Back at the cardboard nest:
The little filly clung to Berry as the black mare enveloped them both in a hug. The mare had come to her senses and was trying desperately to comfort the distressed foals.
“Am otay babbeh, mummah hewe… mummah gib babbeh aww huggies an’ wuv babbeh wan. Mummah wuv babbehs, babbehs wuv mummah, babbehs nee’ huggies, mummah gib huggies. Mummah wuv babbehs, babbehs wuv mummah, babbehs nu hab saddies, den mummah hab heawt-happies…”
The mare continued to sing as the filly’s crying turned to sniffles and then sleepy murmurs of “wuv mummah” as she was enveloped by the soft black ‘tummy-fluff’. Berry was too angry to fall asleep so he moved away from the mother and daughter fluff-pile to not disturb them. However there wasn’t much room in the box nest to brood, so Berry sat next to the recovering smarty. All of the commotion finally caused the smarty to wake up only to be greeted by the upset grumblings of a very angry baby.
“Wha happen? Why toughie-babbeh hab angwies?”
“Dummeh bwuddah am big meanie! Bwuddah gib widdwe sissie wowstest heawt-huwties! Bwuddah nu am smawty! Meanie bwuddah am bad babbeh!”
This was shocking news to the incapacitated smarty, Spike was a ‘bad babbeh’? That was the worst offense a fluffy was capable of, no one loved a bad fluffy! Spike didn’t seem like a ‘bad babbeh’ to the smarty, so he decided to ask Berry on what happened exactly. When Berry finished recounting the event the smarty knew what to do. Spike was not a true ‘bad babbeh’, he was simply misguided, just as the smarty himself once was in his youth. The smarty slowly sat up, putting as little weight as he could on his left side.
“Wha toughie-babbeh du if smawty-babbeh am sowwy?”
Berry huffed and puffed his cheeks, “Nu cawe! Meanie bad babbeh nu desewbe huggies o’ wuv!”
“Wisten tu smawty wittwe toughie-babbeh… many fowevahs ago smawty du bad ting tu.”
“W-weawwy?”
“Yus, wet smawty teww babbeh 'bout when smawty onwy widdwe babbeh…”
“Wots an’ wots of fowevahs ago smawty wewe onwy widdwe chiwpie-babbeh. Smawty dwank dewicious miwkies fwom mummah evewy bwight-time, an’ evewy dawk-time smawty hab bestest huggies fwom bwuddahs an’ sissies. Bu’ one bwight-time scawy munstahs come to nestie, smawty heaw wots of scawy noiseies. Den heaw mummah say some-ting bu’ nu knu wha, smawty was tu wittwe, nu undewstan’ tawkies. Mummah hide babbehs tu sabe dem bu’ munstahs catch mummah, babbehs make saddie-wawas an’ caww fo’ mummah bu’ mummah gu fowevah-sweepies…”
“Smawty wai’ fo’ mummah, some bwuddahs an’ sissies twy fin’ mummah bu’ nu come back. Babbehs get tummy-huwties wif nu miwkies, den bwuddahs an’ sissies gu fowevah-sweepies awound smawty. Smawty hab su many tummy-huwties tink smawty gon gu fowevah-sweepies tu, bu’ fwuffy fin’ an’ sabe smawty. Fwuffy cawwy smawty tu nyu mummah an’ gib smawty miwkies su tummy-huwties gu awa’. Nyu mummah jus’ hab biggest-poopies su smawty hab nyu bwuddahs an’ sissies!”
“Next bwight-time smawty open see-pwaces! Nyu mummah an’ daddeh wewe su pwetty! Den smawty see nyu bwuddahs an’ sissies, an’ dey pwetty tu! Bu’ one bwuddah am diffwent den oddah babbehs, bwuddah hab wingies an’ pointy! Smawty twy wawn nyu famiwy ‘bout munstah bu’ nu gud at tawkies, su smawty watch munstah an’ wai’ tiww am tawkie-babbeh. Twy wawn famiwy ‘bout munstah, bu’ dey say ‘aww babbehs am gud babbehs’, bu’ smawty tink dat munstah nu am babbeh.”
“Smawty tink smawty knu bettew den mummah an’ daddeh su next bwight time smawty cawwy munstah awa’ fwom nestie. Smawty nu wan famiwy gu fowevah-sweepies fwom munstah again su smawty decide tu gib munstah fowevah-sweepies. Smawty gon’ gib munstah wowstest sowwy-hoofies, den munstah open see-pwaces. Munstah sees Smawty an’ twy make fiwst tawkies, munstah wan knu whewe mummah an’ miwkies am. Smawty wemembew da noiseies munstahs made, dey wewe scawy, bu’ da wittwe munstah nu make scawy noiseies. Den smawty undewstan’, mummah an’ daddeh wewe wight, dat nu am munstah, jus’ widdwe babbeh.”
"Smawty awmost gib widdwe bwuddah fowevah-sweepies! When smawty tink dat, smawty hab wowstest heawt-huwties evah! Smawty am bad babbeh! Su smawty take pointy-wingie bwuddah back tu nestie an’ teww mummah an’ daddeh wha smawty du an’ dat smawty am sowwy. Mummah an’ daddeh hab heawt-huwties bu’ forgib smawty. Smawty make suwe tu nevah be bad babbeh again an’ pwotec pointy-wingie bwuddah fwom oddah fwuffies tiww dey knu bwuddah nu am munstah. "
“miss bwuddah…”
The tale was long and shocking (for a fluffy), leaving Berry in stunned silenced once the smarty had finished.
“Babbeh did bad ting, bu’ dat nu mean babbeh am bad-babbeh…”
The lesson was a lot for a little foal to mull over, but after a long time thinking it over Berry came to a conclusion, “If bwuddah am sowwy, an’ nu gib heawt-huwties nu mowe den Bewwy wiww forgib bwuddah…”
The smarty clapped his hooves together for the foals decision. The foals were maturing and turning into fine young fluffies. This thought passed through the smarty’s mind and reignited an idea that had been stewing in the unicorn’s head since he had started training Spike, ‘perhaps it is time for a new smarty’