//------------------------------// // Amethyst Star and Pet-Sitting // Story: Amethyst Star Isn't Prepared For This // by MagicS //------------------------------// In one of the more affluent sectors of the City of Opportunity one could find sprawling estates that put all but the nicest and most extravagant mansions and palaces of Equestria to shame. Amethyst Star found herself looking out the window of an expensive gilded carriage at the ultra-luxurious homes as it carried her to her destination for this day. Some of the homes were merely very large mansions with a nice yard while others had a vineyard or large gardens to go with them. Every last one was walled in with a locked gate, adding to their prestige and exclusivity. And likely the fear of their owner’s that they would certainly be burglarized without the proper security. Amethyst Star wondered what it would be like to live in homes such as these. Well if she was really that curious she probably could just ask Twilight Sparkle what it was like living in a castle when she got back. But Twilight was a princess, the people living here were likely normal but just really affluent. Was there royalty in this city? Maybe. She felt pretty lucky to even get into this part of the city though, since it was apparent on the carriage ride over that there were a number of guarded checkpoints and walls they had to go through. The first one went from ordinary parts of the city into a nice residential area, the next into an even nicer residential area, and so forth until she finally arrived here. The houses, yards, and enclaves got bigger and fancier with each district, the first almost looked no better than some of the nicer houses in Ponyville. Which just made what she was looking at now even more impressive. Her carriage passed one property that looked like it covered several acres, all of it filled with the most beautiful and diverse botanical garden that Amethyst Star had ever seen with a (relatively) smaller ranch style home at the back that still screamed pristine elitism. Thankfully she was also the only one inside the carriage at this point in time so no one else was there to witness her slack-jawed wonder at each house they passed. If the owners of these places saw her they’d probably think her to be quite vulgar and unrefined. And Amethyst Star was absolutely determined to not let anyone look down on her for any reason. Even if they were just random rich people who she’d never see again. She knew she’d have to compose herself in a minute though since she was also determined to make the best possible first impression on her “boss” for the day. Rogarenda Roggatsch. Amethyst Star didn’t know what to make of that name when she heard it other than she was just about completely certain it wasn’t the name of a pony. Regardless, she had an important last minute job that she needed doing and Amethyst Star was the pony that was gonna perform that job. The carriage eventually came to a stop and Amethyst Star picked her jaw up off the floor and sat down calmly on the cushioned seat to look as good as possible. In a second the tuxedo wearing minotaur that had been driving the carriage came up to the door and opened it for Amethyst Star, stepping out of her way with a bow. Fancy. She stepped down from her transport and was led around the front of the carriage to the other side of the street from where she was looking, giving a quick wave and thank you to the ponies that had been pulling the carriage in the first place, so she could now see the large mansion where she would be working for the day. Impressive, of course, along with every other place in this part of the city. Like the others it had its own unique decorations and style too. The suave minotaur pulled a key from his pocket and opened up the front gate so the two of them could walk through the well-kept lawn to the house itself. A fine stone pathway led from the gate to the mansion, curving around a large fountain that stood right before it and bordered by some of the greenest and freshest grass Amethyst Star had ever seen. Whoever owned this place certainly liked statues too. Numerous porcelain and marble statues and sculptures of all kinds of things dotted the lawn. Dragons on pedestals, pillars holding up large globes, a galloping alicorn, Amethyst Star couldn’t tear her eyes away from the lawn ornaments. Most of them were bedecked in jewels as well, their eyes being inlaid with glowing sapphires while lines of rubies and emeralds covered their bodies. It seemed needlessly extravagant to Amethyst Star but apparently the owner loved to flaunt their wealth even more than the house already did for them. I bet a dragon lives here. Or a griffon. Amethyst Star thought as she followed the minotaur around the fountain. The two of them had to walk up several steps to reach the front door of the mansion, a very large colonial style home painted white with blue window shutters and pink curtains in every window that Amethyst Star could see. Her minotaur guide lifted the heavy brass knocker on the door and made three hard knocks that undoubtedly rang throughout the entire building. As she stood in front of that door now, waiting for the owner to arrive, Amethyst Star noticed just how big the door actually was. Huge enough that even the minotaur would be able to walk in carrying Amethyst Star on his shoulders and he wouldn’t have to duck. Heavy footsteps came from inside the mansion, fast ones, practically running to the front door. The door was suddenly pulled open and a frightfully tall Diamond Dog stood in the door frame. She had an auburn coat of fur and a ghastly arrangement of bright red lipstick and mascara on her face. Perhaps most shocking to Amethyst Star was the flowing pink gown she was wearing. Even out here, this is something I never expected to see in my entire life. Amethyst Star blinked. The Diamond Dog’s eyes finally spotted Amethyst. “You must be my savior!” The large dog barked out before grabbing Amethyst Star and pulling her into a tight hug. “Oh, thank you so much for coming at the last minute! I simply couldn’t stand the thought of leaving my poor little angel all by his lonesome for an entire day!” Amethyst Star wheezed in discomfort as the Diamond Dog, who had to be Rogarenda Roggatsch, crushed her. “N-No problem...” “Oh my! My apologies,” the Diamond Dog set her down, where she wobbled a bit before shaking her head and taking in a deep breath. “Sorry little pony, sometimes I don’t know my own strength!” She clasped her hands in front of her chest and giggled. The unicorn took a few more short breaths to fill her lungs back up. “Don’t worry about it… so uh, what is the job that you want me to do and everything?” “Here, come inside!” Rogarenda much more gently grabbed Amethyst Star by the shoulder and pulled her into the mansion, at the same time slamming the front door in the minotaur’s face. “Sweetums! Come to mom-moms!” Amethyst Star felt her bile rise up in her throat. “Meow!” A loud, rumbling meow came from upstairs and a large orange cat came running shortly after it. The hefty beast moving quite a bit quicker than its size would suggest. Each step it let out another low meow that was halfway between a growl as it ran to its… mom-moms. “Schnookums!” Rogarenda bent over and picked the cat up when he got close, holding him up to her face and nuzzling the orange monster. “This is quite possibly the strangest thing I’ve seen yet,” Amethyst Star quietly whispered to herself. Rogarenda finished up her affectionate hugging and turned to Amethyst Star, holding up her cat like a baby and showing it to the pony. “This is my lovely little pride and joy, Mr. Sunny Boots!” The cat let out a low murmur when its name was called. “You see, what happened is that some very important business that as much as I want to I can’t get out of suddenly came up! I need someone to watch over and feed my little baby while I’m gone, I won’t be back until late tonight.” “Um, alright?” A number of thoughts were going through Amethyst Star’s head right now but she decided not to voice them. And besides, if the job meant getting to hang out in a huge mansion like this why should she question things? Taking care of a single cat sounded easy too. “Wonderful! My Mr. Sunny Boots simply can’t stand being on his lonesome. Be sure to feed him twice a day, his food is marked in the refrigerator, water won’t be a problem, he has plenty of dishes throughout the house. You will also need to bathe him later this evening, he will not go to bed without a warm bath first, his special soap and shampoo I’ve left out for you,” Rogarenda paused and put her cat down, tapping her chin with a finger. “I believe that is everything important. Of course you should play with him whenever he desires as well, and do try and keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t get into anything.” The Diamond Dog then leaned down to look Amethyst Star in the eye, holding up a single finger in front of her face. “And do not let him outside. Mr. Sunny Boots is not an outdoor cat.” Mr. Sunny Boots strutted over to the doorway from the parlor into what looked like a dining room. The large cat sat there attentively, watching his owner and Amethyst Star speak with each other. Amethyst Star nodded along to all of Rogarenda’s instructions even as she became increasingly disturbed by how she treated her pet cat. Was any pet in the world as pampered as Mr. Sunny Boots? “I think I’ve got everything. And I’ll make sure he isn’t let outside.” “Thank you so much!” She pulled Amethyst Star into another crushing hug, the unicorn was pretty sure she felt a rib or two pop. “Y-You’re welcome...” Amethyst Star squeaked. “I really have to be leaving now but I’ll be back before you know it,” Rogarenda dropped her and walked over to the front door to open it up. The minotaur was still standing in exactly the same spot. As far as Amethyst Star knew he hadn’t even blinked. “Get the carriage ready, let us be off.” She told him. Mr. Sunny Boots let out a loud roaring meow when his owner opened the front door and made to leave. Obviously the cat was not happy that she was about to go and leave him with this unfamiliar pony. “Sorry baby, mom-moms will be back soon!” She blew the big cat a kiss and closed the door. Amethyst Star heard their heavy footsteps march down the steps of the entrance and onto the stone path, while the cat stayed where it was Amethyst Star walked up and looked out the peephole of the door to watch the two of them walk out to the metal gate and lock it behind them. Rogarenda was led into the carriage and the minotaur had the stallions turn it around and take them back the way they came. Amethyst Star shrugged, guess it really was as simple as this. Watching over a cat until they got back was at least something far less physically taxing than what she’d been used to recently. She turned to look at Mr. Sunny Boots. The cat regarded her with a cool, ambivalent expression… as much as a cat could at least. It sat there watching her with its tail slightly swishing across the ground behind it, the fat orange blob looking like it weighed half as much as she did. Amethyst Star walked up to it and held out a friendly hoof a few feet away, hoping the cat would come over to her on its own. It didn’t. “Hi, Mr. Sunny Boots. I’m Amethyst Star,” she said to him and slowly scooted closer. “I’ll be taking care of you today. Are you hungry? Want your belly rubbed?” She went to pat him on the head. Mr. Sunny Boots suddenly hissed at her and batted her hoof away, turning around while Amethyst Star was still in shock he ran into the dining room and around the corner at lightning speed, disappearing from sight. Amethyst Star stared at her hoof with her mouth wide open in surprise that the cat had done that. Sure it didn’t seem thrilled with her presence but she wasn’t expecting that. Nor was she expecting it to be so quick on its fat feet. Amethyst Star’s eyes narrowed. “So it’s gonna be like that, huh?” “Mr. Sunny Boots? Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.” For thirty minutes Amethyst Star had been searching through this sprawling mansion in search of the orange ball of terror. And in a place this big, with this many rooms, and this many hiding spots, it was pretty slow going. She didn’t even know the layout of the mansion or how many rooms there were, she just had to blindly search and hope she found the cat. What a huge hassle this was already turning into. She was supposed to give this dumb thing a bath later? The horror. Amethyst Star opened up another door in the carpeted hallway and frowned when it turned out to be nothing more than a linen closet. “Ugh! How am I supposed to find that jerk cat in this place?” Her mood was turning sour. “That Diamond Dog didn’t even tell me where the bathroom or kitchen are either, how am I supposed to find anything in here?! Agh!” She slammed the door shut and stormed off down the hallway, briefly glancing down every other corridor and peeking into the rooms for any sign of the cat while she looked for the kitchen. Being loud probably wasn’t going to make the cat come to her either though. “Whatever, at least there probably aren’t any open doors or windows going outside right? She wouldn’t have left any like that before leaving, would she?” Amethyst Star wondered as she continued her search through the labyrinthine intestines of the Diamond Dog’s mansions. Whether it was the cat she found first or the kitchen she didn’t care at this point. Even though she was technically supposed to be keeping the cat company and not letting him out of her sight what was she supposed to do if the cat didn’t want to be around her? Better at this point to just try and bait the menace to her with food. She wandered through the first floor of the luxurious house for a while longer until the finally managed to stumble across the kitchen. Which she noticed with no small amount of annoyance had probably the same amount of floorspace as her entire house back in Ponyville. Making her way over to the impressively large fridge Amethyst Star pulled it open and looked around for whatever was supposed to be Mr. Sunny Boots’ food. Two metal bowls were placed next to the fridge and one was full of water so the other must be for his food. The fridge was full of the highest quality of ingredients for normal food for the most part but there was a small box in the door with a note taped to it that read: “For schnookums” “Yeesh,” Amethyst Star shuddered. She pulled open the box and took out a can of cat food from inside it, thankfully it had a pull-tab on it so she didn’t need to go searching through this palace kitchen for a can-opener. The smell of the food was terrible but at least its pungency might fill up the house and draw that fatso to her. She pulled off the lid completely and tossed it in the sink, holding the can over the metal bowl and letting the gross contents slide with a sickening wet sound from their container until they fell, making a loud splat in the bottom of the bowl. The last little bits of juices leaked out on top of them too and Amethyst Star fought to hold back from throwing up. “I am never getting a cat.” The unicorn tossed the empty can into the sink as well and went to sit down at the kitchen table, watching the entrance closest to the food bowl in case Mr. Sunny Boots decided to come. With nothing else to do she sat there patiently biding her time for her prey. That chunk of a cat was going to get fed, then she was gonna play with it, then give it a bath, and then the fatty was going to bed. There would be no deviation from this. Amethyst Star was serious. It only took her a little while longer of silently stewing there until the orange monster lightly waddled into the kitchen in search of the food it smelled. She was still amazed how agile that cat was. The thing was a watermelon for crying out loud! The cat had to have seen her, or at the very least sensed her presence, but it paid her no mind as it walked over to its food and began to eat. Amethyst Star grinned. “Perfect. I’m going to get you, you lardbag.” While the cat was eating, Amethyst Star quietly got out of her chair and came up behind Mr. Sunny Boots. The cat still gave no sign that it noticed her. Whether it was insulting her or not she didn’t care, she still slunk close to the ground and slowly made quiet little steps to stand right over it with the orange tail of the cat pointing between her legs. The thing looked like it had eaten most of its food already. That made her feel better about what she was about to do. “Gotcha!” She grabbed Mr. Sunny Boots in her magic and hefted the fat cat into the air. “You’re not getting away from me this time!” Mr. Sunny Boots did not agree with her. “Mrooowr!” The cat roared and struggled about in Amethyst Star’s magical grip, twisting and turning and trying to break free from the foreign restraint. “Calm down you lump!” Amethyst Star shouted at it to no avail. The cat was having absolutely none of her or her magic. And the darn thing was so fat and heavy too that Amethyst was having a good deal of trouble holding it. She squinted and furrowed her brow in concentration as she tried to max out the power in her horn to keep the cat aloft while the monster responded with nasty meows and hisses as it swiped its claws at the air in front of Amethyst Star’s face. “I’m not going to hurt you I’m just making sure you don’t run off again! Wasn’t the food good enough for you, you ungrateful fatty!” She yelled. Trying to restrict the cat’s movements wasn’t working too well though and Mr. Sunny Boots just got angrier and angrier. The frantic struggling of the cat combined with its weight and Amethyst Star’s lacking magical power all created a bubble that was about to burst. Right onto Amethyst Star’s face. With a last cry the cat forced itself free of Amethyst Star’s hold, the magic binding it disappearing with a pop and the cat falling with claws bared right onto her face while her pupils shrank in abject horror at what was about to happen. Her magic had failed her and all she could do was let out a quiet “eep” before the impact while Mr. Sunny Boots loudly hissed at her when he landed and began clawing and pulling at her face and mane, turning her into his own personal scratching post. “Arrrghhh!” Amethyst Star screamed as she tried yanking the violent cat off of her. “Why aren’t you declawed?!” “Hisss!~” Mr. Sunny Boots didn’t care for her objections as he assaulted the poor pet-sitter. The pain from his attack and his heaviness made her careen around the kitchen, colliding into chairs and cabinets and knocking over anything unsecured. She finally tripped over his food bowl and sent them both sprawling to the ground, where the cat at last had enough of tormenting her as he jumped off of Amethyst Star and ran down the hallway as only an angry cat could, vanishing from sight once more. “Things are going to go differently this time you little monster...” Amethyst Star turned the faucet on the tub, letting a cascade of steadily warming water begin to fill the large porcelain bath. She had finally found the bathroom on the second floor of the mansion. It was covered in pink tile and immaculate white cabinets with golden trim towels hanging from hooks on the wall. Truly a built-in spa for the homeowner. Amethyst Star grabbed the tubes of shampoo and conditioner that had been left out by Rogarenda and squirted two healthy dollops into the water, tossing them aside afterwards in satisfaction. “Alright-” Amethyst Star nodded at the quickly filling tub. “Perfect. Time to grab the cat, dunk it in the water, and that’ll be its bath. Then I’m locking you in the bedroom together with me and the two of us are going to have a nice and lovely little time until your owner gets back.” Her mouth opened up in a manic grin that would’ve scared away children. “Now I just need to find you.” The unicorn renewed her search throughout the mansion for the elusive Mr. Sunny Boots. A cat that fat couldn’t hide just anywhere. She made her way downstairs first, she was going to sweep across the entire ground floor and then head up, no room or couch cushion would go unturned as Amethyst Star looked for her mischievous ward. She first checked the kitchen again to see if he had snuck in for any more food. Nothing. “Hmm… he must be resting somewhere,” Amethyst Star whispered as she slunk down the hallway, her hooves carefully making no sound on the thick carpet. She caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror and frowned at her frazzled appearance. Mane askew, stray bits of hair shooting out everywhere, eyes puffy and red, scratch marks all over her face. Fixing that would have to wait though. Dumb cat. Her prowling around the first floor took a good deal of time thanks to its extravagant size, whenever she was able to look out a window she could tell it was getting closer and closer to evening. If Rogarenda was back at “night” that could mean she had as little as a few hours to finish taking care of the cat and then cleaning up after herself. Even best case scenario she might be short on time depending on where Mr. Sunny Boots was hiding and if he put up another fight or escaped from her again. Could she lie and say she gave him a bath? How would the Diamond Dog be able to tell if she hadn’t? The bath was currently filling up with water so Amethyst Star at least had proof that she did that. It wasn’t exactly fair to Amethyst Star that Rogarenda had left her with so little to work with either. Was it her fault that the cat was a monster that ran from her at every opportunity? She pushed open the door to a drawing room and shut it behind her in case the cat was here and tried to make a sneaky escape behind her back. Amethyst Star looked over, under, and behind every piece of furniture in the room in search of any trace of orange. She even checked up on top of the curtains and blinds that covered the windows, although she couldn’t imagine that fatso would have enough room up there. He’d probably fall off. To her dismay though he seemed to not be anywhere in here. “Drat!” Aamethyst Star scowled. “Where are you?!” Amethyst Star was forced to continue her search elsewhere, always at least keeping in mind to close the doors behind her after she searched a room to make sure Mr. Sunny Boots couldn’t get into any rooms she already checked. Eventually she would corner him, she knew it. Maybe she could even find something to block off the stairs with once she went up to the second floor if he wasn’t down here. Or if there was any rope she could make a net or some other kind of trap to get the cat. “Except I don’t actually know how to make anything like that,” she muttered in annoyance. On the verge of giving up and checking the second floor she found a bit of luck when she turned a corner in the hallway and saw Mr. Sunny Boots standing a mere twenty feet away in the middle of the carpet. Cat and pony both stopped. Staring at each other, waiting for one of them to make the first move. They both knew that as soon as one of them so much as twitched the other would start running. Amethyst Star and Mr. Sunny Boots’ eyes were locked together. The two of them just daring the other to try something. His nose curled, her eyes narrowed, both of their legs tensed up. “You’re mine, furball,” Amethyst Star said and then lunged towards the beast. The evil cat hissed at her and turned to flee, but Amethyst Star kept running at full speed after it, not letting him out of her sight. She knew that even though he was deceptively fast there was no way he could keep up that speed forever, he probably was just quick for short spurts before his weight caught up to him and he had to take a rest for a second. Amethyst Star was waiting for him to slow down before she made her move. She pushed herself harder to keep right on his tail and grabbed the busy appendage with her magic. Immediately Mr. Sunny Boots started thrashing around and hissing at her as she tried to pull him to a stop. But this time Amethyst Star had learned her lesson and she wasn’t only relying on her magic. When she was close enough and the cat’s movement had slowed by a bit she pounced on and grabbed him, pinning Mr. Sunny Boots to the floor. “Hold still!” She yelled at the cat struggling to break free from her. “Mrowr!” He repeatedly screeched, trying to turn over and scratch her or try to get our of her grip. Amethyst Star reached her hooves around his stomach and hoisted him up, sitting with the fat cat in her lap and trying to just wait out its temper tantrum. “You’re not going anywhere this time. I’m taking you upstairs and giving you a bath and that’s final!” A low rumbling groan then came from the ceiling, getting the attention of both cat and pony as they looked up at where the sound had come from. Cracks started appearing in the paint and wooden support beams as the whole ceiling sagged while droplets of water began sprinkling down right in front of Amethyst Star and Mr. Sunny Boots. Ultimately with a thunderous crack the entire hallway gave in and a huge bathtub crashed down from the floor above them, water overflowing and pouring down the hallway to drench Amethyst Star’s bottom half. The faucet and pipes from above continued to stream down water, only adding more to the growing pond already in the downstairs hallway. Mr. Sunny Boots stared on in shock as all of it happened while Amethyst Star had a much more neutral expression on her face. She glanced down at the fat orange cat still in her lap and glared at it. “This is all your fault.”