A Diamond in the Ruff
It was a brisk autumn morning, the Sun had barely peeked over the horizon, a chilly wind blew from the Northeast rustling the crisp, crinkly leaves off their respective trees, and off into the great unknown. Normally Rarity would not awaken at this unsavory hour, but if she was to make the most of this day she had to be at the train station as early as possible. After she had spruced up her immaculate coat and mane, she donned her saddle bags, double checked their contents, locked all the doors and windows, and then made for the train station. A light frost had coated the dirt road and foliage, resulting in a crunch sound every time Rarity's hooves touched the ground. The air was so cold Rarity could see her own breath, pins and needles poked and prodded at her body as the frigid wind permeated every fiber of her being.
The train station quickly came into view, the billowing cloud of steam from the boarding train's funnel told Rarity she better pick up the pace, or be left stranded, in the cold, for another three hours. As she rushed down the street towards the ticket booth, something caught Rarity's left peripheral vision, causing her to come to a complete halt. Ignoring the conductor shouting out, "Last call for the Canterlot Express! Train leaves in three minutes! All aboard!" Rarity approached a small alley way, flanked by two houses, and among some discarded boxes she found a tiny, snow white kitten. Wreaked by the sight before her, Rarity immediately shunned the rest of the world around her, and with tearful eyes, Rarity gingerly enveloped the fragile kitten in a silk scarf from her right saddle bag an then galloped away just as the train left the station in turn.
Towing the kitten in her levitation field, Rarity ran through the barren streets as fast as lightning, evident by some ponies who caught a glimpse of her, confusing Rarity for a flash of Sun light as it completed breaching the horizon. As she left Pony Ville behind, Rarity came upon a small hill on the border of the Everfree Forest, and a top that hill was an equally small cottage; quaint, but cozy. Heaving uncontrollably after her energetic charge, Rarity took but a second to catch her breath, and then followed through with an atrocious banging of the cottage door.
"Fluttershy! Fluttershy, wake up! This is an emergency!" Rarity shrieked out as she pounded on the door with her right fore hoof.
A whole two minutes passed before the door's dead bolt was unlocked, and the door swung inward revealing a half awake Fluttershy with a highly agitated Angel Bunny on the Pegasi's back; scowling at Rarity with all of his hate, but she didn't care.
"Good morning, Rarity, what seems to be the problem?" Fluttershy lethargically spoke, her eye's barely able to keep focus, and her mind constantly slipping in and out of consciousness, as she tried to fight back the exhaustion an need to fall back to sleep.
Unable to formulate a reply, Rarity instinctively shoved the tiny kitten into Fluttershy's face, and once she got a good look, Fluttershy's eyes shot wide open an she instantly took charge of the situation. Taking possession of the baby cat in her fore hooves, she flew into the living room, causing Angel Bunny to drop to the ground very hard. Examining the frail kitten with the ought most care, Fluttershy first took its temperature, followed by a delicate inspection of the kitten's sensitive eyes. Fluttershy's quick over look of the kitten's health left a grim expression on her face, and Rarity instantly assumed the worst.
"Okay, listen very carefully Rarity, and do exactly as I say. This kitten is in terrible condition, but she can recover, if we do things correctly," Fluttershy said with a small smile cracking through her grim expression. "Now, first we have to warm her up, so while I get some blankets I want you to wrap around her near the fire place, and use your body heat to keep her warm. Understand?"
Nodding her head, Rarity walked into the cottage, sat down her saddle bags by the now closed door, and then proceeded to follow Fluttershy's instructions to the letter. The kitten was so small, no bigger than Angel Bunny, Rarity feared she would crush her if she wasn't careful, and the poor dear's constant fidgeting made the task all that more difficult. It wasn't long till Fluttershy returned with a pillow, a nice warm, wool blanket, and a tiny bottle of formulated milk, specifically for felines. Resting the pillow on Rarity's left side, beside the fire place, they bundled the kitten up with the blanket, and then sought to rehydrate her with the formula; which to their relief, she greedily suckled upon.
"Oh thank Celestia, I was afraid she wouldn't drink right away. Baby cat's can sometimes be very particular towards what they imbibe, especially if they have already sampled their mother's milk," Fluttershy said, smiling brightly as the kitten guzzled down every last drop, but not too quickly least she get a belly ache.
"You are a Goddess darling," Rarity said as she embraced Fluttershy in a bear hug, tears over flowing, and a cry of joy escaping her. "Who would do such a thing? It is positively vile, and uncouth."
"An sadly it happens, not every pony is meant to have a pet," Fluttershy sadly said replacing the empty bottle with a full one, and watched as this one too was drained of its contents.
"So, what now?" Rarity asked, breaking the embrace, and gazing down at the now slumbering kitten beside her.
"She should pull through, no problem," Fluttershy said as she handed the two empty bottles to Angel Bunny, who then scurried off to place them in the sink for cleaning. "I just need to decide where I will lodge her, for as you can see, I'm hardly vacant. Not that I would turn any animal away mind you."
"Well..." Rarity said, her left hoof gently petting the kitten's heavenly soft, white fur. "I...I could take her off your hooves, if you don't mind."
"You want to keep her, really?" Fluttershy inquired, her eyes lighting up brightly at the very thought.
"It can get rather lonely at my humble abode from time to time," Rarity admitted as she simply melted when the kitten passively rubbed her furry checks against Rarity's stroking hoof.
"I don't know Rarity," Fluttershy said with a sarcastic tone, as she rose to her feet, and then hovered away into an adjacent closet; just out of Rarity's line of sight. "A kitten is a huge responsibility; you have to feed her, hydrate her, groom her, play with her, and most important of all, give her ample love and attention. Then there is also tending to her litter box, not very glamorous I assure you, and of course you need to be wary of her innate curiosity. All cats, but kittens especially, can get into anything and every thing if you are not cautious, and then their clawing habits. Baby kittens can cause quite a bit of damage to furniture and fabrics alike in the blink of an eye. You sure you can handle all that?"
"I'll admit it is a tad more than I expected," Rarity warily said, but when the kitten started to purr as Rarity stroke her chin, all doubt evaporated, and she knew that forever more they were meant to be together. "But I don't care. I can't imagine parting with her."
"Well if you are so adamant about it...Then you should take these with you," Fluttershy said, as she came out of the closet with a cat traveling case, a litter box, a scratching post, a patched up stuffed mouse, a box of formula with two bottles, some cat food, and all of it was inside a comfy, wicker cat bed.
"Oh Fluttershy, I couldn't..."Rarity objected to the thoughtful gift, but was silenced by a shaking of Fluttershy's head.
"I insist, besides what are friends for," Fluttershy said with a heart felt smile, which caused Rarity to break into tears.
"Thank you, Fluttershy," Rarity said, unable to truly express her gratitude for her friend's unattainable level of kindness.
"So, have you thought of a name?" Fluttershy asked, as she placed the items by Rarity's saddle bags.
Before Rarity could answer, a streak of Sun light passed through the window, and illuminated the slumbering kitten. At the very moment the light touched the kitten's fur, Rarity and Fluttershy soon realized her fur wasn't white at all, but multicolored. Neither mare has ever seen anything like it, and as quick as it came the beautiful display faded away as the Sun inched from its perfect alinement.
"I have it now," Rarity said, as she leaned down, and gently nuzzled the still sleeping kitten. "I shall call you Opalescence, for like the opal, you gleam with the entire light spectrum. A rare gem that is unlike any other."
At the end of the day, Rarity may not have accomplished her original itinerary, but she had gained something infinitely more valuable, and precious; a new friend.
