The Longest Winter
Chapter 11
Ruth heated up some spaghetti on the stove, stirring the pot as her eyes glazed over. She was going over the plan in her head again. She was confident it had a good chance of working, but there was still some risk. After reading the books about fluffies, she had decided to treat the mare more like an intelligent cat or dog instead of a child. She was sure that if she could secure the animal inside the cottage she could train it. The risky part was that if it didn’t work, the pony might never trust her again and simply become a prisoner instead of a pet.
The books, however, assured her this was unlikely. While fluffies were prone to certain conditions; smarty, SBS, alicorn phobia, even coprophagia, the mare she was looking after didn’t show signs of any of them. She was simply a feral with an appropriate distrust of humans. If Ruth was carful and encouraging enough in her training, the mare would eventually learn to trust her.
She scooped some spaghetti into a bowl and added a bit of sauce. She headed towards the door, eyeing the tools for her plan. The leash on the door was ready to snare the pony so it couldn’t run. A litter box filled with fresh litter awaiting the soon-to-be potty training. And a box full of toys that the fluffies were sure to enjoy. Ruth nodded and took a deep breath as she headed towards the door.
She stepped outside and looked around. It was a cloudy day and a cool wind whirled around the cottage. Ruth walked around toward the hole under the porch. She was in luck - the mare was there this time.
“Hello, honey!” Ruth said loudly, talking over the wind. “Come inside and have some spaghetti!” She held the bowl by the hole in the porch. The mare stood up and moved towards the bowl. Ruth pulled the bowl away just as the mare began to sniff it. “Come inside where it’s warm!” She said again. She then walked back towards the steps.
Eureka! The bait had worked. The mare followed her around the porch and up the stairs. Ruth opened the screen door and let the mother inside, her foals clinging to her back. Once inside she closed both doors behind her and set the spaghetti on the floor. The mare began to eat, not noticing the leash Ruth was taking off of the hook by the door. She let the mare finish eating before grabbing her by the scruff and clipping the leash around her neck.
As predicted, the mare panicked. She let out a loud squeal that was more like a pig than a horse. Her little hooves slipped over the wood floor, running while getting her nowhere. Ruth held the leash tight and pulled the mare towards the kitchen table. She tied the leash tightly around the table leg. It was a solid oak table that didn’t even budge as the mare pulled on it with all her might. She continued to squeal and panic, pulling in multiple directions trying to free herself. Her foals gripped her back and squealed in terror along with their mother.
Ruth wiped the sweat from her brow and put her earplugs in. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the mare to stop freaking out. It could take a few minutes to an hour before she calmed down. Ruth had already prepared the area, moving everything away from the table so that the mare couldn’t hurt herself running into things.
As expected, the mare had what the books referred to as “scaredy poopies”, where fluffies would defecate out of fear as a defense mechanism. Ruth scooped it up with a dustpan and wet cloth before disposing of it in the trash.
Soon the mare had exhausted herself from frantically running around the table. She had managed to wrap the leash around the table leg a few times, limiting her range. She now was focused on chewing on the leash to try and break free, but the tough fabric was too hard for her to chew through. Finally she surrendered and quit squealing. She hadn’t even noticed that Ruth was simply sitting in her rocking chair, waiting for her to calm down. Ruth pulled out her ear plugs and looked over at the mare.
“You ok, honey?” She asked.
“Pweez wet fwuffy go.” The mare said, her eyes watering with tears. “Fwuffy wan go outside.”
“How about some spaghetti instead?” Ruth said with a smile as she got up from her chair.
The mare cowered and hid behind the table leg for protection. “S-sketti?” She said meekly.
“That’s right.” Ruth said sweetly. “You just have to do one thing for me.”
“W-wha n-need do?” The mare shivered as she spoke. She was sore and trembling after panicking for so long.
“See that litter box over there?” Ruth said, pointing to the box in the corner of the room. “If you make good poopies in there I’ll give you some more spaghetti.”
“Good poopies in wittew bawks?” The mare repeated.
“That’s right, honey.” Ruth said. “Just tell me when you’re ready and I’ll walk you over there, ok?”
“Fwuffy name… Honey?” The mare asked, looking up with sad, glistening eyes.
Ruth hadn’t even thought about a name yet, but she realized that she had been calling the mare honey all along, as she did with just about everyone.
“Sure!” She said happily. “Your name is Honey, because you’re a sweet, good fluffy.”
“Honey am good fwuffy?” The mare said, sniffing her runny nose.
“Yes you are!” Ruth replied. “I’ll take care of you, and give you a home, and spaghetti, and toys!”
The mare had stopped shivering and felt something she had never known before; love. She began to cry again, but this time they were silent tears running down her face as she felt the emotion for the first time.
“It’s ok, Honey!” Ruth said reassuringly. “Don’t cry!”
The mare sniffed and held back her tears. “Nu mama… wub Honey?”
“Yes of course I do!” Ruth said as she crouched down. “Can I pet you?”
The mare slowly came out from behind the table leg and sniffed Ruth’s hand before it began to pet her head. She scratched the pony’s ears and stroked her cheek.
“That’s a good girl!” Ruth said. “Do you need to make poopies?”
The mare nodded.
“Ok let’s go make good poopies in the litter box, ok?” Ruth said, slowly untying the leash from the table leg. She walked Honey over to the box in the corner and watched as she sniffed it before stepping in. She let out a small poop then looked up.
“Is that it?” Ruth asked. The mare nodded again. “Good girl! You want some spaghetti?”
And it was then, for the very first time ever, Ruth saw the mare smile. She even wagged her tail with excitement. The training was already working!
“Yes pweez!” Honey said happily. “Honey wub sketti and new momma!”
Ruth shed a tear of happiness as she took the leash off much earlier than expected. The mare nervously stood still as the leash left her neck.
“Follow momma to the kitchen, Honey!” Ruth said lovingly as she stood up, setting the leash on the table. She grabbed the empty bowl off the floor and walked into the kitchen as Honey followed, sniffing her new surroundings. She filled the bowl again and set it down. The mare eagerly gobbled it up.
“Now if you go poopies, make sure to use the litter box ok? Ruth said.
“Ok momma.” Honey replied with a sauce covered smile.
“Now to give you a bath.” Ruth said with a chuckle.
She pulled out her old wash basin and filled it with water. She heated some water up in the kettle and added it until it was nice and warm.
“Let’s put your babies somewhere safe and warm, ok?” Ruth said as she reached for the foals on the mare’s back.
“No huwt babies?” The mare said, cowering with her ears flat against her head.
“Of course not!” Ruth said as kindly as she could. She gently placed the foals in a box with a towel in it and put in front of the fire. “See? They’re safe where it’s nice and warm.”
The mare sniffed the box and licked the cooing babies. They seemed to be happy.
“Alright now come get in the tub.” Ruth said, holding a wash rag.
“Wawa bad fow fwuffy.” The mare said, cowering.
Ruth grabbed the pony by the scruff. “Now you better listen to momma when she tells you to do something, or no more sketty!” She knew she had to be stern and loving at the same time, just like she had been with her own kids.
The mare squealed as Ruth picked her up and placed her in the tub. She tried to get out but Ruth’s grip was strong. “Oh no you don’t!” She said, smacking the mare on her backside. “Now hold still.”
The mare sat still, shivering in the tub as Ruth cleaned her. It took a while to get all of the encrusted poop and dirt out of her fur but eventually she was all clean. Ruth pulled the mare out and dried her with a towel.
“There you go!” She said excitedly. “Isn’t that better?”
It was the first bath Honey had ever had before. She sniffed herself and was amazed.
“Smew pwetty!” She said before shaking her fur like a dog. “Danku momma!” She then trotted over to her foals and lay next to them by the fire.
“You’re welcome, Honey.” Ruth said as she poured out the bath water. She then sat in her rocking chair. She looked out the window and realized that the entire day had gone by - the sun was setting.
Her eyes began to droop as she and Honey both fell asleep in front of the fire.
