“How am I supposed to know if it worked?”
>There's a snicker on the other end.
>You glare at your smartphone briefly before returning it to your ear.
>”Don't worry, she'll tell you.  The mares always know.”
“Okay, how long will that take? It's already been two days...”
>”If not by tomorrow, it probably failed.  What are you going to do in the meantime?”
“I don't know, I don't like leaving them alone at night.”
>”Bewwy okay, haf Wightnin'!”
>God, these things are so cute.
>”I'm sure they manage better than a regular fluffy.  They know you're coming back.”
“Still...anyway, I wonder how hard alicorn pregnancy is.”
>”Shouldn't be anymore difficult than usual.  You've dealt with it before.”
>You doff your watch cap to scratch the top of your head.
“Yeah...poor foals that nobody loved.”
>”You're too sentimental, sis.”
“Hey!  I care for living creatures!”
>”Yeah, yeah.  I've gotta go, Whitney wants to talk to me.”
“Okay, later.”
>Lightning and Berry have been looking at you intently during the whole conversation.
>”Wucy, who talkies to?” Lightning asks.
“Huh?  Oh, that was Sarah.”
>Berry cheers.  ”Sawah!  Sawah come, bwing widdle fwuffy fwiends?”
>You can't help but smile.
“I'm afraid not.  How are you feeling today, Berry?”
>”Bewwy happy!”
>She says that every time you ask her.
“I mean...how does your tummy feel?”
>She looks at you for a moment, confused, before poking her tummy with a hoof.
>”Tummy happy too!”
>Of course.
>Well, it's time to eat something anyway.
>You don't even have to bother telling them to behave.
“I'll be back with nummies, okay?”
>”Yay!  Wuv Wucy!”
>You grab your bag and head out the door.
>It sort of bothers you that they don't call you mommy like regular fluffies do.
>Honestly, the thought of having a breeding farm of these things at all is rather offputting.
>Still, it can't hurt to try it out.  You can always go back to how things were later.
>Today feels like a Chinese day, so you make the walk down the street.
>Ignore the Thai place.  You may never eat there again.
>There's a little cage in the window there now.
>Five fluffy foals waddle around in it, leaning up when they see you and yelling something you can't hear through the glass.
>Keep walking keep walking keep walk--
>Up ahead, something very, very shiny catches your eye.
>It's an enormous red car coming down the street.
>A Bentley Mulsanne.
>Oh fuck.
>It's mom.
>You duck down behind a parked truck until she passes.
>After a few seconds, it becomes apparent that she didn't see you.
>The car stops in front of Sarah's shop.  You watch as the driver comes around and opens the door.
>She gets out and turns around, helping a stately silver fluffy pony out onto the ground.
>You can barely see her horn from here.
>When mom comes to see Sarah, she doesn't usually bring Taiho along.
>You wonder what the special occasion is.
>You watch until they go in and then breathe a sigh of relief.
>”Excuse me, miss...”
“Gaaah!”
>”Sorry,” a grizzled looking man says, “But I need to get in my truck.”
“Oh!  Right.  Pardon me, aheh...”
>You take uneasy steps away from the truck and continue on down the sidewalk.
>Twenty minutes later, you've got a bag full of deliciousness.
>Hopefully, alicorns like wontons...
>Mom's car is still down the street.  Good, she's talking to Sarah.
>Only when you get to your storefront do you realize this is incorrect.
>Taiho is pressed against your plate glass window, babbling something you can't make out.
>When you make eye contact with mom, she freezes you with That God Damn Annoyed Look.
>Meekly, you walk inside.
>”Wucy back!  Bewwy fin' new fwuffy an' hooman fwiend!”
>”I see your trust fund is going towards maintaining an empty building,” mom says, arms folded and glaring.
>You just point at the alicorns, so intimidated that you can't even form words.
>”I see the mutant fluffy ponies.  What inane time-wasting idea have you got this time?”
>You set the bag of food down on your desk and try to collect yourself.
>Taiho is freaking the hell out.
>”Mommy!  Meanie munstas!  Wun 'way!  Wun 'way!”
>”Oh, quiet, Taiho.  They're just as dumb and harmless as you are.”
>”Wightnin' no dumb!” he counters, standing up and puffing his cheeks.  “Bewwy no dumb too!”
>You watch as your mother stares down the blue alicorn, but he doesn't budge.
>”Smartass,” she growls.  “Like those damn smarty friends I keeping hearing about.”
>Taiho paws at the glass, her blue mane and tail waving with the motion.  “Wan' go 'way!  Munstas scawy!”  
>You still haven't managed to say a word, and it's beginning to annoy her deeply.
>”Talk!  What's going on here?”
“I-I'm doing a br-breeding experiment...”
>”Oh, Christ.  Did you go back to school to get some other useless degree without telling me?”
“N-no, I'm...”
>She begins tapping her foot.  Clack, clack, clack.
>You feel like you're about two feet tall, withered by her soul-melting glare.
>That's when it happens.
>”Meanie hooman go 'way!  No be meanie to Wucy!” Berry says, spreading her wings to look as imposing as possible, which isn't very much.
>”You certainly have a vocabulary, don't you?” mom says, her voice dripping with condescension.  “Shut up before I have you turned into fluffy pony khao phat.”
>”Stop be meanie!  Bewwy no wike you!”
>”No wike hooman!” Lightning reiterates.
>”Wow.  I'm having an argument with fluffy ponies.”
>You've screwed up just enough courage to say something when the door opens behind you.
>”Mom, I warned you about bringing Taiho in here...”
>Sarah walks in, an idle smile on her face as she looks at the panicking silver unicorn.
>”Thank god.  Come talk some sense into your sister, please.  And make her get rid of these damn fluffy ponies!”
>”I'm sorry, the fluffies are mine.  She's working with me on a business venture."
>She looks between the two of you, utterly disbelieving.
>”Sawah!  Hewp Wucy!  Meanie hooman make Wucy sad!” Berry calls.
>Sarah smirks at her before returning her attention to mom.  “Cat got your tongue?”
>Mom has regained her composure, but still looks mad.  “And you weren't going to tell me this?”
>”It's my money, and therefore none of your business,” Sarah replies flatly.
>Mom looks at you for a long time before speaking again.
>”Fine.  Make sure she makes something of herself before I grow old.”
>With that, she departs, Taiho running quickly out the door after her.
>Sarah sighs, smoothing her hair back.  “I tried to warn you, but it went to voicemail.”
“Thanks...what is she even doing here?  I thought she was still in France.”
>”Checking up on us, she says.”
>”Yay!  Sawah make meanie hooman go 'way!  Sawah fwiend!” Lightning cheers happily.
“I wish I could say 'fuck you' to her face...hungry?  I just bought lunch.”
>”Sure, why not.”
>You and she begin dividing up food, and that's when you notice it.
“Berry?  Are you all right?”
>She looks up at you with tears in her eyes.
>”Bewwy...Bewwy haf babeh feew in tummy...”