Sunny Gardens: Twinkle, Twinkle

>By eleven, you've mopped the closet floor clean.
>You've also at least managed to convince Slate and Starlight that you're not going to hurt them.
>They still don't understand why you did it, though.
>”When haf owwies, fwiends gif huggies,” Starlight says.
“I know, but Mandy's owwies were too big for hugs.”
>”Too big?  Neva haf owwies wike dat...”
>Slate looks very thoughtful.  “Nice hooman cwy.  Cwy mean no wike...”
>You can almost see the wheels turning in his head.
>”Mean no wan' huwt fwiend, bu'...huwt fwiend?  Haffa huwt?”
“I had to help him stop hurting.”
>Starlight looks between you and Slate.  “Mommy...mommy gif too big huggies fo' too big owwies?”
>They both look at you for confirmation.
“Um...yes.  I wanted to give him a hug to make him feel better, but I gave him the wrong kind of hug by accident.  I didn't mean to.”
>They stare at each other.
>”Mommy go in sowwy box?”
>You bust out giggling, partly due to relief, and party due to the humor.
“I won't fit in there, sweetie.”
>Fluffy, silent until now, suddenly drones “Hung'y.”
>Crap, you forgot to give them breakfast.
>That Italian place should be open by now.
“Who wants a panino for lunch?”
>”Stawigh' wan' panahwoo...wapeeweo...paweeweewo!” she blurts out.
>You giggle again.
>”Wha pa...wha dat?” Slate doesn't even try.
“It's a sandwich.”
>They don't actually know what a sandwich is, either.
“...oh, I'll just show you.  Be good fluffies until I get back!”
>You just get out the door when a white Ford Taurus pulls up.
>”Miss!  Are you closing?” the guy shouts out the window.
>He's got on glasses and a suit.  Looks kinda scientist-y.
“Oh, no, I was just going for lunch.  I can help you before I leave.”
>He follows you back inside.
>”Mommy go fas'! Stawigh' wan' pawineo!” she cheers.
>You take up a position behind the desk.
>”Whoa, you've only got three?”
“Yep.  It's summer, the heat really kills the stray population.  Even ones with owners die if they stay outside too long.”
>”No wonder I hardly see any.  I just moved out here from Virginia, they've got tons there.”
>He walks over and looks at the fluffies.  Starlight and Slate lean up to hug him.
>”Uh...miss...”
“Lucy, please.”
>”Right.  Why's this one so quiet?”
>You both look at Fluffy, who's walked over to greet him, but just stands there silently.
“Her owner reset her a lot.  I mean, a lot.  This is how she acts.”
>You expect him to be repulsed like everyone else, but he scoops her up and holds her.
>”Gif huggies,” she drones, hugging his chest.
>”Wow.  Is this as loud as she gets?”
>You just nod in reply.
>”New daddy!  New daddy!  Wan' huggies too!” Starlight cries.
>”Does she run around a lot?”
“Not really.  I think she likes to play with blocks, and she'll nose a ball around, otherwise she's pretty stationary most of the time.”
>”Why no gif huggies?”
>”She still lets you know when she needs something, right?”
“Mhm, she told me a few minutes ago she was hungry.”
>”She's perfect.  What's her name?”
>You blink at him.
“Actually, it's just Fluffy.  I've tried giving her names, but she never seems to take them on.”
>She looks up.  ”Fwuffy am Fwuffy.”
>He walks away from the pen.  ”Good enough.”
>”New daddy!  New daddy no weave!” Starlight begins to cry.
>”My daughter asked me for a fluffy pony.  I didn't want one that was too active.  She's...” he begins to look sad, “...very sickly.  I just want one she can handle and hug.”
>You frown as you gather the papers for him to sign.
>”Nuuuu!  Why no gif huggies?”
>He signs the paperwork and pays the fee.  You've got no carrier to put her in, but he doesn't seem to mind.
>After politely thanking you, he's off with Fluffy under his arm.
>You smile a little, but Starlight's sobbing kills that fast.
>”W-why no wan' Stawigh', aww fwuffies fin' daddy an' mommy bu' Stawigh'...”
>Slate hugs her as hard as his fluffy legs can.  “No cwy, Swate am hewe.  Gif huggies.”
>Sigh...after reassuring her that you'll be back, you make a mad dash for food.
>Twenty minutes later, you return.
“Here they are!”
>”M-mommy back...whewe aww fwiends go, why no daddy an' mommy wuv Stawigh'...”
>Big frown.  Last summer, the fluffies were sad about not having many friends, but none were as clingy as Starlight.
>She's taking it really, really hard.
>”Pwease gif huggies, nice hooman.  Stawigh' cwy.”
>You set the bag down and do just that.
>After the hug, you do your best to remove the prosciutto from one of the sandwiches before letting them split it.
>Too much meat makes their poop smell really, really bad.
>They seem to enjoy it, although Starlight still looks sad that she didn't get picked.
>You wile away the time by letting them watch YouTube videos.
>Mostly of other fluffies doing dumb things.
>Since it's just two, you let them out of the pen and allow them to run around on the floor.
>Clacks of little hooves echo relentlessly.
>They slide around and bump into things; the base of the long desk, the mesh pen, your legs.
“Be careful, Starlight!”
>After an hour, it seems her mind is finally off losing another new daddy.
>”Wheeeeeee, wan' fwy!” she says, getting a running start.
>Her take off attempt is interrupted by a noise from outside.
>You look up and see a blue Mercedes park.
>Starlight slides to a halt and scrambles for cover behind your ankles while Slate waddles over to investigate.
>A young, clean cut man comes in.  He looks rather crestfallen.
>”Hi, I'm...oh.  The sign said this was a fluffy pony shelter.”
“It is, I just don't have many right now.”
>He looks down at Slate, then notices Starlight waddling over.
>”N-new daddy?” she asks hesitantly.
>He picks her up.  She squeals with joy and hugs him.
>”Aw...aren't you a sweetheart?”
>He explains why he's here.
>His fluffy pony, a green unicorn named Lime, escaped while he was at work.
>Green unicorn...that evokes another thought about Felix.  You frown a little.
>Lime got stuck in his backyard and cooked to death.  Ugh, cooked.
>He was going to get him a playmate today.
>Instead of dropping the idea, he's going ahead and finding a new fluffy.
>”I'd have gone to that store down the street, but it's too crowded.  One of my co-workers adopted from you, said this was a nice place.”
“I do my best.  It's better than the public shelter, that's for sure.”
>Starlight coos repeatedly as she's hugged, while Slate just smiles up at the man.
>You tell him about each fluffy, but after you're done introducing the blue earth fluffy, it looks like he's already made up his mind.
>Starlight asks the question she's asked so many times before.
>”New daddy?”
>”Yes, new daddy.”
>She's stunned.
>He continues holding her while dealing with the paperwork; she's still quiet.
>”Are you okay?”
>”Stawigh'...Stawigh' haf new daddy?”
>”Yes, that's me.”
>He doesn't mind the lack of a carrier either, and walks toward the door with his new fluffy.
>”Mommy!  Stawigh' haf new daddy!”
“I see that!”
>”...mommy no come wif?”
>You just smile and shake your head.
>”Bu', bu' mommy...”
>You watch her through the windows, waving her forelegs and calling out for you.
>”Stawigh' no wike new daddy?”
“She will...she does.”
>This is going to require three tissues.
>Slate hugs your leg.  “No cwy.”
“I guess it's just you and me now.  Will you be okay alone tonight?”
>”Swate be good fwuffy.  Stwong fo' he--”  He stops short, slowly looking around.
>”Swate no haf hewd now...aww go 'way.  Aww haf new daddies and mommies.”
>You pick him up and hug him, thinking of the fluffies from yesterday.
>How you wish he was right.