As the sunlight began to pierce the dense foliage, the small fluffpile began to stir awake. Yawning as she stretched, Glory rose to her hooves, still feeling a dull ache from the fading evening chill. Beside her, Evergreen was slowly waking up, his eyes fluttering open, smiling as he saw his special friend. Nuzzling against her, the fluffy wrapped his hooves around Glory, warming the lithe pegasus.
“Gud bwite time Gwowy! Am stiww cowd in dah woodsies…Ebah’gween gib huggies an’ keeps yu wawm…”
Even though Glory had many hugs over the past few days, it was still such a new and wonderous sensation to the lithe mare, especially the hugs she received from Evergreen. As she felt his hooves gently stroke her fluff, her heart skipped a beat. Nearly lost in the moment, Glory was quickly reminded that they weren’t alone.
“Gud bwite time Ebah’gween! An’ gud bwite time Gwowy! Huggies am gud idea…am stiww su cowd…”
Pushing herself against the couple, the pink unicorn squirmed between the pair, cooing as she warmed herself. Blushing, Gwowy fought off her embarrassment and simply pulled the pink mare closer, happy that their small feud was finally over. Shortly after she had stirred, the blue pegasus awoke, smiling as he joined the hugpile.
“Gud bwite time fwends!!!”
Answering first, the pink unicorn returned the greeting, with Glory and Evergreen still slightly distracted by each other.
“Gud bwite time bwu fwend!”
Beaming with pride, the scarred pegasus shifted his shoulders, his one remaining wing unfurling as it flapped slightly.
“Siwwy pink fwend, fwuffy hab namsies nao! Am Angew!”
Gasping, the pink unicorn’s hoof rose to her mouth in shock, as Evergreen and Glory turning as they heard Angel declare his new name.
“Wat?!”
“Wat?!”
“Oh nu…”
Idling up towards Angel, the pink unicorn was stunned. Not only did her friend suddenly have a name, but it was like he was a different fluffy. She’d never seen the scarred pegasus have such bravado and confidence in himself before, not to mention he was flapping his wing!
“Hao? Hao bwu fwend gets pwetty namsies wike Angew?”
Wincing as she heard the question, Glory yelped quietly, slowly lowering herself against the forest floor, desperate to be unseen for what she knew Angel was going to say.
“Gwowy gib!”
Smiling obliviously as he preened, Angel looked towards Glory, with the pink unicorn and Evergreen slowly turning their heads to face the hiding pegasus.
“Gwowy nu mean tu!!! Gwowy nu mean tu!!! P’wease nu huwties Gwowy pink fwend…Wus an aksa’dent!!!”
Sniffling as she hunkered lower to the ground, Glory began to cry, afraid that naming Angel would stir the pink unicorn’s anger again, even if she hadn’t meant to. Trotting over to meet the lithe pegasus, the pink unicorn startled Glory, who was expecting the worst. Instead, the pink mare put her hoof gently on the pegasus’ shoulders.
“P’wease nu cwy Gwowy. It am otay.”
Wiping her tears away, Gwowy peered up towards the pink mare, pleased that she wasn’t upset. Despite how kind she was being, she had a worried expression on her face, one that she shared with Evergreen as the fluffs looked to each other anxiously.
“Wat…wat am wong?”
Sighing, Evergreen strode forward, helping Glory to her feet.
“Gwowy…Ebah’gween wuv nyu namsies fow Angew…Am su nices and pwetty namsies tu…Buh Wascaww…”
Rascal! Glory hadn’t even thought about Rascal, and how angry he might be that she’d named Angel. He was by far the scariest fluffy that the lithe pegasus had ever known, and now when he returned, who knows what he would do. Panicking as she began to breath at a frantic pace, Evergreen embraced her tightly.
“Nu wowwies Gwowy…Ebah’gween nu wetchu git huwties…Ebah’gween tawkies wiff Wascaww an’ wiww be otay…”
Overhearing only part of the conversation, and curious to learn more, Angel unspread his wing, joining the others.
“Fwuffies tawkin’ bout Wascaww? Ebah’gween, yu teww fwuffies dat Wascaww wan fwuffies tu maek wawkies an’ meet Wascaww furdah in dah woodsies?”
“Weww…yus Angew…buh…”
“Den wat am fwuffies wait’n fow? Angew gu fiww dah wawa buckee!”
Giggling as he galloped away, the fluffies watched dumbstruck as the scarred pegasus fetched the plastic pail with his mouth, romping as he made his way towards the river. His gaze still on Angel, Evergreen took his hooves off of Glory.
“Ebah’gween…Ebah’gween gowna gu wiff Angew…Gwowy…pink fwend…yu tu gu an’ wokk fow nummies. Otay?”
Nodding in agreement, Gwowy and the pink unicorn watched as Evergreen ran after Angel, clearly concerned for their unusual friend. It was wonderful that the scarred pegasus was feeling so happy, but it was a worrying thought that he might have an attack out of nowhere, especially if he were alone.
Now rummaging further than they could the previous day, Glory and the pink mare gathered several bushels of leaves, as well as some berries that were safe to eat. As the pair were making their way back with their well earned breakfast, Glory noticed that the unicorn was sullen and quiet.
“Am pink fwend otay?”
“Pink fwend am…am…”
Starting to sniffle, the unicorn fought back tears before she began to weep.
“Nu cwy pink fwend, nu cwy! Wat am wong? Gwowy wan hewp pink fwend!”
Leaning down, the lithe pegasus wrapped her hooves around the crying unicorn.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…Angew hab pwetty namsies nao…an’ su du Ebah’gween…Wascaww hab namsies fow as wong as fwuffy can membah…buh nao…fwuffy am onwy fwuffy wiffow’t namsies *huuu…huuu…huuu…”
It was clear that being the only fluffy without a name bothered the unicorn, as she shook in Glory’s arms. The pegasus remembered when she had been named, and how wonderful it felt to be Glory, to know that the name was hers and hers alone. But to have no name, when everyone else around you had something to call themselves, that had to be awful.
“Du…du pink fwend wan Gwowy tu gib namsies?”
Her crying abated slightly, the unicorn brushed her tears with her hooves, smiling as her tail began to wag.
“We…weawwy? Gwowy gib fwuffy namsies?”
Struggling to think, the lithe pegasus pondered a potential name for the unicorn. It wasn’t easy, as it needed to be a good name, to make her friend happy. Evergreen had technically named himself, and naming Angel was simply an accident, so despite what it seemed, Glory had no experience in naming fluffies. As her thoughts drifted back, to anything that might please the unicorn, it came to her! There was a nummy that Reginald was often sent to get for Glory’s human mamma. And it even had pink in it!
“Pink fwend wan be cawwed Pink Bewwy?”
“Pink Bewwy? Fwuffy wuv dat namsies! Fwuffy am Pink Bewwy! Fwuffy am Pink Bewwy!”
Hugging Glory, it was clear that the name pleased the unicorn, which made the lithe pegasus smile. The crisis averted, the pair made there way back, just in time to see Angel and Evergreen, who had successfully filled the water pail and were now taking a well deserved break.
“Ebah’gween!!! Angew!!! Ges wat…Pink Bewwy hab namsies nao tu!!!”
Overjoyed that the unicorn now had a name like the rest of them, Evergreen and Angel embraced their friend as she approached, with Glory simply watching, smiling as she made her way to the hugpile. Breakfast was a jubilation, with the fluffies laughing and chatting about how they were all named fluffies, the apprehension from earlier all but gone. Once they had finished eating, the small herd began their march through the woods, heading along the path that Evergreen had been instructed to follow. However, as they made their way along the trail, the green fluff started to walk slowly, his head peering around as he sniffled the air.
“Am Ebah’gween otay? Wat am wong speciaw fwend?”
“Ebah’gween nu kno…buh dat smeww wike…smeww wike Wascaww!”
His head turning quickly, followed by the rest of the fluffs, Evergreen peered through the forest thicket. Rustling as the brambles were disturbed, the green fluff gasped as he saw the red earthie walk through, his jaw horribly swollen. Breathing heavily, Rascal took several steps towards his friends before his eyes rolled back and he fell to the forest floor.