Cat Napper

"Oh you poor, poor thing!" Cat curled up next to her exhausted friend and held him in a gentle hug, not even flinching as his sweat soaked into her own fur. "No no no, I would never do such a thing to you! Where'd you get an idea like that, silly?" She chuckled softly and folded a wing over Inkwell. "It's alright, I'm alright, you're alright. Thanks to Dark here my life was quite possibly saved." The little filly wrapped her forehooves around Inky's head and nuzzled him gently. "You coulda been killed out there too.. I'm really glad that you're safe!" The pegasus gently swished her tail back and forth and laid next to her best friend, offering him as much comfort as she could. She turned her gaze back to DC for a moment and gave him a soft, friendly smile. "Oh, yes. Dark, this is Inkwell. One of my very best friends. Inky, that's Dark Core. Master of evil!" She grinned and added on. "He was such a gentlecolt when I met him at the Gala, isn't that right Darky?" The filly rolled her eyes, hoping to make it very clear how sarcastic she was being. "Come now Dark, you wouldn't kill your new friends now would you? And, as for what you said before.. I would say the fates were in our favor when they brought me here. If I'd drifted anywhere else in Everfree, you wouldn't have been there to save me! And if I'd drifted anywhere else, you wouldn't be having such a lovely second meeting with me, eh?"

The pegasus looked up from the attention she was giving her goggles and felt her heart flutter a little when she heard that familiar voice. "Ink..?" She took the liberty to answer Dark's door for him and tilted her head in surprise to see her best friend looking a mess! "Oh Inky, what are you doing out here?" She asked with worry in her voice, giving Inkwell a warm hug. The poor colt seemed like he'd been running for miles, he certainly wasn't in a very good emotional state either. That's Inkwell for ya, Cat thought with a chuckle. The sensitive pretty-boy artist. "The weather turned on me last night, one minute I'm sleepin' in a big puffy cumulus and the next, wham! I'm stuck in a tree here in.." She took a moment to remember what Dark had called the place. "Froggy Bottom Bog? Anyways, I blew into my friend here who I met at the Gala last night." The filly leaned over and whispered to Inkwell quiet enough only for the two of them to hear. ".. go easy on him, he's had it rough." A little warning just incase Dark decided to greet Inkwell in the charming way he had greeted the little pegasus just the night before. Suddenly, it hit her. Had.. had Inky come out here just to find her? Cat blushed a little, that was so touching! She'd never known she meant so much to him. Cat stood up high on her hooves and gave Inkwell a comforting nuzzle, feeling all warm and fuzzy the way she had with him last night.

Well.. Cat certainly hoped he didn't spend all his time here! Kinda drab, but by force of her polite nature the pegasus refused to comment about it. Instead she simply nodded a thanks to Dark for his hospitality and walked inside. "Sorry I interrupted your morning." She said, still looking around inside the small place. "I ah, I wasn't really planning on dropping by.. or bugging you again as a matter of fact." She shrugged, still smiling softly and feeling a bit proud of herself knowing she was right about Dark. "I suppose the fates weren't satisfied with our first meeting..!" Chuckling again, Cat seated herself on Dark's worn out little sofa and rolled onto her back, cleaning off the lenses of her goggles with her spit and rubbing them dry with a forehoof. "If y'don't mind helping me out," She began without looking up from her goggles. "I kinda dunno where I am. Tell me, how far are we from Ponyville, Dark?" She slipped her goggles on over her eyes and looked at him with another silly grin, now with her vision enhanced she could see his features a bit more clearly. D'aw, now this colt was far too adorable to be a villain! She giggled softly and removed her goggles again. He'd realize that someday, Cat would be sure of that.

Cat blushed even more when Dark commented on her blushing. "No I'm not!" She stubbornly looked away at the ground again and snorted angrily. And then surprisingly, the young villain invited her back to his home. Cat blinked, and then nodded, smiling as she knew that her assumptions last night were correct. He wasn't an evil pony, just stupid and stubborn. And he needed a friend, whether or not he'd admit it. "Well that's.." Can't say nice, masters of evil aren't nice. Cat wanted to be on Dark's good side, so she'd just play along with the silly colt. ".. rather considerate of you. Thanks, I guess." She shrugged and followed the unicorn across the bog. "I suppose you're not gonna ask for my name, then?" The filly chuckled, too stubborn and too set on being 'evil' for simple manners she figured. "Name's Cat Napper, all around artist of Ponyville." With a charming, heart melting smile she added. "But you can just call me Cat. All my friends do!" She silently wondered how Dark would react to her referring to him as a friend. Hopefully it wouldn't be too bad, although now she was thinking she should've called him something like a frienemy. Cat didn't care in the least for the awful first impression he'd made last night, she'd been trying to forget about his screaming insults and move on. Though, she still had to glance down at her pelt every so often and look for fleas.

"Sh-shut it." Cat blushed angrily and looked down at her hooves. "That was a big spider.." The little pegasus was absolutely fearless with larger critters, but if it was crawly and a bug and liked to bite.. she shuddered at the thought. "Yeah, anyways, looks like I underestimated the wind last night. Fell asleep on a cloud and ended up here." Cat shrugged and lifted a forehoof to scrape the back scum out from under it. "Blehh.. Wait, you live here? You're crazy!" She looked a bit concerned and turned her gaze back to Dark. "All on your own? Heheh, I'd say you're a bit on the young side to be a hermit." Cat fluttered her wings uneasily seeing a few dark shadows flitting back and forth in the foliage, the slightest possibility of more spiders made her skin crawl. She flattened her ears and ducked behind Dark with a tiny high pitched squeak of displeasure. "Can we get outta here please..? Somewhere with.. less spiders? Please?" The little filly shuddered and held her wings over her face again, peeking out with adorably huge, scared eyes and hoping that Darky here wasn't mean enough to leave her out here alone and unprotected.

All seemed lost, and it looked as if Cat would have to stay up in the tree until that vile black beast lost interest! She dug her little hooves into the bark and cowered behind her wings, and then out of nowhere, HE showed up. Even without the fancy Gala attire and gloomy colors, Cat could recognize that grumpy voice anywhere. And those eyes.. a villain had become her hero! Now this was amusing. Cat chuckled and smiled down in gratitude to her acquaintance from the night before. "Well well, we meet again Dark Core, master of evil!" She shook out her pelt, still trying to get that terrible prickling feeling out of her spine that had gripped her as soon as the spider showed up, and hopped down from the branches. Cat herself was looking a bit different than she had the night before, now without her leopard print dress and with her mane and tail back to their usual scruffy mess. But it was nothing compared to Dark here! "You're.. blonde?" She said, trying her absolute hardest not to laugh knowing how upset it had made him last time. "What in Celestia's name are you doing in.. here?" The filly asked, tilting her head in her curious and adorable fashion. She still wasn't sure where she was, but at least she'd found somepony here. Even if it was the obnoxious pest from the night before, it was still somepony who could help her out of this mess.

Cat sat back on her haunches and crossed her forelegs, a smug little grin spread over her maw seeing the villain throw another hissy fit. Was.. was that a little falter she saw on his face? So.. he WASN'T completely heartless after all? This made the filly smile softly. There was more to this little nuisance than met the eye. Interesting. Cat would keep that in mind, for sure. And suddenly, a flash of unicorn magic shocked Cat back onto her four. "AHH!" Cat lifted her wings to shield herself from the raging colt's magic, only to see it fly past her and destroy a few trees. "Wha.. huh?" She tilted her head curiously, smirking slightly at his promise of revenge, and watched him take off over the garden wall. The filly looked down at his mask that landed at her hooves and tilted her head again, staring at it the way a curious puppy would. What had he meant when he said 'not anymore'? She frowned and sat down, swishing her tail rapidly back and forth, deep in thought. No one makes fun of Dark Core and gets away with it.. not again... And then it all made sense to Cat, just like that! That colt wasn't a little pest, there was more to him. He was a pony who needed a friend. And badly. "And mark my words, Dark Core, master of evil.." She muttered to herself, turning around and spreading her wings. "You'll soon have your day... we'll meet again. This, I swear." The little filly chuckled, cleared her throat, and practiced an evil cackle. "Muhahahah!" She grinned and broke out into a mad giggling before fluttering back to her sketch site.

After that rant, Cat just stared wide eyed for a moment. And then she blinked. And blinked again. "...I-I'm not that bad, am I?" With a bit of hurt in her eyes, she smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress and frowned, looking for any sign of fleas in her pale coat. "Grotesquely grodie git? I.. how.." Cat looked at this new pony with a tilted head, almost looking as if she were about to cry. Wow.. that was a bit unexpected. Cat hadn't even done anything, and yet she'd suddenly received a slew of screaming insults? From somepony she was giving a second change to befriend even after how awfully he'd treated her! The filly flared her wings again, finding a new boiling rage deep inside her heart start to rise up. Calm down Cat, calm down! She mentally screamed at herself. That's all he wants from you, don't give him any negative reactions! Instead, Cat thought about what the unicorn had actually been saying in his little hissy fit. And she laughed again. "Heheheh, somepony needs a chill pill! For not being a source of entertainment, you're pretty entertaining!" Cat shot a goofy grin at the young villain again, even though she was very sure that he'd rage again at her for not taking him seriously. But that was impossible! "Good use of alliteration there hehe, maybe you should write poetry hahahaha~!"

After returning home from her fun at the Gala, Cat Napper was beat, of course. Upon returning home from Canterlot and getting out of her dress finally, the little pegasus wasted no time in grabbing the nearest cloud for a long rest. What she HADN'T planned on was the strong winded weather. She'd been blown away from her home and into the nastiest bog in Equestria as she obliviously snored the day away in her cloud. When at last she noticed, as her cloud came to a sudden halt being tangled in a leafless tree, she was clueless as to her own whereabouts. "Ponyfeathers!" She yelled out in frustration, giving a little unhappy hop that just enough to evaporate her already damaged cloud. "GAH!" She tried to grab for a foothold on the empty air beneath her, hooves lashing at nothing, and fell a few feet down before catching herself with a quick buzzing of her wings. Hovering, Cat quickly realized what had happened and began to look around for hints as to where she was. There were little trees surrounding her in the bog, the air reeked of scummy water thanks to a festering pond only a few steps away from her. There was a sheer drop that lead into the oozy water, and at the highest point right before it broke away into a rugged cliff face stood the long dead tree that had caught her cloud. "Where the hay am I..?" She wondered out loud. It wasn't a creepy place, it had a nice eerie, atmospheric feel to it that Cat had seen in a horror flick or two. Not that it scared her! The filly thought it was kinda cool actually, and she dropped onto her hooves feeling a strong curiosity pull her to explore her location. The ground beneath her squished with each step, something that felt pretty icky on her black hooves. Cat wanted to conserve her flight energy, something that would be crucial if she were to run into some kind of pony-eating beast here, so she just had to deal with the smelly mud splattering her dark leg fur. She wasn't paying much attention to this though, she was more interested in her surroundings. What kind of alien world WAS this? Most everything seemed to be either a sickening shade of green or brown, as the little lost filly made her way along the bog she began to feel the least bit uneasy. It was all just a new experience for Cat, she enjoyed herself fairly until it crept into her field of vision. Was that... oh dear Celestia it was! A big spider skittered along and made the mistake of crossing the little pony's path. "ACK!!" Cat reared onto her back legs and turned back around the way she had come from. "GETITAWAYGETITAWAYKILLITKILLITKILLIT!!!" The poor peg was back at her tree in a split second, clinging to it's uppermost branches and shaking like a little foal. Whimpering, she looked around over the landscape for any signs of civilization. Nothing but the green weedy marshlands spread out as far as she could see, she swallowed nervously and whined again. "Celestia save me from this evil place..!"

"I suppose somepony as rude as yourself wouldn't know the virtues of friendship, my apologies!" It was so hard not to find this amusing. Such a serious little colt, such a shame he wasn't aware of how silly he made himself seem to the "pitiful pint-sized pegasus." Cat held a hoof against her lips to stifle a giggle, but gave up on that rather quickly and laughed out loud at her new acquaintance. "..oh, alright then! Hehehe, so sorry if my height offended you! I'll do my best to be taller next time for yah." She grinned ear to ear, trying to get a negative reaction out of Cat with name-calling was like beating a dead horse. Wouldn't get you anywhere! "I'll call you a punk as much as I please, CLEARLY you haven't proved yourself worthy of any other title. Maybe a pest, s'not much better though!" The filly fluttered her wings and filled the gardens with her laughter again, almost ready to facehoof. Now it was a bit obvious that, although he WAS near her age, Cat had a few years on him both in levels of maturity and her actual age. What an adorable kid! She just couldn't keep a straight face through this, and even after getting a grip on her gigglefest she still wore the same amused grin and humor filled expression as before.

Hah! Oh man, this kid just had to be joking with her. Cat could tell that this pony was very close to herself in age, alas he wasn't too mature. As was the way with most ponies her age. "Oh, come now. I know there's nothin' wrong with a bit of fun!" She said, shaking her head. "You could do it in a less obnoxious way? There were plenty of other kangaroos to torture y'know." Cat flicked her tail and snorted a little. But, it wasn't like her to be mean even if somepony deserved it for being downright annoying. "That was a terrible first impression t'make on a potential friend, don'tcha ever think about that kinda stuff?" She said sternly. The filly folded her wings calmly again, breathing deep and slow and succeeding in returning to her previous mood. She smirked to herself and added on, "So, what's a manners-lacking punk like yourself doing at the Grand Galloping Gala anyways?"

Well, that was rather quick! Cat's blushing intensified, she wasn't expecting this kind of response so suddenly. She hadn't even expected Inkwell to share her feelings, and yet here she was being held in an affectionate hug by the colt a mere few seconds after Cat was sure she'd scared him away from her. "I-I-I-I... uhh, I.." She stuttered incoherently for a few seconds before she finally seemed to realize what this meant. Either her singing had siren powers or Inkwell really did see value in her. The latter seemed much more likely, and shakily Cat reached up with her little forelegs and returned Inky's hug. "Thanks so much.. you know, it means the world t'hear y'say that." She said, voice uncharacteristically soft and shy. "Yeah.. I'll give you some time to think, 'course I will. I just hope y'won't forget about me if I do.." She smiled and rested her head on her close friend's shoulder, feeling the world around her go into a blur as his body heat radiated against her own. It felt.. nice. Cat had never experienced anything this nice, in her mind. It sent her heart into flutters and her mind in a blissful daze. "Let's just enjoy the night eh?" Smiling sweetly, she took in a deep breath and began to feel a lot more confident about the situation.

Cat stared into the shadowed areas hidden from the moonlight by the thick garden foliage, unable to make out much. But as she lifted her goggles to her eyes for aided viewing, the culprit became all too clear. "Luna y'gotta be kiddin' me.." She mumbled, watching the colt slam into the ground in his failed getaway. Cat picked herself up and fluttered over to the unicorn's side, even with how angry she was she had to make sure he hadn't stupidly injured himself. She prodded his side with a raised forehoof and tilted her head, her expression a combination of irritation and curiosity. "Alright kid, what's the big idea here? First off, y'alright? That was some fall y'took. Second, I don't appreciate you waltzin' in and chasing off my subject like that. For a prank that was really obnoxious." The filly said, voice low and stern. Anypony would be surprised that this tough voice belonged to a filly half the size she should be.

She should've waited. Yep, Cat now was fairly certain that her friend wouldn't want to be around her anymore so long as she kept these feelings up. Shouldn't have told, darnit! Cat's ears pinned down and she stomped her hoof with a little bit of welled up frustration, uttering a soft pony curse between her clenched teeth. "I'm so sorry Ink, I just- wait what?" She perked her ears at his response that previously the pegasus filly was too busy worrying about how this would affect their friendship to have heard. Wait.. think about it? She smiled a little, but very faintly. So he wasn't completely grossed out by his best friend's emotions? Well hey, that's a start! Cat's happy attitude washed over her, only to be stunted by yet another doubt. What if he'd only said that to make her feel better? Alright Cat, now you're just being stupid. Inky would NEVER lie to you and you know it! She mentally scolded herself. After those few silent moments of internal debate, Cat spoke up again. "P-please don't feel pressured by me at all.. if you don't want more than friendship then that's that. Don't let silly ol' me ruin your night." She said firmly. Cat was never one to upset a friend, and this time was absolutely no exception. She sighed and turned her gaze to the moonlight, the bright white beams from it setting her irises into a normally unseen blaze of colors, much like that of an opal. Lost in her own thoughts, Cat was becoming a bit unaware of Inkwell or her surroundings, her voice rose softly almost without her knowing into the second part of her song. "♫ I work hard.. everyday, Oh I try and I try and I try.. But everypony wants to put me down! They say, they say I'm goin' crazy. They say I got a lot of water in my brain, Got no common sense, I got nopony left to believe in...! ♫"

(so sorry about the delay everypony ^^; ) The pint sized pegasus rolled her eyes with a very amused smile, didn't Rainbow Dash know when to accept something as a compliment and NOT find it totally weird? Cat saw nothing abnormal about it, see something pretty, paint it, sell it, that's how artists worked isn't it? She chuckled softly and turned her attention back to the town they were touring. A small, quaint little place it was. Getting around here wouldn't be too difficult, in fact Cat knew the town fairly well. She was just bored and felt like tagging along with this group of ponies she'd, quite literally, dropped in on. She found her head buzzing with Pinkie's hyperactive voice as she tried to keep up with her frantic speech, but Cat was fairly certain she was getting the just of what her earth pony guide was saying, basically and introduction to the different pony folk who lived nearby and in Ponyville. Interesting! The little filly might have to do some more socializing, with what Pinkie Pie was telling her, there were some very cool sounding ponies out and about in this little town. She stayed silent, as nopony seemed to be directing any speech towards her, and let her blue and black body drift up and down in the warm air in a silly looking, lazy flight pattern.

You guys are wonderful Closed for now, see my first post for details ^^

I sure am! PM me with details :3 Mmk, only two spots left everypony! Grab em while their hot!

Welcome to Canterlot, and happy birthday!! I'll make sure the bronies are all extra super friendly today, nothing is a better gift than friendship Friendship is magic after all! I hope to see you around here, it's always wonderful to have a new member of our community

Cat felt herself stiffen up with nerves, but managed to calm herself before she did something ridiculous like fly away from this painfully awkward scene. Subconsciously, she snuggled closer under Inkwell's foreleg. It just felt.. so nice. Her artist pony friend had such a remarkable calming effect on her that, quite honestly, Cat had never felt when she was with anypony else. As soon as she realized her blatant affection, she straightened up with a clearing of her throat and turned her head away again, blush returning to color her pale face again. Waves of warm, fuzzy happiness pulsated from her heart as she listened to what he had to say. Her pegasus wings unfolded and gave a small, happy flutter. "I-I-It really had nothing to do with the dress making. It's just.." She hid her face behind an azure streaked wing again. "I'm just too soft. It's nothing you need to worry about, don't let me ruin your night." From behind her shield of feathers, the smell of that pie reached her senses and made her aware of how hungry she was. Applejack made the absolute best pies, no doubt! "Heh.. thanks Inky." She said, snatching the piece he'd offered her out of mid air and downing it in less than a few seconds. Her gaze flashed briefly over the remains in the tin, but she quickly decided against this. She didn't want to seem greedy in front of Inkwell, no way! Plus, her eating habits weren't the most mannerly. The filly shook her head slowly and took a deep breath. "Alright Inky.. I've got somethin' t'tell you. Please don't freak out on me..." She winced, preparing herself for any reaction he might give. "I... think I might like you. A-a lot. You're just so sensitive and sweet and... and I don't know why but you make me feel really calm too. You deserve to know that.. I just hope this doesn't change your opinion of me i-in a.. a bad way."

Cat had to fight to keep herself from rolling her eyes as the siblings explained what Inkwell meant. Well, of course she knew he didn't mean it literally! It was just.. that unmistakable sound of such admiration in his voice that drove the little pegasus into jealously. But why was it bothering her so much?! The filly was so new to these feelings inside her.. she didn't love her close friend.. did she? She stuck her tongue out with a 'bleck' noise and wrinkled her little nose. She knew that was it, but that didn't stop her from denying her true feelings, not in the least! She stayed silent while Rose and Inkwell continued talking, only half paying attention to them now. Alright Cat.. focus! Your emotions aren't gonna cause any good, only messes! Shape up and ignore it. That's the best you can do to keep from causing a conflict. Inside her mind the halfsized pegasus tried to give herself advice.. but none of it seemed to be registering in her mind. Inkwell and Rose's conversation had all but faded into white noise. That is, until Cat's ear perked and caught Rose's final comment as she left the scene. "W-what?!" She blushed a deep crimson and hid behind her raised wings. As her new unicorn acquaintance left walked away, Cat sighed deeply again. "..Yeah, it's not like that." She repeated with a hint of disappointment in her voice. Knock it off, Cat! Don't let your feelings ruin the night for Inkwell, or you! She tried to reason with herself, again without any kind of outcome. She got to her hooves to trot over beside her friend and sat down again, keeping her gaze away from Inky's. "S-sorry. I just.." She scraped her mind frantically for an excuse for her jealousy. "I didn't sit around and get my mane straightened for three hours just to be upstaged by a pony that isn't even here y'now." It was partly the truth, but still so transparent of a cover up that anypony could read Cat's true feelings like the page of a book. She decided to keep her mouth shut, there was absolutely no chance that Inkwell shared her silly feelings at all. Was there?

Cat fanned her wings to create a gentle breeze over her painting, quickening the drying process. After a few moments, she picked up her sketchbook again and slipped into one of her saddlebags. "Yep, I'm ready t'go!" She got to her hooves and looked up at the basket. Too tall for her to climb into easily, but when you're a pegasus, height is never an issue! With a leap and a flutter of her wings, Cat had nestled her little self next to Inkwell in the basket. "I don't take up much room.. but I'm tired. I think I'll just ride in here if y'don't mind?" Her jaws parted in a long yawn, blinking sleepily the filly knew she would be sound asleep by the time they were anywhere near civilization again.

Words cannot sum up how much I love this. Thank you so much, Cat looks fantastic!

PM me with details :3 I need to post some digitally colored examples, as these trades will be colored in GIMP :'3

Cat perked her little ears and grinned at Tobias. "An adventurer? Now that sounds fun." She had just begun to add the fur texture to her piece, nodding warmly at another filly who'd decided to join them, when suddenly her subject leaped from where it stood with a startled cry and bolted away further into the gardens. "AWH! FUUUDGE!" Cat stomped angrily and set her sketchbook down. "I was almost done too!" She sighed, but then gazed suspiciously at a little round pebble she was sure wasn't there moments before. The filly flared her little wings angrily and crept closer to examine it. "Oh I see.." She grumbled. "Alrighty, who's the little punk who chased off my subject? Come out! Before I drag y'out myself!" Cat swished her neat strands of hair from her face and glared into the shadows. Nopony was gonna get out of this without a very stern talking to, that was for certain!

Cat suddenly became very curious as to what the princesses intentions were with inviting so many ponies. All of Ponyville AND Canterlot? "..maybe all of Equestria was invited! How considerate of our Princesses." She grinned, feeling glad that the little people were given this once in a lifetime chance to see Celestia's magnificent castle. She folded her wings neatly over her pretty dress and adjusted her messy bun with a forehoof, sweeping her locks out of her face once more as well. "Well, I meant attitude-wise. I got dad's stripes, sure," She lifted a foreleg to admire her unique stockings. "But I didn't get his height." She grinned ear to ear and watched the siblings converse happily.. that is until Inkwell said that Rarity was Ponyville's most talented designer. The little filly's face blushed angrily, and her ears pinned against her head. The way he put it made it sound like he.. liked her. Cat had no clue why, as she'd never experienced this kind of jealousy before, but this struck quite the nerve inside her. With a small snort, she looked over her dress. It was completely thought out and designed by herself, a self proclaimed mastermind of the arts, and put together by the delicate work of her close friend from Cloudsdale. In her mind it was absolutely perfect! "Hmph, Rarity didn't design this awesome dress now did she?" She mumbled softly, hoping the two others hadn't caught this. Loud enough for them to hear she added on. "Rarity's pretty good I guess.." She kicked at a pebble with her fancy horseshoes and snorted again. Inkwell might be completely baffled by Cat's behavior, but the more experienced Rose might know what conflict was going on in the pegasi's big heart.