This story is based on an episode of Dino's Dilemmas from the Flintstone Kids, entitled, "Killer Kitty." Please enjoy!(BTW, pictures of Aunt Gertrude and Sweetie Pie are now available on my blog, the Keeper of the Fun blog!)
It's a pleasant evening in Downtown City. Inside the Littlest Pet Shop, Blythe Baxter is busily dusting the shelves when the doorbell rings. As she quickly runs to answer it, she's promptly greeted by a tall lady with short brown hair, wearing a dark blue dress and a flowered hat, and holding a small dog. "Hello, Aunt Gertrude!"
"Well, hello, Blythe Dear," Aunt Gertrude greets her niece warmly. "Is dinner ready yet?"
"It will be shortly," Blythe replies. "We'll be eating in the dining room, which is down the hall and to the left." She motions toward the hallway.
"Ooh, why thank you, Dear," Aunt Gertrude replies. "It was very nice of Roger to invite me over for dinner here; I had always wanted to come see the place where you worked." Blythe blushes slightly. "Thanks, Aunt Gertrude, you're very kind."
"Oh, I almost forgot," Aunt Gertrude says, motioning toward the dog in her arms. "I hope you don't mind, but I've brought my little Sweetie Pie along." Sweetie Pie is a small, wooly, brown and white Pekingese dog with dark brown eyes, wearing a purple collar with a matching jewel-adorned bow in her hair.
"Well, certainly! Sweetie Pie is always quite welcome here." Blythe replies kindly. Looking over her shoulder, she notices the pets approaching them. "In fact, I have some new friends for her to meet!"
"Howdy, Blythe!" Minka Mark greets her cheerily, as the pets walk up to her.
"How's everything going?" Vinnie Terrio inquires.
"Well, Aunt Gertrude's come for a visit, and she's brought a new friend for you." Blythe replies. As Aunt Gertrude gently sets the little dog down, Blythe motions toward her. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Sweetie Pie Baxter!"
"Pleased to meet you, Sweetie Pie." Sunil says politely, as he holds his paw out to shake hands with her. Unfortunately, no sooner does he than Sweetie Pie begins to whimpers and back off, burying her face in her paws. "Oh, Sweetie Pie can't play with those-those vicious creatures!" Aunt Gertrude exclaims disapprovingly. "She's not your ordinary dog, you see. She's very delicate and sensitive." Sweetie Pie gives a little disdainful sniff in reply. "Hmph!"
"Well, she needn't worry," Blythe replies in defense of her little friends. "The pets are very nice!" Aunt Gertrude looks skeptical but replies, "Well...okay." She then sets Sweetie Pie down with the pets again. Zoe Trent gives a dissatisfied look. "That dog seems decidedly unpleasant." she whispers just low enough for Sweetie Pie not to her in Russel Ferguson's ear. The orange hedgehog nods in agreement.
"Now, don't be afraid, Dear, these are some nice little pets who want to be your friends," Aunt Gertrude says as she gently pets Sweetie Pie's head. "Have fun now, Darlings, I'll be back soon." She then follows her niece into the kitchen to check on dinner.
"It's quite a pleasure to meet you, Sweetie Pie Dahling." Zoe says(Albeit biting her tongue not to say what she was really thinking). "What do you like to do for fun?" Penny Ling inquires.
The little dog's lips curl into a sly grin. "What do I like to do for fun? Well, I'll show you!" She quickly hops up onto a shelf housing several large, fancy China plates and begins tossing them around the room. Vinnie gives an audible gasp and rushes to catch the plates as they fall, balancing a stack in each of his hands and feet, and another on top of his tail.
As she spots a small porcelain pepper shaker at her feet, Sweetie Pie gets a sly gleam in her eye, then drops it down onto the little green lizard's nose. As pepper spills out onto his nose, Vinnie sniffles, "Ah...ah...AHHHHHHHCHOOOOOOO!" and lets out a resounding sneeze, causing him to drop the plates to the floor with a CRASH! "Oogh." Vinnie groans.
Sweetie Pie then hops over to another shelf, housing several small knickknacks, and begins rapidly tossing them down toward Zoe and Russel's feet, causing the two to reel back and hop out of the way. "Sweetie Pie, stop!" Zoe cries. "Sweetie Pie, please!" Russel calls. Unfortunately, their pleas don't sway her in the least.
Sweetie Pie then climbs down and hurries over to a nearby supply closet. She picks up several small pet toys and throws them at Minka, Pepper, and Penny, causing them to squeal and scramble, then picks up a large bag of dog food and dumps it all over Sunil's head. "Hey!" he cries.
Just then, the pets hear Aunt Gertrude call, "Just what's going on in there?" Upon hearing these words, Sweetie Pie walks up to the pets, gives a long, dramatic moan, then collapses at their feet, pretending to faint. At this moment, Aunt Gertrude and Blythe enter the room; upon seeing the vasty amounts of detritus surrounding the pets and her dog collapsed on the floor, the latter gives an audible gasp. "EEEK! MY BABY!"
"Th-there must be some misunderstanding, Aunt Gertrude," Blythe says. "I know this looks bad, but these pets wouldn't hurt a fly!"
"Wouldn't hurt a fly, my eye!" Aunt Gertrude replies angrily as Sweetie Pie scurries into her arms with mock fear. "I want those vicious beasts away from my little darling RIGHT NOW!"
Blythe sadly turns to the pets. "Sorry, guys, but it looks like you'll have to eat dinner in the playroom." The pets look up at her dolefully in reply. As Aunt Gertrude begins to leave, Sweetie Pie sneers and blows a little raspberry at the pets. Zoe shoots a disdainful look right back at her.
Moments later, the pets sadly gather in the playroom as Blythe fills their dishes with food. As Blythe leaves for the dining room, Sweetie Pie, who's eating fancy kibble out of a dish on the dining room floor, notices the pets' food and gets another sly gleam in her eye. She slowly tiptoes into the playroom, snatches up Penny and Minka's food dishes and holds them just out of their reach.
"Hey!" Penny cries. "Give those back!"
"What's'amatter, twerps?" Sweetie Pie sneers nastily. "Y'want 'em? Y'gotta jump for 'em!"
Unable to bear her friends' suffering any more, Zoe quickly jumps up and snatches the dishes back, sending Sweetie Pie toppling backwards into the pets' water dishes. SPLASH! Drenched and angry, the little dog snarls fiercely and begins chasing after the pets, who run away, squealing in fear.
Back in the dining room, Aunt Gertrude is chatting happily with Blythe, Mrs. Twombly, and Roger, when Sweetie Pie and the pets barrel into the room at top speed and begin running around the table. Everyone gasps. "Is that my Sweetie Pie...chasing the pets?!" Aunt Gertrude exclaims in shock.
"I knew the pets weren't the real troublemakers!" Blythe notes.
As Sweetie Pie and the pets hop up on the table, Zoe's gaze falls on the chandelier overhead. "Quick, follow me, everyone!" she motions, upon which the pets quickly make a flying leap for the chandelier, deftly catching it. Sweetie Pie then pounces toward them, but miscalculates and goes sliding across the tablecloth, sending dishes and food flying everywhere. The little dog crashes into a tureen of soup, sending it and herself flying on top of Aunt Gertrude's head. "Sweetie Pie, GET DOWN NOW!" Aunt Gertrude glowers. Sweetie Pie gulps apprehensively.
"Well, Aunt Gertrude," Blythe says as she carefully collects the pets from the chandelier. "It looks like Sweetie Pie wasn't so sweet after all."
"Indeed," Aunt Gertrude replies as she removes the soup tureen from her head and gently gathers her dog up. "Come on, Sweetie Pie. Bad girl! Bad!" Blythe and the pets smile contentedly as they watch the two leave.
The next morning, Blythe is merrily stocking the shelves when she hears the doorbell ring again. Shortly after answering the door, she calls over her shoulder, "Say guys, we have a special surprise for you!" Fearing the worst, the pets shudder and hide under the rug.
Blythe traipses up to them, holding an enormous box of the pets' favorite treats. "'Dear Pets,'" she reads from the attached card. "'We're very sorry for all the trouble we've caused; we hope that this gift will more than make up for it. Love, Aunt Gertrude and Sweetie Pie.'" Upon hearing this, the pets quickly hop out from under the rug and begin happily munching on the treats.
"This was certainly very nice of them." Sunil states.
"It's good to see that Sweetie Pie's had a change of heart." Zoe adds.
Blythe smiles and giggles, "That's my pals!"
The end.
Voice Cast
Blythe Baxter-Ashleigh Ball
Zoe Trent/Aunt Gertrude-Nicole Oliver
Pepper Mildred Clark-Tabitha St. Germain
Vinnie Alfonso Terrio-Kyle Rideout
Minka Mark-Kira Tozer
Sunil Nevla-Peter New
Penny Ling-Jocelyn Loewen
Russel Ferguson-Sam Vincent
Sweetie Pie-Kelly Metzger