Chapter 21: Button Ranch
Dorothy knew that — from most perspectives — her life was better for having Matthew in it. Visiting his family on Sundays while they were growing up was a life-saver for her; she dreaded being at home. She never got along with her parents. Without Matthew’s encouragement, she probably would have given up a long time ago and gone off the rails in one way or another. She used to daydream about running away from home and joining some kind of crime syndicate, working her way up to the top… becoming someone her parents had a real reason to fear, instead of whatever their real reasons for hating her were. Becoming everything opposite of what they wanted her to be.
But then she had Matt. Her sweet, clumsy bookworm. He had grown into quite the hopeless romantic, with more love to give than she could have asked for. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that she had evil desires her entire life, but she believed he’d accept her if she did. She almost admitted it to him, once, when they were young. But she’d rather not risk it… confessing would only cause problems for her.
Dorothy had enough problems as it was. Because Matthew did not make her life better in every way. Unfortunately, Matthew’s company was the only thing about their living situation that didn’t bother her. And it did bother her that she didn’t get more time with him. Since they moved in, Matthew had adopted a pair of senior rescue dogs: a small gray and white male named Vernon, and a large black and tan female named Petunia.
Dorothy had no issue with dogs, but caring for them does require work, especially when they’re older. And dogs need space — Dorothy already disliked their kitchen and now it had dog beds taking up room on the floor. Nevermind the toys left all over. She had to walk all over the house to clean them up, and not a single wall she encountered was properly plastered. She knew Matthew would eventually find some time and money to fix them, but how long was that going to take?
Matthew was entirely too busy with all the work he had taken on. Most daylight hours were spent in the garden and most evening hours he was in his office toiling away on his novel. What little free time that left was split between Dorothy, the dogs, and going up to Cinnamon Crest Falls or to visit his family.
Dorothy knew that if she wanted to spend more time with Matthew she should try doing some of these activities with him. She would sometimes help in the garden, but found it rather boring. Other times, she would join Matthew in taking the dogs for a walk. But it was often depressing to look around at how empty the town was as they walked. And visiting his family? Maybe once in a while as something to do. It was harder to secretly torment Aria now that they were adults, so visiting the Tevellyn house had lost some of its appeal.
So, Dorothy acknowledged she also needed hobbies of her own (for when she wasn’t flirting with her husband in a desperate attempt to feel something and) to escape the boredom of living in Appaloosa Plains. She was grateful Matthew had bought her a sculpting station. Hammering away at clay and wood was one of the only things keeping her sane.
She enjoyed sculpting and worked on creating pieces almost everyday, but she’d prefer to keep it as a hobby rather than make it her career. Unfortunately, Appaloosa Plains didn’t exactly have career options. Often, while hammering away on her chisel into a block of material for a sculpture, Dorothy wondered if it was a mistake to move here. She thought more and more about those childhood fantasies of running away from home and working her way up through a criminal empire. Maybe she should take a page out of Matthew’s book and try to write novels about it, she mused.
Meanwhile, Matthew was thriving on the ranch. All his different jobs around the place kept him busy, and in his view, they were all going rather well. The garden's harvests were abundant and he loved having Dorothy and the dogs for company while he worked.
Vernon was a shy dog but he’d warmed up to Matthew quickly. He became his little buddy, following Matthew everywhere around the property. Matthew especially enjoyed when Vernon would curl up on the dog bed in his office and keep him company while he worked on his latest novel, “I Just Need 3 BFFs”.
Petunia was very friendly and loved being petted and brushed. It definitely made grooming her fluffy coat a bit easier! She was still full of energy despite being a senior dog; the ranch was ideal for her to run around to her heart’s content.
Matthew didn’t get to go up to Cinnamon Crest Falls very often amid all his new responsibilities. However, one evening while he was writing at his computer he noticed a glimmering light — similar to small rays of aurora borealis — shining over the falls. He instinctively knew that it was a signal from Aasifa, and that the unicorn wanted to see him. He quietly slipped out of the house and headed towards the falls. It was a fair distance. He had far too much time to wonder if Aasifa had signalled to him before and he’d missed it. It was spring now, several months since he had married Dorothy and almost as long since he’d last seen Aasifa. He hoped he had not let her down.
To his relief, Aasifa was pleased with Matthew’s progress, and gave him her unicorn blessing yet again.
“I am almost ready to consider your offer,” her ethereal voice confirmed.
“I know what I need to do,” Matthew bowed to her.
When Matthew had invited Aasifa to live on their ranch, she had asked him to prove that he is a friend to all creatures. From his extensive research over the years, he was fairly sure that close bonds with three animals would do the trick. He had grown very close with Vernon and Petunia, and the household had some semblance of a routine. He decided it was time for their next addition.
Bellatrix joined the family as a very small kitten. She appeared to be mostly Siamese, with a dark face and paws, light warm gray body, and heterochromia, with one blue and one yellow eye. She was so soft and so tiny!
Dorothy didn’t seem thrilled about adding yet another pet to the household, but she didn’t complain too much. Neither of them had grown up with pets at home, so Matthew reasoned that it was always going to be an adjustment. He hoped if he could keep everything on track, it would make up for the chaos created by having so many pets.
His plan was to keep the garden small for this year's growing season and focus on finishing his novel. If he could grind it out, they could afford to fix up the house. To what extent would depend on how well the book sold, of course. At a minimum, he’d be able to replace all the plaster and Dorothy could pick some new furniture.
Still, the garden took up most of his time during the day throughout that spring and summer. In the evenings, his time was occupied by spending time with the pets, doing final preparations for Aasifa’s paddock, and — when he could find the motivation and concentration — writing his book. He wished he could prioritize his writing more, but it was as hard to force creativity for new chapters as it was to stay awake while trying to edit after his long days working in the sun.
On top of all his responsibilities, Matthew could tell that Dorothy was feeling a bit ignored. His brain had too much to think about to keep managing everything smoothly, nevermind to communicate effectively with her. He was always rushing around trying to keep the ranch running. He didn’t want her to feel like he only wanted her there to clean up after him and all his animals, or for free labour in the garden. So, he continued trying to do as much as he could himself. And when she was feeling particularly frustrated, he tried to make it up to her by giving her some extra attention.
Matthew did his best to reassure Dorothy that they’d soon have enough money for home repairs and upgrades. So far, he’d added a bathtub to the storage room that would eventually become an ensuite bathroom. Dorothy was disappointed that it was Matthew’s first home improvement project, but she acknowledged they needed it to bathe the pets. Especially for Petunia, who loved to run around outside. She was always getting dirty and getting things stuck in her fur.
At the same time, Petunia was surprisingly helpful in looking after Bellatrix. The large senior dog could often be found keeping a watchful eye over the tiny kitten as she played with her toys and clawed at her scratching post. Matthew loved watching them bond and seeing Bellatrix grow. The kitten was slowly getting bigger and becoming more independent.
The next time that Matthew saw Aasifa was in autumn. He saw her aurora-like signal light up the night sky and ventured up to Cinnamon Crest Falls. When he arrived, he offered her some fresh produce from the garden. The unicorn happily gobbled it up. Matthew smiled at the magnificent creature. A familiar warm, soothing sensation washed over him and began to float slightly above the ground. He closed his eyes to brace for the bright light that would follow, and focused on his gratitude for Aasifa’s blessing. He opened his eyes as his feet returned to the grass and smiled at the little gold sparkles dancing around him. He bowed to the unicorn.
“Honoured, as always, Aasifa,” Matthew said.
“I thought you may want to hear my answer to your question,” her soft, ethereal voice replied.
“You didn’t give me a blessing just for fun?” Matthew smirked. “Which question would you like to answer?”
Aasifa sniffed his pockets to check if he had any more fruit or vegetables, but to her disappointment, she’d already eaten everything he’d brought.
“You know you’re welcome at the ranch any time,” he told her. “You’d have your choice of snacks there.”
“Have you forgotten your own question?” the unicorn mused. “Or are you trying to politely ask your question without asking it?”
Matthew tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowed as he studied Aasifa. She stood proudly before him.
“Does… does that mean you’re ready?” he asked quietly. “You want to move to our ranch?”
Aasifa shook her head and neck gently, her dark mane catching the moonlight beautifully. Suddenly, a ring of light appeared above their heads. It was a swirl of colours, then flashed green. As quickly as it had appeared, the ring of light erupted into a cascade of green sparkles falling all around Matthew. He watched in wonder.
Aasifa bowed before him. “Matthew, you have proven to be a friend to all creatures,” he heard her otherworldly voice say. “I will follow wherever you lead.”
Matthew stood in stunned silence for a moment, overwhelmed by the combination of the enlightened feelings from the blessing and the deep sense of fulfillment from finally achieving his life-long dream. He’d done it: he’d adopted a unicorn.
“Adopted is a strong word,” Aasifa teased. “You’ve been chosen, perhaps.”
Matthew was beaming. “Fair enough.”
“However,” she continued. “I may also permit you to ride upon a saddle… you are terribly slow travelling on your own.”
Matthew wasn’t sure what to say, but he knew that Aasifa was very intuitive. He hoped she understood his gratefulness, excitement, and small amount of apprehension.
“I’ve, um, never ridden a horse before,” he admitted. “Wait, where in the world did that saddle come from?!”
Aasifa lifted her front hooves in a playful manner. “I will always have secrets.”
She planted her hooves firmly on the ground and encouraged Matthew to step into the stirrup and lift himself into the saddle. He was a bit clumsy about it (as he was with most things), but he managed to get into position.
“Hang on,” Aasifa warned, then took off down the hill, speeding insanely fast towards Matthew’s home.
To Matthew’s relief, Aasifa was pleased with the paddock he’d set up for her. She also seemed to get along well with all the pets. Aasifa and Bellatrix seemed to like to ‘chat’, for lack of a better word — Matthew saw them interacting frequently but couldn’t hear or understand their conversations. Vernon and Petunia mostly seemed excited to have another playmate. They were quick to show Aasifa that they had a ball that matched a larger one Matthew bought for her.
Matthew didn’t want to limit Aasifa’s freedom nor make her feel like “just a pet”. They agreed she could come and go as she pleased, and wouldn’t spend much time in a saddle. Matthew wanted to improve his horseback riding, but it wasn’t urgent. He still didn’t have very much free time. And when he did, he had Dorothy, Petunia and Vernon — and sometimes Bellatrix — vying for his attention.
Meanwhile, Dorothy wasn’t sure how to feel about Aasifa’s arrival. She was grateful, in a way, that the unicorn was real and that her husband was not, in fact, insane and delusional. She was also happy for him. She knew how important this was for him and that it was a huge achievement. But at the same time, the unicorn was yet another addition to the household. Matthew had told her that Aasifa would remain very independent and not add much work for them, but Dorothy struggled to believe him.
Matthew finally finished his novel that winter, but no home improvements were completed. The only thing they’d done to the house all year was add the bathtub. The bathtub that was almost always dirty from bathing the dogs, Dorothy lamented. She tried to keep it clean, but it felt like a losing battle, which made it virtually impossible for her to find bathing in it relaxing.
In the spring, she started giving Petunia an extra evening walk in the hopes that the dog would be a bit calmer and get less dirty, but she couldn’t tell if it was working.
Walking around Appaloosa Plains still felt eerie. The roads and lights suggested they should live very close to a ‘downtown’ area, but it was empty. Across where the main town would be, Dorothy could see the community garden and Rukiya’s House. In certain spots, she could see Matthew’s parents’ house peeking over the edge of the plateau. She wondered if any of these views would one day be blocked by buildings or if they were doomed to live in a wasteland.
Author’s Notes:
First, I’d like to reassure anyone put off by the names of Matt & Dorothy’s pets. The story thus far is based on gameplay from 2018. I started the Build A City Challenge that summer and the only evidence that JK Rowling was transphobic at the time was that she had “accidentally” liked a Tweet. I don’t recall if I had even heard about that news at the time I was playing and naming these pets. I certainly do not share Rowling’s opinions. (Especially since we B’s & T’s stand together in all the acronyms 😉 .) I just thought it would be cute to go with a theme of “evil” characters from the same franchise for Matt & Dorothy’s pets’ names because Dorothy has the Evil trait.
As for the chapter — as usual, it’s a mix of screenshots from my original gameplay, slightly edited versions, and staged/new screenshots. The Button Ranch chapters were some of the most dramatically affected by the combination of my rotational gameplay not producing great story pacing, and the changes to my Sims’ lifespans I made for better real-life equivalency. I have shuffled some of their life events around to hopefully create a better reading experience. 🙂
Thanks so much for reading!!