Over the next couple of days, you worked on training Sapphire a little more. You focused mostly on her name and proper socializations. It didn’t take her too long to get used to her name, and was quickly catching on to using it when referring to herself, instead of as “fwuffeh”.
During your socialization training with her, you made sure to hammer in the idea that a good fluffy is a polite fluffy. Good fluffies share their toys, offer hugs, and play nicely. You also had to really teach her about other fluffies… Mostly domesticated ones that she would run into. She seemed to understand that those kinds lived in homes with “mummahs” and “daddehs”, but didn’t know what the deal was with the fluffies that didn’t have those.
“Buh mummah… Wha’ ‘bout obah fwuffehs? Mummah Gemstown an’ famiwy nu hab homesie. What am if not homesie fwuffeh?” the little unicorn asks, looking at you in confusion.
You sigh softly and wipe your whiteboard clean. You pop the cap off your “pwetty smeww” marker and begin to draw a diagram for her. Once finished, you flip it over to show her.
“See this little blue fluffy? That’s you,” you start, as she nods while following along. “You were a feral fluffy, one that was born in the wild. You’re much different than other fluffies with homes, because you didn’t have one. Your family had to live on what they could find, without having a warm place to sleep.”
Sapphire tilted her head some. “Am fewal fwuffeh gud fwuffeh?”
You think about your next words carefully. “Not all feral fluffies are good fluffies…”
Sapphire’s ears droop as you say that, worried about herself.
“Your momma was a very good feral fluffy, as she just wanted the best life for her babies. But some ferals are very mean. Some are even what they call “smarties”.”
Sapphire tiled her head the other way. “Whu’ am smawty?”
“Smarty fluffies are fluffies that think they are smarter and better than every other fluffy, usually calling themselves the leader of their herds. Some domesticated fluffies can be smarties too, but that’s usually because they were spoiled by their mommas and daddies.”
Sapphire nodded in understanding. “Buh why am bad fwuffeh?”
“Smarties are rude, mean fluffies. They do what they want, when they want, and don’t care who they hurt. Even if it is another fluffy. They’ll bite, kick, push, give bad special huggies, and bad poopies to anyone they want, just because they want to. They’re very strong willed, and will do whatever it takes to get what they want.”
Sapphire puffs her cheeks out in frustration. “Smawties nu am soun’ wike gud fwuffies. Smawties am bad, meanie munsta fwuffehs.”
While you didn’t like her calling them “monster fluffies”, you couldn’t blame her. You’ve seen what some smarties are capable of, both feral and domesticated… And you agreed with her. They truly were monsters. You reach out to Sapphire and pet her head softly to calm her down.
“Yes, they are very mean fluffies. That’s why momma doesn’t want you to go near ferals. They could make you have worstest sickies, or give you biggest ouchies.” you tell her.
Sapphire rubs herself up against your hand happily. “Buh how Saffiuh no wha fwuffeh am fewal 'ou nawt?”
You tap your marker onto your chin for a moment. “Well, feral fluffies are usually bigger and not very well taken care of. Their coats are normally a lot scruffier, and travel in herds. They like to ask to add you into their herd or find them a new home…”
Sapphire nods in response, trying her best to understand.
“You can always ask them about their home, and if they say they don’t have one, that’s a good sign that they are a feral and you should stay away.”
“Otay mummah. Saffiuh wiww twy tu wemembuh tu ask dat of obah fwuffehs. If nu homesie, wun!”
You smile and nod at her before putting her back into her pen. You began to gather up some supplies before putting a collar onto her and attaching a retractable leash to her. Sapphire looks up at you in confusion at the pink fabric around her neck that came with a little bell and medallion that lists her information.
“Whu am dis? Sowwy cowwaw? …Di’ Saffiuh do bad?” she asks.
“Nope, not at all silly. It’s an outdoor collar. It’s so that other fluffies and people know that you have a momma or daddy who loves you lots. It helps keep yucky buggies off of you, and if you ever get lost and a nice person finds you, they can call home and tell me where you are.”
Sapphire gasped at how much this one piece of fabric could do. “Mummah am supah smawt! …Oopsie, nu mean smawty, jus… noes wots of stuffs…”
You squat down with your travel bag over your shoulder and pet her gently. “It’s okay, sweet pea. Momma knows you meant smart, and not smarty. There’s a difference.”
Sapphire looked up at you curiously.
“You see, a smart fluffy is one that knows lots and uses that knowledge to help their friends and herd do well. They don’t need to push others around, or hurt them. Smarties do what they want and don’t care about others.”
Sapphire nods, not entirely getting it, but letting it bounce around in her brain that smart is good, smarty is bad.
You take the end of her leash and give it a gentle tug. “Come on sweetie. Time to go for a walk.” you tell her.
Sapphire gets excited at her first walk with you and hops around, trying to keep up with you.
You are Sapphire, a unicorn fluffy. You aren’t entirely sure how it happened, but you lost your family to sickies and hungries before getting taken home by the nicest lady ever. You remember seeing her for the first time. You were so unsure about her until she showed you kindness and love. She must be a nice mummah.
Over the course of a long time you saw and learned lots. You learned about other fluffies, good poopies, the litterbox, how to play nicely, and even got to meet another fluffy! That fluffy was a big fluffy… A little scary looking, too! But once you got to know him, you saw he was just a big, nice fluffy to be friends with. Lots of huggies for the ah-lee-corn fluffy!
Today your mummah taught you about playing nice with others. Did you not play nice with Dusty fluffy? She seems to think that you need a bit more teaching so that you don’t accidentally do something bad with another fluffy…
You asked her about other fluffies and she smiled while teaching you more about fluffies with homesies and their mummahs and daddehs… But what about the fluffies who didn’t have a homesie? Mummah didn’t seem too happy about it, but she told you about the wild fluffies… Ones that were like you. She told you that not all feral fluffies are bad, but some are super duper bad.
They call them “smawties”. Apparently, they’re super mean fluffies who just wanna hurt others and do what they want. Mummah says it’s because they were “spoiled” by their mummahs and daddehs… Whatever that means. They think they’re better than other fluffies, and use that to hurt them. They don’t sound like good fluffies at all.
Mummah said today that you’d be going out somewhere special. You wonder where it could be, but do your best to be a good fluffy for her. She puts some sort of necklace around your neck and tells you that it shows other fluffies and their mummahs and daddehs that you have your own mummah or daddeh. It also apparently keeps munstah buggies off you and helps you when you get lost. All that you know is that it looks pretty, has a ringy bell on it, and has a pretty shiny thing.
As she hooks a leash onto you, you look at the strange rope, and she tells you that you’re going for a walk with her. A walksies!? You’ve never had one of those before, but saw it on the teebee! Yu get so excited you begin to hop around. You make sure to keep up with your mummah once you get outside.
You make sure to stay close to your mummah as you walk in the grass next to her. There’s lots of pretty sights to see, and some scary munstah machines going by. You didn’t much like the sounds they made, or the not pretty smells they made… But mummah made sure you were okay.
After what seems like a forever trip, you’re brought to what looks like a super big grassy place with lots of other fluffies and their mummahs and daddehs! You feel like you should be excited… But instead you feel afraid. Mummah gets down to near your level as you look up to her.
“Okay Sapphire, this is called “the park”. Lots of other fluffies and their families come here to play and talk. I expect you to be on your best behaviour here, and no going near the forest.” she says sternly, pointing toward the treesies and bushies.
You tilt your head some at her. “Am dat whewe scawy munstahs come fwom fow fwuffehs?” you ask her.
“That’s where a lot of the feral fluffies live. They like to live in forests and bushes to keep them safe from bigger monsters that want to eat them.”
You nearly have an oopsie accident as you picture something eating another fluffy. How scary!
“Promise momma you won’t go there, okay?”
You nod, trying to shake off that mental image. “Otay mummah. Saffiuh nu go near fowest ow bushies.”
“Good girl.” she says, patting your head. You loved it when she did that, it made you feel all warm inside.
Mummah takes you into the park and up toward the other fluffies. There’s so many of them! Lots of different colors, kinds, and sizes! …But you don’t know any of these fluffies. You look up at your mummah as she unhooks your rope and tells you to go play. You shamble off, looking around at all the happy fluffy faces. You feel a little more at ease.
…Until a small group of fluffies begin running away and screaming from something.
“Waah! Wun! Munstah fwuffeh!” one of them cries out.
“Nu wan’ be nummeh fwuffeh! Nu wan’ sowwy hoofsies!” another screams.
You watch as they scatter, leaving bad poopies and peepees in their wake. From just over a small hill you can spot a familiar, brown colored fluffy. Squinting your eyes, the larger, bulkier fluffy comes into view. You look back at your mummah before pointing at them excitedly and saying…
“Mummah! Wook! Am Dusteh, an’ Mishewwe!”
Mummah puts her hand near her seeing places and looks to where you’re pointing. She looks down at you and smiles.
“Oh, yes it is! Good eyes there, Sapphire! Why don’t you go say hello?”
You run over to Dusty as he clomps his way up the hill. The other fluffies look at you in confusion and terror as you you approach him.
“Why pwetty fwuffeh gu tu munstah fwuffeh?”
“Fwuffeh am hab no feaw?”
You shrugged them off. All you cared about was seeing your bestest friend again! You begin to dash toward him before he recognizes you. His eyes light up as he tries to make a run for you as well… But getting caught on his ropey thingy and being yanked back. His mummah seemed to get tugged forward by the force too.
Dusty sits on the ground, tugging at his own collar some as he coughs. “Ack… Cowwaw gib Dusteh huwties… Wai?”
Michelle crouched down next to him before petting him and unhooking his leash. “Sorry, Dusty. The leash ran out of distance. You have to wait until I unhook you before you can take off like that.” she says, rubbing his mane.
He nods some in understanding before running to you. You grab onto one of his legs tightly as you hug him.
“Dusteh! Fwu-- Saffiuh am su happies tu see 'ou!” you tell him, your tail going what feels like a million miles an hour.
Dusty gently returns the hug. “Dusteh am gwad tu see fwen Saffiuh 'gain too. Am miss 'ou wots.”
The other fluffies gather around cautiously, but keeping their distance.
“Why pwetty fwuffeh gib hugsies tu big scawy munstah fwuffeh?”
“Pwetty fwuffeh nu am get huwtsies fwom scawy munstah?”
Dusty seems to be hurt by them calling him a munstah fluffeh. He looks sad and folds his ears down some before you let go of him and stand defiantly in front.
“Hmph! Dusteh nu am munstah fwuffeh! Dusteh am gud fwuffeh! Hewp Saffiuh hab fwen and wearn tu pway! 'Ou am all du–” You catch yourself, remembering what your mummah told you about using the “D-word”.
“Calling others dummies is not very nice. Only bad fluffies and smarties do that.”
“'Ou fwuffehs am meanie munstah fwuffehs! Nu huwt Dusteh!”
The other fluffies seem to be in shock. They whisper amongst each other as you look across them all. You were afraid of these stranger fluffies, but your will to protect Dusty from these meanies overtook your fear. Dusty smiles a bit before nudging you over with his nose.
“F-Fank ‘oo, Saffiuh. Nu fwuffeh am ebah stan’ up fow Dusteh befow.” he says softly before towering over you, his chest buffed out. He gives one good stomp that you swear would shatter the ground before bellowing out. “Dusteh nu am munstah fwuffeh! Dusteh do his bestest at bein’ gud fwuffeh! ‘Ou all jus’ am meanies!”
The group of fluffies flinch in fear of his stomp and his overpowering voice. Your mummahs just sit on their spot, proudly watching you both. You get up on your feet and shuffle out from underneath him. You were a bit too big to be completely towered over under him.
“Yeah! If 'ou hab pwobwem wif Dusteh, 'ou hab pwobwem wif Saffiuh tu!”
They seem to be deliberating amongst themselves. You felt your tingly fears coming back as you try to stand defiantly with Dusty. It feels like forever before a couple of the bigger, adult fluffies walk toward you two.
“'Ou… 'ou am wite. Fwuffehs du bad and nu gif big fwuffeh chance tu be gud fwuffeh… Fwuffehs am sowwy.” they say, folding their ears down. The rest of the herd seemed to follow the same, guilty suit.
You look up at Dusty as he looks down at you. You both nod before looking back at them.
“If ‘ou mean dat, den nu giv nices’ fwuffeh any moaw heawt huwties. 'Ou said meaniest thingies and make Dusteh hab saddies.”
They nod. “Fwuffehs am sowwy. Nu wan huwt nice fwuffehs… Jus’ look am scawy wif hownsie and wingsies…”
Dusty snorts, blowing your fur around lots. You try to not giggle at how funny it feels.
“Dusteh can fowgib… But must pway wif gud fwuffehs. Dusteh nu wan gib huwties neebur. Huwties am fow munstahs, smawties, an’ bad fwuffehs.”
You watch as the crowd murmurs with each other again. A smaller fluffy rolls a ball over beside you and Dusty.
“F-Fwuffehs… Wan’ pway wif baww?” they ask fearfully.
Dusty looks at the ball before giving it a gentle kick toward some of the smaller fluffies. They see that it isn’t rocketing toward them and decide to chase after it. The older fluffies seem to be a bit more at ease as you and Dusty smile to each other. The littler ones seem to relax, knowing their friends and family are no longer going to be needing to be mean and defend them from Dusty.
You and Dusty play with some of the other fluffies and their ball as you got to know them a little more. You remained close to Dusty as you both enjoyed your time at the park. It seems like there is a lot of other, nice fluffies around… But you still like Dusty the best.