Bestest woke surrounded by warm water. Panic screamed in his head but his body was took weak to move. He let out a soft peep. A cold emotionless voice spoke above him. “You’re awake.” A warm towel was wrapped around him. He felt himself be carried. He smell something warm and sweet in front of him. He latched onto the offered teat the best he could. He was so hungry but still so weak.
A towel was fluffed up under Bestest to help him be level with the teat. The mare above him cooed. Her milk was sweet and warm like his mummah. Tears fell from his eyeless sockets. He missed his mummah so much.
“What do you think?” A male voice asked. Unlike the woman’s voice it held worry.
“I think we should wait for everyone.” The woman from before said. It had become warm.
“Okay, I’ll go check on dinner.”
Bestest heard footsteps come towards and pass him. He was noticing more and more things. The sounds and smells around him. The room he was in smelled yummy. The towel he was on smelled wet and faintly of something flowery. He didn’t know the smell. He could hear the far away sound of a tv. They weren’t the sounds and smells like his old home but they were similar.
He heard another woman. She was singing an unknown song. “Sugar tunes from nowhere made my day, numa numa yey, numa numa numa yey, jumping till I broke the wings of blame, I’m so glad I did it my way.”
“Hey, Cathy.” The man said.
Cathy stopped singing. “Skywalker.” She sat next to Alice at the table.
Luke shook his head and joined them. “Alice did you use Cathy’s DNA to make Happy?”
Alice laughed. “No, Happy just picked up some of her habits. And besides, fluffies having human DNA is as true as PITA’s sanity. However, humans and fluffies do share DNA, human also share DNA with bananas.”
Bestest was done with his meal. The mare above him pick him up and began cleaning him. She made calming sounds for the baby. She held him to her chest when she was done. Her heartbeat and gentle breathing seem to hold all the warmth and love as a mummah song. Without even her saying words, he knew this mare would love and care for him like her own. He snuggled closer to the mare. He knew this wasn’t his mummah, but at that moment, he hope she would be.
Luke smiled at the sight of the two fluffies in front of him. “You didn’t lie about Starburst loving any foal you give her unconditionally.”
Alice smiled. “You silly man. You know I will never lie to you.”
“Just hide things, right?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The person they were waiting for join them. “Lets get this over with,” Dr. Lois said.
“Do you knock?” Luke asked.
“Do you lock your door?”
“My door was…” Luke released something. “Cathy did you break in again?”
“I have to keep my skills sharp, you never know when you have to break in somewhere.”
Luke shook his head. “Now that you’re here, we can talk about the little guys fate.”
Dr. Lois carefully took Bestest from Starburst. His job was to determine if Bestest was a good foal or not. He used a gentle tone. “Hey, little guy, do you have a name?”
Bestest quickly shook his head and chirped. “Nu namesy… mummah… daddeh… namesy.”
Dr. Lois hushed and petted the little foal. “It is okay, calm down.”
Bestest wanted desperately to suck his hoof. He calmed down from the man’s tone and touch. He did his best to cuddle the man’s palm.
Dr. Lois stopped petting Bestest. “Did your momma called you her bestest?”
Bestest tried not to cry when he nodded. “Mummah… namesy Bestes’. Mummah bad… babbeh bad… Bestes’… bad… namesy. Daddeh… Weggie…”
Dr. Lois pieced together what Bestest was saying. “So you thought Bestest was your name because that was what your momma called you?”
Bestest nodded.
“And your human daddy took your legs, and see places because you called yourself Bestest?”
Bestest panicked again. “Namesy… bad… namesy bad… mummah… daddeh.”
Dr. Lois calmed the foal again. He gave him back to Starburst and joined the others. “You got all that right?”
Alice made a hmmm sound. “Delegging the bestest foal in front of it’s mother isn’t unusual, but I haven’t seen one take the eyes before. Sewing the mouth shut isn’t odd. Foals can bust eardrums with their screams.”
“I don’t think he was a brat. He’s really upset because he thinks he was bad, not because he was punished.”
“You’re saying he’s a good fluffy?” Luke asked.
Dr. Lois fought not to be snarky. “More than likely.”
“What are our options?”
“He still healing, but when he’s well enough, I could do transplants.” Alice said. “However, prior projects have been mixed, the limbs and eyes I give him may not all grow with him or may stop growing with him. He may require multiple surgeries.” Her voice was monotone. It was hard to tell if she enjoyed idea or not, but knowing Alice, it was only business.
It was Cathy’s turn to speak. “He may have to wait until he’s three months for artificial limbs and eyes. Foals his age have a high rejection rate and they grown like weeds. Daily surgeries would take a toll on him. I could do a socket system to lower the amount of surgeries, but that would only do for his legs.”
Dr. Lois thought carefully on how to put it into words. “Or we could leave him be or let him die peacefully. If we’re going to be all cuddles about his fate, I think we should give him a choice.” Dr. Lois almost gagged. Because of the fluffies he dealt with on almost daily basis, the thought of being nice to one was almost sickening. But this was a favor, like fluffies or not, a true friends do favor for each other. Even if it made them want to vomit.
Cathy sighed. “Eugene’s right, it should be his choice. He may not want to live like a Frankenstein creation or cybrog, or live at all.”
Alice nodded. “If you believe this for the best.” She got up. “Lois, take him and Starburst.”
Lois was surprised. “Why me?”
“Because you have an available safe room, you’d never hurt Starburst, and you been wanting to see the reactions of different mares with adopted foals.”
Dr. Lois thought. He could take care of them nicely and not feel sick if it was an experiment. “Deal.”
…
Bestest was so happy with his new fluffy momma and human daddy… er… Lois. Human daddy didn’t like being called daddy. It was okay he wanted to be called Lois. Bestest programming told him it was wrong, but it made his human daddy happy, and he wanted to make his human daddy happy and proud. Even if he had to bleed to do it. He would anything to make Lois happy.
It was hard, but Bestest learned how to get around without legs or eyes. He would worm his body around. It hurt but if he was going to go anywhere and make his daddy proud, he had to do it on his own. He would bring his back stumps towards his front stumps then left up his front half and straighten out. Lois laughed at him when he saw him doing it for the first time, but he praised him for being clever and figuring out how to get around without help. This praise filled Bestest with joy and determination.
Smell and touch became his main senses for finding things, bad smell place with the rocks was his litter box. It had a ramp so he could get in and out. Yummy smell was food, water, he found, had its own smell. The thing that smelled like him and soft, was his stuffy friend. Momma smelled like milkies. Daddy sometimes moved this things around, but he didn’t complain, daddy just wanted to keep him smart. No, not smart, have a good thinking place. Fluffy that think they are smart turned into a smarties, and smarties were the worst fluffies ever. Daddy hated smarties, they made him angry and hate fluffies. Bestest wanted daddy to love him. He wanted to be the best fluffy ever for him.
It was many forevers. Bestest teeth had grown in and he wasn’t drinking his no talkie momma’s milkies anymore. Daddy took him and momma to the place they met. He recognized daddy friends voices.
Daddy friends told him about the new eyes and legs they could give him. They sounded so nice to have. He could see and hug his daddy. Cathy offer him something called mechanical legs and eyes, but he had to wait until he was a big fluffy to get them. He wanted them now, but he could wait if he had to. Alice told him that the eyes and legs she would give him would come from a bad smarty fluffy. From what daddy had told him, it was okay for smarty to lose this parts, but he would still feel bad for having them. Daddy told him he could stay the way he was, or if he wanted it. He could go to Skittieland and get his own eyes and legs back, but he had to go forever sleepies to go there.
Bestest thought about it long and hard. What did he want? Thinking about it made his little head hurt. But he had to make a choice. Suddenly, he realized something. This was a test. Of course it was. He knew exactly what to do.
Bestest looked in the direction of where he last heard his daddy’s voice. “Wois, nu am fwuffie choice, it am Wois choice, ‘cos Wois choose bestes’ thin’ fo’ fwuffie. Fwuffie eben go to Skittiewand if Wois wan’.”
Lois laughed wildly. He wasn’t expecting that. Complete loyalty and willingness to do anything make their owners happy, even die. Something he only seen in hunting friends. This fluffy was a rare one.
Bestest tailed wagged. He made his daddy happy. He knew he made the right choice. It felt dumb not thinking of it quick enough. “Wat Wois wan’ fo’ fwuffie?”
A wide twisted grin curled Dr. Lois’s lips. “First you’re not fluffy anymore, you’re Laddie.” He picked up the foal that was once Bestest, the only standerd fluffy he came to like. “We talk about that after your plate of veggies.”
*Well it was random chance this story ended up going towards hugbox. It was a challange, but Laddie/Bestest got a happy ending. We'll meet back up with Go-Go and her owner at some point.*
