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// Chapter 5: Rarity Saves the Day and Sweetie Pug 
// Story: My Little Puggy 
// by DarthWill3 
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Opal didn’t know how it kept happening, but the puppies had avoided knocking down and destroying items of the household. They were just plain lucky, she supposed. She was the one doing the tampering of Rarity’s stuff with her clumsiness.
Well, it didn’t matter now.
The puppies were trapped at the closed door that led to Rarity’s room. They began shaking, whimpering with fear.
Excellent, thought Opal, giving herself a toothy smile. There was nowhere else for these little runts to run.
She could even see her reflection on the puppies’ eyes, which suited her with satisfaction. She wanted to see herself give the scratching blow.
It was time these intruders were taught a little lesson on what would happen after drinking from a bowl that wasn’t theirs. Rarity would be so proud when she saw what a good job her cat had done.
Opal slowly raised her right paw, brandishing its claws as if drawing a sword from its sheath. This made the puppies shut their eyes and embrace each other for comfort. She was just starting to give it one good swipe when…
“Opalescence, no!”
Opal barely heard Rarity speak those words before she was levitated off the ground and away from the puppies by her master’s horn.



Rainbow rushed past the currently incapacitated Opal—“incapacitated” as in “suspended in the air by magic”—and embraced the shaking Wonder Pugs in her arms, tears falling down her cheeks.
She had received pangs of regret the moment she rushed up the stairs after the puppies. How could she have been so reckless? Why didn’t she remember Opal in the first place before coming here? What happened to the puppies might have been pretty horrible, had Rarity not arrived in time.
“I’m so sorry, little guys!” she sniffed. “I promise I’ll never put you all in danger again!”
The tiny pugs were glad to be saved by the bell, so they instantly yipped and nudged their heads on Rainbow as a means of thanks. She didn’t even mind this a bit anymore. It was becoming mutual.
Rainbow turned back to see Rarity talking to Opal severely.
“You ought to be ashamed of yourself!” chastised Rarity. “I cannot believe what I have seen, Opal; how could you sink so low as to try scratching four young, harmless, defenseless, innocent little pouge* puppies?”
Rainbow and Sweetie Belle exchanged glances. “Pouge?” they asked simultaneously.
“It’s Fancy for ‘pug,’ dears,” explained Rarity, before returning to her furious conversation with Opal. “Just for that—including what your carelessness has caused to a few dresses and a cheap vase downstairs—there will be no more of your favorite toy for a month.”
Opal immediately shrunk to a state of extreme depression, as if she were given a cruel and unusual punishment. Her rubber mouse was her most prized possession and everypony who ever set eyes on her knew it.
“Now march yourself into my room this instant.” 
Moaning, the white cat obeyed her owner’s command at a painfully slow pace and closed the door behind her.
“I’m so sorry, Rainbow Dash,” soothed Rarity. “I have no idea of what’s got into Opal.”
“That’s okay,” replied Rainbow. “At least, the puppies are safe.”
“Aw…” cooed Sweetie Belle, looking down at the Wonder Pugs. “They look so cute.”
“Yeah, they’re pretty k-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-n,” stammered Rainbow, nearly ending that disreputable word with an “iu” sound and the letter “t.” “Keen. Yeah, that’s it.”
Rarity and Sweetie Belle looked at each other for a moment, confused, before the former turned her head to zoom toward little Soarin’s.
“Yes, they are rather darling.”
At that instant, Soarin’ licked Rarity’s cheek, causing her to twitch. A few seconds later, she was screaming like mad.
“Ah! I’ve been kissed by a dog!” And off she went, running downstairs and continuing to rant: “I’ve got dog germs! Get some hot water! Get some disinfectant! Get some iodine!”
All four of the Wonder Pugs held out their tongues and retched in disgust.
“What’s her problem?” asked Rainbow.
“Well, that’s Rarity for you,” shrugged Sweetie Belle. She turned her attention back to the tiny pugs and cooed, “Come here, little guys. Auntie Sweetie wants to…”
Suddenly, all the Wonder Pugs just jumped up at Sweetie Belle and knocked her down to the floor. They were swarming around the little filly, each taking turns at licking her face while nuzzling her at the same time.
“Stop!” squeaked Sweetie Belle, unable to control the laughter from her voice. “No, stop! Cut it out! I can’t… I can’t breathe!”
Rainbow looked at the whole situation with bewilderment. Since when did puppies ever become this hyper so quickly after being almost clawed by a vicious cat? She looked at Tank, who just blinked as usual. None of them knew the answer. They just watched Spitfire, Rapidfire, Fleetfoot, and Soarin’ licking Sweetie Belle to death.
When Rarity came back up, having recovered from her hysteria over a dog’s usage of a kiss, Rainbow whistled and the Wonder Pugs got off Sweetie Belle at the call.
“You know, Rainbow Dash,” spoke the elder unicorn, “I noticed that you bought those puppies some name tags and collars and I must say you have excellent taste in fashion. They remind me a bit of…”
“The Wonderbolts?” cut in Rainbow a bit bluntly. “Yeah, I know. That’s why I called them the Wonder Pugs. Anyway, we were just leaving and…”
“Rarity!” spoke Sweetie Belle excitedly. “The puppies’ name tags don’t have licenses on them! So I was thinking…” She gasped before asking, “Can we keep them?”
“What?!?” started Rarity.
“What?!?” echoed Rainbow, a bit shocked herself. One minute she was going to take the Wonder Pugs away to try a different house, the next somepony wanted them to stay and live in this one?
An indignant meow could be heard from inside Rarity’s room, mixed with the same surprise toward that very question.
“Yeah!” chimed Sweetie Belle. “I’m sure Mom and Dad won’t mind! Can we keep the Wonder Pugs, Rarity? Can we, Rainbow Dash? Huh, huh? Please, please, please?”
Before Rainbow could think up the best way to answer without smashing the filly’s hopes, Rarity composed herself into a calm manner and, after taking a couple of big breaths, she said, “I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle, but the answer is no.”
Rainbow and Tank sighed in relief simultaneously.
“Aw, come on, Rarity!” begged Sweetie Belle. “I’ll take them on walks everyday…”
“No,” Rarity flatly responded.
“I’ll feed them some dog food…”
“No.”
“I’ll clean them…”
“No.”
“I’ll train them…”
“No,” said Rainbow, reaching the limits of her temper.
“I’ll let them sleep in my room…”
“NO!!!” shouted Rainbow and Rarity together.
“I’ll even keep them away from Opal!” pleaded Sweetie Belle on her back knees.
There was a low growl resonating from Rarity’s room, sounding as if it were saying, “Is that a challenge?”
“Quiet, Opal,” commanded Rarity. “That’s enough coming from you.”
Rainbow was getting more perplexed by the second after hearing Sweetie Belle’s begging. This kid wouldn’t quit, would she? Still, she had guts on wanting to keep the puppies safe as much as the six-colored mare had. It was worth a try.
Rarity returned her gaze to her little sister and spoke in a more sympathetic tone, “Sweetie Belle, I appreciate your concern for the well being of the Wonder Pugs—truly, I do—but you simply aren’t ready to own a pet.”
“You never let me have a pet!” groaned Sweetie Belle. “It’s not fair!” And she stomped away to her room, but gave a quick, tiny, reassuring smile to the worried-looking puppies before closing the door.
“Fillies and their silly desires,” pondered Rarity. “Whatever will they think of next?”
“Beats me,” shrugged Rainbow.
“Of course,” said the unicorn, in a hushed voice, “strictly between you and me, she’s right about Mother and Father. They’d be all too willing to let a couple of puppies roam in their home.”
“Good point.” Rainbow never met Rarity’s parents, but from what she had heard, they never tried to help Sweetie Belle improve on her cooking lessons. The worst part about it was that they loved that kind of overcooked and burned culinary. It was enough to cause a stampede to doughnuts. “Well, we’d better go. Tank, tell the Wonder Pugs we’re heading out.”
“But, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity interjected, “shouldn’t you send those poor puppies to…?”
“Fluttershy?” finished a sour Rainbow. She was getting tired of the same suggestion in a single day.
This caught Rarity off-guard. “Why, yes. But how did you know I was going to…?”
“Don’t ask.”



After leaving the Carousel Boutique, Rainbow turned to Tank and the Wonder Pugs. “Well, guys,” she said, frankly, “I guess we’ll have to take a break. We’ve had three tries today and so far… no luck.”
Tank lowered his head in disappointment. The puppies made their little whimper.
“Look on the bright side,” pointed out Rainbow in her often optimistic manner. “Things couldn’t get any…”
Before she could finish, thunder boomed and the sky grew darker, followed shortly by a few raindrops.
“…worse,” she ended, dryly. “Man, I totally forgot it was gonna rain tonight.”
Then, she heard the puppies whimper again and when she looked down, she was surprised to see that not only Tank hid in his shell, but the four tiny pugs were trying to get in as well through the leg holes. Sadly, they were too small, just like Tank was with Opal’s cat door.
“Easy there, Wonder Pugs,” Rainbow soothed. “It’s okay. We’ll find you shelter. But where in Ponyville,” she complained, “am I ever find a place big enough to hold a pack of puppies for the whole…?”
She stopped and instantly beamed as she came up with the answer: “Applejack!”

*The word “pouge” (which rhymes with rouge) is a made-up word my family and I use for pugs. The actual French word for “pug” is carlin (pronounced “kaʁlɛ̃”).