Deco was ecstatic to meet his new friend Pumpkin, even if the poor foal was still technically alone. Trying to perceive where the muffled voice was closest, Deco finally discovered that wherever Pumpkin was outside his sorry-box, it was coming from below him. Huddling against the padded mat of his sorry-lamp, Deco giggled despite his grim situation, his worries forgotten for the moment.
“*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…deco su happ’ees fow pum’kin! …*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…deco wuv fwend pum’kin!”
There was an audible silence, a moment after Deco had finished speaking where the foal heard nothing, whimpering slightly. Had it been a trick, some horrible joke the lonely foal’s mind was playing on him. As Deco peeped nervously, afraid of the vast silence, his heart was lifted as he heard his friend again.
“…deco sow’nd su widdew…am deco babbeh?”
His tail wagging at the voice’s reemergence, Deco instinctively pressed himself against the lamp’s padded floor, wanting to be closer to Pumpkin’s voice, even if it was only by a fraction of an inch.
“*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…deco fwa’d wose pum’kin! …*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…yus…deco am bab’eh…*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…”
“…dat am saddies…”
The pair talked on through the perceived night, with Deco’s mood improving greatly, the little foal having another of his kind to speak with for the first time since he was taken from his mother, so many forevers ago. Despite his excitement at finding his new friend Pumpkin, it wasn’t long before Deco began to yawn, struggling to keep his eyes open.
“…am babbeh deco otay?”
“*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…deco otay pum’kin…*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…jus swe’pees…*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…buh deco nee’ bwite ting! …*chirp…*chirp…ne’ba swe’pees in dawk’ees…”
“…it be otay deco…pum’kin kno dawkies am scawy…maek babbeh deco afwa’d…buh dawkies onwy seem scawies…nu huwtchu…pum’kin pwomise…”
“*chirp…*chirp…weaw’ee? …*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…dawk’ees nu ba’? …*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…buh su scaw’ee! …*chirp…*chirp…”
“…pum’kin tink dawkies scawy tu, mani fowebas gu…buh nao nu am su ba’…onwy ting pum’kin nu wike is be awone…dats wai pum’kin happies fow deco…eben if pum’kin hab saddies fow deco…nu wan babbeh be twapped wike pum’kin…nu am faiw…”
“*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…wai am pum’kin 'wone? …*chirp…*chirp…*chirp…”
Pumpkin was quiet after Deco’s question, the little foal just able to make out the other fluffy’s muffled sobbing. Silent for several minutes, Pumpkin finally responded, her tone far more sullen than before.
“…it am wate babbeh deco…babbeh am sweepies, an’ su am pum’kin…deco twy an sweep…pum’kin tawkies wiff deco nyu bwite time…gud nite deco…”
Saddened by Pumpkin ending their conversation, Deco peeped quietly, wishing that he could keep talking to the other fluffy. Just hearing her voice soothed the anxious foal, with Deco becoming nervous as the quiet settled in once more. Lying against the padded mat of the lamp’s bottom, the foal chirped quietly, holding out his nubs as he tried to hug against it, pretending it was Pumpkin.
“*chirp…*chirp…gud nite pum’kin…*chirp…*chirp…deco wuv yu…”
Weeks went by as the pair grew to know each other, growing closer with each passing day. Deco had become far less prone to chirping, despite the foal not having grown much larger. But that scarcely bothered Deco, spending nearly all his waking moments chatting with Pumpkin, sometimes even pretending that his friend was in the lamp with him, close enough for Deco to hold.
“…su wat am a fwuffpiwe 'gain pum’kin?”
“…dat am wen wots an wots ob fwuffies aww cuddews an’ huggies tu’gethah deco, wike wen deco bown wiff mummah…pum’kin tink fwuffies awweady tawkies bout dat…”
“…sowwy pum’kin…deco fowgot…”
Deco knew he’d asked about fluffpiles before, as well as anything else he could think of to ask Pumpkin. While they spoke for most of the day after the foal would wake up, it seemed that the silence didn’t bother Pumpkin nearly as much as Deco, with the foal desperate to hear the other fluffy speak, even if it meant Pumpkin repeating herself.
“…dats otay deco…pum’kin kno deco nu kno wots bout fwuffies…”
It was true that Deco knew little of fluffies and what it was like for a fluffy that lived outside a sorry-lamp. There was an appeal that the foal couldn’t quite describe as he listened to Pumpkin simply talk about what it was to be a fluffy: to stay in a safe-room, to sleep and cuddle in a pile, to be hugged and loved by a human. Deco would often find himself quietly cooing as Pumpkin described what it was like to be held, for a human to actually make physical contact with a fluffy, how warm and soothing it felt. But there had been nights where Deco’s mind had lingered on the thought too much, the foal realizing that he’d never know what it was like, to be held by either fluffy or person. Since then, Deco hadn’t talked much about humans all that much, but couldn’t help asking about other fluffies.
“tank yu pum’kin! pum’kin am su nices tu deco! deco wuvs pum’kin fow dat!”
“…pum’kin…pum’kin nu mind…”
Deco’s heart was always broken a little when he’d tell Pumpkin that he loved her, only for the mare to never reciprocate. It felt strange and even a little mean that no matter how often Deco said it, Pumpkin didn’t love him back, making the foal feel at times that he had done something wrong, had upset Pumpkin in some way. He wanted desperately to ask her why she didn’t love him, but was far too scared to hear the answer.
“…pum’kin am tiwed deco…am gowna twy an west…”
“…otay pum’kin…gud nite…”
Once again Deco tried to ignore the deafening silence, nearly chirping out of habit as he shut his eyes and laid down, attempting to force himself to sleep. It took a long while, with his mind wandering to thoughts of Pumpkin, but eventually the sullen foal finally fell asleep.