Red is the Rose
By: DexBnnuy459
“Hey, Mac! Do we have any of that ‘sensitive belly’ kibble left?” A young woman shouted from a crouched position. She was hovering over a gray unicorn stallion with a dark blue mane. He was in the fetal position and heaving out little grunts. Each hoofed foot was shaking slightly.
“Huu huu. Sowwy nicey miss Jul-ee… Nuu feww pwetty… Nummies nuu stay downsies.” He cried as the girl rubbed his belly. A thin puddle of chunky vomit was pooling just from his snout. It was sickly green and little flecks of his last meal were floating around in it.
“Shhh, I know Storm. I know it’s not your fault. I’m here to help, just let me- MAC?! Can you hear me?” Julie shouted. It scared some of the other stallions in the pen who immediately scattered in different directions across the small pen.
“Scawwwy!”
“Nu wike woud noisies!”
Their little hoofs made crinkle sounds across the hay and old newspaper in the pen. Even Storm flinched at the screaming, but currently couldn’t find the strength in his legs to run away. Instead opting to fold his ears down further to try and block out any future disturbances.
“I HEAR YA! Give me a moment! They’re just fluffies, sheesh!” An unseen, grumbly voice came muffled from beyond the white concrete wall that rose waist high above Julie. It came from the back of the hallway.
“When you do, grab me a rag!” Julie rolled her eyes, unsure if he had heard her and continued to stroke over the crying fluffy. “What did you eat, buddy?”
The gray fluffy sniffled a few times. “Huu huu. Nummied kiwwbew wike awways. Den hab wowstest tummeh owwies. Make sickie wawaas…” He swallowed. Probably hoping not to spew out any more vomit.
Julie looked into the metal feeding trough just to the right of Storm and looked inside. It had various chewed flecks of brown and dull shaped kibble. Upon closer inspection there was a washed out hue of green on some of the bits of food chunks.
“Mold…”. She deduced. “Storm, did anyone else eat this?” Her palm found itself along the top of his mane and pushing downwards in little strokes to calm him.
“N-nuu… Stowm suuu hungwy… Ovew fwends wet Stowm guu fiwst.” He took long pauses between each breath.
“Well that was very nice of them to let you eat first.” She looked up and asked the others. “Is this true?” The five other stallions in the pen all waddled forward and looked at one another.
“Dat nu am twue, nicey Jul-ee!” A dark brown earthie with a black mane came forward. His cheeks looked uneven. The one on the left was clearly swollen. As if he had something stuffed in there or…
“Stowm suu hungwy, gib sowwy hoofsies tuu Cocoaw! Ovew fwends tuu scawed tuu get sowwy hoofsies,” He pointed at his cheek with a singular hoof.
“Hey boys, does Cocoa speak correctly?”
The other stallions all nodded in agreement and even made audible snorts of air out of their noses.
“Well, Storm. I was gonna give you some punishment for this bad behavior. But I think you’ve suffered enough from this. Even if you didn’t realize, you just helped the rest of your friends from getting sick.”
“Huu-huuuuuUUU!!” He wailed and rolled slightly in pain. “Sowwy fwends, am bad fwuffy…” He was facing the rest of his playmates who were all eyeing one another. As if debating what to do.
“That was a very bad fluffy thing to do, Storm. But I think you’ve learned your lesson. Hasn’t he, boys? What do you think?” Julie scratched the sick stallion’s ears. An orange and green haired unicorn with a missing left eye and scars upon his front legs approached Storm and looked down upon him with an angry frown.
“Nu wike sowwy hoofsies tu Cocoa… Bu… Ouu’ am otay… Nu can sweepy in fwuffy piwe tuu-nite. Dat am finaw.” He spoke matter of factly and turned to the other stallions.
“Yef. Dat am faiw.” One agreed which had the others nodding their heads in unison in an up and down movement. It was unanimous.
“Huu huuu… Nu wike cowdies at nightie. Wan fwuff piwe…”
“Sorry, buddy. You do the crime, you do the time.” Julie patted him reassuringly.
“Huu huu. Nuuu-huuu huu huu!!!” Storm cried but also nodded knowing he wasn’t being nice to them. “Wiww sweep hewe…”
“It’s settled then.” Julie clapped her hands together. “Alright boys. Go on and play now. Mr. Mac and I will take care of the rest!”
“Tank ouu, nicey Jul-ee!” Some of them beamed up at her before she shooed them off and they all went about their business. Some went back to a game of huggie-tag while others were chasing around a well worn rubber blue ball. It bounced against the wall and they romped after it like it was the most exciting thing they had ever seen. Julie didn’t even notice the shadow that grew behind her.
“I got what you needed- Oh! I see it’s already been solved. Well done.” A tall, muscular \man leaned over the concrete wall. His head was bald and he had a twirled mustache with thick circular glasses covering his eyes. So large that it made the iris look beady. He wore a deep blue shirt covered with denim overalls. They were well worn and nearly washed out. This accompanied the wrinkles around his eyelids and cheeks. He was probably in his middle age, but no-one really knew. Only that he was retired.
“Yeah I took care of it… Oh, Sorry for yelling. I just wasn’t sure if we had another customer come in here and try to feed them sugar or something else as poisonous again. But! Turns out the kibble bag we got on discount was that way for a reason. I’ll mark it and get it thrown out,” She stood up and dusted off her jeans before wiping away the kibble residue on her shirt.”
“I’ll make a report to the owners regarding the feed. And if it were our customers: Let me tell you something! They have no idea how to read!” Mac tapped a laminated white paper that hung on the steel fence. Shown in bright, yellow letters read out clear as day “DO NOT FEED”.
“People are stupid, and do whatever they want anyway. Here, I can clean. Hand me the rag,” Julie offered an opened hand.
“Nah I got this. You’re needed with the foals.”
“Oh? Any issues?” She became tense after asking. “Are they picking on Blueberry again?”. Back muscles instinctively twitched to life.
“No problems, I mean, other than asking for you?” He opened the gate and started to shoo her out of it. “They like you, kiddo.”
Julie couldn’t help but grin and kick around the crumpled newspaper below her. “They are adorable, I can’t lie.”
“Don’t keep them. I’ll take care of Storm here.” He slowly leaned down, making sure to be kind to his knees as they were planted on the ground. “Hey pal… Not feeling well?” He interrupted himself as the stallion went back to sobbing.
“Nuuu… Huu huu-Huuu huuu…Nuuuu!!”
Julie used the company hand sanitizer pump on the edge of the fence gate. It lathered her hands with the coolness and stinging scent. The alcohol based formular dried quickly and she jogged down the short hallway until reaching the pen where the foals were kept.
Inside was the same size area they kept the stallions in. Although they had a white concrete wall that was painted with rainbows and smiley faces. They also had access to more toys. Everything a growing fluffy could want, from multicolored blocks, a little rainbow xylophone, balls, and even a scratching post in the corner was found. This was used to scratch their backs as fluffies were notorious for not being able to reach them. The foals were always so temperamental when it came to that insatiable itch.
Little fuzzballs of various sizes and colors were already stirring around the padded floor. They had not noticed Julie approaching as she crouched down, out of sight. Her brunette hair bun slowly rose off the top as she narrowed her eyelids.
“Ohhhhh little fluffieEEEeeeesss”. She began. Instantly all the tiny heads stop what they were doing.
One unicorn gasped in amazement. “Knu dat sounsies! Dat am Nicey Jul-eee!!”
“Jul-ee? Dat… Dat am nummie timsies?”
“Wub! Wub! Wub Ju-lee!”
They all stirred around. Some threw up their hooves in a little dance while others did a little canter around the pen in excitement. She always had this type of reaction from them. And each time, she never got tired of it.
“How are my little friends today? Have you all been good fluffies?” Julie placed her hands on the hips of those worn jeans. Immediately it erupted in a cacophony of high pitched voices as they tried to prove their goodness to her. From putting away the toys in the bin last night, to making good poopies in the litter box. There was no shortage of things they claimed to be good fluffy behaviour.
“Ok, ok! You all have been so, so good! Lets get you all some nummies and water, huh?” She opened a wooden crate to the right as all the foals celebrated getting to be fed for being such wonderful foals today.
With a large heave, a big kibble bag was wrung over her shoulder and quickly opened. She guided its contents along a wide metal trough where it clinked and clattered along its hollow base. The little ones wasted no time in forcing their faces into the feeding. They chewed it down with clicky crunches and beaming, toothless smiles.
“Tank ouu!
“Tank ouu, suu muchies!”
She could only smile and fill up the individual hamster bottle feeders with the tap water from their utility sink. Her eyes stayed scanning the entire enclosement until locking eyes on what she was looking for.
In the corner lay a pastel red pegasus. She had a darker, maroon mane that had little curls near the end of them. Flecks of dirt and grime riddled all along her fluff did not wipe that grin from her face. She held on tightly to another foal in front of her. They were fat. And had dark blue fur with little tufts of indigo hair. The little chubs of skins jiggled as he sobbed.
“Nuu be saddies bwuddah. Am owny nicey Ju-lee!” The red filly nuzzled into him with the tip of her snout. It was lost within the fur of her brother who only peeped and cheeped. His eyes were completely shut. Wrapped around his waist was a white diaper. It crinkled and folded with any micro movement he made.
“Hello, Blossom! How is Blueberry today?” Julie stepped over the others feeding and sat next to the growing fluffies. She was careful to avoid stepping on toys and other fluffies as she bent down to scratch the ears of the siblings.
“Cheep cheep! Waa… Waaa mmmaaaa!” Blueberry yelped.
“Nu nu. Mummah hewe nu moww, Bwuebewwy. Dere, dere, sissy an nicey missuss hewe!” She soothed his head with little taps of her leathery hooves. “Bwossom and bwuddah am duin otay, Jul-ee”.
“I’m glad to hear it, Blossom.” Julie returned a smile down and petted over the blue colt with a single finger. She was ever so careful as to be as gentle and soft as could be knowing he could become upset at any moment. He seemed to enjoy the little strokes and pursed his little lips in a kissing motion. Julie noticed this and quickly produced a bottle to which she offered it around his snout.
He sniffed it over a few times before latching onto it and sucking greedily. He came up for air but only briefly before suckling on the rubber nipple once more. The red filly watched and cooed at her brother.
“Good bwuddah, get wots of miwkies!”
“Are you going to go eat, Blossom?” Julie placed the bottle on the ground and folded her legs before patting the jeans for the red mare to hop up. Her eyes instantly lit up and she clambered up and into the thigh. That effort was rewarded with a peppering of scratches along her fuzzy back.
“Suun. Bwossom wike tuu wait untiw bwuddah gets nummies fiwst.” She stated matter of factly.
“Thats really considerate of you.” She smiled down at her. The little filly’s eyes became confused as she spoke.
“Con- consi- sid…”
“Oh! You’re a good fluffy for taking care of your brother. Haha!” Julie laughed at Blossom’s limited vocabulary. She returned a smile.
“Wub bwuddah!”
“You’re such a wonderful sister. I wish my family was like that…” Julie continued to pet over the little filly as she began to daydream slightly. Only shaking forth from the thought as Blueberry finished his formula with an audible BELCH.
“Good job, Blueberry.” Julie giggled and petted him as some milk dribbled from his chin and onto the floor. He went a bit limp and soon passed out. Large heaves of air were sucked in and let go. It was quite an adorable display and one that melted Julie’s heart as the other foals around her paid him no mind. Blossom gave her other tenants the stink eye from her perch.
“Hey Julie, come in.” A static voice came from Julie’s belt. She quickly retrieved the yellow walkie and held down the speak button.
“This is her, over.”
“I need you to close up tonight for me at the front desk. Not feeling well at all.”
Julie rolled her eyes and grumbled a swear under her breath. Thankful the foals didn’t hear it. She didn’t want them getting that habit from her of all people.
“Fine. I’ll be up there. Coming now.” She finished and hung it back on her belt before giving Blossom another long stroke before placing her back on the ground. The little filly instantly found herself pressing up against her brother again and gave him a big hug.
“Jul-ee guin ‘way? Wiww cum backsies suun?” Blossom looked up to her to which she stood at full height.
“Don’t worry I’ll be back for you later. You try to play a bit. Ok Blossom?
“Otay! Bye-bye!” She giggled to herself and started humming an out of tune song to her brother who stirred slightly. Julie nodded and shut the gate closed on the foal pen before walking down the thin hallway to the front desk. She passed Mac on the way and stopped to lean over the stallion pen.
“Foals have been fed. Can you just make sure Blueberry gets his diaper changed before closing? Its clean now. But I want him fresh at the end of the day. I’d appreciate it.”
“Sure thing, kiddo. I’ll be working the back burner tonight. Got a few that are unfortunately not getting new homes tonight…” Mac spoke in a hushed whisper to not stir the others. They never knew what happened behind the giant metal door in the back. But some might have caught on as they complained about “Wewe fwen’?” every now and again. Julie’s back tensed up and her throat became tight.
“Blossom and Blueberry aren’t on there, right?”
“Hmm? Oh absolutely not!” Mac returned a warm smile up at her. She quickly breathed a sigh of relief with the news given. “My hearing may be damaged, but my memory is still good, kiddo. Now go on, git. Jimmy needs to go home, apparently. I’d like to only be cleaning up one pile of puke tonight.”
Julie couldn’t help but laugh. “I hear that loud and clear. Thanks, Mac!”
With a nod from both of them. Julie hung up some of her tools on the employee rack behind the door and dusted off the grime from her jeans to make herself look semi-presentable. She flicked her brunette hair back before steeling herself.
“Two hours on desk. You got this,” She spoke to herself before stepping through the doorway.
…
“Ughhh. So bored…”, Julie grunted to herself and stared at the clock across the room. It ticked ever so slowly with each passing second feeling longer than the last. An open pamphlet on owning your first fluffy laid out in front of her. It was well worn and she had read it front and back many times. The scent of it wafted slightly off its pages. It mixed around with the overused scent aerosol cleaner that clogged up the checkout area until it mixed into a sickening artificial aroma. She despised it.
She hated it almost as much as covering the closing shift at the shelter. She found the work long and dull. It was hours of sitting on a desk and answering phone calls maybe once every hour if you were lucky. Other times she would be attending walk-ins or getting adoption papers ready for when customers were done in the back.
Considering today was a Tuesday, and that she was covering for their actual front desk person. She was subjected to having to re-read the pamphlets in the check in-area. How she wished she was in the back doing something physical. She started to curse under her breath.
“Should never have put ‘front desk’ experience on my resume…”
*Ring-a-Lingg-g-g–g-g*
Her thoughts were interrupted as the main, singular door swung open and shut. What stepped forth was a very tall man. He was lanky and had a large pastel brown, out trench coat covering the entirety of his body. It was well worn and trailed downwards, nearly touching the floor. If there weren’t boots jutting from the bottom of the garment, one could mistake him floating. The unkempt reddish beard and disheveled hair added to his wild appearance.
“Good evening to you”, He was warm and produced a smile before trotting over.
“Welcome to Huggie-Love Shelter. My name is Julie. How may I help you?” She felt robotic in that response. She had used the fake customer service voice and straightened up her back in a pathetic attempt to care about this transaction. This was the first person she saw all day.
“I’d like to adopt”. He approached the counter top gingerly and unbuttoned the top of his coat. A single hand reached in and pulled forth a vanilla folder. It was well worn and had stains peppered along its form. They were a dark plum red. Their origin left a lot to the imagination. Julie looked upon it with a curled lip.
“I see… Is this your first visit with us?” Julie looked him over.
“It is not. I have owned fluffies from your establishment before. My name is Thomas. Last name ‘Drewdal.”
“Well let me just check your account real quick,” She tried to return a smile but found her face was stuck in place like cement. She did not recognize the man by his look. They had abusers among their customers, just like any shelter. But it was rare that Julie ever interacted with them. She often worked the back and got to miss out on all the conversations they got up to here. It’s the way she liked it, when she didn’t have the rare covering shift like tonight.
Julie’s nailed fingers tapped over the keyboard with little successive clicks before an account profile popped up. “Hmm. It seems you were here two weeks ago and picked out quite a cute little unicorn stallion from our records. Neutered. Well mannered. About a year old. He likes red apples when they are sliced into small cubes.”
Thomas did not react to the information presented. Instead choosing to blankly stare down at the young woman as if he was waiting for her to continue onwards with the information presented.
“Bright blue with a white mane rings a bell? You named him ‘Cobalt’ as per your account with us? Do forgive me, as I have to ask per your signed agreement with us: Have you been feeding him well?” Julie folded her hands in front of her and awaited his response.
“I have not… You wouldn’t believe this, but- well- You know how fluffies are right? One minute they’re so happy to have a new home, and the next they drown in their own bowl. It’s literally the worst!” He threw up his hands and made an awkward laugh before slicking back the greasy strands of hair with calloused digits. His attempt to make light of the situation he currently found himself in failed.
“Mhmm…” Julie rolled her eyes and unfurled the presented folder with a pen. She was doing everything in her power not to touch it with naked fingers. Those stains looked awfully like dried blood upon a closer look. The man was slyly trying to slink past her.
“Great! So you can look over my paperwork and I’ll see myself in the back the-”
“Hold it.” Julie spoke firmly, stopping Thomas in his tracks as he tried to move past her and through the door that led to the holding pens. He froze nearly in place and spun on one heel to face her.
“The rules, Tom: It’s one adoption per month at most. And since Cobalt sadly didn’t last past the signed contract: I can’t let you take out another fluffy friend for another three weeks.” She finished. Her words hung in the air stagnantly.
“You can’t be serious? They are fluffies for goodness sake! Haha!” He made that pathetic attempt to laugh once more. Dumfounded by the response and noticeably unhappy with not getting his way. His brow twitched downwards in annoyance. She held her ground with the same furrowed brow.
“I don’t make the guidelines.”
”Listen… I have been made well aware of your rules and expectations. I however, did not foresee-”, He cut the words off short and leaned over the counter in a hushed whisper. “Cobalt wasn’t as tough as I imagined him being, is all. Is it possible you could make an exception this one time? I have been coming here for quite a while and never had an issue with partaking in giving these lovely ponies a home.” He gave off a smile that would rival that of the greatest conmen. It was as wide and large as a hyena’s.
“Sorry sir, this was part of the contract you signed when you decided to use our services… Again.” Julie stated as if reading from a bill of rights. The man stood there, glaring at the young woman who just told him off.
“Where is Jimmy?” he asked bluntly.
“He isn’t here today. But, I’m here to assist you anyway I can.”
“Does it say in your system how much business I have given you?” Thomas blew out air from his nose. Those last words had venom in them and the young woman paid them no mind as she scanned over each little entry left. Every line on the program had a large “PAID” in white lettering against a bright red border. Next to each one is the date this was entered as well as the fluffies’ and owners basic information. A drop down box could expand the details. Something Julie didn’t care about. She had all the information she could possibly want from just his look and attitude alone. Though what struck her interest was the sheer amount of red boxes. She couldn’t believe this is something that she took very little part in. The front usually never reciprocates to the back what goes on up here. The back-staff makes sure they are happy as per the owners request. What happens to them outside of the sale is left to the imagination. One that scratched Julie’s profusely.
“Mr. Thomas? I have one very blunt question for you so please don’t take it wrong: But why don’t you find another shelter? There are plenty around the city who are happy to let you adopt as many fluffies as you want. Our mission and team are dedicated to giving these fluffies a good home.” She looked over at the man with a bit of curiosity in her eyes.
He stood as tall as an oak and rubbed his orange beard with his fingers. She could not see his eyes as they stared downwards at the floor. Uninterested in meeting her own. “The other shelters don’t take care of them like you do… They live in poor condition and come in worse shape than when they arrived… They are not any-…” He leaned forward and spoke in a hushed whisper.
“Fun.” His cheeks went a bright red crimson from the clear obsession he has, as Julie stared back. Finally matching his blue eyes with a bit of concern. Not really a surprising answer. But it was a bit disgusting to hear someone getting pleasure from hurting them. Especially Julie who found them cute and whimsical from her interactions.
They were (sometimes) innocent in all accounts. Though there were the constant reports of crops being eaten, homes being invaded, and parks being littered with smarty herds that destroy the landscape. This man across from her didn’t look like the type that was annoyed by those types of fluffies. Otherwise he would be getting his stock from those sources.
Thomas seemed to relax a bit, choosing to lean on the counter with both arms in front of Julie. “Listen, if Jimmy was here he would vouch for me. He is aware of who I am.”
“I see… However, I can’t just bend the rules whenever I want. It’s against my protocol… You’re more than welcome to come back three weeks from now so we can log you into the system and you can “enjoy” your new fluffy friend.” She closed the folder and paid him no more attention. Instead, she had found her fingers circling the “panic button" underneath the wooden counter. Not that she or anyone else ever had to use it. But no-one ever knows what a customer being told “no” in American society would do. It was a gamble every customer-service worker had to experience at least once.
To her surprise. He backed off the counter and threw his arms in the air like a surrender.
“Ok. I understand completely… But, If you could do me a favor and please check my credentials once more? I do believe there is something you missed in there.” He straightened out his back making him rise back to his full towering height.
“I already saw you in the system, sir. It’s just not something I can d-”
“Haha. No, no, the folder I handed to you. Page four has the documentation you’re probably missing.” Thomas finished and folded his hands neatly. Saying nothing more as he stood as still as a statue.
At this point, she was straight up curious and didn’t want to rile him up further. Quiet people always made her more nervous than the clearly agitated ones.
Without moving a single inch from his spot, Julie opened up the folder slowly once more. Her digits did not flitter away from the panic button as a flash of familiar green, dull paper greeted her eyeline. Three straightened out bills were presented and neatly flattened out. The half smile of Benjamin Franklin was a shocking comfort, one that she was not expecting.
All of a sudden, Julie felt a sharp pain in her gut. Like being stabbed with an invisible knife. It lingered and burned in her as she locked eye contact with the three hundred dollar bills. It stared back at her, like it judged her for what was running through her mind. She didn’t want to lose this job, over the idea of pocketing this and letting him roam with any fluffy he desired. And this was a decent gig. But this singular transaction is just what she needed right now. And the shelter could lose a few more fluffies as Winter always saw the biggest intake. An added bonus was that Mac was doing some inventory management tonight and they had a few according to his list that was their time… And that money could go to good use for her apartment that has seen better days…
“Everything in order?” Thomas smiled down, interrupting the thought-train of the young woman. She diminished the idea as she moved the folder under the desk and quickly pocketed the cash into her jean pocket.
“Oh, looks like I made a mistake. Yes, everything looks in order. Sorry for the confusion.” She returned a fake grin to him.
The phantom knife in her stomach twisted once more.
He clapped his hands together and turned around to head in the back.
“But uh, do me a favor, sir?” She stood up slightly before shrinking back down in her chair.
“Oh?” He asked quizzically. Julie typed something fast across the keyboard before slamming the enter button with a satisfying clack. Behind her a large printer went off and spit out warm paper. She quickly took it and highlighted some names before folding it and handing it to Tom.
“I can’t just let you take any of them. The owners would ask me what happened.” She explained. A single finger pressed down on the folded white paper multiple times. “This has ones that are sadly due for the incinerator. I assume you want this transaction off the books.”
“I understand", Thomas nodded and took the produced multipurpose paper in his hands. Julie wondered how many times Jimmy had done this. Specifically how much he has done this song and dance with this particular gentleman.
“I’m going to go look over the fluffs and find a new friend to play with.”
“Just check out here with me when you’re done.” Jess forced a friendly wave to him as he finally turned and opened the large wooden door to the shelter pens.
Instantly the stinging scent of piss and shit wafted in. Mixed in with the aerosol aroma of cleaner which diluted itself within the office. It was horrible to any untrained nose. But nothing compared to the cacophony of high-pitched voices calling out from the back.
“Nyu daddeh? Pick fwuffy! Pick fwuffy!”
“Ouu am dat? Dat am biggest hoomin ebah’!”
“Dat am nicey mistah Tom! Pwease pick Wavendew! Nee nyu homsies. Nee toysies an skett-”.
They were cut off as the door slowly swung shut, finally silencing them all behind the extra thick concrete walls. It gave Julie peace and she returned to her opened pamphlet, quietly skimming over it and half reading it. There was little interest. Instead, she couldn’t stop thinking about the man known as Thomas.
Julie wondered why that name was familiar when he gave it earlier. She heard rumors about him from the other closing-shift workers though this was her first ever interaction with him personally. From what she had been told: He was a regular. One that came in at least once a month depending on his needs. It was a no-brainer that whatever he was doing at home with the fluffies he adopted wasn’t considered ethical. But at the end of the day, most people didn’t care. Fluffies were deemed as bio-toys. And once you officially owned them and the license, you could practically do whatever you wanted to them.
And even though it was seen as taboo, abusers were considered decent for the fluffy population as they subtly helped keep the numbers on feral strays down. Instead of looking in every damp and dirty alley: You could find subjects for whatever you wanted here. And there was no shortage of the tiny ponies. They had everything, from ferals, surrenders, smarties, and even some soon mummahs for the really sick and twisted ones who wanted to take out a whole family. Not that the workers ever cared what happened to them when they left the door. But Thomas was right about one thing:
They truly did have some of the best fluffy care for an adoption center. From carrying the best behaved ones to surrenders. They weren’t all good. But much better than the gutter-rats the other larger shelters have. And while the incinerator was questionable from the owners standpoint. City guidelines indicated they needed one to keep the fluffy population down. And it was more effective than moving them from shelter to shelter. They couldn’t keep them all and there were so often many walk-ins dropping off their unwanted fluffies. Some from the streets and others from homes.
Julie did feel bad for them. She felt evey time she had to do anything regarding their care. This included feeding, cleaning the cages, and rare incinerator business. She truly did feel for them at the end of the day and dedicated to at least making them comfortable before going out the door. Or the alternative which was being euthanized and burned to ash. She never owned one and was slowly changing her mind to this. They truly just needed time, love, and proper care. They were sensitive beings after all.
But the interaction painted a different light on who owners could be. It even shined clarity on why Jimmy takes the closing shifts. He had better luck with abusers looking for a quick fix at a cheap price that liked to “donate” to his private fund. She wonders how long he has been doing this for. Obviously he left no paper-trail. Makes sense as anyone with system access can mark them as “PAID” on the system. And that’s the end of that. No-one is gonna investigate a fluffy that has been at the very least bought.
This confused and had Julie’s mind wondering how often they pumped abuse re-sells here. This particular thought would have to wait as the backdoor opened one more, filtering in more high pitched fluffy voices
“Huu huuuhuuu, nebah geb picked. Am bad fwuffy?”
“NU FAIW, nu faiw! Dat am dummeh fwuffy!! Nicey mistah pick fuwf-!”
Thomas stepped through the door, letting it swing close behind him. He had a stirring body in his arms and swung around the square counter before they split and were deposited. Two little foals scrambled atop the marble surface. They immediately shivered from the coolness of it atop their leathery pads. Julie’s face went as pale as a ghost.
“Maaaa?! Maaaa?! Nee huies! Cheep cheep!” Blueberry called out, trying desperately to find words. He was immediately embraced by a familiar red pegasus with a darker pink mane. His bright diaper had a little browning stain and the stench of shit squishing around inside. He was very scared.
“Sissy hewe, bwuddah! Nicey daddeh Tom-is is hewe an goin tu nyu housie!” She nuzzled into his neck and they held on to each other as the two humans watched. Julie instantly got defensive.
“Two foals this time? Your track record is mostly adults from your profile. These weren’t on the list. If you made a mistake, I can happily point you to another that would ma-”
“I’m well aware.” He stopped her. “These ones look so cute together. And I’d like something different.” He glared down at her with that same flare of annoyance.” Why? Is this going to be a problem? His voice deepened. She almost mistook it for a growl.
“It’s just. He has SBS? You’ve heard of that, correct?” She was putting on her customer service voice.
“Of course. I thought this would be a great challenge. The red one even informed me that I should help take care of him with me. Such a good sister the blue one has.” He maintained that low tone. “Is there something I don’t know about these fluffies that isn’t on their chart? If so, you are mandated to inform me as a buyer.”
Julie didn’t want to escalate and threw up her hand and waived the thought away. “Being nosy. Forgive me.” She faked her voice once more. That guttural sensation from before pinched back into her. This time it grew steadily, like a flame. She tired her best to ignore it. Instead, focusing on her words which seemed to calm him down as Julie pulled up some records on the monitor.
“Both surrendered from their old home. The family Christmas mare got out, found a feral to knock her up and the result was babies the owners didn’t intend or want. Especially since their nine year old girl was on her fourth fluffy by the time this one got pregnant.
“I got the fluffy version in the back. This little one told me all about how she misses her mummah. And I just couldn’t bear it! It gave me the biggest heart hurties. She needs a good home.” Thomas’ voice went higher pitch to please the little filly below.
“Nicey Ju-lee! Mistah Tom-as teww bwuddah and sissie dat he hab bigges’ housie. Wif toysies, skettie, and a safewoom!” Her eyes lit up.
“That does sound good…” Julie couldn’t help but start to sweat. She didn’t know what this man was going to do, but her imagination ran wild. “She is neutered, he is not. Well he doesn’t need to be. Just please be careful-”
“Yes, yes. I’m aware. Rest assured they’ll be taken care of.”
Julie couldn’t do anything. She felt boxed in and didn’t want to cause a scene. But that burning sensation refused to leave. Something had to be done. And she froze over the computer screen. Words bounced around in her head as something deep within her belly rumbled and roil until it found itself,
“I-I… I can’t sell you these two foals.” She spoke in a croaked voice. Fear gripping at her.
Thomas did not show signs of anger, or disdain. Instead opting for a blank expression. Like he was catatonic to the words that were relayed to him. The awkward silence was so thick one could cut the atmosphere with a knife. It was too much and she spoke again to get her point across.
“I’m sorry, but I can not sell you-”
“No, no,” He threw his hand up to stop her. He spoke plain and warmly. That annoyance evaporated all at once. “I see what’s going on. You don’t need to explain to me. These two mean a lot to you, don’t they?”
Julie stared back and managed not to let tears fall from her eyes. Only managing to shake her head up and down in a micro movement. Thomas let out a breathy sigh and rubbed his temple.
“Listen, I really like your business here… So-” He reached into his pocket and Julie’s fingers once again found the panic button until he fished out a brown bifold wallet. Filtering through it for a few moments before producing seven more, hundred dollar bills. “Will this cover for them?”
They hung in the air between his rough digits in front of her. The flash of the top bill’s eyes looked like they were drilling into Julie and she felt her heart drop. This was more than enough to get her moving on that plan to ditch that dingy apartment. It was a generous donation and she looked at Blossom who tilted her head in confusion.
“Am Bwossom and Bwubewwy guin tu nyu housie suun?” She asked. “Bwuddah nee nyu diapew. Suu icky tu be fiwwed wif poopies!”
Julie quickly grabbed the cash and deposited it among the other bills given out earlier. “Yes, Blossom… You’re going to a new home…” Julie held back sobs. She didn’t want her seeing this transaction and quickly turned her head not to face her.
Julie herself didn’t want to waste her breath on this guy anymore and offered no more words. Not even pretending to hide her disdain for him as she slammed the keys out of the final adoption slip. The desktop now reflected the two foals as “PAID” in the system.
“Do you have a carrying case for them?” Julie asked stubbornly.
“Yes, but I need to run to my car to get it. Would you be able to watch these two while I retrieve them?”
“Yeah, sure.” She pursed her lips as he took his exit, letting the bell ring and the cooler air of Winter seep through. Her eyes scanned the little ones below as they gave one another the biggest, and tightest huggies she had ever seen. Little bright orbs leaked from Blossom’s eyes as she cooed to her younger brother.
“Guin tu nyu housie bwuddah. No mowe meanie fwuffies!” She cooed at him. Julie said nothing and folded her hands into her face.
Miss Ju-lee?” Blossom interrupted. She stopped the huggies and focused her eyes up at the larger woman. Much to her surprise.
“Yes?” Hot tears burned in her eyes. She didn’t want her seeing her like this
Bwossom an Bwuebewwy wiww miss ouu vewy muchies!” She cooed out and offered a genuine warm smile. “Ouu am nicey wady. Awways gib scwatchies on heaw pwaces… An, an, an ouu awways wet Bwuebewwy num deh nummies fwom not-mummah miwkie pwace. Bwuddah awso weawey wike gibbon wickies tu ouu!” She beamed at him to which he stuck out a little pink tongue before lapping at her floppy ear with a cackle of giggles ringing out. He pursed his little snout together and tried to suckle on the tip.
“Nuhhuuhuuu bwuddah! Nuu am nummiess, siwwy!” Blossom kicked her little back legs up and down. The motion causes little pittering of *thup thup thup* against the counter top.
The foal pen was hard to take care of. And they needed all the help they could get. Specifically Blueberry who constantly needed his diaper changed hourly. Not to mention the bottle feeding which others were consistent on begging the owner for a permanent milkbag to skip this process.
But they were still a small shelter. Funding and getting one for such a tiny intake population of their sanctuary was an investment. It was often deemed too expensive for the micro establishment to afford at the time. Instead, they relied on the human element of bottle feeding the foals who weren’t weaned off. She knew it was hard work and repetitive, but always told herself it was better than working the desk dealing with abusers and idiots. Something Julie went out of her way to do.
“Ouu am vewy nicey. Tank ouu”, Blossom smiled up before forming tears in her eyes once more. They swelled and dripped down her fluffy cheeks in little streams. “Su many bwight timesies. Bwuddah an How-ee hab biggest heart huwties fow nyu housie. Suu faw aw-ayy fwom meanie fwuffies in shewtew. Cawwin bwuddha “stupie fwuffy” and “dummeh fwuffy”. Dat nu am twue. Bwuddah jus nee nyu housie an guud mummah ow daddeh!” She pulled her blue shaded brother tighter against her larger body and choked back a flimsy gasp of air.
“You are- umm. Going home, Blossom.” Julie forced a smile. But she couldn’t help but find herself feeling the twinge in her gut rotate. It refused to be ignored this time. It instantly left her stomach and traveled up into her eye. Matching the stinging sensation before letting loose a single warm stream that fell with gravity down her cheek. It plummeted to the ground and out of sight. A single tear finally fell forth.
“Am saddies? Nicey Jul-ee?” The filly craned her stubby neck up to glimpse upon her. That little snout crinkled inward to form a frown. She wasted no time in disappearing from her brother’s embrace -who quickly went back to babbling and sobbing to himself- before waddling across the small workstation to Julie’s exposed arm. In a swift maneuver, she planted both hooves across Julie’s own appendage. With a little grunt and pull, the filly had managed to sling her body onto the large arm where she held on. Little pressure was applied as Blossom yanked and pulled with all her tiny might. Her tiny wings fluttered with happiness.
“Gibbin ouu da bestest huggies fow nicey Ju-lee. Make ouu saddies gu away. Bwuddah gib huggies tuu. Jus nuu can mowve weggies.”, She gave off that hopeful tone. The young woman was a bit dumbfounded by this tiny pony’s actions. Her fingers lowered and curled around her coarse mane. It had flecks of grime and dirt along it that dulled its already shaded hue. But it was surprisingly still soft.
“Thanks, Blossom. You’re a… You’re a good fluffy. Never forget that…” Julie patted along her back which had the little filly shooting out little coos and chirps in succession of one another. Each gentle stroke had her raising higher in octave, louder and louder. Julie was so focused on keeping her comforted she didn’t even notice the front door opening once more.
“Time to go”. He announced. Julie bit her lip and tapped her foot incessantly before leaning forward in her chair. The cash in her pocket was being pulled forth.
“Are you sure you want these two, sir?”
“They will be taken care of.” He responded firmly. “Ok my little fluffies! Who’s ready to go home with daddy?” Thomas smiled down at the two unsuspecting foals.
“Bwossom am, nyu daddeh! Bwossom am weady!” The red filly jumped off Julie and cantered circles around the desk in joy. It was quite an adorable display to see her throw that little head up in and let her ears flop around. Her excitement could not be contained and she quickly fell back on her haunches and swung around her hooves in an out-of-rhythmic display. “Wook, wook daddeh! Am suu happee dancie babbeh!!! Bwossom wub ouu!” Her beaming smile could not be any wider. Much to the contrast of her brother who flailed around with little movement.
“Waaa, waaaa… Wa mahhhh!” He chirped out.
“Ok little guys, let’s get you out of here.” Thomas slammed a large fuzzy
Kennel carrier down atop the counter to the side of Blueberry. It instantly made an audible THUD that had the blue foal immediately cheeping crying. A thin trail of shit leaked from his puckered ass and into his white diaper. It stained the interior of his already spent one and leaked out from the tightened leg holes and onto the counter top with its filth. Like watching mud spew from an overfilled drain. Julie’s instincts kicked in as she remembered. How could she forget about his need for fresh diapers?
“Do you want extra diapers for him?” Julie asked with genuine concern. “He needs it changed every other hour depending on his feeding schedule. He also need-”
“No thanks. I will manage without it.” Thomas shut her down before beckoning Blossom to follow inside. There was no need to convince him, the transaction had been made and Julie had paid the price.
The entire interior of the carrier was padded and had little foam criss-cross bars on the front. Big enough for fluffies to see out of it, but not big enough for where they could slip out. It also had little windows on each side to let light in, and high enough they couldn’t climb out. And for a fluffy one, it had plenty of room. Thomas quickly put the blue pegasus inside the padded container. The red filly approached the opened gate, following suit.
“Dat wook wike sowwy bawks…”, Blossom sniffed the container. “Smeww wike ovew fwuffies… Bwuddah and Bwossom bad fwuffies?” Her legs trembled as Thomas placed a single finger along her mane and stroked.
“I promise you won’t be in there long. We just need to get you to your new home safely.”
Blossom seemed reluctant and still stood across from the opening. Not moving a single inch. “Dat am sawwy bawks…” She weeped silently. The bearded man noticed this immediately and leaned down to match her eyes. Unseen was Julie, who in her mind, was silently begging the filly not to go.
“You want to go with daddy, don’t you? Otherwise I might need to get another fluffy to have a nice home with. There are others that want sketti, toys, and love…” He gave her a smile that was sickening. And with a few more sniffs did her shaky front legs lift up and into the carrier where she instantly curled up to her brother. Her little cooing seemed to soothe and calm him down as Thomas shut the door on the cage and flicked the latch. They were sealed in.
“Huu huu… Nu wike sawwy bawks… Bu owny fow witte timsies, bwuddah. Nyu daddeh guin tu housie. Pwomise tuu gib wots of huggies and wub!” She chirped. Her little snout rubbed against the flat of her brother’s head to which he stopped sobbing heavily and instead let out breathy sighs between gasps of air.
“Such good little fluffies I have.” Thomas gave off a mischievous grin and picked up the carrier by its single handle. Gingerly lifting it off the counter. The lead ball in Julie’s stomach grew heavier with each passing second. It was almost unbearable and she must have made a face. Thomas spoke once more in a comforting tone.
“They will forget about you by tomorrow. They’re just fluffies…” He let his words hang there for a few passing seconds before clearing the throat. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Julie. Please say ‘hello’ to Jimmy for me.” He finished. Buttoning up his coat and turning away from her.
She had no words and stuck a middle finger at him in a pathetic attempt at rebellion underneath the desk as he turned on his heel and made way toward the exit. The sooner he was gone the better.
Much to her surprise, a little red fuzzball ran up the bars and stuck out a little hoof. It flitted back and forth fervently.
“Bye-bye miss Jul-ee!!! Wiww nebah fow-get ouu!!!” Blossom gave off one last toothy smile as the door shut behind the man and they disappeared behind into the fleeting night.
“Yeah… Bye, Blossom.” Julie spoke to herself in a hushed whisper. She was too stunned to say anything else. Instead finding her fingers in her pocket to stroke the dollar bills. Thomas had a point in calling them “just fluffies”. They were toys after all. Weren’t they?
Literally designed as such to be disposed of. And yet, she could no longer ignore the interaction she just had with Thomas. It filled her with a disgusted rage. Anger flowing through her and the bribe that sat in her jeans.
The cash felt hot like it was burning in her hand with each stroke of her fingertip. She felt repulsed by its form and crumpled it slightly in frustration. She surrendered that sweet filly and her brother to a monster. All for a payout.
That feeling of the invisible twisting knife in her gut reared once more. This time, it firmly planted itself inside her abdomen and she silently grieved over it. Contemplating what could have been vs what actually was happening. Her fingers shook uncontrollably with each passing second as the clock finally rang out, signifying the end of the shift.
She had not noticed this and instead was forming tears that quickly burned in her eyes and fell along the desk. They became little orbs of droplets that dissipated on the easy wipe counter. Her fingers found themselves glued to her scalp and curling inwards in frustration. Oblivious to the back door opening.
“Hey! We’re all done in the back. I was so busy in the back I lost track of those foals you wanted. I assumed you took them up here.” Mac spoke, not noticing the young woman who was crying in front of him. “I was gonna box them up for you to take home. But-. Oh? Kiddo, is everything ok?” he asked gingerly. He approached slowly and offered a handkerchief to which she waved away. Sucking back tears and sniffing the air heavily to catch her breath.
“I’m fine… Blossom and Blueberry have found a new home.” Julie spoke with dullness.
“Oh…But you- I assumed you wanted them? I know how you are with the foals. Your great with them an-”
“Mac? Let’s close up, ok?” She interrupted him and stood from her chair. Making no sound as she began their closing down duties. Flicking off the office lights and leaving them in slight darkness. She did not want him to see her red face.
“Sure thing.” He scratched his mustache and they both shut everything down. This included wiping down the counters and setting the alarm. Mac waved goodnight to all the fluffies and flicked on their nightlights and made sure their heating was on overnight before setting the alarm and leaving out the front door. He quickly locked the door and the two stood in their winter coats among the frigid air. They had not spoken once during this time.
The silence was too much and the older gentleman could no longer hold it in. He so hated watching others suffer.
“Listen, kiddo. If you ever want to talk about-”.
“It’s alright, Mac…” Julie offered a smile, her eyes were slightly bloodshot from crying. "I appreciate it… But tts like you and Thomas said: They’re just fluffies, right?”
She walked away, waving behind her as he stood dumfounded. Part of him wanted to go after her, but figured she needed some time alone. He grumbled something and headed towards the alley to his truck. Leaving the young woman in her frustration.
Julie walked onwards alone toward her apartment. The concrete walkway making little impact sounds against her Winter boots. She paid no mind to anything around her and opted to stare at the worn stonework. She was more preoccupied with that invisible force that found itself implanted in her. It lingered and stung like a stab wound. It was that terrible sensation that now hung over her like a cloak. Bringing everything down.
She was going to give those foals a brand new home today after months of them not being taken. Only to falter at the finish line and choose her own greed over their safety. Only a monster would do such a thing. And that she was no better than those abusers who were regulars in any shelter.
And it was this thought that she realized that feeling of being gutted by a phantom pain was not created out of rage or sadness: But of guilt.
NOTE: Hey everyone! Wanted to take a break from “Finn’s fluffies Series. I have plans for that and wanted to tell something a bit different. I do wish to continue this as I have a few ideas where the story can go. Please enjoy this and enjoy! -Jbnuuy459