I do not own the right to My Little Pony; Friendship is Magic, it is the property of Hasbro. This story was also inspired by a Romanian Folk tale. Nyx belongs to Pen Stroke and is a character of his story Past Sins.
Mouse, Cat & Dog; A Story for a Rainy Day
My Little Pony; Friendship is Magic
It was a gray and rainy day.
It was the kind of rainy day that you couldn’t do much but stay inside and may be take a nape. So that was what I was doing resting on the sofa at home. There was a lot of things I had to get use, too many a thing, since I ended up in the magical land of Equestria. A land, I might add, of multicolored, sentient aquiline like creatures. What was the one thing I wish we had back home? Weather control, I could definitely get use to scheduled weather. It made my life so much easily, this is the one thing I didn’t mind at all.
The rain wasn’t coming down heavily but steady and some fog was rolling in and out of the town. I could smell the damp grass and blooming plants just outside my door. I could hear the rain as it hit the ground, it sounded made a sizzling noise just like a cooking stake. Man I miss stake, but I didn’t feel like eating one any more since some of my newest friends were actually cows. You think they be made be made at the fact that I use to eat cows but they were oddly OK with it.
My dosing mind could recall that conversation. “You're OK with it?” I said surprised.
“Oh, well yah.” Nacelle started out while the others nodded.
“It’s not like you’ll try and eat us,” Betsy said to me and her friends agreed. “Besides it sounds like those cows you have are domesticated and aren’t wild. What else could you do with them anyway? I mean they aren't very smart from the sounds of it. Nothing like us, I mean we sell our milk to the ponies.” They all nodded in agreement. Animal rights activists would probably freak out if they heard a cow say something like that about it’s own kind.
I live in a small town know as Ponyville it was nice little town. Ruff! Crash! Hiss! Squeak! Ruff! Bang! Rowe! Squeak! Crack!
“Apple Bloom can’t you stop Winona from chasing after Opal!” A pony squeaked.
Sweaty Bell.
“Opal’s chancing Fluttershy's mice. We’ve got to stop her first!”
The Librarian's kid, Nyx
“Sweetie Bell can’t you control that cat!” A more forceful voice said.
Scootaloo.
“Rarity can’t even do that!”
“Well, we gotta figure something out something stop 'em where getting drenched out here!” A voice with a twang shouted.
And that would be Apple Bloom, The CMC.
Yes ponyville was nice if not a little chaotic from time to time. I got up and walked over to the window. Four fillies chasing after a border collie, a white Persian, and a set of field mice. A yellow Earth Bound, with a big pink ribbon in her mane, an orange Pegasus, a white Unicorn and finally a black Alicorn that had a blue shield with a crescent moon cutie mark. The group had smashed through my fence and were tearing up my yard. The Cutie Mark Crusaders the reason for some the towns chaos but I thought it was kind of cute. They were only trying to find their place in the world, a lot of people on Earth would spend their entire lives looking for that.
The mice scattered leaving Opal looking in all directions trying to decide her target. That gave Winona time to charge forward. Opal, quickly trying to avoid her pursuer raced towards my sun dial then quickly darted to the left leaving Winona to crash into it, I chuckled. Opal ran under my lawn chairs but Winona was able to follow easily, but the fillies tumbled over it. I let out a slight laugh as Opal jumped onto my bird bath to reach the nearest tree but was stopped as Winona knocked the bird bath down. It was funny to watch but I had to end it if I wanted my front yard and they were getting soaked.
Oddly enough Pinkie Pie stashed some pet toys in my house. “Just in case of pet related emergencies.” She told me.
How did she know? I went to the hiding place and pulled a dog chew toy and a cat nap mouse. I made a whistle and tossed the chew toy Winona‘s attention insanely forced on the toy and she caught it in her jaws and started to work on it. I went to Opal and waved the catnip mouse until she chased to it towards me, when I scooped her up.
“I’ll take Opal in, do you think you’ll be able to handle Winona and the field mice?” I asked aloud.
“I got Winona !” Apple Bloom sounded quickly taking her dogs collar.
“I’ve got the field mice!” Nyx cheered holding them floating in a force field bubble.
Short while later I was helping both the fillies and the animals to dry off. Opal didn’t mind me drying her off but Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell were trying to dry off Winona, not really seceding. Then there was Nyx was drying off the field mice from my sofa.
“So want to tell me what happened?” I asked.
The Fillies looked up dejected.
“Apple Bloom was bring Winona to Flutter Shy for a grooming...” Sweaty started
“Sweetie Bell was bring Opal for her weekly grooming as well...” Apple Bloom added.
“Scootaloo and I were helping Flutter Shy with these family of field mice.” Nyx lifted them up for me to see.
The rain was picking up. It was raining harder, so I would be entertaining the little fillies and the animals too. Not to worry.
“And Nature took it’s course.” I finished. I turned to the kitchen and started to make some hot cocoa and snacks for all of us.
“Aren't you mad at us?” Scootaloo questioned.
I didn’t turn around as I let a light laugh out. “Why would I be you didn’t do it on purpose, right? Well you gave me a good laugh and it’s not like you won't be helping me fix my yard, right.” I turned to the fillies the four bobbed their heads. “No problem see, we can’t do it now. Tomorrow probably, right?”
“It’s suppose to be clear.” Sweetie said.
“See. We’ll start tomorrow OK?” I asked.
“OK.” They said in unison and nodded.
“But right now I think you should wait until the rain stop it’s gotten a little heavy out there.” I gave them a big grin.
“Why do they have to fight?” Nyx suddenly asked aloud.
“Who?” Apple Bloom.
“Winona, Opal and the Field mice.”
“I don’t know it’s nature right.” Scootaloo said.
“I thought Opal is too much like Rarity and Winona are too much Applejack.” Sweetie Bell interjected.
“I wish we could just talk to them, like Fluttershy, and find out what the problem is.”
“That won’t happen,” I placed the try of Cocoa and treats on my coffee table. “Cat’s are either liars or so cryptic they won't give you a straight answer. As for dogs they are too loyal that they would liar to make you happy.” I said as I gave Opal a saucer of milk and W a bowl of water. “Well, where I come from there’s an old folk tale why cats chase mice and dogs chase cats. It was one my grandmother told me on a day like this, since we’ll be here for a while would like to hear it?”
“Folk tail? What n’ tarnation is that?” Apple Bloom asked.
“It’s a really old story that is suppose to explain why cretin thing are how they are.” Sweaty Bell answered.
“Walking dictionary as usual.” Scootaloo ground.
“Well can we hear it?” Nyx asked me.
Nodding I took my seat, then I started my tale.
It started a long time a go in a land far away on a farm like any other. The farmer grew crop with the help of his animals among them was a cat and dog. They all did their part to help and life went along as is should because everyone, I mean every pony, did their part.
The cat had grown jealous of how the dog was treated, how he got to stay inside the house in bad weather, while she had to say out. He got to share the master’s food and even got baths when he got dirty. She had to clean herself and only got scrapes and rodents. That is until the cat had an idea, so one day she approached the dog.
“Dog, my good friend. I have a problem.” She started.
“What’s wrong?” The dog answered.
“This mud is bother me. The master baths you, but I clean myself and licking mud off my own paws, it’s horrible. I would like to make an agreement are you interested?”
“What is it you have in mind old friend?” The dog answered.
“Simple, I remain inside and keep the mice away. Since you do all the work outside so you shall stay there, what do you say?”
The dog thought for a moment. “That does seem fair.”
“Oh, it’s quite fair. Trust me.”
“That cat sounds a lot like Rarity.” Sweetie said aloud interrupting me.
“Totally, She’s up to no good.” Scootaloo added.
“She sounds pretty sneaky.” Nyx answered back.
“That’s not nice to say about your sister. ” Apple Bloom said.
“Even if it is true?” Sweetie said matter of factly.
“That aside, I want to know what happens.” Apple Bloom told her friends.
After a bite of cookie I started my story again.
The dog wanted to have their deal in writing, since it’s always nice to have an agreement in writing. The cat agreed but only if she could put it somewhere for safe keeping. The dog saw no problem in that so he agreed. The cat wrote up a contract and they both signed it.
Now I can stay nice and warm in the house. I don’t need to catch those stupid mice anyways. The Cat thought to herself as she kept the contract down beneath the house.
So, it began the dog stayed outside and ate scraps while the cat was inside was eating the master’s food. Day in and day out the dog started to think about the agreement something was wrong, but the dog was not sure. One night there was a hard rain and the dog was soaked so he went to the house. “Cat, may I please come in?”
“I am sorry. We made an agreement did we not?”
“Oh...um Okay.” The dog left with his head hanging low.
But the dogs uncertainty did not stop. The more he thought about the idea did not seem right so. One day he did not have enough to eat and it was getting hard to work with the farmer. So he went to the cat again. “Cat, cat, I am hungry. You have all the food.”
“Well, you did signed an agreement...” Dejected the dog left again.
The dogs uncertainty continued. The dog could no longer take it he had enough! Marching up to the cat yet again. “Cat, cat, cat,”
“What now, Dog?” The cat asked annoyed.
“I am sure that this agreement does not seem very fair.” He growled.
“Did you or did you not sign the contract?”
“Well then I wish to see it. I will not believe you until I see it again. Please.” The dog urged.
“Very well, I guess you just don’t trust me.” The cat left for her hiding spot post haste.
“What good will that do, she had a contract!” Nyx shouted. Startling the field mice but she settled down and they went back to their resting place on Nyx’s lap.
“Don’t worry Nyx the story is not over yet. ” I said as I took a sip of cocoa and continued yet again.
What the cat didn’t know was some cooking oil had been spilled on the contract. The mice beneath the house found the paper irresistible. So they started to eat the contract. The mice found the contract was filling. They continued to feast on the paper. The cat did not know this and when she went back to retrieve the agreement... There was nothing left but scraps of paper.
“The agreement! It’s gone!” The cat shouted. That is when she saw a mouse that was eating a piece of the paper. “The mice!”
She charged the mouse and of course the mouse tried to run.
“Stupid mice!” The cat managed to catch the mouse.
“Let me go, I did nothing wrong! I was just hungry” The mouse squeaked.
“You’ve eaten the contract! Now the dog will never believe me! If I must suffer so will all of you!” The cat scooped the mouse up and ate the mouse.
All the noise attracted the dog, who easily found the cat. “Cat! Where is the agreement?”
“Dog friend. There is a problem. The agreement is gone!”
“No agreement? It was a fake! You lied to me!” He roared at the cat.
The cat shrank away from the dog who was readying himself to chase his former friend. “You are a lying and conniving creature! Show me the agreement! I will never rest until I get that agreement.”
So that’s how it has always been. The dog told all his friends what happened, believing that the cat might have given it to one of her friends for safe keeping. The cat told all her friends what the mice did to her and why they must chase them. So cats chase mice to get revenge for what they did to the cat and the dogs chase cats trying to find the contract for their friend.
The fillies and the animals looked at me in amazement, silent.
“Well, what did you think?” I asked as I took another sip of cocoa.
“That got what she deserved!” Apple Bloom shouted.
“Yah, she tried to be sneaky and go what was coming to her.” Scootaloo added.
“The poor mice they didn’t do anything wrong. They were hungry, they just wanted to eat.” Sweetie Bell added.
“You know the one that is truly to blame,” Nyx said aloud. “The farmer, if he treated the cat and dog equally then the cat may not have been so sneaky. Or if he saw what was going on he could have stopped it instead of just accepting it.”
“That’s very insightful Nyx,” I told her. “So, did you like it?”
“It was fun.” Sweetie squeaked.
“Yeah, not too bad.” Scootaloo said lately.
“Not bad of a rainy day.” Apple Bloom smiled.
“It wasn’t bad. I can see where you humans would draw such conclusions. I’ve never seen anything like it in the Library. Can I tell mom the story?”
“Of course, I would like it if you told your mother the story Nyx. Its meant to be shared, a Librarian's job is to keep stories and information safe. I am a storyteller, it’s my job to tell other about them and collect new ones. ” I told them all.
I like the fact that I could tell the story my grandmother told me on a day like today it made me feel a little bit more like I was at home. I got up from my chair and collected our mugs and plates bringing them to the kitchen. It was a rainy day, the kind of day that wasn’t bad for a nap or a story. I was glad that I got to tell them that story.