The Cat That Came for Dinner
Rarity was at her boutique, busy working on a dress order. She was putting on the finishing touches and stepped back to admire her work. This light cyan dress is filled with shining diamonds at the bottom and a pretty pattern depicting snowy winds of winter.
“Oh, Rarity, you’ve done it again,” she cheered to herself. On cue, she heard the store bell ring, signaling someone was entering her store.
She could see her friends Fluttershy and Pinkie walking in. “Hi, Rarity,” Fluttershy said, “We were only stopping by and checking in.”
“Oh, hello girls,” Rarity said, a little disappointed.
“I'm sorry, are we interrupting anything?”
“Not exactly. I was just finishing up for dinner. I thought he’d be back by now.”
“Who's he?” Pinkie asked.
“I'm back!” called a voice from behind. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie then heard the bell ring and looked to see Capper walking in with some paper bags. He looked a bit surprised.
“I didn’t know we were having guests tonight,” he admitted.
“Oh, Capper, uhhh… we were just stopping by to chat,” Fluttershy said. “And I’m not really hungry.”
“Me too. I recently ate before coming over here,” Pinkie added.
“Alright then. More for us,” Capper commented with a chuckle. He carried the bags to the kitchen as Pinkie was feeling a little curious.
“Say Rarity,” the pink pony said, “We’ve been kind of wondering about Capper.”
“What about him?” Rairty asked.
“He hasn't been back in his hometown nor Kludgetown for a while. Does he live here now? You two have spent a lot of time together and I wasn’t sure how you two were getting along.”
“Why do you ask?” the generous mare responded.
“You two seem pretty close to each other and he’s been helping out with your business.”
“Are you asking whether or not we’re a couple?”
Fluttershy looked at Pinkie, who after a long pause simply responded, “Yes.”
Rarity took a minute to take a deep breath before she brought over her fainting couch so she could sit down. “It’s a long story.”
“We’ve plenty of time,” Fluttershy noted.
“Alright then. If you want to know, Capper started getting close to me a little after he returned from Absynian.”
A few weeks ago, Rarity was in Canterlot to check in on Canterlot Carousel. While in the city, she went to see if she could check on Twilight Sparkle. When she approached the castle, Rarity saw the princess was looking through a telescope, looking worried. “Twilight, is something wrong?” she asked.
“There’s been a friendship mission and they should’ve been back by now,” Twilight explained. “It doesn’t usually take this long.”
“Are you planning on sending a search party?”
“I’m just about to. Ember and Thorax are on this mission and without them, the Dragon Lands and Changeling Hive will fall into chaos and…”
“Before you go Twiilnanas,” Spike spoke, “I think I see them.” He was looking through some binoculars in a direction Twilight had checked before. They could see blue, green, and brown objects flying towards them. It turned out to be Ember, Thorax, and Capper, the last of which was riding on the changeling’s back, flying from the zeppelin, which wasn’t too far away.
“Sorry, we’re late,” Thorax apologized. “It was a little crazy in Panthera.”
“How crazy could it be to delay your return?” Twilight asked.
“Try having an anti-magic town hunt you down with train canon that blows up a bridge that puts public transport in danger just because they hate you that much,” Ember noted.
Spike and the mares stared in silence from the shock of what they heard. “You did manage to complete the mission, right?”
“Of course we did,” Capper confirmed. He hopped down from the changeling king as he noticed that his trenchcoat was still damp. “Man, I thought this would’ve dried by now.”
Rarity sniffed the air at the returning creatures, immediately noticing they smelt foul. “Have you three swam in a sewer?” she questioned.
“...How did you know?” Thorax asked.
Twilight and Spike were perplexed by this then as disgusted as Rarity. “Get a shower as soon as you can,” Twilight requested.
“Gladly,” Ember muttered.
“You wouldn’t mind if we used the bathrooms in the castle, would you?” Thorax asked.
“Be our guest,” Twilight said. Ember and Thorax walked into the castle, dying to get the smell off of them. Capper was about to follow, but he stopped by Rarity first, removing his trenchcoat.
“Say, do you think this is salvageable?” the Abyssinian asked.
Rarity looked at the old trenchcoat, which looked to be falling apart from the wet seams. “Honestly, dear, I think this should be thrown away for everyone’s sake,” she answered. They could see the sleeve was starting to rip from how Capper was holding it.
“Yeah, I thought it felt heavier when it was soaked. It’s been falling apart ever since I’ve gotten it anyhow.” Rarity took the ruined clothing from Capper and chucked it into the nearby dumpster. Capper then went to catch up with the dragon and changeling as Twilight was confused.
“What happened in Panthera?” the princess questioned.
After a quick shower, Ember and Thorax headed home while Capper stayed behind as his fur was still a little damp. But it was more of the fact that he didn’t exactly have a place to return to. He walked around until he managed to find the princess again. “Oh, Princess Twilight,” he said, “So glad I found you.”
“I was hoping to speak with you,” Twilight replied. “I didn’t get a chance to ask Ember or Thorax how the mission went.”
“Couldn’t blame them. From what I heard from her, the dragons are pretty much beating each other up right now.”
“Probably. Still, some information about what happened would be nice.” Capper nodded and started to explain everything that happened to him and the royals during their visit to Panthera. Twilight was a bit surprised to hear what had happened in Capper’s old home. “So… They just fired… A canon at a bridge?”
“Yeah, that guard was not too bright.”
“At least no one was hurt by it,” Spike commented.
“Yeah, and it felt pretty nice pulling off a rescue stunt with my old friends. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see them again.”
“I’m sure you will,” Twilight said. “We’re going to see if we can build more connections with the other kingdoms in the future. This will include transport and mail delivery.”
“Perfect. …So you think you could help me with something else?”
“What do you need?”
“Um… A house. Or a bedroom at least. I got kicked out of my old place so now I’ve got nowhere to stay.” Twilight and Spike felt sorry for the Abyssinian. “If you can find me a place to stay, I’ll take anything.”
The alicorn and dragon glanced at each other as they began to think. It didn’t take long for Twilight to think of an idea.
Later that evening, Rarity was closing up her boutique for the evening when she heard a knock on the door. The generous mare groaned as she thought it was a customer trying to get in last-second shopping.
“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid the boutique is closed,” she would explain. Before she could continue, she was surprised to see Spike and Capper standing outside. “Oh, Spike,” she gasped, “What are you doing here?”
“Hi, Rarity,” the dragon said, “Do you remember Capper?”
Rarity looked at the Abyssinian, having not recognized him at first since he was missing some accessories. “Capper Dapperpaws?” she asked.
“The one and only,” Capper responded. He rubbed the back of his head as he explained the situation. “Listen, I need a place to stay for a while until I get back on my feet. I’ve got kicked out of my place in Kludgetown.”
“Oh dear. So you have nowhere else to go?”
“Unfortunately not. I was planning on going to ask the princess if she could do me a solid before one of your maps told me to go back to my old home. Panthera I mean.”
“I know.”
“Right, so I was thinking probably going to someplace like Ponyville. You know, nice and quiet, don’t have to worry about your neighbors mugging you.”
“Right… I might be able to let you stay at my boutique until you can find a permanent residence.”
“Really?!” Capper was surprised he was already offered a chance so close to Rarity. “I mean… I’m grateful for the offer, I don’t know where else I can go.”
“I hope you don’t mind my sister or pets.”
“Eh, they can’t be as bad as sandstorms. Count me in!” Capper shook Rarity’s hoof and quickly felt a little awkward. Rarity just giggled.
“Don’t worry, Dapperpaws. You’ll feel nice at home in no time.” And this helped Capper feel better.
After a train ride from Canterlot, Rarity led Capper down the street of Ponyville to her boutique. A couple of ponies looked towards Capper as they weren’t used to seeing Abyssinians. Rarity looked more annoyed than the visitor.
“They’ve seen griffons, changelings, dragons, even Minotaurs,” she muttered, “You think they have seen everything.”
“Hey, they already look nicer than the Kludgetown folks,” Capper shrugged. “You remember I had to fake that illness to get them off your tails?”
“Yes. Like rainbow chicken pox. Ah, we’re here.” Rarity saw her home approaching and used her magic to open the door, leading Capper inside.
They entered the store, where Capper took a minute to look around. “So, this is your shop?”
“Yes, my home is upstairs. My shop is closed for now, so I’ve got plenty of time to show you where you can stay.”
Capper was still looking around the store, seeing the nicely designed dresses. “You seriously make these?”
“Yes, it takes a lot of time, and I’m still working on new styles. Right now I’m trying to figure out new styles for Diamond Dogs.”
“Diamond Dogs?”
“Yes, I was sent there to help with the Queen and her daughters. It led to a few things like some family arguments and sinkholes, not to mention toxic tortoises. In the end, though, it worked out. I’ve even thought about making a merger with some friends of theirs.”
“A merger?”
“Yes, two diamond dogs named Indiana Embereyes and Jennino Lanternlight who ran their own dress store in Caninia. After our visit, I was thinking about them merging with my business so we can widen our fashion. I’ve already been practicing with other species.” She found her sketchbook and showed some of her designs to her guest.
Capper looked through the pages seeing some dresses made for hippogriffs and dragons. They had certain details that Rarity added to try and make them different from one another. “Splendid,” he commented, handing the sketchbook back.
“Thank you. I haven’t quite started on them, but I have gotten some orders in.” She walked over to a staircase so she could show Capper what the living quarters looked like. He was impressed with how it all looked, but then again anything was better than his old living space.
However, things got a little awkward once they found Opalescence. Rarity felt like this was something she should’ve prepared for. “Um… This is… Opalescence… My pet,” she said nervously.
“Uh huh,” Capper said. He looked at Opal and thought about what to say. “Eh, I can live with this. I swear I saw something like this in Kludgetown.” Opal looked up at Capper, hissed at him, then left the room to get away from him. “I think I should be fine if we keep our distance.”
“Good luck with that. The other creature you’ll have to worry about would be my sister, Sweetie Belle, but she’s usually out with her friends.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of an issue. Just have to ask where am I going to sleep?” Rarity hadn’t thought that part through. She didn’t have a spare guest room, or any spare beds for that matter. She had to think of something for Capper, and then she got it.
Rarity left the room momentarily and soon returned with her fainting couch. “This might not be the best option for you to use,” the generous mare admitted, “But it has to be better than sleeping on the floor.”
Capper looked at the fainting sofa before sitting down on it. “I can live with this.”
“Perfect. I can help with some blankets and a pillow.” Capper gave a thumbs up before he lay down on the sofa while Rarity quickly got the items she needed for him to sleep. As they left the room, he looked at some of the dresses she had half finished on mannequins. He thought back to the trenchcoat he had to throw away.
“Something on your mind?”
“It’s the trenchcoat. I’ve worn that thing for a while, I kind of got used to having some clothing.”
“I have to say, you look rather odd without it.”
“Yeah. You wouldn’t happen to have time to make a new outfit, would you?”
“I’m not sure, I already have a couple of orders to deal with at the moment. I can make some notes for it later if you want.”
“Alright, I understand you’ve got your own work.” Then that got Capper thinking. “Maybe I could work here to try and make some income?”
“I guess that would make sense. You know how to sew right?”
“I can learn.”
“Hmm, if you’re so sure. I’ll see what you can start with, right now let’s just try to get you comfortable.” Capper just nodded as they gathered some blankets and a pillow to return to his temporary bed. When they had things set up, Capper lay down to test it just as they heard a bell downstairs. “Oh, that must be a customer. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”
Rarity quickly trotted downstairs as Capper tried to get comfortable on the sofa. It was a little small for him, but he knew it was best to take what he could get. He got up and put his “bed” back together as he wondered what else he could do. Seeing that there weren’t many options for him to do at the moment, he decided to check out to see what was going on downstairs.
He slowly poked his head around the corner to see Rarity talking with another pony, helping them try on a dress.
“So, are there any changes you’d like to add?” Rarity asked.
“No, I think think this looks great!” Roseluck cheered looking in the mirror.
“Perfect, I’m glad I could help you.” Rarity and Roseluck walked away from the mirrors to take care of payment. Capper saw the generous mare rubbing her eyes as she checked her customer out.
Capper thought something was off as Rarity lowered her head briefly as she cashed Roseluck out. She sighed as the mare walked out before turning her attention back to her guest. “Sorry about that, I just had some extra business. You’ve got me on a quiet day.”
“Right,” Capper commented, “You need me to help with anything?
“No, you make yourself at home. You’re a guest so you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
“If you say so.” Despite Capper’s willingness to pitch in, Rarity kept insisting that things were fine. By the time the sun went down, Rarity lay on her bed as she felt worn out. Capper sat down beside her as he felt concerned. “Are you sure you don’t need any help?”
“I took on more than I thought I could today. If you want to help until you’re back on your feet, then I can help you get started tomorrow.”
“Sounds good to me.” Suddenly, the two both got a whiff of something. “Is something burning?”
“…Oh no!” Rarity sprinted out of her bedroom, making a beeline to the kitchen. Inside she found a young filly trying to pour some water into a pot that had fire spewing out of it. Rarity quickly got a lid and placed it on top of the pot to block any air from getting to the fire.
Capper arrived shortly after as Rarity opened the window to let the smoke out. “My bad,” the filly said, “I was trying to prepare something for Mom and Dad tomorrow.”
“What? They’re visiting?” Rarity questioned.
“Didn’t you hear about it? They…” Sweetie Belle paused as she looked over to Capper, surprised to see him. “What’s that?”
“He is Capper Dapperpaws,” Rarity explained. “He’s going to be staying with us for a while until he can find himself a new home.”
“I’ve already met Opal,” he explained, “I know that might be weird.”
“Okay,” Sweetie Belle said. She wasn’t expecting to have a guest but it meant there was someone else to have her cooking. “Do you want to try my stew?”
She levitated the pot of smoking contents and opened the lid, letting it spew out into Capper’s face. He coughed as he tried to fan the smoke cloud out of his face as Rarity placed the pot into the sink.
“I think we’ll just go out to eat,” Rarity suggested.
“Agreed,” Capper coughed. Sweetie Belle was a little disappointed since she worked hard on the stew. Though her sister and the guest both knew it was inedible and unsalvageable.
The sun was setting as they walked downtown to the cafe, hopefully they would still be open. Lucky for the three of them, the cafe was still open but it looked quite busy.
Despite this, they were able to get a spot for the three of them. Capper could feel a couple of eyes on him with ponies still getting used to an Abyssinian.
“So what’s your home like?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Oh, you mean Panthera? It’s had a couple of changes since I’ve left and it’s a little rough around the edges but I’m sure it’ll get better.”
“That’s good to hear,” Rarity said. “Once things have calmed down I’d like to visit.”
“What are the bathrooms like there?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“And that’s enough of your home,” Rarity proclaimed. She knew what her sister thinking of when asking that. “Capper, tell me what kind of jobs you would be looking for while you’re here.”
“Well, after getting out of Kludgetown, any kind of work would be better than going back to the con man’s job,” Capper explained.
“You can work at Rarity’s,” Sweetie Belle proclaimed, “She’s got three stores to worry about.”
“Sweetie Belle,” Rarity muttered, not liking her sister butting into the conversation.
“Hey, you wore yourself out with that last order you made at the last second.”
“Yeah, I did kind of notice that you were kind of in and out today,” Capper noted, “And an extra set of hands would be useful.”
“If you insist Capper,” Rarity said, “I still don’t think it’ll be good to have you working while you’re a guest.”
“Eh, I’ve gotta start somewhere. So, what would the hours be like?” Rarity began to explain what the job would be like as they would wait for the cafe staff to serve them. Capper didn’t quite know much about dress-making, but he was a quick learner. He was sure he could make it work.
