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It was just a stupid, dirty pig.
That was what she thought at first, as the animal fought strongly against its leash and ended up pulling Pacifica with it, right into the dirt. That was what her parents said, when they first laid eyes on it, suggesting instead that they should eat it for dinner. That was what her friends and guests said, as they visited the mansion and saw the creature.
Honestly it was probably better to just cook it or sell it off.
But as she walked through the garden, admiring the peacocks and other beautiful, exotic creatures freely running around and then looked over to the pig, chained up in its enclosure next to a food bowl (because her parents didn't want a dirty pig running around and spooking their guests), she felt a pang of pity.
In some weird way, the sight of the creature reminded her of herself a little bit. Maybe it was the fact that it was completely alone; ignored by the other animals, unless it met their insanely high standards. Maybe it was the fact that it was chained up in its cage by her parents, kinda like her. Maybe it was the scared look in its eyes...
But whatever it was, it caused the blonde girl to approach it. Not with malice, but with caution and empathy. And it was probably that caution and empathy that made the pig more receptive to her. It didn't resist when she laid her hand on it to stroke it. Quite the opposite, it seemed to relish that touch after all the isolation, even leaning into her hand and trying to lick it.
A tentative smile crept on Pacifica's lips at that sight and she allowed it to lick all over her hand and arm. Looking at that pig again, it was kind of cute.
That was when she made up her mind to keep it.
It took a lot of convincing to get her parents' approval. They were both hellbent on getting rid of it, only seeing that animal as a nuisance. Her father even went so far as to threaten to use his bell again, but Pacifica stood her ground this time and ultimately won. The thought of getting rid of that pig, of condemning it to certain death or unhappiness, just didn't sit right with her, not after that day.
So when her parents finally relented and gave her permission, she happily went ahead and picked out a name for her new pet - Ray, since it... he was kind of like a ray of light for her - as well as toys and accessories. Her parents were very strict in making sure that her new pet wouldn't drag any dirt into the mansion or destroy any property, so Pacifica always made sure to keep him clean and pretty.
It was kind of fun. Washing him, dressing him up, playing with him... It was like having a friend. One that didn't judge her by her looks and social standards and simply liked her for herself. It didn't take long until she was spending a significant amount of time with him, bonding with him and telling him all her secrets.
She finally had found a companion.
She always thought of Mabel as just a nuisance. A silly, annoying girl and nothing more.
But as she walked through the streets, getting attention and admiration from other people around her and then looked over to said girl, as she sat there on the curb, all alone and sulking and unkempt, she felt a pang of pity. The sight of that girl reminded her too much of Ray, being ignored by all the other high-class animals in the garden...
And so she approached her. Not with malice this time, but with caution and empathy.
It was awkward at first, talking with her rival. Asking her about her issue and ignoring all the bad blood between them. But Mabel - just like Ray - turned out to be a pretty approachable person, as long as you met her with understanding, and pretty soon the two girls were having a fairly pleasant conversation.
At some point Pacifica started talking about her new pet and something in Mabel changed. She suddenly seemed really interested and really anxious, hanging on to every one of Pacifica's words and asking all kinds of questions about the pig and how he was doing. She seemed relieved that Ray was doing well and even asked - almost begged - to meet him.
So Pacifica finally invited her over to her mansion.
It was surprising how well Mabel got along with Ray and how affectionate Ray was towards her. Almost like they were destined to be good friends or something. Mabel even found her own little nickname for the pig - Waddles - which Pacifica thought was also kind of fitting. It was almost a shame when evening arrived and Mabel had to leave, but after seeing how well her guest and her pet had gotten along, the blonde assured her that she could visit the mansion again.
And so she did.
Soon Mabel's visits became a regular occurrence and both girls started bonding over the pet pig. Mabel never told her new friend of her own past with “Waddles” and how she had met the pig before Pacifica, before she engaged in some time-traveling shenanigans that ruined everything, but she didn't feel the need to.
After all, by losing one friend, she had now won two instead.