Lucy was beyond excited to have her very own pets and couldn’t wait to get home to play with them. As they drove home, Lucy could hear the soft cooing and rustling of her new fluffies in the trunk of the car.
(Recapish: Princess was a beautiful alicorn fluffy with a pure white coat and bright pink mane and tail. She had big, innocent, blue eyes that seemed to sparkle. Her sister Poopy, on the other hand, was a regular earth fluffy with a dull brown coat and a pink mane and tail. She was larger than Princess, but she seemed to be more timid and nervous.)
The two fluffies snuggled close together in the darkness of the trunk, the rumble of the car’s engine lulling them almost to sleep. But then, Princess let out a soft whimper.
“What wong, Pwincess?” Poopy asked, her ears perking up with concern.
“Nee’ poopies,” Princess replied, her voice trembling. “Nu wan make bad poopies.”
Suddenly, the car hit a bump, and Princess let out a soft whine. Poopy sniffed at the air, immediately detecting the foul scent of waste.
Her body tensed, and she felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She had only eaten waste once at the mill, but the memory of it came rushing back at the familiar scent.
“Poopy, nu wan Mummah see Pwincess aww diwty,” Princess said. "Poopy wittah paw, wike Sammy say. You hewp Pwincess, pwease? That Poopy’s speciaw job!”
Poopy’s ears drooped, and she looked at her sister with a mixture of disgust and guilt. “I-I nu wike it, Pwincess,” she said, her voice shaking. “It yucky.”
As Poopy looked at her sister, trembling in fear and covered in her own filth, she knew she couldn’t let their new Mummah see her like this. She hesitated for a moment, her stomach churning.
“But if Mummah see Pwincess aww diwty, she be mad at us,” Princess continued on, her eyes welling up with tears. “She fink we bad fwuffies. You nu wan dat, wight?”
Poopy’s heart sank at the thought of disappointing their new Mummah. With a resigned sigh, she began to lick the waste off of Princess, trying to be as quick and discreet as possible.
When she was finally finished, she collapsed next to Princess, her body trembling with fear and disgust. Princess snuggled up to her, a strange look on her face. “You bestes’ wittah paw, Poopy,” she said, “Pwincess nu know what she do widout you.”
Poopy looked at her sister, a feeling of unease settling in the pit of her stomach. Something about Princess’s behavior didn’t sit right with her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She shook her head, pushing the thought aside.
When the car finally came to a stop, Poopy felt a mix of relief and anxiety. She was glad to be out of the dark trunk, but she was also nervous about what their new home would be like. She heard the sound of doors opening and closing, and then the trunk was opened, letting in a flood of light. She blinked her eyes at the sudden brightness.
Lucy’s face appeared above them, beaming with excitement. “Hey, little guys!” she cooed, wiggling her fingers at them.
“Sowwy, Mummah,” Princess said straight away. “Thewe was a mess, an’ Poopy twied tu hewp, but Poopy made it wowse."
Lucy’s gaze shifted to Poopy, who looked up at her with wide, fearful eyes. “What do you mean, Poopy tried to help?” she asked.
Princess hung her head low. “Sowwy, Mummah. Poopy ate Pwincess poopies.”
Poopy’s stomach dropped as Lucy’s face contorted in disgust. “What? Why would she do that?”
“Because she’s my wittah paw,” Princess explained, looking up at Lucy with innocent eyes. “Dat’s what wittah paws do."
Lucy’s stomach turned at the thought. “That’s disgusting,” she said, her voice laced with revulsion. “I don’t want my fluffies to be litter pals.”
Poopy’s ears drooped, and she looked down at the ground, her body trembling with fear and shame.
Lucy softened her tone, not wanting to scare her new pets. “It’s okay, Poopy,” she said. “We’ll just have to train you not to do that anymore. It’s not your job to clean up after Princess.”
Poopy felt a pang of guilt and betrayal. She had tried to do the right thing, and now she was being blamed for it. But there was nothing Poopy could do about it now. She just hung her head and accepted Lucy’s gentle scolding, hoping that someday she would be able to prove herself as a good fluffy, despite what had happened.
“What’s taking you so long, Lucy? We need to get the fluffies inside and settled," her mother called from the front porch.
Lucy hesitated, not wanting to admit the truth. “Um, they had an accident in the trunk,” she finally said.
Her dad groaned. “What kind of accident?”
“A poop accident,” Lucy mumbled, avoiding eye contact.
Her mom sighed. “Well, you’re the one who wanted them for your birthday. You’ll have to clean it up.”
Lucy nodded, feeling a pang of guilt. She had promised her parents that she would take full responsibility for the fluffies and their care. "I will,” she replied. “I’ll take them to the bathroom and give them a bath.”
“Don’t worry, girls,” Lucy said, turning back to her fluffiest. “We’ll get you all cleaned up and ready to play. You’re going to love your new home.”
Lucy tried her best to make her voice soothing as she reached in to grab her new pets. Poopy flinched away, still wary of being handled by humans after her experience with Sammy. Lucy gently put the two sisters in a carrier together.
Poopy peaked out through the metal bars as they were carried through the doors into the house, down the hallway, and into a room.
Lucy set the carrier down on the bathroom counter, and soon after Poopy could hear the sound of running water. She huddled closer to Princess, her heart pounding in her chest.
Poopy watched as Lucy filled the sink with warm water and added a few drops of shampoo. The brown fluffy whimpered softly, her body trembling.
Lucy opened it up. She reached in and gently lifted Princess out, cradling her in one arm. “Who’s a pretty girl?” she cooed, stroking Princess’s mane.
“Pwincess ish!” the alicorn called.
The (almost) 11 year old girl giggled. “Good girl. Now let’s get you all cleaned up," Lucy said, lowering the alicorn into the water.
Princess let out a soft cry as the water touched her fur, but she didn’t struggle. Lucy gently washed her, taking care to avoid getting water in her eyes and ears.
Poopy watched, her heart racing. She knew she was next, and she couldn’t help but feel terror. The thought of being submerged in water made her tremble.
After a few minutes, Lucy lifted Princess out of the water and wrapped her in a hand towel. “There you go, all clean and fresh,” she said, setting the alicorn aside.
Then she turned to Poopy. “Okay, sweetie, it’s your turn.”
Poopy let out a soft whine as Lucy reached into the carrier and lifted her out. She clung to Lucy’s arm, her body shaking.
Lucy lowered her into the water, and Poopy let out a cry. The water was warm, but it still felt strange and scary. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the sensation.
Lucy washed her gently, taking care not to scare her any more than necessary. Poopy could hear her soft voice as she talked to her, but she couldn’t make out the words. All she could focus on was the feeling of the water and the fear that consumed her.
After what felt like an eternity, Lucy lifted her out of the water and wrapped her in a towel. Poopy hugged Lucy’s fingers, still shaking.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Lucy said, stroking her fur. “You’re all clean now. You did so well.”
Poopy let out a soft whimper, still feeling scared and vulnerable. She didn’t like the water, and she didn’t like being separated from Princess. But she knew Lucy was trying to help her, and she trusted her new Mummah to take care of her.
While Lucy was bathing her new pets, her parents had been setting up a “safe room” for the fluffies in Lucy’s bedroom. This room was a pen just tall enough that an adult fluffy couldn’t get over it. The walls looked much like baby gates with holes all around to look through. Inside was a few fluffy-friendly toys, bowls for food and water, and bedding.
She carefully opened the carrier again to let the two fluffies out. Princess immediately pranced around the corner, her tiny wings fluttering with excitement. She quickly took to a stuffed bear that was as large as she was. Poopy, however, seemed a bit overwhelmed and hesitated to explore the “safe room”.
Lucy left to clean the brown stain out of her parent’s trunk, but when she came back Poopy was still curled up in the carrier.
Lucy felt a pang of guilt as she peeked at her new fluffy. Poopy hadn’t been her first choice. In fact, she had only gotten her because the mill workers had insisted that she and Princess were a bonded pair and couldn’t be separated. Lucy couldn’t help but feel disappointed as well. The mill worker had told them she would be a great “litter pal” for Princess. Between the events that had transpired in the trunk and her name, Lucy felt a bit disgusted by the foal. While she couldn’t change what happened, there was something else she wanted to change.
“Hey, Poopy," Lucy called, and the little fluffy’s ears perked up. “I’ve been thinking, and I don’t really like your name. It’s not very pretty.”
Poopy tilted her head, looking confused. “Fluffy ish Poopy. Mummah call fluffy Poopy,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion. “She wuv fluffy, even if fluffy was nu pretty.”
Lucy sighed, feeling torn between wanting to give Poopy a new name and respecting her memories of her biological mother.
“I know, but I’m your Mummah now, and I want to give you a new name. Something that suits you better. What if we change your name to something that’s close to Poopy, but still pretty and special? How about…Poppy? It’s a flower, and it has almost the same sound as Poopy.”
Poopy’s ears perked up, but she shook her head. “Fluffy nu wike Poppy. Fluffy wike Poopy. It remind fluffy of Mummah. Fluffy wan be Poopy.”
Lucy sighed, feeling a little frustrated. She didn’t want to call her new pet Poopy, but she didn’t want to upset her either. “Okay, Poopy. We’ll keep your name for now. But if you change your mind, let me know, okay?”
Poopy nodded, looking relieved. “Okay, Mummah. Tank you,” she said, her voice soft and sad. She looked down at her hooves, her mind filled with memories of her Mummah, and how she used to call her Poopy with love and affection. She knew that she cherished that name, no matter what anyone else thought.
Lucy spent the next few hours playing with the fluffies, laughing and having the time of her life. She couldn’t believe how much joy these two little creatures had brought into her life. As the day came to an end, she tucked the fluffies into their bed and gave them good night hugs.
As she drifted off to sleep, she imagined how the kids at her birthday party tomorrow would react to her new pets!