that this wasnât meant to be a social visit.â
Charles laughed and kept walking, taking Zach into a very large and very fancy kitchen. There was a man already inside wearing a suit and sunglasses, he spoke into the earpiece on the side of his head and nodded at Charles.
âAfternoon Mr Mulberry.â
âAfternoon Taggart, allâs well I hope.â
âIndeed sir, nothing to report.â
âExcellent, take five minutes, I have some business to discuss with Zachariah.â
âOf course sir, Iâll do a perimeter check.â
âFabulous.â
Taggart left his post, leaving Zach and Charles alone in the kitchen, Charles opened the fridge and pulled out a jug of water, then took two glasses from the cupboard and placed all three on the countertop.
âSure I canât interest you in a drink?â
âUm⌠sure, seems we might be here a while.â
âAu contraire Zachariah, I believe our business to be rather brisk and breezy. But before we talk professional, let us talk personally, I trust you have several questions about me.â
Zach took a drink of his water and nodded. âYeah, I guess I do.â
âAsk away, anything you like.â
âOk, I guess Iâll start with⌠why did you invite me here?â
Charles softly sipped his glass and smiled. âHow much did Miranda tell you about me?â
âNot much, said you sold designer Fluffies and were stupid rich but nothing much else.â
âWell sheâs right, I do sell designer Fluffies and have been for many years, but most of what I do is pageantry work, I breed and raise Fluffies to be⌠well I guess show-ponies would be apt. I got quite good at it too, first prize at the Bad-Roomieâs Best In Show Bonanza three years in a row, made most of my money selling out my prized Fluffies for studding and breeding. And before you judge me, I always let my Fluffies stay with their families, you get the best results from good Fluffies raising good Fluffies and being allowed to relax and have children without having to worry for three months out of the year is the best way to reward your Fluffies for a job well-done. Pretty can only get you so far, any random Fluffy can be pretty through their weird genetics, theyâre also judged on personality, intelligence and friendliness. Something that a lot of breeders tend to forget, had one of my competitors, man called James Dobbs, his know-how of Fluffy genes was second-to-none, always brought forth the prettiest, shiniest Fluffies youâve ever seen, but he spoiled them rotten, turned each and every one of them into bitch-mares and Smarties, poor moron never learned.â
âSounds like a class act.â
âHe was a fiend, but heâs been fired and hasnât found work again in six months so mores the pity. I tend to keep my breeding couples in house during the off-season, but weâre about to hit the Summer Season so Iâve moved all my prized Fluffies upstate to their Pageant Home while I take some much needed time off to look after Sasha, sheâsâŚâ
Charles paused and took another drink from his glass, Zach noticed that his face got a lot more serious once he put the glass down.
âSashaâs mother June was one of my best mares, friendly, polite, clever, and absolutely beautiful. Sasha was part of her first litter, and someone made the mistake of mentioning that Sasha was easily the best looking of the five foals. We left her for, no more than 15 minutes, and we came back to find June had stomped Sashaâs four brothers and sisters to death, leaving Sasha crying in a pool of blood.â
âJesus.â
âPrecisely, it turned out that one of my trainers had pulled a Dobbs, broke it into Juneâs mind that anything less than cold, clinical perfection was unacceptable, poor June thought was she doing the right thing by taking away her ânot-perfect babbehsâ so she could focus on Sasha. Naturally we couldnât undo that damage so June was retired⌠not killed, God weâre not monsters, no we took her to a sanctuary and let her relax without the pressures of perfection. Gave her one of our gelded stallions for a companion, sheâll still ask about having foals but not as much as some of the other mares, I think sheâs still a little scared of hurting her children again.â
âYou still havenât answered my question.â
Charles laughed and finished his water. âNo I guess I havenât. Sasha hasnât been put forward into pageantry work because I couldnât risk her like that, on some level she recognised what her mother did to her siblings, even as a blind chirpy she FELT that, itâs why sheâs never seen June since that day and why Iâve raised her ever since. But I want to take the chance on her children someday, see if they can fill the gap left by June, continue her legacy as a prized mare, not a foal killer. And I think Dandy is perfect mate for her.â
âYou want Dandy to stud for Sasha?â
âNo Zachariah, I want Dandy to be Sashaâs permanent mate. From a business standpoint heâs perfect, polite, kind, sincere, and his colours are fantastic.â
âYellow is fantastic?â
âNot just yellow, monochrome yellow, the monochrome gene has phased out over generation so itâs rarity is valuable, the fact that Dandy and Orange are both monochrome tells me they have a good chance to have a strong gene in them. More to the point, Dandy clearly likes Sasha, and Sasha clearly likes Dandy, that alone is a great first step to a happy family.â
âLook, Charles, Iâm not great with the whole Fluffy thing, I mean Christ I let my first Fluffy go to baby-fever, but arenât Dandy and Sasha too young to be breeding right now.â
âThey are, it wonât be another 3 to 4 months before we even think about putting them together, but this is where the hard part of our conversation comes into play. With your permission, I would like to adopt Dandy and keep him here to become Sashaâs special-friend.â
Zach was expecting this to come up, but hearing it knocked the wind out of him all the same. âI donât know, the foals are all so close, giving what happened to them, and Snowdrop adores them, I canât break up that family, can I?â
âIâm not expecting an answer right now, but I understand where youâre coming from, Miranda filled me in on your story as well. And from what Iâve seen of your foals, I donât think you have to worry about another Mary situation, here let me show you.â
Charles pulled out his phone and brought up the security app again, inside the safe-room the two men saw Dandy and Sasha building blocks together, Dandy obviously showing off his block-building skills, Snowdrop and Orange rested together off to the side with Orange holding tightly onto one of the stuffed animals, and Apple lay on the carpet, looking between her siblings and closed door.
Charles pointed at Dandy and Sasha first âLook, Dandy is already showing off for Sasha, heâs one good song away from prancing in front of her, heâs not a stallion yet but heâs getting closer everyday and these feelings he has for Sasha will manifest themselves, Fluffies often confuse love and lust but for Dandy, I think both will come for him in time.â
Charles moved the camera to focus on Snowdrop and Orange. âNow Snowdrop I can tell is a good surrogate mummah, she clearly loves the foals and will keep loving them as they go off and become parent themselves. Is she spayed?â
âNo, no I was planning on letting her have a family someday, once I got settled with my new promotion.â
âSheâll wait, sheâs had the chance to be a mummah, thatâll hold her off for a little while. Orange is similar, sheâs so kind and so gentle that sheâll be a great mummah one day, but only when sheâs ready, I think Maryâs treatment has made her a little scared and sheâll be a little jittery round foals, especially her own as she might overcompensate to avoid turning into another Mary, but a gentle hand will guide her properly.â
Finally Charles focussed the camera on Apple. âNow⌠I think Apple is the least of your worries when it comes to foals.â He giggled as he spoke.
âHow so?â
âWell just look at what sheâs doing, sheâs standing guard, keeping watch on both her siblings and the entrance for any potential dangers to come through. Isnât it obvious, sheâs a born toughy.â
âA Toughy? Never seen a female Toughy before.â
âThatâs where the next part comes in, Fluffies have a strict view of gender politics, stallions are Smarties, toughies and foragers, mares stay home and look after the foals, itâs just how they were designed. Thatâs not to say there arenât cross-overs between the two genders, but it is rare and often results in crossed wires in the Fluffies head. Which is a long-winded way to tell you that Apple is most likely gay.â
âGay⌠GAY? You can look at Apple just sitting there and tell me that sheâs gay?â
âWell Iâm a friend of Dorothyâs myself darling, so my gaydar is a little stronger than yours, plus Iâve been raising Fluffies for almost a decade and Iâve picked up a few thing to look out for. I canât say with 100% certainty, but Iâm more sure than not that Apple will come out when sheâs older. But even if she was straight, she would follow her siblings and not fall into the same traps their mother did, theyâll all be good parents someday, but that day will come sooner than you think, and youâll have to split up the family whether you want to or not. If you agreed to let me take Dandy, then I promise you this wonât be a goodbye, you and I will be business partners, Iâll give you 15% cut of profits made from your Fluffies, youâll have a key to the house to come and go as you please so youâre never away from Dandy for too long, and if you want to come with us to the pageantries I will provide you with free room and board as my personal Fluffy handler. Plus Iâll even help you find good mates for the others and let you decide if you want to enter them into the pageant world together or not.â
âCan I think it over, youâve just thrown a lot at me and I need to mull it in my head.â
âOf course, Iâd think less of you if you didnât. Like I said, Dandy and Sasha still have a good few months before we can think of making them special-friends, so take your time and let me know when youâre ready.â
Zach smiled and nodded to show he understood, but internally he was already at odds about what to do.
Back at home that night, Zach watched his Fluffies have their last dinner meal before bedtime, they were all upset to be leaving Sashaâs big home but the promise of being allowed back eased their minds.
As they each finished their bowl of kibble, Zach knelt down to collect the dishes and paused.
âGuys, gathered round I have something to tell you all.â
Snowdrop and the three siblings all sat on the kitchen floor, making a small semi-circle in front of Zach.
âSashaâs daddy asked me something today, he asked me if he could adopt Dandy and become his daddy so that Dandy and Sasha could⌠become best friends someday.â Zach chose he words carefully, not wanting to blind Dandy with the thought of enfies.
âDan-dee hab nyu daddeh?â Apple questioned Zach. âBu wha Appew an famiw du den?â
âWell, youâd all stay here with me, weâd still see Dandy almost every day and maybe even meet more of Sashaâs friends sometimes. Now we donât have to say yes, if we say no then Dandy will stay here and weâll still be friends with Sasha and her daddy, but if we say yes, then Dandy wonât live here anymore, but heâll have a new home and a chance to grow closer to Sasha.â
âNu wun bwudda tu gu.â Orange sobbed out, blubbering out tears.
âWhat about Dandy, what do you think?â
âDan-dee nu suwe, wan be bestesh fwiends wiv Sah-sha, wan shawe homesie wiv hew, bu nu wan weave sissies an mummah. Dan-dee finkie-pwaces hab huwties.â
At that moment, Snowdrop gathered all three of the foals and turned them to face. âSnowdwop undastan wha daddeh am saying, he nu wan babbehs tu gu tuu, bu he knyo dat babbehs becom big Fwuffies soon, an babbehs wan hab famiwy sumtime. Dis am gud homesie, bu nu am big enuff fow aww babbehs famiwies, daddeh wan Dan-dee hab chance tu be Sah-sha famiwy, gib woom fow Owange an Appew tu hab own famiwies if dey wan. Dan-dee nu wive hewe, bu Dan-dee am stiww pawt of dis famiwy.â
The three foals sniffled and reach in to cuddle Snowdrop together, Snowdrop hugged them all back at once.
âWub yu mummah.â Orange peeped out.
After a moment, Dandy turned back to face Zach. âDaddeh pwomise Dan-dee see sissies an mummah gain?â
âI promise, almost every day if I can manage it.â
âDen Dan-dee be ok habben Sah-sha daddeh be nyu daddeh, wan famiwy hab biggesh heawt-happies, eben if nu together.â
Zach smiled and pulled out his phone as all four of his Fluffies starting hugging each other.
âCharles, itâs Zach. I think I have an answer for you.â
I went a little deeper into Charlesâ backstory than I planned to, almost decided to add in a third chapter but I thought ending things here would be fine. The point of this series was to round things out for Zachâs foals in a happier light and this is the first step to that happy ending they deserve.
Obvious it wonât be all sunshine and rainbows, as evidenced by Dandy having to leave his sisters and mother behind, but none of them will ever be cold or lonely or hungry ever again and they will still see each other as often as they can.
If people want, I can do a little more further down the line, I have some small ideas I can branch out, but for the moment, this is where the foals are and itâs a damn sight better than where they were.
The economy of yesteryearâŚ
