Poopy and Princess cautiously ventured onto the lush expanse of grass in Lucy’s backyard. Lucy’s parents, Amanda and David Reed, bustled about nearby, setting up for their daughter’s birthday party. They had allowed Lucy to sleep in while they prepared everything. Poppy approached with hesitance. Each step onto the cool, yielding blades sent a tremor of uncertainty through her. The sensation was alien yet oddly comforting, the grass tickling her legs as if unsure of how to greet her. Her ears swiveled nervously, catching every rustle and whisper of the morning breeze. Nearby, the clatter of tables being set and balloons being inflated added to her unease. Princess, in contrast, moved with a boldness that Poopy admired, trotting confidently ahead to investigate a patch of wildflowers. Poopy watched with a mix of apprehension and curiosity, torn between the safety of the house and the allure of this new, uncertain terrain.
As Poopy and Princess continued to familiarize themselves with the backyard, their hesitant steps would soon be overshadowed by the excitement and joy of Lucy’s bustling birthday celebration. As the guests trickled in, Poopy, overwhelmed by the bustling crowd and the noise of excited children, sought refuge under a table, her ears pinned back in nervousness. Princess, ever bold, trotted among the guests and garnered enough attention to feed her growing ego.
Lucy’s 11th birthday party was a lively event, with streamers and balloons adorning every corner of the backyard’s fencing. The scent of pizza wafted through the air, mixing with the sweet aroma of the birthday cake that sat proudly on the dining table. All of Lucy’s classmates were there, their faces flushed with excitement as they ran around, playing games and chattering loudly.
Amidst all the commotion, Princess became the star of the show. The alicorn fluffy was a vision of beauty, with her pure white coat gleaming under the sunlight and her sparkling blue eyes captivating everyone who looked at her. The kids couldn’t resist her charm, and they flocked around her, showering her with attention and affection. Lucy couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as she watched her beloved fluffy being admired by her friends.
Meanwhile, Poopy watched as the kids played with Princess, feeling a pang of jealousy and sadness. She knew she wasn’t as pretty or special as her sister, but she still longed for some attention and love. She felt invisible and forgotten. All she wanted was for someone (or perhaps sometwo) to notice her and give her some comfort, but she was too afraid to come out of her hiding spot.
Lucy decided to leave her alone for the time being, hoping that she would feel more comfortable once the party was over. She turned her attention back to her party, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach.
One of the guests is a dark haired boy named Johnny. Lucy had known Johnny since they were in kindergarten together, and she knew that he had a reputation for being a troublemaker. He was always getting into fights and breaking things. Lucy had been wary of him from the start, and if it wasn’t for her parents, she wouldn’t have invited him at all.
As the party went on, Johnny started to get bored. He had played all the games, eaten all the food, and talked to all his friends. He was looking for something new to entertain himself, and that’s when he spotted Poopy.
Poopy was under a table, feeling nervous and overwhelmed by all the noise and activity. Lucy had tried to coax her out, but the brown fluffy had refused to budge. Johnny saw Poopy’s fear as an opportunity. He approached her slowly, a sly smile on his face.
“Hey there, little fluffy,” he said, his voice dripping with false sweetness. “What’s your name?”
Poopy looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear. “P-Poopy,” she stammered.
Johnny laughed. “Poopy? That’s a stupid name. You’re a stupid fluffy, aren’t you?”
Poopy shook her head, her ears flattening against her skull. “N-nu, Poopy nu stupid,” she said, her voice trembling.
Johnny leaned in closer, his smile turning into a sneer. “Yes, you are. You’re just a dumb animal.”
Poopy whimpered, her body shaking with fear. She tried to back away from Johnny, but the table was pushed up against the fence.
Johnny saw her fear and laughed. “You’re scared of me, aren’t you? You should be. I could do whatever I want to you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Poopy closed her eyes, tears pricking at the corners. She wished that Lucy would come and save her.
Johnny grabbed Poopy by the tail and yanked her out from under the table. The brown fluffy yelped in pain and fear as she was dragged across the grass.
“What an ugly color. You look like you just rolled around in shit,” Johnny said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “You’re probably full of fleas too.”
Poopy cowered on the ground, her body shaking with fear. She had scaredy poopies and the smell filled the air.
Johnny laughed again, louder this time. “Oh gross, you shit yourself! Fluffies are such disgusting creatures.”
Poopy sniveled, feeling humiliated and ashamed. She tried to crawl away, but her path was soon blocked.
“Where do you think you’re going, Poopy?” he said, his voice full of malice. “I’m not done with you yet.”
Poopy looked up at him, her eyes pleading. “P-pwease, nu huwt Poopy,” she begged.
Johnny leaned in close, his breath hot on her face. “If you make another sound, I swear I’ll poke your eyes out,” he whispered.
Poopy nodded silently, her body quivering with fear. She knew he was serious, and she didn’t want to risk making him angrier.
Johnny reached down to pick her up. Poopy struggled and squirmed, trying to escape his grasp, but he was too strong. Johnny began to torment Poopy, pulling on her fluff and tail, poking her with his fingers, and laughing at her frightened expression.
Poopy tried to fight back, but she was no match for the human. She felt helpless and alone. She desperately wished for Lucy to notice what was going on.
Johnny eventually decided to drop Poopy on the ground. She landed awkwardly on her leg, which bent at an unnatural angle with a sickening crunch.
Poopy let out a pained yelp as Johnny continued to kick and stomp on her, his laughter filling the air.
Blood spurted from Poopy’s broken leg, watering the grass around her. She tried to crawl in the direction of the distant sound of Lucy’s voice, but every movement sent waves of agony through her body. In a final act of desperation, she attempted to scree loudly enough for the noise to reach her owner.
Johnny reached down and picked up a stick from the ground. Poopy’s eyes widened in terror as she realized what he was about to do.
“Nu, pwease!” she screamed, doubling her efforts to crawl away.
But it was in vain. Johnny jabbed the stick into her eye, and Poopy let out a piercing scream of pain. She felt the stick puncture her eye, and she could feel the warm blood trickling down her face.
Poopy’s body was wracked with pain as she lay on the ground, mewling and crying out for help. Her leg was twisted in a way that limbs shouldn’t be, and she could feel the bone grating against itself with every movement. But the pain in her leg was nothing compared to the agony she felt in her eye.
When Johnny had jabbed her eye with the stick, it felt like a white-hot poker had been jammed into her skull. She could feel the stick scraping against the delicate tissue of her eye, and she knew that the damage was severe. She couldn’t see out of her injured eye, and she was terrified that she would be blinded permanently. The pain only intensified as Johnny removed the stick from Poopy’s eye in preparation to jab the other one.
Meanwhile, Lucy had heard the scream of her pet and rushed over towards the noise. As Johnny raised his hand to poke Poopy’s eye again, Lucy doubled her efforts to reach him. She launched herself at Johnny, tackling him to the ground with a ferocity that surprised even her. Johnny let out a grunt of surprise as he hit the ground, the bloody stick rolling away. Poopy did her best to drag herself away, whimpering in pain.
Lucy straddled Johnny’s chest, pinning his arms to the ground as she beat her fists against him. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she screamed, tears streaming down her face. “Why would you hurt a defenseless animal like that?”
Johnny struggled beneath her, trying to break free. “Get off me, you crazy bitch!” he yelled. “It was just a stupid toy. It doesn’t matter.”
Lucy’s parents rushed over, along with several other party guests. They pulled Lucy off of Johnny, and her dad held him back while her mother, Amanda, checked on Poopy. She wasn’t sure what was harder to look at, the grotesque twist of the filly’s leg or her bloody mess of an eye.
Lucy’s mom scooped Poopy up in her arms, cooing softly to her and trying to calm her down. Lucy stood there, shaking with rage and adrenaline, as Johnny’s mom rushed over, looking horrified at the scene. “What’s going on?” she asked.
Lucy’s father, David, explained what had happened, and Johnny’s mom looked shocked and ashamed. But her expression quickly changed to one of anger and defensiveness.
Johnny’s mother let out a harsh laugh. “You think my son would hurt a helpless animal? That’s ridiculous. He’s a good boy, and you’re just trying to blame him for your own negligence.”
Amanda shook her head. “We didn’t do anything,” she said. “We were just trying to have a nice party for our daughter, and your son ruined it.”
Johnny’s mother sneered, taking a step towards Lucy and her parents. “You better watch yourselves,” she threatened. “My son is a good boy, and I won’t let you ruin his reputation with these false accusations. If you keep this up, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Lucy’s dad stood up straight, his fists clenched at his sides. “Are you threatening us?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Johnny’s mother smirked, taking another step forward. “I’m just saying, accidents happen. It would be a shame if something were to happen to your precious fluffies, or your house, or your car…”
Lucy gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “How could you say something like that?” she asked, her voice wavering as the adrenaline wore off.
Johnny’s mother shrugged, her eyes gleaming with malice. “Just remember what I said,” she said. “You’ve been warned.”
Johnny and his mom left the party shortly after, and Lucy’s parents turned their attention to Poopy. Lucy’s mom took her to the vet immediately, leaving Lucy, Princess and Lucy’s father behind to wrap up the party.
Princess sat on the porch, watching as Lucy and her dad finished cleaning up the remnants of her birthday party. She had been so excited for the party, and for the chance to meet all of Lucy’s friends and play outside for the first time. But now, as she watched Lucy’s dad pack away the decorations and Lucy herself sit on the steps, looking worried and distracted, Princess couldn’t help but feel annoyed.
Princess looked around at the dispersing party guests. It was all Poopy’s fault, she thought. The stupid brown fluffy had ruined everything. She had been hiding under the table, scared and whimpering, while Princess had been the center of attention. But then Johnny had hurt Poopy, and now Lucy’s mom had taken her to the vet, leaving Princess alone with Lucy and her dad.
Princess knew she shouldn’t feel this way. She loved Lucy, and she didn’t want her to be upset. She sighed and flapped her tiny wings, trying to push away the thoughts. She knew it wasn’t right to feel this way, but she couldn’t help it. She had always felt like she was in competition with Poopy. It wasn’t fair that their Mummah had loved Poopy more, even if in the end she claimed to love the sisters equally. It wasn’t fair that Lucy was treating Poopy and Princess the same when Poopy was just a dummeh poopie baby.
Princess loved Lucy, and she wanted to be the best fluffy she could be for her. But she just couldn’t bring herself to love Poopy, no matter how hard she tried.
Lucy looked over at her and must have seen the expression on her face, because she got up and walked over to her. “Hey, Princess,” she said, sitting down next to her. “What’s wrong?”
Princess looked up at her. “Nuffin,” she said, trying to sound casual. “Jus’ wondering when Poopy back.”
Lucy’s expression softened, and she stroked Princess’s mane. “I don’t know, sweetheart,” she said. "I just got off the phone with Mom, and she said that she just went in for surgery. But don’t worry; they’ll take good care of her.”
Princess nodded, feeling just the slightest twinge of guilt. She knew she should be more concerned about Poopy’s well-being, but she just couldn’t bring herself to care. All she could think about was how much she wished she was the one getting all the attention and love. She secretly hoped Poopy stayed at the vet’s for as long as possible.
[Next up, Poopy visits the cheapest vet in town.]