It had been so many bright times since Terra had gotten her new home, more than she could count. Daddy said it was two weeks which was so many forevers and bright times! At first she couldn’t see anything because her see places were closed, but she could smell all sorts of different things and feel the softness of her foal nestie underneath her.
But most importantly? She could hear her daddy. He said her name was Terra, and she was a pegasus! Even as a chirpie, she just knew that meant she had wingies and even though she couldn’t walk yet she could happily flap her tiny little wings. And she had a lot of reasons to be happy. Because even more important than telling her her name and what she was? Her daddy said he loved her, and that she was his good baby fluffy! And then he’d give her petties!
It could’ve been scary, because he was so much bigger. He had to be, his not hoovsie proved it as he gently ran it down her back. But he was gentle with her so the fear was quickly overcome.
And that was a very good thing, because on her 3rd bright time in her new home? Her see places opened! It was very scary at first, and the sudden brightness and colors and THINGS almost gave her see places hurties, so much so that she let out scaredey chirps and peeps. And then she saw IT. Not a fluffy, but a hoomin! A tall hoomin who had on not fluff and had not hoovsies and was looking at her and oh no, was the hoomin going to give her hurties?
“Hi Terra, I’m your daddy.” The hoomin said and it was the voice she had heard so much when her see places were closed and he was reaching down and giving her back petties and she wanted to say so much but all she could manage was “Chirp! Wub! Wub Daddeh!” her little wingies fluttering so fast as she tried to make upsies leggies. And moments after that? Terra was gently lifted into her first hug from her hoomin daddy.
The bright times to follow had many firsts, the little pegasus learning so much. She was in a little foal nest that was safe for her while she couldn’t make walkies yet. It was in her daddy’s office, and when she was a bigger babbeh? She would get a room all to herself that her daddy could come play with her in and it would have all sorts of toys. For right now though, she had a blankie, and her miwkie place feeder, and a stuffy friend that looked like another baby fluffy! Except her stuffy friend had wingies AND a pointy. Which she thought was silly, because fluffies only had wingies OR a pointy. Even if her stuffy friend was silly, it was nice to hug when daddy was busy with something called work.
Terra was pretty sure daddy loved her way more than he even liked work. But work helped daddy get her miwkies and him hoomin food, and paid for their housie. So it couldn’t be THAT bad. Maybe one bright time, she’d ask work to be nice to daddy and he could like it more.
Her first steps were clumsy, but soon she was able to make her leggies do what she asked. She got to go to her saferoom after that, the padded floors and bright colors a delight. And there were blockies and a ball, and even a Teebee! And a big bed that was just as warm as her old nestie. Daddy had put up fences so she could only play in a little bit of the room. He said that it was because She was still a little baby, and once she was a big baby She would get to enjoy more of the room. Terra couldn’t wait to be a big baby, because the room looked like so much fun.
Some things weren’t very fun though, like what happened yesterday. Terra’s daddy had been out at something called the “Store” getting food for his dinner. Terra had offered to give her daddy some of her miwkies from the feeder, but daddy had said that was just for fluffies. She had just finished drinking some miwkies a few forevers ago when she got the icky feeling in her tummy. When she got that feeling she knew she had to tell daddy, and he would give her wipey cleanies and she would make poopies and peepees and the icky feeling would go away. Daddy wasn’t home but Terra could wait because she was a good baby and could wait for daddy, and till he came home she would just keep stacking her blockies.
But some things just couldn’t be as good as her. There was an icky wet sound, and suddenly Terra could feel something warm on her back leggies. And smell something very not pretty. She set down her block and turned around and saw it. The worst thing ever. Something that even never meeting her mummah, and just having her hoomin daddy she just KNEW.
Bad poopies. And worse, they were HER bad poopies. And peepees too. This was the worst thing ever because if they were Her bad poopies and peepies, she made something bad and that must mean she was a bad fluffy. But she was a nice fluffy so maybe…she could ask the poopies and peepies to go away ?
“Dis am Tewwa’s safe woom. Poopies an peepees, pwease gu way?” She fluttered her wings, tilting her head and waiting for an answer. The poopies and peepees being inanimate objects stood their ground in a mockery of her polite request. And still smelled very not pretty. Clearly, clearly something less nice was necessary.
Puffing her cheeks and stomping with her marshmallowy hooves, Terra stared at her own waste. “Bad Poopies an Bad Peepees need gu! Ow Tewwa gib ou wowstest stompies an…an…nu wet pway wit toysies! An nu gib huggies tu!” That was the worst, meanest most awful thing she could think of to say. She’d never say something like that to daddy, or another fluffy. But even with such a dire threat, the poopies and peepees stayed right where she had made them.
“Mebbie…Tewwa nu wook at poopies an peepees an dey gu wai?” She thought out loud, waddling over to her blanket, hiding her head underneath and counting to a very impressive three, turning around and peeking out with one eye and still her waste mocked her. So Terra did the only thing left to her.
She cried.
Doug had been out shopping, a few things for himself and a bag of fluffy littersand. Any day now Terra would need to start learning to use the litterbox and best to have it on hand. “Terra, daddy’s home!” He called out, expecting to hear her usual excited response. Even for a little foal, she could be very loud when she was excited. Which was being entirely honest, most of the time.
When he got no response, Doug began to put his groceries away. “Maybe she’s asleep?” He considered, carrying the bag of littersand to her saferoom. And as he approached the door, he could both smell the poopies and hear Terra quietly hu hu hu-ing, a look inside revealing she was partway under her blanket and staring out.
“Terra, sweetie, what happened?” Doug asked, keeping his voice as calm as he could. He wasn’t angry after all. Terra was only a baby and didn’t even have her litterbox set up yet. An accident like this would mean she was ready to learn, not something that meant she needed to be punished. And unlike some people who had carpet which could stain in their saferooms, Doug had gotten padded flooring which wiped clean with no fuss.
“Wowstest thing Chirp!” Terra exclaimed, too ashamed to look up at daddy. “was was pwaing wit bwockies an feew poopie an peepee feew. Bu daddy nu home su twy tu wait.” She sniffled, trying to hide her face with her front hooves. It was honestly would’ve been adorable if she wasn’t so shaken up by it. “Bu poopies an peepies nu wait! Poopies an Peepees nu wait an am bad! Tewwa make bad poopies an peepees. Dat make Tewwa bad fwuffy. Bad babbeh.” She let out a few quiet chirps and peeps, trying to hide under her blanket again.
Doug sighed, stepping over the baby gate, setting down the littersand bag and gently pulling back Terra’s blanket, picking the sobbing foal up and giving her a comforting hug. “Terra, you didn’t know. Daddy’s always helped you with poopies and peepees before. This just means you’re becoming a big baby.” He held her carefully, gently running his free hand along her side.
“Daddeh…stiww wub tewwa?” Her eyes were damp, voice shaky as the hug did some work in calming her down. It was sad that one accident that was totally not her fault had her scared that he wouldn’t love her anymore.
“Yes, daddy still loves Terra.” Doug said with a smile and another comforting hug. “I’m going to set you down and clean this up, then I’m going to get your litterbox set up.”
“Wha am dat?” Terra asked, wings buzzing. Daddy wasn’t angry! He still loved her! And she was getting a litterbox, whatever that was. Maybe a new kind of toy or a treat, something good at least.
“A litterbox is where you make good poopies and peepees. It has sand in it that you can cover the poopies and peepees with so they aren’t so smelly. And it’s easier for daddy to clean.” Doug took out a foalwipe after setting Terra down, cleaning up the offending waste and putting it in the bin. He was out of wipes after this one, so this probably couldn’t have happened at a better time.
“Otay daddeh! Tewwa wan make onwy gud poopies an peepees! Be gud fwuffy an gud babbeh!” The chubby little pegasus filly sat back on her rump, doing a happy little dance as she wiggled her front legs and watched Daddy work. A litterbox was a little box that daddy poured sand into from a big big bag. It wasn’t a toy or a treat but if it helped her do something good it had to be a good thing. She waddled over, gazing at the new addition to her saferoom with wonder. “Bu…how Tewwa use wittabox tu make poopies gud?” She tilted her head, looking up at her daddy.
“I found a video for you on your TV that’ll show you. It has other fluffies that will show you how. And once you can use the litterbox like a big fluffy? You can go to playgroup to play with other fluffies!” Doug couldn’t help it, something about her joy at being able to be good and curiosity regarding something so simple made him grin like an idiot. After dealing with city ferals, Terra’s behavior was a breath of fresh air. Or he was just a sappy idiot. Probably a mix of both considering he spent his dinner time and a good hour after with Terra in his lap in her saferoom, watching a series of movies about how to poop and pee correctly in a litterbox. For a human it was mind numbing and that was with everything being turned into a song. But Terra’s expression was similar to someone having the great mysteries of the universe revealed to her. Even as she finally drifted off to sleep and he tucked her into her bed, she was still murmuring the “Gud steppies tu good poopies.”
Even with the video, he didn’t expect a miracle. Fluffies, even well loved and well taken care of ones given enrichment still weren’t always the swiftest learners. Which was why Doug was shocked when he went into Terra’s saferoom with her morning formula.
“Fiwst, make gud stompies fow whewe poopies gu!” The little green pegasus sang, stomping her back hooves on the litter sand, creating a divot. “Den wift fwuffy taiw and make wike sitties!” She squatted down, face scrunched up in concentration. “Den…make gud poopies an peepee!” A phbbbt and a watery sound as the foal relieved herself. “Wast…kickies sand on da poopies an peepees!” She waddled a few steps away before kicking littersand. “An yu hab made gud poopies an peepees!” She smiled, clapping her hooves together congratulating herself as she sat down and looked up at her daddy.
“Gud Bwite Time! Tewwa make gud poopies!” She exclaimed with a the joy of newfound independence. Truly the little things in life, it seemed.
Doug smiled and nodded. “Yes you did. Your first good poopies. And if you only make good poopies and peepees today? Daddy will make you a treat for supper.” He had bought PonyPudding when he got his initial supplies for her. It was a treat that didn’t taste like sketties and wouldn’t feed that potential obsession, and unlike a lot of other fluffy treats wasn’t just sugar and chemicals. Plus, it was gentle for un-weaned foals’ digestive systems.
A treat? For doing something she wanted to do anyway? Today was the bestest bright time EVER! Terra was ready, willing and able. So much so that even when she was playing with her blockies and she felt the tummy feeling she stopped. “Sowwy bwockies, nee make gud poopies” and trotted to the litterbox, repeating each step and finishing up with a proud expression on her face as she kicked sand and covered things up in the litterbox. And by the time it was suppertime, she hadn’t made any bad poopies or peepees. Oh, there was a close call when she was napping in a sunbeam, but her tummy made sure she knew what she needed to do.
Doug…was impressed. Being a Foal in a Can, he had expected her to have more issues. He’d read horror stories and heard them from co-workers who had fluffies. But Terra seemed to not only be ready to do things on her own, but able. Not bad for a two week old infant. Which was why he was carrying a bowl full of a pink pudding into the safe room. Equal parts mixture and formula powder, with whole milk, it actually looked good enough to eat. Not that he tried it mind you, but on looks it passed. He set the bowl down, and watched Terra waddle her way over from where she had been playing ball, bouncing it off the wall and chasing it.
“Wha am dat?” Terra made her way to the bowl, giving it a sniff. “It…smeww wike nummies, but nu am miwkies. Daddeh, am tweaty?” She asked, looking up at him and buzzing her wingies.
“It is. It’s pony pudding. Raspberry flavored.” He smiled, and reached down and gave her a gentle pet. “Enjoy your treat, Daddy is going to go eat his dinner and watch some human TV.”
“Otay!” Terra didn’t even wait for him to leave before starting to lick at the pink mixture, the sweetness and fruit flavor a great mask for it actually being nutritious for her. There was so much and it was all for her! But even after a forever or three of eating? She still hadn’t gotten all of it!
“Maybe…Tewwa twy…” She rested her hooves on the lip of the bowl, trying to pull herself up, front legs pulling and back legs kicking. A little more and she almost ALMOST ha “EEEP!” she cried out, going for a tumble finding herself in the bowl. Which was a good thing at first because she could get the pudding she missed, or at least what wasn’t now staining her green fluff and her mane.
“Awmos…done…” She was going to try to get to the rest of her treat, one tantalizing little bit of sweet goodness…and then her hoovsie slipped on pudding and Terra went tumbling in the bowl, ending up on her back. And that last bit of pudding was yet more straining her fluff. “DADDEH HEWP!! Meanie boww nu wet Tewwa out!!”
Doug had come running at the first sound of trouble. Maybe he was ponywhipped, maybe he just wanted to give something that only wanted love and affection what it needed. But the thought of Terra being hurt had settled into the pit of his stomach like something cold and unpleasant.
So when he saw what was in front of him in the saferoom…he couldn’t help but smile in relief.
“Terra, today? Today looks like it also might be your first bath.”
Decided to split things up. Terra in the bowl is by @AmbitiousLeather8309 who captured the vibe perfectly.