You are Minnie. You have black fluff and red wings and mane, and you are just barely a mare. You have only been full grown for a few bright times.
You know this because that’s why you’re at the shelter.
One day your mummah packed you up in a little box, explained to you that she only liked little fluffy babies, and took you away from your loving home. You pleaded with her, you could figure out how to stay small, you could make some babies of your own, you would love her just as good and play just as hard, you promised! But Mummah didn’t care.
“You’re just not as cute, Minnie. It’s time for a replacement.” she said, and then she set your box by the door of the shelter and drove away.
And so, you sit in the playroom, watching the other fluffies. It’s too hard to play. If you play with the little fluffies you feel out of place, too big and old. The older fluffies don’t really like to play, they like to sit on the sidelines and talk. You’re not good at talking, but you are an old fluffy so you try to join in as much as you can.
“Gawdenia hab sweepy time pictuwe about owd mummah.” The old green mare says, catching your attention.
“Same pictuwe as wast time?” Rollo, a brown unicorn stallion, asked.
Gardenia shook her head. “Mummah nu make sketties, Mummah am wowk in gawden. But nu wet Gawdenia owt! Fwuffy doow am tuu smaww!!”
That reminded you of your mummah. She would go out into the garden often, but the little flappy door would always be open so you could go help her. It was a rather small door, but you always fit.
“Dewe wewe big stowm cwouds! An’ Mummah gu WOOSH! Stowm taek mummah!” Tears pricked the corners of Gardenia’s eyes as she continued. “If Gawdenia wittow fwuffy couwd have saved Mummah! Bu’ nu can!” She lowered her head into her hooves, sobbing softly.
You leaned into her side. “It am jus’ bad sweepie pictuwe. Nu am weaw.”
“Wowwo hab pictuwes about bein’ tuu big tu, nu wowwy.” Rollo said.
“Mummah… Mummah say nu wan Gawdenia any moah cause nu am babbeh…” Gardenia said.
“… Minnie Mummah tuu.” You offered her your hoof, which she hugged tightly. You knew how hard it was, you wished you could have all stayed babies.
“Wait. Yu mummah teww yu nu wan cause nu am babbeh?” Rollo asked.
You nodded, as did Gardenia.
“Was mummah big nice wady? Wif wed fwuff?”
“Yus!” Gardenia cried. You just stared in shock. How did he know what your mummah looked like?
“Den… we hab same mummah.” Rollo whispered.
“…Wha?” Gardenia asked.
“We hab same mummah. She get Gawdenia, den Gawdenia get big an’ she say nu wan’, den get Wowwo, an’ den Wowwo get tuu big an’ she say nu wan’, an’ den she get Minnie.” Rollo explained.
Gardenia burst into tears as you puzzled over this. “Buh… Wai?”
“Nu knu’. Maybe Mummah dummeh, nu knu’ dat fwuffy babbehs get biggew.” He said, staring down at his hooves.
“Mummah… dummeh?” You hadn’t thought of it like that. Yeah, you thought that Gardenia’s mummah and Rollo’s mummah were dummy, but somehow you felt like yours was different. That was your fault, if you could have just figured out how to stay a baby she would have kept you. But that was stupid, wasn’t it? It wasn’t possible for Gardenia or Rollo to stay babies, or any other fluffy. And it was totally unfair of their mummah to want them to! So if you all had the same mummah… “Mummah dummeh! Biggest dummeh! Hatechoo!”
Rollo nodded at your outburst. “Mummah dummeh. Nu fwuffy fawt.”
“Mummahhhh…” Gardenia wailed, holding her hoof out.
“It nu am yu fawt, mummah am dummeh.” You wrapped her up in a tight hug, trying to soothe her. Your stupid mummah! How dare she do this to so many fluffies? Didn’t she know how much this hurt?
“Mummah…” Rollo said, and you looked up. Standing at the edge of the pen, holding a small purple foal, was your mummah! The foal looked overjoyed, hugging her hand tightly as she talked to one of the workers.
“MUMMAH!” you shouted, untangling yourself from Gardenia and joining Rollo as he ran to the front of the pen.
Mummah gave you a sidelong look as she turned with her new foal to leave. You slammed into the small baby gate, hooves shoved through the little holes.
“Mummah!! Nu taek babbeh!!! Taek Minnie!! Mumm-” You were cut off by one of the workers grabbing you by the scruff.
“No begging! You know better!” He held you up, hands on his hips.
“Buh… dat am Minnie mummah!!”
He sighed heavily. “I know it’s hard to watch another fluffy get a home, but you can’t be demanding like that.” Mummah turned the corner, cooing at the little foal. “That’s his mummah and we’re going to be happy for him, okay?”
“Buh… buh dat am Minnie mummah!” You tried to explain. “Nu am babbeh mummah, am Minnie!”
“Alright, sorry box for you then.” You were hauled out of the room, getting one last look at Rollo’s sad eyes with his hooves up on the pen as you did. “We’ll talk after you’ve had some time to calm down."