You are Grass! You’re a fluffy colt with green fluff and a yellow mane! You’re mummah’s second favorite baby. Your brother Bestest has a horn and a pink mane like your daddeh and orange fluff like your mummah. Your sister is Dust, she’s got grey fluff and a pink mane, and you have another sister your mummah calls Worstest. She’s orange with a red mane. You asked mummah once why she wasn’t bestest too, with her orange fluff and she said it was because it was “da wong owange”. You didn’t really understand.
Your daddy was a toughie in a big herd! A giant herd! More fluffies than you could even count! Maybe even more fluffies than Smarty could count! When Smarty wanted to talk to the herd he had to stand up on top of one of his toughies so everyone could hear him and you and your mummah would be waaaaay far away from him! You couldn’t see him, but Bestest could from on top of your mummah! He said your daddeh was right there next to Smarty too!
Smarty said the herd was going to go take land from the humans! Lots of land! With lots of food! And no one would be hungry ever again! Lots of fluffies cheered when he said this. You were excited to go to a new place! But now… you weren’t so sure. You walked and walked and walked and walked until your hoofsies leaked boo boo juice. Mummah carried Bestest, but he wouldn’t let anyone else take a turn. Daddeh couldn’t walk with you because he had “sponsewbiwities”, whatever that meant. You missed him.
After the fourth full day of walking, after the herd stopped to graze and find places to sleep, you asked your mummah “How much wongah?”
“Mummah nu knu babbeh.” She said, picking mouthfuls of grass for Bestest. “Mabbeh wun moah bwite time.”
“Mummah say dat wast bwite time!” Worstest shouted.
Mummah gave her a hoof to the nose. “Nu yeww at mummah!”
Worstest began to cry, and Dust went to comfort her. You felt bad for her, you didn’t really understand why mummah was so meanie to her.
“Daddeh am bak!” Bestest squealed, pointing with a chubby hoof.
“Hewwo babbehs!” Daddeh trotted up and hugged Bestest to his chest, nuzzling mummah.
“Hab gud wawkies?” Mummah asked him.
Daddeh looked worried. “Yus, but saw hoomans, Smawty take sum toughies tu gu wook.”
“Smawty am strongest fwuffy!” Bestest chirped. “Gib hoomans stompies!”
“Daddeh, how much wongah?” You asked.
“Nu much.” Daddeh pointed at the twinkly lights on the horizon. “Dat am cee-tee. Smawty say cawwed Naw’wins”
“Naw’wins…” you said softly, admiring the lights.
“When hewd get dewe, we take ceetee an hab aww da nummies.” Daddeh explained.
You started to ask another question when a scream rang out into the dusk. Then another. And another.
“Take babbehs an wun.” Daddeh said firmly, turning towards the screams. Fluffies were beginning to panic, running away from the noise in a tidal wave of scared babbling.
“Nu weab spechow fwend!” Mummah cried, but Daddeh ignored her, darting into the stampede and disappearing.
Mummah stared after him for a moment, then turned to her foals. “Stay close to Mummah!” She said, picking up Bestest and setting him on her shoulders. He buried his face in her fluff, and your little family began to run.
Your heart pounded in your ears and your hooves ached with every step you took but you kept up with your mummah, Dust to your side and Worstest just behind you. All you could hear was the panicked voices of fluffies, calling for friends, asking for directions, begging for mercy. The screams of fluffies rose in volume the further you went, getting closer and more numerous by the second. You didn’t dare look back, not until-
“SCREEEE!” A high pitched call went out, your heart stopped. Turning back, Worstest was on the ground.
“Sowwy babbeh!” A blue fluffy called back, continuing to run.
Dashing to her side, you tried to urge her on. “Godda wun sissy! Nu time fow wayin’!”
“Huuu! Nu can! Wowstest huwties!” Her hind leg was twisted in the sparse grass, laying limply behind her.
“Mummah, Wowstest nee-” You called forward, but your mummah was nowhere to be seen. You and your sister were a rock in a river of panicked fluffies, hooves thundering all around you. “MUMMAH?!”
“SCREEEE!” Worstest screamed again as another hoof came down on her broken leg, the yellow stallion not even bothering to apologize as he ran past.
You quickly jumped over her, blocking her hurt leg with your body. “Gwass pwotec! Nu huwt sissy!” You called. The fluffies parted around you, indifferent to your stance. “Nu wowwy sissy, Daddeh cumin!”
The screams grew ever louder, and you could see figures, humans. You stared in horror as they swung big sticks, hooking fluffies on the ends and stuffing them in big bags. Why wasn’t Smarty stopping them? Where was your daddeh?! Every muscle in your body screamed at you to run as the humans got closer and closer, but your sister’s sobbing under you kept you rooted to the spot. You had to protect her.
You heard a WOOSH and a brown fluffy next to you was yanked into the air, making a horrible choking noise. A human covered in black not-fluff shoved him into the big bag at her side, and looked down at you.
“NU HUWT SISSY!” You cried, shaking in every limb.
The pole whipped towards you, a loud SWISH, and then something was tight around your neck. You were lifted into the air by it, your hooves pawing against the choking tightness and your scardie peepee dribbling down below you. The human evaluated you for a moment, looking over you coldly as your vision started to go blue around the edges. Then you were roughly shoved into a bag, the pressure releasing and blissfully fresh air filling your lungs again.
You knocked around the dark bag, hooves kicking into your side and unknown fluids dripping over you, too hazy to properly know where you were or how long you had been there. Muffled screams and distorted sobs surrounded you, but you could hear other noises. Humans talking, low rumbling, and then loud music. It was pretty music, a small comfort to your returning faculties.
The bag was roughly tossed, you thankfully seemed to be on top of the mass but you heard a few shrill voices at the bottom cry out about their “Weggies” and “Huwties!” A sliver of light shone in between the bodies, and a foals voice cried out, “Bad upsies!!” The bodies around you kicked and squirmed, screaming and crying. You just curled into a ball, shivering and sobbing. You wanted your mummah, your sissy, your daddeh. You yelped as a hand grabbed you, pulling you from the mass of miserable fluffies.
“Ah! You’re making my job easy!” You peeked out from behind your hooves as a human held you by the scruff, smiling widely. “Don’t even godda paint ya!”
“…nu huwt…” You chirped, shaking in his grasp.
“Oh, I’m not gonna hurt ya! Gonna get ya nice and clean, it’ll be real quick I promise!” He carried you across the room, the loud music muffled by the thick brick walls. All around you were people handling fluffy foals, most crying and cowering, but some laughing and getting hugged. The man adjusted you, holding you to his chest and you relaxed slightly, it felt something like a hug.
“Now, I’m gonna wipe you down, and then you’ll be ready to go!” He set you down on a metal table.
“…Wedy? Fo wha?” You asked as dug through a red bucket on the table next to you
“For Mardi Gras! We’re real lucky to have found ya, one of our shipments didn’t show up!” He poked your belly. “An’ your colors are perfect, a proper Mardi Gras fluffy!”
“Fwuffy name am Gwass, nu Gwah.”
The man gave out a guffaw, a friendly one that got you giggling as well. “You’re a comedian, eh? Mardi Grass! Haha!”
Something clicked in you, an instinctual joy. Your name was Mardi Grass! “Mawdi Gwass wub nyu namesie! …Am… am nyu daddeh?” You needed a new daddeh. Nothing was wrong with your fluffy daddeh, no, but… you needed a human to care for you. To play with, to feed you, to give you hugs and love!
“Ah, no, fluffino.” He wiped you gently with a wet cloth. It smelled nice, like flowers! “But you gonna have a new daddy out in the crowd.” He gently picked you up so he could wipe your underside.
“In da cwowd?” So many new words today, so much to learn.
The man smiled, scooping you up again. “One of the gals is gonna make you fly, and your new daddy will catch you! Just be a good boy and wait in the box, got it?”
You nodded, and the man set you gently in a shallow box with a bunch of other foals. They were in shades of green, yellow, and purple and all crying, mumbling about “bad wawas”. You comforted them as best as you could. You all were getting new families, who would love you!
Another box was set on top of yours, but a thin gap was left between them where you could look out. You watched as humans of all colors walked past, you didn’t know humans came in fun colors like fluffies did! The box shook, and you were carried over to a giant structure of bright colors and detailed designs. It was the prettiest thing you had ever seen! The music got louder and louder, until you couldn’t hear the sobbing foals behind you. The top box was removed, and you looked up at an orange human with pink fluff. It reminded you of your brother, and for a moment you missed him. You hoped Bestest was with his new daddeh.
Your heart soared as she reached into the box. You held your hooves open, reaching up and she picked you! You were first to get a new daddeh! She held you up and you stared in awe at all the humans! As many as there were fluffies in your old herd, all covered in sparkly strings and bits of color! All cheering and singing and smiling! Smiling at you!!
“AM MAWDI GWASS!” You cheered, barely audible even to yourself.
The human’s arm pulled back, and then you flew! You closed your eyes in bliss, holding out your hooves for your new daddeh’s hugs, joyful tears streaming down your cheeks.
With a crunch you slammed into the pavement. You had only a few moments of pain before your damaged spine could truly end your life, but it was enough to wonder why your daddeh didn’t catch you. Maybe… you did something wrong?
Your body was lost among the litter of the parade, just another bit of trash for the street sweepers to get in the morning.