The Day the Fluff Came to Town
Twilight Sparkle paced back and forth. She always did this when deep in thought. Not even any of her books interested her. She only did this when she was frustrated by a mystery she couldn’t solve.
Spike stood nearby, getting ready to deal with another OCD episode, just in case.
“It doesn’t make sense,” Twilight muttered repeatedly. “It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense.”
She was trying to figure out Fluffle Puff and how such an adorable fluffy pony like that could ever love somepony like Chrysalis, a villain who had tried to take over Equestria not just once, but twice.
Starlight, who was observing, commented, “Twilight, you’ll make a hole in the ground if you keep pacing like that.”
“But it just doesn’t make sense to me!” Twilight cried. “How did that fluffy pony-”
“Fluffle Puff,” Starlight interjected.
“Thank you. How could Fluffle Puff truly love Chrysalis?” Twilight questioned.
“Love is blind, I guess,” Starlight shrugged.
“But it just doesn’t seem possible!”
“Thorax showed us that it’s possible for changelings to be friendly,” Starlight pointed out.
“Starlight’s right. Maybe you don’t need to try and make sense of it. Just accept it,” affirmed Spike.
“But I can’t! There has to be something I’m not seeing!” Twilight frowned.
“Twilight, does this have anything to do with what happened at Shining Armor and Cadence’s wedding?” Starlight asked.
Twilight sighed. That was a bitter memory. Chrysalis had taken Cadence’s place so she could weaken the shield surrounding Canterlot and invade with her changeling army. Fortunately, Shining Armor and Cadence had saved the day by blasting the changelings away with their magic of true love. So, the idea of somepony loving Chrysalis of their own free will was just completely unbelievable.
“I guess...but still, I need to figure this out. If only I could talk to that little filly,” Twilight said.
Pinkie Pie suddenly burst into the room, “Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!”
“Pinkie, what is it?” Twilight asked.
“Oh my gosh! You won’t believe who I found!”
“Who?”
~Fluffle Puff~
“I don’t believe it,” said Twilight.
There she was, the mysterious pink fluffy pony known as Fluffle Puff. She was right there in the marketplace and had set up shop. She wasn’t technically selling anything. She was drawing portraits for bits. There was even a sign that read “Portraits 4 a bit”.
And the fluffy pony seemed very artistic as Twilight saw some of her art on display. She had drawn a picture of Twilight’s castle and used it to try and draw in customers. Right now she was painting a portrait of Derpy Hooves. Fluffle Puff’s fur had some splotches of paint, but she didn’t seem to mind. Once she finished, she gave the portrait to Derpy and she paid Fluffle Puff with a bit.
“Thank you!” Derpy said as she flew away, carrying her new portrait.
Fluffle Puff waved and put up a new canvas and waited for another customer.
“OK, Twilight. You want to know why she loves Chrysalis, here’s your chance,” Starlight nudged her teacher forward.
“OK, I will,” Twilight said, and she trotted over to Fluffle Puff. “Hello, Fluffle Puff. Welcome to Ponyville,” greeted Twilight.
Fluffle Puff let out a cute gasp and then went and hugged Twilight warmly. Twilight blinked but returned the hug. She also took a moment to rub herself gently against Fluffle Puff’s fluffy coat. It truly was soft.
Letting go of Twilight, Fluffle Puff smiled brightly.
“So, what brings you to town?” Twilight asked, and Fluffle Puff pointed to her sign. “Making some bits with your drawings. That’s nice.”
Fluffle Puff nodded enthusiastically then showed Twilight the hat she used to keep her bits. It was a quarter full of bits.
“That’s nice,” Twilight said. “Just make sure you keep that someplace safe.”
Fluffle Puff nodded as she pulled the hat into her fluff and Twilight’s eyebrows rose as the hat seemed to be sucked right into the fluffy mass that was Fluffle Puff’s coat.
“So, I was wondering, could we talk about you and Chrysalis?” Twilight asked.
Fluffle Puff released a happy gasp and quickly took out a picture of Chrysalis which she had drawn with crayon. There was a heart around it too.
“So, you love her?” Twilight asked. Fluffle Puff nodded. “Why? You must’ve known what she’s done, right?”
Fluffle Puff shrugged.
“Wait, you don’t care? You don’t care what she’s done?” Twilight asked, surprised.
Fluffle Puff nodded.
Twilight looked at the drawing, “I see. It doesn’t matter to you since you don’t see the Queen of the Changelings or a monster. You just see somepony you love.”
Fluffle Puff nodded. She then started to draw.
“Wait, I don’t want my portrait made. I just wanted to talk,” Twilight declined politely.
But Fluffle Puff employed her secret weapon as she looked at Twilight with the saddest eyes and a quivering bottom lip. Twilight bit her bottom lip as she tried to look away, but couldn’t. It was those eyes of hers. They were sucking her in.
“OK, I guess one portrait wouldn’t hurt,” said Twilight as she sat down and posed.
Fluffle gasped happily and began to paint,
~Fluffle Puff~
“So she convinced you to pay for ten portraits, huh?” Starlight remarked as she saw the stack of canvasses next to Twilight.
“It was the eyes, Starlight. I couldn’t resist,” sheepishly answered Twilight.
“So why is she here?” Starlight asked as Fluffle Puff was at the table, enjoying tea.
Fluffle Puff went over to Starlight then touched her nose with her hoof.
Twilight shrugged sheepishly, “Well, I just thought it would be nice to ask her over for some tea.”
Fluffle Puff had grabbed the plate of cookies, opened her mouth wide, and poured all the cookies into her mouth. She then closed her mouth, with her cheeks bulging, and chewed on all the cookies before swallowing. She let out a gasp of happiness.
“It’s because she’s cute, isn’t it?” Starlight deadpanned.
“...Yeah. I can kinda see why Chrysalis is so attached to her,” Twilight replied.
Fluffle Puff purred as she enjoyed the cookies, and then she let out a gasp and started running around. A book on the floor caused her to trip, and she fell right on her face.
“Fluffle Puff!” Twilight cried.
“Twilight, maybe she’s OK,” said Spike.
“But she fell!” Twilight pointed.
That was when they heard a strange buzzing sound coming from Fluffle Puff, and they watched as she began to zoom all around the room, with her face. She didn’t seem bothered by her position. She just kept buzzing and zooming.
“What did you say she was again?” Starlight asked.
“A fluffy pony,” answered Twilight. “That’s what Chrysalis told us.”
Fluffle Puff did the impossible as she zoomed up the wall and then she fell right on the floor. She was on her back then rolled over to get on her hooves.
“I guess she is kinda cute,” Starlight admitted before a pillow suddenly hit her in the face. “Ow! Hey!”
Fluffle Puff was holding two pillows up with her forehooves and was giving both Princess Twilight and Starlight a challenging glare.
“Bring it on,” Fluffle Puff’s eyes conveyed.
“Ooh! A pillow fight! Pinkie Pie jumped in then pulled a pillow out of her mane, “I wanna play! Let’s play!”
“Pfft!” Fluffle Puff blew a raspberry and narrowed her eyes at the challenge. With a loud yell, the big ball of pink fluff lunged at Pinkie Pie and smacked her with one of her pillows. The fluffy pony demonstrated incredible strength as she knocked Pinkie Pie out and sent her sailing towards the wall.
“PINKIE!” Twilight dashed towards her friend and cradled her. “Pinkie, speak to me! Are you OK!?”
“Tell me another one Maud...” Pinkie Pie uttered in a daze as her eyes went swirly. She quickly shook her head and recovered. “Whoa! That was some hit!”
Fluffle Puff rose on her hind hooves victoriously, swinging her combat pillows around.
Twilight facehoofed.
~Fluffle Puff~
The Friendship Council was gathered, sitting around the Cutie Map Table for an important meeting.
“So that’s why Fluffle Puff is here,” said Twilight as she pointed at the pillow fort in the corner.
“Yeah, we had fun,” Pinkie Pie smiled as she enjoyed making the pillow fort with Fluffle Puff.
“OK, so we got Chrysalis’ pet. Are you sure she’s not some spy?” Rainbow Dash asked suspiciously.
“I don’t sense any malicious intent coming from Fluffle Puff,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “I mean, aside from knocking Pinkie Pie out with a pillow, she’s practically harmless.”
“Well, changelings are experts of deception, and this Fluffle Puff does spend an awful lot of time with the Queen of the Changelings,” Rarity reminded.
“I still don’t get how somepony so innocent could love a no good varmint like Chrysalis,” Applejack frowned.
“Have you tried asking her?” Fluttershy asked.
“She doesn’t speak, and only communicates with writing or noises,” Twilight Sparkle answered. She figured out that Fluffle Puff communicated using gasps and raspberries, even purring when she was happy.
“So, she’s still in there?” Rainbow Dash asked as she pointed at the pillow fort. She went over and gently knocked on the pillow door. “Hey, fuzzball. Are you in there?”
The pillow door moved, and Fluffle Puff poked her head out. She smiled and nodded before she beckoned them in.
“Guess she wants you all to follow her in,” said Spike.
“Can we even fit?” Rarity tilted her head.
“Spike?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“OK, I’m going in,” said Spike as he entered the pillow fort. A moment later, he exclaimed,” Everypony, you gotta see this! It’s amazing!”
~Fluffle Puff~
“What in the world...?”
“What in tarnation?”
“Oh, my...”
“This is impossible.”
“Seriously, what the hay?”
“It’s bigger on the inside!”
“Well, you don’t see this everyday.”
The seven mares stood inside Fluffle Puff’s pillow fort, and it truly was bigger on the inside. From the outside, it didn’t look like it could fit more than one pony, but on the inside, it looked like a regular house.
Everything was white as everything was pillows. There was also a TV set up with a game console. Pictures of Fluffle Puff and Chrysalis hung on the walls.
The couch was made up pillows and Fluffle Puff smiled as she saw them from the couch with Spike relaxing on the couch.
Fluffle Puff was happy to see them as she hopped off the couch. It didn’t take long for any of them to notice the jewelry she was wearing.
It looked like an Element of Harmony, but the symbol looked like a taco.
It began to glow and all of a sudden a pile of tacos appeared in the middle of the room.
The mares’ jaws dropped at the demonstration of magic. Twilight quickly went to inspect Fluffle Puff to check if she had a unicorn horn hidden under the fluff.
There was no horn. It didn’t make sense.
Nothing about Fluffle Puff made sense.
And Twilight came to the conclusion that Discord had something to do with Fluffle Puff’s existence. However, she couldn’t just call the Spirit of Chaos. He wouldn’t answer. He would listen to Fluttershy, and she knew how the shy mare felt about ordering anypony around.
~Fluffle Puff~
Rainbow Dash was playing a video game with Pinkie Pie as the others watched. Twilight, however, was keeping her eye on Fluffle Puff who was enjoying their company. Fluttershy was currently giving the fluffy mare a belly rub, eliciting soft purrs from Fluffle Puff.
“You are so adorable,” Fluttershy cooed.
Fluffle Puff purred in response.
“I see you’re all having fun,” Chrysalis said as she walked right in.
“CHRYSALIS!” Twilight Sparkle yelled as the changeling queen appeared. Everyone assembled for battle, but Fluffle Puff gasped happily and hopped over to Chrysalis to give her a hug.
“So, this is where you’ve been,” Chrysalis smiled as she hugged Fluffle Puff back. She said to the ponies, “I do hope you’ve been taking good care of Fluffy. I would hate it if anything were to happen to her.”
“Chrysalis,” spoke Twilight Sparkle evenly, “I just need to know, why does Fluffle Puff love you? Why do you love her?”
“Does there need to be a reason? Chrysalis asked rhetorically. “Anyway, we must go. I only came to pick up Fluffy and take her back to my hive with me.”
Fluffle Puff climbed onto Chrysalis’ back, and the changeling queen smiled before she stepped out of the pillow fort.
All of a sudden, the pillow fort collapsed, and everything went back to normal.
And Twilight Sparkle still hadn’t figured out Fluffle Puff.