“You ready, Lilac?” You pulled the cart up to the passenger side of your truck and she happily leapt into the basket.
“Wiwac so ‘cided! Babbehs gun need baww an bwockies an bwankies an-”
“Yeah, yeah, we’ll get everything!” You cut her off as you buckled her into the fluffy harness attached to the cart. This was not your first time at FluffMart, but it was your first time bringing one of your fluffies. With Sunshine napping off his trip to hell on the couch and Clover at daycare, you thought a day trip to spoil Lilac sounded nice. She had gone over everything her future babies would need as you drove into town, over and over and over. Obnoxious, yes, but you couldn’t be too mad. This was the greatest joy a fluffy could experience, you were told. In an effort to curb the biotoys rejecting foals they deemed undesirable, they made motherhood the best thing they would ever feel. It didn’t work, of course. Your own fluffies were more or less proof of that. Lilac’s joy was rubbing off on you, however, and you found yourself grinning along with her as you pushed the cart through the automatic doors.
“WOOOOOOOWW!!!” Lilac said, staring around in wonder. “SUUUUUUUU many toysies!!”
“I said the same thing my first time!” You chuckled. “Let’s start with the basics and then we’ll get the fun stuff.”
You pushed past the first few aisles laden with flashy toys and bright packaging designed to make fluffies demand whatever cheap crap was within. Lilac reached out from the cart, gently running her hoof along the side of a plush bed display, giggling to herself. The aisle you were looking for was labeled “PREGNANCY/FOAL CARE”, and the packaging was more bland and clean, sharp contrast and medical themes clearly meant to appeal more to the owner than the fluffy.
“What color bottles should we get?” You pointed to the foal sized bottles, each one proclaiming their various features or value in bright text.
“Bottow?” Lilac cocked her head.
“For feeding the babies. If you have more babies than you have milkie places you might want some help.” You grabbed a pack off the lower shelf, a cheap pack of 4 that proclaimed them to be “Fluffvet approved!”
“Wiwac wike… puwpow bottow!” She pointed at a pair of sparkly purple bottles.
You continued like this, explaining the usage of things like formula, supplements, and other medical needs before offering her a choice between a few brands. You had to suppress your giggles as she very seriously considered the benefits of the blue “Mummah Pills” over the yellow ones.
“Babbeh am nee wots.” Lilac stated as you pulled into the next aisle.
“Yeah, they’re a lot of work! This stuff will help, and Clover and I will be with you the whole time.”
Her face darkened at the mention of her special friend. “Wiwac nu kno.”
“Hey, he’ll come around, okay? He’s just got some stuff to work through.”
“… Otay…” She turned and started evaluating the mummah beds next to you. They were larger versions of the fluffy beds sold a few aisles down, but flatter and proclaiming they were much safer without the usual raised sides. Probably more expensive too, you thought to yourself. Normally there were laws, or at least rules, when it came to how a company could price products but when it came to fluffies it seemed like everything went out the window. One bed, a flat pad of faux fur, was 12.99 if you wanted it in a dark blue. If it was in hot pink? 18.99! The “Limited Edition Lazer Collection Neon Green (as seen on FluffTV!)” was a whopping 27.99! You shook your head at the smiling green fluffy on the package. You were glad that crap wasn’t in your house. Last thing your fluffies needed was capitalism rotting their already mushy brains.
“I like this black one, what do you think?” You pulled a cheaper model off the shelf holding it out for Lilac to touch.
She ran her hoof through the faux fluff. “Am soft… Wiwac wike!” she chirped, nodding her approval. You tossed it over her head into the cart.
“Lets see, what do babies need next…” you tapped your finger against your chin, pretending to think.
“Bwankies!” Lilac replied.
“Yes! That should be right down there!” You pushed the cart on to the end cap of the aisle, almost running into a woman turning the corner. “Oh, excuse me!”
She paused, looking you up and down. She wore a matching sweat suit set, burnt orange trimmed with white and branded with a large logo you didn’t recognize. In her acrylic taloned hand she clutched a basket filled with high end fluffy products, sparkly toys and light up plushies. “Are you two shopping for a mummah?” She asked, looking over your cart.
“Yes, Lilac here-”
“Wonderful, congratulations!” She cut you off, holding out her manicured hand. “I’m Nessa, Nessa Carmine of Carmine fluffies. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”
You shook her hand, trying to return her smile. “Um, I-”
“It’s a good thing I ran into you! I can see you’re a new breeder, you’ll need my advice!” She curled her lip at your shopping.
“Oh, that’s alright, I-”
“Like this here,” she said, grabbing the canister of fluffy formula. “This is alright, but I wouldn’t bother with it honestly. There’s nothing like the real thing, you know? If the mummah isn’t able to feed the foals, get a milk bag.”
“A… Milkbag?” You were totally lost. She talked a mile a minute, not stopping for air at all.
“Oh, you’re one of those ethics ones! I’m so sorry, I should have known, seeing your girl there.” She leaned in towards Lilac. “Are you going to be a nanny fluff?”
“Nu, Wiwac gun be mummah!” Lilac said, throwing her hooves into the air in excitement.
“…Oh.” Her stained pink lip curled again. “An oopsie, huh? They have products for that in aisle 12. They’re quite effective, gets rid of any unwanted burdens those foul ferals leave.” She patted your hand soothingly.
It took a second for what she was suggesting to click. “Uh, no. We will not be doing that.”
“You want the offspring of this… mistake… and some random vermin?”
“She is not a mistake, and her special friend is not vermin.” You grabbed the cart’s handle. “Lilac here is a beautiful girl, and she will have beautiful and well loved babies. If you’ll excuse us.” You shoved your cart past her, power walking you and your fluffy away from the crazy lady.
“You’re making a mistake!” She called after you. “No one will want those disgusting abominations! You’re ruining the gene pool!!”
You pushed the cart around the corner, stopping and taking a breath. You were a calm man, a composed man, but god do some people get to you.
“…Wiwac babbehs be ugwy?” she asked softly, staring at her outstretched hooves.
“No, no, sweetheart!” You stroked her mane as you spoke. “You will have pretty babies. Very pretty. That lady is dumb.”
“Buh Wiwac… nu pwetty cowow…” She sniffled.
“Dust tink pwetty!” A voice came from behind you. You had pushed the cart to the adoption center unknowingly, and a pink and grey patched fluffy had her hooves pressed against the wire mesh of her kennel. “Hab bewwy pwetty mane.”
“Tankoo…” Lilac sniffled. “Wady am meanie. Hab pwetty babies.” She said to herself, nodding.
“Fwuffy hab babbehs? Dust hab babbehs!” She wagged her tail happily.
“Wiwac nu hab babbehs yet.”
“Den am soon mummah!” Dust cheered. “Dat bestest ting!”
Lilac giggled, wiping the last of her tears away. “It AM!”
You looked over the card attached to her kennel while the mares chatted.
Dust Bunny
Female, Intact
6 foals
Family available for adoption as a full set, foals will be available individually when they’re weaned.
None of the other kennels were filled, just her and her brood in their brightly lit pen. Her foals were good looking, nice muted colors with a few having her almost calico like patches. One foal was speckled almost like a dalmatian, if a dalmatian could be blue and white. You haven’t seen fluffies with such complex colors before. You knew they existed though, and it made sense for a fluff mart to have such high end fluffies for sale.
“Dust am waitin fo mummah ow daddeh!” She exclaimed. “Dust am guudest mummah, mummah ow daddeh cum take Dust to homesie!”
She was a good fluffy, and kind to Lilac. The two seemed to get on like a house on fire, and might be nice to have a mummah friend for her. You glanced at the card again, cringing at the triple digit price tag. Not ideal… but could you tell her no at this point? You had to, that wasn’t the kind of money you had to throw around at this point. Clover needed who knows how many more trips to day care to get over his funk, and you needed to have a little bit set aside in case Lilac needed medical care during or after she gave birth. With a heavy heart, you turned to explain to the mare that you would not be taking her home today.
“Dat am guud! Wiwac and Daddeh nee gu get tingies fo babbehs nao, was guud tu meet Dust!” Lilac said.
“Get wotsa bwankies! Babbehs am messie! Bye-Bye!” Dust waved as you slowly pushed the cart away, a little shocked.
“You’re a really good fluffy, you know?” You said, incredulous.
Lilac giggled. “Nee be guud fwuffy if gun hab guud babbehs! Nao need blankies!” She pointed to the blanket end cap.
“How about we get some human blankets instead? I’ll get a whole bunch and they’ll be really easy to wash if the babies make a mess.” You didn’t want to pay that much for some shitty faux fur blankets. You’d get some decent flannel ones at the thrift store.
“Hmmm… Otay, get guud bwankies.”
“I promise. Why don’t we get you a snack for being such a good girl?” Lilac cheered as you pushed into the treat aisle.
“Wan get sketti fo hewd!” She pointed excitedly with her hoof. “Bawn fwuffies weaw nicey to Wiwac!”
That wasn’t something you could say no to, so a case of canned sketti went into the cart, as well as a bag of gummy treats she picked out for Clover. Lilac took her time deciding on her treat, she managed to narrow it down to two different giant cookies. You grabbed them down from the shelf for her to look at closer when you heard a shrill voice from the other aisle.
“I found a new breeder for us! She’s perfect, pink with the patterning!” You heard the crazy lady from earlier say. She paused, you could just barely hear the voice of someone else over her phone. “No, she’s got a brood with her already and half of them carry the pattern! I’m getting her, the foals are old enough to throw on a bag and get her knocked up again right away. Get Surfer juiced up.”
“Meanie wady gun be Dust’s mummah?” Lilac asked in a concerned whisper.
With a heavy sigh you threw both cookies into the cart and started pushing the cart up to the front. “No Lilac, she’s not.”
“Buh she say!” Lilac pointed a panicked hoof. “She gun take Dust!”
“Please, Lilac. Be quiet and trust daddy.” She frowned at you for a moment, then nodded.
“Excuse me,” You asked a pink uniformed worker behind the checkout counter. “I want to adopt Dust Bunny, the mare back there.” Lilac gasped, clapping her hooves together.
“Oh, she’s only available as part of the family set.” He said.
“I know. I’ll take them all.”
“Oh! That’s wonderful, we’ll have them boxed up and ready for pick up when you’re done shopping.”
“Can you start checking me out now?” You set your card on the counter. “I just have a few more things to grab.”
“Uh, sure…” The young man stared at you as you jogged back to the fluffy food section. Throwing the first bag of mummah food you saw over your shoulder, you turned and grabbed a fluffy proof water bowl. Jogging back you hurried through the rest of the transaction. You weren’t really paying attention to the upcharges you agreed to, you were watching the jogging suited breeder finish her shopping and mosey her way up to the checkout counter.
“Do you want your receipt?” The cashier asked.
“Yes, please!”
He handed it to you wrapped around your card. “We’ll have your fluffy out for you in just a second!”
“Excuse me, young man,” Nessa started, “I’d like to purchase the mare you have back there.”
“Dust Bunny? I’m sorry, this man just adopted her.”
If looks could kill, you’d be dead. She slowly turned to you, with a glare the likes of which has never been documented before. Her manicured hands balled into fists at her side. “I already told her I would be taking her home.”
“… I’m sorry ma’am…” The worker took a slow step back from the counter. “The transaction has been done, that’s legally his fluffy…”
“DOUBLE. I’ll pay DOUBLE- no, TRIPLE!” She shouted.
“I’m really sorry…” The worker muttered, slipping into a door behind him. “There’s nothing I can dooo…” The door slowly shut behind him.
“You. Young man.” Nessa growled. “I need that fluffy.”
You grinned at her. “You mean my fluffy.”
“What’s your price.” She opened her gaudy designer purse. “Name it. I’ll pay.”
“I don’t have a price. She’s mine, fair and square.”
“It is NOT fair!” She exploded. “You don’t know a DAMNED thing about breeding!” She jabbed her acrylic claw into your chest. “You’ll probably pair her up with some ugly thing” She spat the word at Lilac, who stuck her tongue out in reply.
“I’m not actually interested in breeding her.”
“Then- Then why?” She spluttered.
“So you couldn’t have her.” Your grin grew even wider. “She’s gonna be good friends with Lilac here. I couldn’t care less about the foals.”
“Then I’ll buy them! I’ll buy the foals!” She pulled a wad of cash out. “What do you want, a hundred a head?”
“No.”
“Two hundred?”
“No.”
“Then what do you want? I’ll pay it.”
“I want,” You paused for dramatic effect. Nessa nodded, a desperate look in her eyes. “I want you to go fuck yourself.”
“HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THIS?!” She shouted as Lilac laughed. “I AM BETTER THAN YOU, I DESERVE THAT MARE. SHE IS MINE, YOU HEAR? MINE!!!”
“Yeah…” You dangled the receipt over her head. “That’s not what this says.”
“GIMMIE!!” She jumped up to grab it and you yanked it away. After a few rounds of keep away, you saw the door behind the counter crack open a little, the worker peeking out to see if it was safe.
You balled up the receipt. “Go get it then!” You tossed it to the far side of the store and Nessa chased after it, designer sneakers slipping on the linoleum floor.
“Thankyouforyourpurchasehaveaniceday!” The worker spoke quickly as he shoved the cardboard box into your arms.
“Sorry about the mess!” You shouted over your shoulder as you ran out with your cart, Lilac laughing breathlessly in the basket.
