After a couple of hours of “watching” FluffTV with Sapphire (let’s be honest here, you were mostly reading your book while halfway paying attention to the show to respond to Sapphire’s questions and excitement), you turn off the TV and let her down onto the floor. Sapphire looks back toward you for a moment before saying…
“Saffiuh am goin’ tu make gud poopies an’ pwaysies, mummah.”
You nod at her. “Alright sweet pea, just let momma fix your pen wall before you play.”
You follow her into her safe room and shift her pen’s adjustable walls over so that it blocks off access to your bathroom and computer area. Sapphire does her business in her litterbox before you pet her on the head affectionately and roll her ball to her. She seems to be enjoying chasing after the smaller indoor ball as you stand up and mostly close the door on your way out.
Sapphire plays quietly in her room, much quieter than your average fluffy, while you begin to plan out dinner. Tonight you decided to make her a smaller, yummier meal of spaghetti with little bits of chicken. As you take out the package of chicken from the fridge, your phone rings. Washing your hands, you heave a sigh.
“Who could be calling at this hour?” you ask yourself before drying off and going to answer the phone. “Hello, Erin and Sapphire’s residence, Erin speaking.”
A smooth-voiced male began talking on the other end. You recognize it as Dr. Devin, the vet that performed Sapphire’s exam.
“Ah, miss Erin. Good to hear from you again. This is Dr. Devin speaking.” he starts.
“Oh, Dr. Devin. I didn’t expect you to be calling at this hour.” you say, looking at the nearby wall-mounted clock.
“Yes, it’s basically closing time for us, but it’s been a busy day and we’ve got Sapphire’s test results back.” You can hear him flipping through his papers.
You pause. Your heart begins to beat in your ears as your throat tightens up. All you can muster out is…
“Aaaannd… How is she?”
He gives a rough cough. “Ah, excuse me. Sapphire has a clean bill of health. Bloodwork was normal, cell counts were normal, organ functions good…” You could feel the pause he had as he continued to look through the papers.
“…But?”
“But there is one thing we need to talk about.”
Your heart nearly stops as your stomach drops. Was there something wrong in her DNA? Did she have a defect of sorts? Your mind began to race with all the different non-illness possibilities.
“Erin? Are you there?” he asks.
His voice snaps you out of your trance before you nod. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I’m here. Is there something wrong?”
“Well… Wrong isn’t the right word for it…” he pauses again as he double checks the notes and considers his next string of words. “By all means, she’s an exemplary specimen of health… It’s her height.”
“Her… Height?” you ask in confusion. You peer from the phone into the crack in the doorway to Sapphire’s room. She hadn’t been growing too much since her initial growth spurt, but you never really thought much of it. “Is there something wrong with it?”
He gives an audible “Hmm…” as he thinks for a moment. “Well, yes and no.”
Yes and no? What does he mean?
“You see, Sapphire’s height is much, much shorter than other fillies her age… Or what we perceive to be her age. According to what I see in the results here… I think what you have is a very, very rare little gift indeed.”
A… Gift? Sapphire is a rare gift?
“What do you mean? What makes her a… “little rare gift”?”
“Well, being a fluffy specialist yourself, I’m sure you’ve heard of the rare phenomenon known as teacup fluffies, have you not?”
“…Teacup… Fluffies? But she doesn’t look anything like a cup…”
Dr. Devin gives an audible, hearty laugh. “No, no. Not like an aquatic or bowl fluffy. Not in the literal sense. More like in the teacup poodle, or teacup yorkie sense. She’s a rare sub-breed of fluffy that’s shorter than normal, but not short enough to be considered a runt or a micro.”
You pause to think. Sapphire’s smaller stature would make a lot more sense if she happened to be a teacup fluffy…
“But aren’t teacup subspecies of animals usually a lot more frail than normal? Sapphire seems to be just as strong as any normal, healthy fluffy.”
“Mmm. Yes, normally that would be the case, but clearly it is not in this instance. I think whatever her parents genetics are like, she got a good set of musculo-skeletal genetics.”
You think a little more. “Her mother was quite hefty… But I don’t know about her father. Either one could have had any of these genes…”
“It’s possible that either parent could’ve been a teacup, or had recessive teacup genes. Same goes for her physical durability traits. Either way, she’s one tough little girl, and she would be worth a fortune to the right bidder.”
Yeah… As if someone would want to buy a feral fluffy for a high price tag… You shook your head some, getting those dark thoughts out of your mind.
“I wouldn’t sell her anyway. She’s too important.”
Dr. Devin chuckles some. “Well, take good care of her and she’ll live a good, long life. Little Sapphire is quite the phenom and you’re very lucky to have come across her.”
You nod some. “Is that all of the results?”
“Yes. Other than that, she has a totally clean bill of health and has my approval for being around other domestics. Would you like for me to give you a copy of the paperwork before I send it to Mr. Steve?”
“Yes, please. I want to keep her records on hand.”
“Alright, I’ll make sure you both get copies then. Have a nice night, miss Erin. Send my regards to your little one!”
“Alright, thank you.” you say before hanging up.
You stand there, quietly biting your index finger as you think. Sapphire pokes her head through the crack in the doorway and looks up at you.
“Mummah? …Am mummah otay?” she asks you in her softer, lighter tone.
You release the grip you had on your finger before turning and looking at Sapphire. “Yes, momma’s okay. She just got some very big news from the nice Dr. Devin.” you tell her, squatting down.
Sapphire comes running over to you as you pet her head. “Whu’ am ductuh debin say 'bout Saffiuh?” she asks.
You give her a soft smile. “He said you’re completely healthy. No sickies or yuckies anywhere… And that you’re a very special little fluffy.”
Sapphire looked up at you in confusion. “Saffiuh am speshul? How am speshuls?”
“It’s kind of hard to explain. You’re a special kind of fluffy that a lot of people would really want.”
Sapphire’s head began to swirl with thoughts. A lot of people would want her…? But why her?
“Does dat mean mummah am gun gib Saffiuh 'way?” She sounds dejected, probably remembering her actual mother and how she was forced to give her up.
You shake your head. “No, silly. Momma would never want to give you away. This is your forever home now.”
Sapphire nods and hugs your leg. “Otay mummah. Fank 'oo fow fowebah homesies.” Her tone didn’t sound very enthusiastic… Almost defeated.
“Alright sweetheart. Momma needs to go make nummies now, okay?”
Sapphire nods before letting go and returning to her safe room. You return to the kitchen to continue… Or rather start working on dinner.
You both ate quietly tonight. Sapphire sat on her little mat on the table with her plate of chicken and spaghetti… But she wasn’t super excited over it. You quietly watched her as you ate your own plate of veggies and chicken, worried about her. Once you both finished, you set her down on the floor and clean the dishes. Sapphire sits on the step above the section of kitchen you were in. She looks visibly upset.
“Mummah?” she asks.
“Yes, my sparkling little gemstone?”
“Can… Can Saffiuh gu see bestes’ fwen’ Dusteh?”
You shake your head as you put a plate aside before dunking your hands back into the soapy water. “No, sweetie. It’s too late for us to go and visit Dusty.”
Her ears fold down in disappointment. “… Den… Den can Dusteh come see Saffiuh?” she tries again.
You frown some at her tone. “No, hun. It’s too late. It’s just about darkie times and good fluffies don’t go out after dark.”
Sapphire’s eyes well up in tears. She gives an all too familiar “Humph!” in response as her cheeks puff out. She shakes a little in frustration before saying…
“Mummah nu wuv Saffiuh nu moaw! Saffiuh wan’ see bestes’ fwen’ Dusteh! Mummah am dummeh! Hatchu!” before running off crying into her safe room.
You pause what you were doing. You’ve never seen her quite that upset… It was almost like a mixture of a smarty hissy fit and sheer upsetness. That defiant “hmph” she gave was something you have a lot of experience dealing with from spoiled foals and defiant, near smarty development adolescent fluffies… You heave a heavy sigh. You’ll have to nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand…
You finish up with the dishes before drying your hands off. You walk into Sapphire’s safe room, holding a small box behind your back. Sapphire is pouting in her bed, still crying softly. She looks up at you for a second before turning away. You step in.
“Sapphire, what has momma told you about calling others “dummies”?” you ask her.
Sapphire simply refuses to answer, giving you the silent treatment. You sit down on the floor outside of her designated “safe pen space” that you established with her some days ago.
“Sapphire, momma is talking to you. You don’t ignore momma.” you say with a stern tone.
She puts her nose up into the air defiantly. “Saffiuh wan’ see bestes’ fwen’, but mummah nu wuv Saffiuh no moaw. Nu wet see Dusteh…” She seems very hung up on seeing him.
She clearly doesn’t want to talk this out… So you have no choice but to bring out your ace in the hole. You thunk the plastic milk crate, reinforced with cardboard, down onto the floor next to you. It’s colored with various unhappy colors and stickers with various unhappy faces around it. On the two sides and the back, it reads “BAD FLUFFY SORRY BOX”.
You point to it and ask her, “Sapphire, do you know what this is?”
She looks at it for a moment, slightly confused.
“This, Sapphire, is called momma’s “Bad Fluffy Sorry Box.” Fluffies who misbehave and act like bad fluffies get put in here as punishment.”
You watch as your words begin to sink into her head.
“Nu! Fwuffeh nu am bad fwuffeh! Nu wan’ sowwy bawx!” she pleads, crying more.
You merely shake your head some. “Nope, I’m sorry sweetheart, but you broke the rules. You acted out and called momma a “dummy” like a bad fluffy. Momma’s gotta put you into her sorry box.”
Sapphire began to beg and plead more before you picked her up with one hand. Using the other, you open the foldable top and lower her in. As you do so, she begins to kick and scream.
“SCREEEEE! NU! NU WAN’ SOWWY BAWXIE! SAFFIUH AM SOWWIE! NUUU MUMMAH!” she bawls.
It greatly hurts you, but you set her inside and fold the top closed. It’s now mostly dark inside except for a small view hole for her to peer out of it. She begins to scratch at the walls.
“Huu huu… Nu wike sowwy bawx… Nu wike dawkies…”
“You’ll stay in there and think about what you did wrong. Momma will decide when it is time to let you out.” you tell her, before picking up the box and setting it out in the living room so she can watch you as you “relax.”
Over the next hour, you’d hear various sobs and pleas from her. Even though it hurt you greatly to hear them, you willingly ignored them, trying to get the message across that her actions have consequences and will not be tolerated. You looked over at the clock before setting your book and drink down and approaching her box.
You sit down in front of it so your body blocks the view port and she has to look at you… Or the darkness. She opts to look at you with bloodshot eyes.
“M-Mummah am wet fwuffeh out of sowwy bawx?” she asks through soft sobs.
You shake your head. “Not yet. First, you need to remember your name.”
She nods a little. “S-Sowwy… Namesie am Saffiuh, nuh fwuffeh…”
“Good. Now, can you tell momma why you were put into the sorry box?” Sapphire is hesitant to respond. “If you don’t tell momma, you’ll be spending the night in your sorry box.”
The realization of being stuck in the sorry box for the whole darkie time bothered her greatly. She really didn’t want to incriminate herself… But if she didn’t speak, she would be stuck in that small, dark space.
“Saffiuh was bad fwuffeh…” You could practically hear her little heart breaking.
“Mhm, and why were you a bad fluffy?”
“Saffiuh cawwed mummah a dummeh… Saffiuh said bad, meanie fings 'bout mummah…”
“Yes, and what else?”
She paused to think. You could almost swear smoke was going to come out of her ears from thinking so hard.
“…Nu kno’…”
Well, at least she got two things right. You sigh.
“It’s because you threw a tantrum like a smarty would. When momma told you know, you began to get angry and fussy. You don’t want to have a smarty box, do you?”
Sapphire recoiled a bit. She was… a smarty? A bad, smarty fluffy? And… What was a smarty box? Was it worse than a sorry box? But the sorry box was already so bad! She began to cry some more.
“Nuuu! Mummah…! Saffiuh nu am smawty! Nu wan’ be smawty! Nu wan’ sowwy ou’ smawty bawxies! Saffiuh nu am bad fwuffeh!” she bawls.
You can’t help but feel bad for her. You gently tap on the top of the box to shock her out of her mental “am bad fluffy” loop.
“Momma knows you don’t want to be a bad fluffy… But you can’t act like that, sweet pea. Only bad, smarty fluffies act like that.”
She looks at you through the view hole, putting her face right up to it so you can see her distressed expression.
“B-Buh… Saffiuh wan’ see Dusteh su baddies… Mummah nu wet Saffiuh see Dusteh… Saffiuh miss Dusteh… Wan’ huggies and safies wif Dusteh…”
Just then it clicked in your head. Sapphire wasn’t acting out of being spoiled… She was feeling insecure and wanted to see Dusty so he could make her feel better. She was lonely and scared.
“I know, sweetie… But momma didn’t say no because she didn’t want you to see your friend. She said that so you and him would be safe and able to see each other on other bright days.”
Sapphire wiped her tears some. “…‘oo mean ‘oo was jus’ pwotectin’ Saffiuh an’… an’ Dusteh?”
You nod some. “That’s right.”
Sapphire sat back from the view port and tapped her hooves together, looking down sadly. “Saffiuh am sowwy, mummah… Nu mean tu be meanies… Jus’ wan’ see bestes’ fwen’ Dusteh…”
You sigh softly before opening the top. She looks up at you in shame before you gently pet her head.
“As long as you learned your lesson, that’s what matters. We don’t pout like a smarty, we talk out our feelings…”
Sapphire nodded and began to coo at your affectionate touch. “Otay mummah. Wiww twy tu wemembuh dat.”
You gently lift her out of the box and set her on the floor. For the next little bit, you played with her using a cat toy on a string. Once she was thoroughly worn out, you put her to bed and relaxed on your own for the evening.
You’re surprised at how much she acted up today in spite of just wanting to see Dusty again. You guess that she must’ve been feeling extremely insecure after what happened this afternoon, between the ferals attacking her, and your… Monstrous display of furious protection. Still, you’ll have to keep an eye on her behaviour and make sure she doesn’t fall into the smarty mental disease trap.
Learning about her being a teacup fluffy was also quite the shock… You thought she was just developmentally delayed… But with how fast her learning process is, and how strong her little body seems to be, maybe her smaller stature was actually just a genetic blessing.
You put your book down for the night before gowning yourself in your pajamas and turning off the light. You climb into bed for another night’s sleep. Who knows what waits for you two in the morning?
