It didn't take long for the now larger group to reach their destination, less Audrey III since he wouldn't have fit well inside the structure. A crumbling palace, its halls filled with rubble, fallen hangings, broken furniture, and other scattered detritus sat some distance beyond the edge of the city in the middle of the countryside. Sunlight shone freely through the high windows on the faded columns as the occasional mouse, rat, or roach scampered or skittered away from the approaching group. "Talk about a dump," Jade observed worriedly. "It looks like the entire place has been ransacked several times."
"We will have to hope that is not the case," Jackie pointed out firmly. "According to the translated text from the museum, this palace is the last known resting place of the Cat of Khartoum. If this place has been ransacked, then it might not be here anymore, and this entire trip will have been a waste."
"I wouldn't call it that," Viper pointed out as she lifted a fallen hanging out of the way, pausing long enough to examine it. "Even if we don't find the cat, with proper restoration some of these hangings or tables could be of archaeological interest...and if not, they could fetch a pretty penny."
"And either way, adventure!" Sonata declared excitedly as she bounced back and forth between the pillars, pausing to do a cartwheel for no apparent reason other than possibly having spotted half of a broken cart wheel in the wreckage. "That's gotta be worth something!"
"Well, either way, let's look for the Cat," Sweetie Belle suggested thoughtfully, closing her eyes to passively sweep the ruined palace for magic. After all, if they were seeking an artifact and Valmont was sending agents after it, it might well be magical.
A quiet "Meow" echoed faintly, barely reaching ears.
"I think I hear it!" Jade gasped out. "Hsi, did you?"
"I did, but I don't think that's the artifact," Hsi Wu observed as his human ears twitched and he pointed in the direction of the sound.
Following the sound, the group found a large, white, half-grown cat with bright pink eyes, struggling to get free of a rope that was caught in some of the wreckage. It looked up in surprise and a bit of fear as the group approached.
"Aww, what a cute kitty!" Sweetie Belle squealed excitedly.
"But she's caught..." Apple Bloom gasped worriedly.
Jade moved quickly, setting her backpack aside as she reached out confidently to pet the cat on its head. "Aww, kitty..." she cooed warmly, putting the cat immediately at its ease. "Got your little leg all caught in palace junk?" With the cat no longer struggling, Jade was easily able to untangle the rope from around its body. It meowed happily and nuzzled her hand before beckoning with one paw. "Hungry, girl?" Jade asked, having somehow deduced the feline's gender. Pulling a container of yogurt out of her backpack, she set it down for the kitten to eat up after removing the lid. "So what's your name, girl?"
The kitten meowed happily.
"...Ruby," Jade deduced somehow. The kitten eagerly leapt to her shoulders, purring and nuzzling her. "That tickles, Ruby!"
"When did you learn to speak cat?" Hsi Wu asked curiously.
"...huh?" Jade asked in confusion.
"She introduced herself, and you understood," Hsi Wu explained. "Where did you pick up that skill?"
Ruby suddenly hissed at Hsi Wu, a hiss ending in a grunt that somehow managed to sound scolding.
"Hey!" Jade complained. "Don't be rude to him! He's my familiar!"
Ruby glanced back and forth between Jade and Hsi Wu, took a sniff, then let out a teasing meow.
"He is not!" Jade snapped out defensively.
"And now the cat's in on it, and we only just met her," Jackie observed in resigned amusement. "But how did Jade learn to speak cat?"
"Oh, that probably has to do with the way her aura reached out and embraced Ruby the moment she saw her, calming her and welcoming her into loving care," Sonata observed idly. "Pretty powerful bonding magic, made the kitty right calm and opened mind and heart both ways." She then blinked as she saw everyone staring at her. "...oh, right! I forgot seeing aura was a siren special skill and not something humans, ponies, or demons could do without special spells. My bad! Should I have said something sooner?"
"But why would her aura do that?" Scootaloo asked in confusion.
"Hephalump if I know!" Sonata countered. "I can see what the aura's doing. If you want it read, you need to ask Dagi! I never got the hang of that."
Jackie chuckled. "Somehow I don't think I'd enjoy her 'negotiations'," he joked.
"Nah, you probably would, she's good at that," Sonata allowed. "Buuut ya might not like what your snake lady would do to you when she found out!"
"That's what I meant," Jackie groaned.
"Well, as long as you can talk to the kitty, maybe you could ask her if the Cat of Khartoum is here?" Viper asked curiously, subtly moving to position herself between Jackie and Sonata...and idly brushing her rear against his thigh in the process.
Ruby turned towards a spot on the floor with a hiss.
"She says there's something really bad under that trap door," Jade explained, pointing. "And-"
"Got it!" Sonata called out happily as she brushed aside the dirt, pulled apart the loose panels, and lifted out a closed box to hold high over her heads.
"...and that it's booby trapped," Jade groaned as Ruby face-pawed and the whole place started to shake.
"We gotta get out of here!" Sonata screamed out as she dashed back and forth in a panic as chunks of masonry started to fall.
Hsi Wu instantly shifted into his demon form and grabbed the entire group in his arms. Spreading his wings, he leapt to the air, flying straight for the door. "Ouch!" he hissed as he felt something scratch his chest. "Whose nails?"
"Well, you caught Ruby off guard!" Jade pointed out as they landed beyond the falling pillars as the dust settled. "I think she got me, too."
"Same here," Apple Bloom added, rubbing her foreleg.
"Me too," Sweetie added, rubbing a spot on her neck.
"Gack!" Scootaloo winced as she ruffled her feathers. "Too near the wing!"
"Is that what that was," Jackie grumbled as he rubbed his arm.
"Did it leave a mark?" Viper asked worriedly as she gingerly touched a spot near her spine on her bare midriff.
"Not on you," Sonata confirmed as she rubbed her wrist.
Ruby meowed, her tone somewhere between indignant and apologetic.
"Oh, we aren't blaming you," Jade spoke up quickly as Hsi Wu shifted back to human form. "It caught us all off guard."
"It's my fault," Sonata apologized, holding the box out to Jackie. "I should have waited and listened. That's my bad."
Jackie took the box. "Well, as long as you've learned..."
"I'ma go meet up with my sisters so we can try and swipe it!" Sonata offered cheerfully. "Later!" With that, she dashed off with her arms held wide making airplane noises, her hair bouncing back and forth heavily.
Sighing, Jackie started to open the box. "Well, at least we got-" He gasped as he saw the box was empty save for a velvet cushion that had - until recently - cradled some form of statuette. "WHA?"
As the others leaned in to look in confusion, Viper whistled as she saw Sonata seem to vanish. "Damn, underestimated her..."
"Wait, you mean she-?" Jackie began in shock. "But how?"
"It's like Ratso and the Box all over again!" Scootaloo groaned, putting her hoof to her forehead. "At least it wasn't my fault for missing it this time..."
Jackie groaned as he stared at the empty box. "Bad day..." Shaking his head, he stood up. "Well, looks like we need to track them down..."
"Which way, Ruby?" Jade asked curiously.
"Meow!" Ruby pointed confidently back towards town.
"Well, this shouldn't be too difficult," Viper observed. "Audrey's back that way."
As the group turned to go, no one noticed a cloaked figure shadowing them, an odd chuffing sound percolating in the air as it passed.
It will be even more interesting if Jade can actually control her feline ability or shift back-and-forth between human and cat body.
as somepony with a thing for cats and transformations I need to say I see so many cat people coming up soon and catgirl viper... puuuurrrr
It's Catman, as played by Adam West!
Okay, after reading this, I can say two things.
1) I like that cat. I think it's going to be a fun addition to the crew. Or at least during THIS little story arc.
and 2) Things are going to get VERY fun.
8565696
-snrk- How much hell is Hsi's newly discovered hormones going to give him when Jade goes Catgirl?
Want to know what would be hilarious?
For Sonata to legit not have stolen anything and for Ruby to have been the cat all along
DUN DUN DUDN!
Did this chapter make anyone else think of Akon's song 'Smack That'? If for no other reason then whatever hijinks are sure to occur soon as well as parts of the lyrics? ...No just me alright then! I'll just leave this here for anyone who wants to listen.
Also since it needs to be updated: Chapter One Hundred Sixty-One
"Bad Day"
Chapter Count: 1
Total Count: 41
"He's Not My Boyfriend!"/"I'm not his Mistress!"
Chapter Count: 0/0
Total Count: 45/3
Is it wrong for me to hope that Ruby sticks around? I have a fondness for cats.
I blame growing up with dogs for that - grass always being greener on the other side and all.
8565725
That would be amusing. If that's what happens then the statue is a booby trapped decoy.
8565789
DUN DUN DUN!
8565772
So we're not counting a meowed suspicion, or are we denying it on the grounds that boyfriend is lacking from Jade's response to the meowed question?
So Jade is attuned towards cats? I ain't gonna make a cat pun. That's Other Sans job.
KITTY! *cough* Sorry, reflex. So many catformations in the future...
Did you know that Cat Scratch Fever is a real disease? (Plus, of course, a song)
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=catch+scratch+fever&&view=detail&mid=C7D5FEABA7DE6F58EA9BC7D5FEABA7DE6F58EA9B&FORM=VRDGAR
So correct me if I am wrong but everyone except Viper and Jackie got scratched correct? So half kitty Jade, Sonata, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Hsi Wu. I wonder how the non humans will end up looking?
8565772
Pretty sure we can add half a point to the "He's Not My Boyfriend!"/"I'm not his Mistress!" counter. While not a word for word reading when Jade denied it to the cat, I'd say it was close enough.
Sonata has got some good sleight of hand skills, very well done. And then the Freakazoid homage!
8565865
You are mistaken.
Everybody got scratched. Jackie and Viper included.
Hephalumps and woozles are very confuzles.
8565865
orig00.deviantart.net/ea4b/f/2012/119/2/0/cutie_mark_crusader_kittens_by_puffleduck-d4xysh8.png
8565865
Actually, both Jackie and Viper also got scratched as well. Shown here
and here
So that will also be half kitty Jackie and Viper.
And as for how they will look, I really want to know.
8565913 They're black, they're brown, they're up, they're down, they're in, they're out, they're all around! They're far, they're near, they're gone, they're here! They're quick and slick and insincere! Beware! Beware! Beware beware beware!
... DAMN YOU! I had ALMOST gotten that song out of my head!
Well well, seems this universe's Sonata definitely deserves more credit than she initially was given. Either that, or 8565725 is right and Ruby is actually the CoK in animate form. But then what happens when they need the antidote? In the original they had to destroy it because 'the antidote lies within'... They're not gonna put down Ruby, are they?
8565772 8565796 8565902
Guess I'm not the only one who was wondering when the counters were finally going to start up again. But for my own sake, let me do it anyway so I can stay consistent.
Chapter One Hundred Sixty-One
"Bad Day"
/
Chapter Count: 1
Total Count: 41
"He's Not My Boyfriend!"/"I'm not his Mistress!"
Yeah, totally counting this one.
/
Chapter Count: 1/0
Total Count: 46/3
can we say Jade has taken her first step to Crazy Cat Lady?
8565946
Or you know it could be cat's milk.
... Yes I know weird, but it was an actual ingredient for magic back in the day.
8565843
Yup! At my job we had a supervisor nearly loose a hand becuase of a cat scratch. He was keeping an eye on his vitals in case he had to make an emergency run back to the hospital while at work.
8565985
Actually... no, not that weird. That's a pretty legit way to go about it.
But getting enough milk for all of them? Ouch, poor Ruby.
Or... just a bit into a larger potion. That could work, too.
8565939
How long has it been stuck in your head?
Here, have a different song to try and get it out of your head:
Huh, another one of those episodes that I somehow missed, seriously I literally had to search up if this was an actual episode, talk about surprise
And suddenly I’m getting strange flashbacks to Tokyo Mew Mew for some reason.
8566003
"Baldrick?"
"Yes sir?"
"I'm going to regret asking this....but how did you get so much custard out of such a small cat?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K_chZOdc-A
Incoming brain haemorrhage from Dagi and Aria in that Sonata not only got close enough to the Chans but stole the relic from them as well.
That scene is going to be glorious
Let's be honest, we've only scratched the surface of this 'episode' so far.
Seems Jade learned a new language Aura could be mistaken.
Who knew Jade was the cat's meow.
I'm just going to link several Magic cards that just became relavent...
gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=426882&type=card
gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=417748&type=card
gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=433121&type=card
mtgcardsmith.com/view/complete/thumbs/2017/6/3/1496518939948257.png
(I'll admit the last one is fake, and I couldn't think of any for the CMC).
8565939
'Around' should be 'about'. Also, a Heffalump or Woozle is very confusil.
They're green, they're blue, they're pink, they're white, they're round, they're square, they're a terrible sight! They tie themselves in horrible knots, they come in stripes or polka dots!
Beware, beware, be a very wary bear.
8566115
Dame it sans!
Well then... everybody got scratched! Joy of joys! Only question now is whether or not Viper's gonna shift, since there's no actual mark from where Ruby scratched her. Everyone else, I assume from the phrasing of the wounds, has the typical cat-scratch razor cuts. I could be wrong, though. Either way, it's gonna be interesting when everything starts going sideways. Just a shame that they're nowhere near Paris of 1910. It'd be fun to see the Chan Clan interacting with Duchess, Berlioz, Toulouse, Marie, and good ol' Thomas O'Malley. Oh well, dreams for another day, I suppose.
And I'm counting Ruby's meow into the "Not boyfriend/mistress" counter, too.
8566033 For that attempt on my sanity, you will pay a price most dear.
I was wondering if that one should be counted! Only problem was, I don't speak cat thus I couldn't figure which accusation Ruby made. Also why do the quotes not want to end? I edited this three times before I wrote my bit on top!
8565946
8565796
8565902
Not counting due to not knowing what Ruby said!
…oh this is going to be delicious. Especially if Jackie's shoulder people both end up becoming influenced by the curse. Hello kitty and tiger.
I wonder if any of the characters are going to choose to make this transformation permanent, I also wonder if Ruby also got scratched. Like what would happen if a cat got scratched by a cursed statue which specializes in turning what it scratches into anthro cats. I wonder if we'll end up with a case where Ruby can transform into an anthro form at her master's command, similar to what Teekl can do for Klarion the Witch Boy.
Jade has always gotten along better with animals than other people.
8566280
I was going to make a joke about being part cat myself, but I'm generally not good at jokes, only puns, and I leave those to The Others Sans.
Anyway, short answer: context.
When it comes to which accusation, if you were debating between boyfriend and mistress, if it had been mistress, she would've said 'I am not.' If it was something else... I don't know what you're talking about. I'm tired.
And heck, when this whole gig even started there were 36 unsaid "He's not my boyfriend"s in one chapter, and I still counted those.
The cat is an interesting touch
Hahaha!
Man, that cat had to be really trying hard if she managed to get full coverage of the group in her scratching. Seems intentional.
8566003
Rule of raatios. Bigger potions need more cat milk
Still poor Ruby
Chapter One Hundred Sixty One
"Aiyah!"
Chapter Count: 0
Total Count: 47
"One More Thing!"
Chapter Count: 0
Total Count: 83
8566682
Cats can do that without trying. We had one named Zelda and she freak out once and everyone had a new set of scars. It only gets worse if they were near water which I recall in the show they were.
... A way to introduce Capper perhaps?
*hoping not because I can't take another version of his song*
..... why am I getting a farily odd reaction now?? & why dose it involve a cartoon that's jest as annoying as sponge bob??
8572103
Strange, I too am having a fairly odd sensation. Maybe it DOES involve a show JUST as complex as the Anazing Race.
I’m not making fun of you, it’s just a jest. I could really increase the dose of liquified chill pill or maybe just say, “Increase chill pill dosage.”