“All aboard!” You opened the back of the trailer, and the fluffies started up the ramp in one technicolor mass, waddling all the way to the back before stopping, just like you trained them. After a full year with the herd, you had finally perfected your lawn care business. Brookshire Farms Organic Lawn Care was emblazoned on the side of the horse trailer, with a smiling cartoon version of Lilac as your mascot. Being able to use the term “organic” when dealing with the artificial biotoys made you giggle, as did carting them around in a real horse trailer. You probably could have used something smaller, or just tossed them in the bed of your truck, but it was a clean look, and you got the trailer for a steal.
“Das ebwyone!” Lilac chirped, sticking her head out of the back.
“Good girl! You want to ride in the back, or up front with me?”
“Ummm… Wiwac wide in back. Sum fwuffies scawed.” As if to prove her point, you heard a fluffy cry “nu wike dawkies!”
“Alright. I’ll have the lights on in just a second.” The lights were just some old LED Christmas lights wired into the brake light circuit, a bit of a hack job. They turned off when you hit the brakes, but they kept the fluffies from going fully catatonic in the darkness of the trailer. Seeing how this was the first real job for some of them, keeping them happy and calm was a priority. You hopped into the cab, and started the truck, checking out the back mirror to make sure the lights went on. Once they did, you started down your long driveway, and to the job you had today.
The fluffies had somehow managed to pay for themselves, and then some. Before this herd showed up on your property, you only knew fluffies as disgusting, demanding, idiotic creatures that loved nothing more than to find creative ways to die. Over the past few months you’d really taken a liking to the little fuzzballs, even the more obnoxious of them. You’d lost a few over the last few months, a mare and her foals during birth, a unicorn that got stuck in the fence, a handful of foals to predators. You gave them all a proper burial behind the barn, a little fluffy cemetery. The herd mourned each loss, but moved on quickly. At first you thought they’d just forgotten, but you still see the special friend of one of the passed fluffies visiting her grave, telling her about her sister’s foals and the games they play.
Because of your growing love for fluffies, you don’t really talk to Dave anymore. Not that you dislike him, his usual descriptions of what he did to the random fluffies he found started putting a sour taste in your mouth. You felt too much empathy, you cared far too much about them to see them as deserving of the things Dave put them through. You feel like fluffies aren’t really capable of understanding what they did wrong. The vast majority of them are bumbling along, doing what they think is the right thing to do. You didn’t feel too bad about the ones you gave him, however. Clover and Lilac filled you in on them, and some of the awful things they’d done. You just… tried not to think too much about them.
You turned off the highway and eventually found the residential neighborhood you were looking for, a gated community with a big brick wall around the outside. You put the code you were given into the little keypad, and the gate opened for you. The houses you drove slowly past were huge, massive McMansions for the kind of person with too much money and not enough sense. Not that you minded, these people were giving you their money, after all.
You found the house you were looking for, a beige townhouse looking thing with a lawn like a golf course. New customer, so you’d have to do the precheck. You leaned into one of the windows of the horse trailer. “Everyone alright in there?” The fluffies chorused their minor complaints; it was dark, they were crowded, it was a long drive, etc. “Just give me a few minutes to set everything up and I’ll let you all out.” You dragged a large roll of plastic fencing out of your truck and started setting it up by the driveway. You needed to keep them contained, just for your peace of mind. You had trained them not to leave the grassy area you released them in, but you liked the extra peace of mind a small fence gave. While you were going around the yard you found a few things that weren’t fluffy safe. A wooden stake that you put on the front porch for the home owner to deal with, tossed a few large safety cones over the plants that they shouldn’t eat either due to value or toxicity.
“You’re here early!” You turned to see the homeowner standing on his porch.
“Of course, with new clients I need to go over the yard, make sure it’s fluffy safe, all that.” You zip tied the last bit of fence together, giving it a small tug to ensure it would hold. “You’re Caspian, yeah?”
“Call me Cash.” He held out his hand for you to shake. He was a tall, older man with thick white hair and brilliantly blue eyes. Behind him, a burnt orange pegasus fluffy peeked out. “This is Ranger, he’s very interested in all the fluffies you brought!”
You crouched down, “Hello Ranger!” He waved shyly, ducking behind the door frame. “Would you like to come play with my fluffies?” Rangers eyes grew wide, and looked up at his owner.
“Would that be okay? I told him your fluffies would be too busy to play.”
You smiled at the shy fluff. “As long as he’s had all his shots and agrees to play nice, he is welcome to come join the herd! Let me get them let out.” You walked back over to the trailer and started unlatching the back. Immediately a cry went up from inside, multiple fluffies whining at once. “Hang on just a second longer, I’m getting you out now!” You set up a ramp leading into the yard and released your herd. They trotted down the ramp, excitedly chattering about the “gwassy nummies”. Lilac stepped out last, having inspected the back for anyone lagging behind. She grinned as she lept over the ramp and bounded off into the grass.
Cash set Ranger in the fenced off yard where he very quickly made friends with the ever energetic Sunshine. The pair of pegasi ran and played while you and Cash watched.
“How long have you had him?” You asked, gesturing to Ranger.
“Three years, might be almost four now. Raised him from a foal.” Cash smiled as Ranger tackled Sunshine with a hug. “He’s an energetic guy, I’ve been looking to get him a friend soon. I just can’t keep up with him.”
“Well, I’m sure if he gets along with any of my herd we can work something out!” And you meant it, you hadn’t exactly been looking for new homes for your fluffies, but if the right home came along you promised yourself you would do what was best for the fluffies.
“How long have you had this herd? They seem to trust you.”
You smiled, remembering the day the herd arrived. “About a year, been in business with them for three months.”
“Are they all your pets or…?” Cash trailed off.
“Oh, Lilac there, brown with a purple mane, she’s my personal pet. Lives in the house, she keeps the others in line. The rest live out in the barn. It’s heated and all though. Just don’t have room for them all in the house.”
“Oh, good. I heard you were a hugboxer but…” he leaned in and continued in a whisper. “Some people put on a kind front just to abuse their fluffies when no one is looking.”
“Oh, I’m aware. But these little critters are my family. I need them as much as they need me.” You smiled, watching Lilac remind the fluffies that they needed to eat the grass, not just roll in it. She took to leadership like a duck to water, she was gentle with her guidance. You were looking forward to when she finally got pregnant, she would be a wonderful mother. If her and Clover ever got over their issues. You didn’t want to push it.
Your thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of your phone. “Hello?”
“Is this Samuel Meyers?” A gruff voice on the other end of the line asked.
“Uh, it is, who is this?”
“This is Officer Freedman, there’s been an incident on your farm.”