It is well known that Black Cats bring bad luck. It may be that it is not QUITE true.
Sugar Maple was playing outside, in her Grandmare’s neatly fenced yard. Sugar loved to visit Grandmare but her mom really didn’t like to bring her this far into the Everfree Forest.
Sugar climbed onto the platform of Grandmare’s swing set and began to shift her weight to make the swing swoop back and forth! It was fun! The wind made her light brown mane and tail fly about as the butter colored foal swept from one end of the swing to the other and back!
The swing was almost as much fun as playing with Grandmare’s cats! They were all pure, silky black and over half of them had wings like a bat! They could really fly well, too! Sugar bailed off the swing at the top of its swoop and spread her own young wings! Her glide was inexpert but enthusiastic, as she sailed about Grandmare’s cottage! She almost made it all the way around, back to the swing set! Her hooves hit the lawn sod only about ten feet short of her goal!
Little hooves clattering on the stone of the front steps, Sugar dashed into Grandmare’s little house! “Mom! Grandmare! I glided almost all the way around the house! I made it almost all the way back to the swing!”
Her mother set her teacup down firmly and began, “SUGAR MAPLE, what have I told you about unsupervised flying!?”
Grandmare raised an admonitory black furred wing and used the other to scoop Sugar into a welcoming hug! Taking a moment to preen a few small tangles from Sugar’s mane with her razor sharp fangs, Grandmare said gently, “You did very well. Did you flap at all or was it a pure glide?”
Giving her leaf brown mother a slightly fearful glance, Sugar replied, “I glided the whole way! I did cup my wings up to land! I came down real gentle.”
The hug was pulled tighter as Grandmare smiled, showing her fangs. Shifting her voice up, beyond the hearing of most ponies, Grandmare asked, “[How is your chirping coming along?]”
Answering the same way, Sugar replied, “[It is going really good! Mom can’t hear it, so I practice it a lot!]”
“[Tell me, Sugar, what you chirp in my bedroom?]”
Excitedly, Sugar exclaimed, “You got a dress horse with a costume on it! It is too small for Mom or you, so it must be for me!”
Nodding, Grandmare agreed, “It is, Dear. Go and try it on. Later, we will practice flying our way.”
Sugar dashed for the back room!
Granmare returned her attention to Sugar’s mom. “Hazel, I thought that I made it perfectly clear that Sugar must be allowed to develop! Look at you! You play the part of a crippled pegasus! You do it so well that you have lost the ability to fly or even hear chirping!
“THAT is too high a price to pay for ‘fitting in’!”
Hazel looked down and fiddled with her teacup before trying, “If anypony ever saw my extended wing, or Sugar’s for that matter, they would scream THESTRAL! There could be a mob! I don’t want Sugar hurt!”
Grandmare softened, “In that, we are agreed. Caramel Treat’s is always a safe place. Those Werewolves do understand the problem and will protect us. So will Reverend Smallflower at the Assembly.”
Their discussion was ended by the return of Sugar. She was wearing the costume as a thestral witch! Two of Grandmare’s cats were riding her shoulders, purring happily. One casually lifted a furry, bat like wing to scratch under it.
Grandmare was delighted. Hazel was less so, but agreed that it was a great costume.
Grandmare led Sugar outside, the cats following. Soon Sugar was fluttering short distances and landing properly. The cats were 'helping.’ They thought that the fluttering filly was a great toy! Conversely, Sugar, dodging their mock attacks thought that the cats were great teachers! It only took a few hours before she was swooping and dodging with them in a game of sky tag! Happy foal’s laughter pealed from the October air.
Grandmare nodded serenely, “She takes to the sky as naturally as breathing. A true thestral if ever there was one.”
Hazel agreed sadly, “I know. I hope that Ponyville will be better to her than it was to me.”
Grandmare turned Sympathetic eyes to Hazel. “I do know what you mean, dear. You half breeds have it rougher than we full bloods and the unicorns have never forgiven our service to the Nightmare Throne, 2000 years ago, in the Nightmare Wars. The only thing that shows Maple to be a partial breed is her color.”
Sighing, Hazel glanced at the sun’s angle and suggested, “We must return home, Grandmare. It has actually been a good visit.”
Hazel and Sugar Maple trotted back along the nearly overgrown trail that led from Grandmare’s to behind the Duchess O’ Red Hoof’s land. It joined the trail leading from Brightmane’s cottage. It became far better and more traveled after that.
They reached Ponyville proper and went into their snug little cottage home without incident. The two cats immediately flew from Sugar’s shoulder, circling about the room, high and low. They perched on the sofa back and began to preen.
Evening began and with it, Nightmare Night. Gathering together her loot bag and a “Witch’s Staff”, Maple set out. Both cats riding her shoulders.
She joined a group making the rounds of homes and small businesses.
“Wow! That is a neat thestral witch costume! How did you turn your fur black, Sugar?”
She smiled and replied, “Just a cheap brush in dye. It will wash out.”
“Gee, I wish that I had a cat like yours to go with my witch costume! Aren’t you afraid of bad luck? They are pure black.”
The mare in charge of the small herd was in a silly looking deer costume with phony horns on a spring gripper across her head!
Of course, they dropped in on Caramel Treat’s Sweets for their famous Nightmare Night display and fabulous foal bowl! It did not disappoint! There were the very real Werewolves, Caramel and Fangrin in their Everfree Ridgeback Wolf forms, a black gryphon, several games and the foal bowl hidden under mists in a big cauldron.
The party went on toward the more residential parts of town, followed by a pegasus in a skull like mask and a costume of bones painted onto black cloth. His wings could slide out through reinforced cuts in the fabric. It hid his cutie mark.
Sugar chirped, too high for ponies to hear, to the cats, “[Dark Sky, New Moon, could you go back and cross his path a few times? I do not like him following us!]”
In answer, both cats hopped from her shoulder, gliding to the ground and scampering back! They paraded across his path repeatedly. Undeterred, he continued to follow the herd of foals.
The cats returned to Sugar’s shoulder. The foal herd was approaching Drastin Park and its big unobstructed hoof ball pitch. He charged toward the hapless foals!
He tripped on two cats that had been watching him for any such stunt! He faceplanted, in a most embarrassing way! The whole herd of foals heard him fall and stopped to watch!
Climbing back to his hooves, he charged again! Bowling the foals over like ninepins, he grabbed two foal loot bags and leaped for the night sky!
Two cats and Sugar were on his tail, almost immediately! The cats snagged his left wing, causing him to spiral out of control! Before he could do anything to get rid of the cats, Sugar slammed her head in between his hind legs and power dived, flipping him over onto his back!
Before he could do anything, he hit the ground with a crunch! Sugar landed lightly beside him and gathered up the stolen loot bags. She was still picking up spilled treats when the rest of the group swarmed around her!
As Sugar was returning the stolen bags, one of the colts said admiringly, “We could see the whole thing! The moon lit up those thin clouds and we could see it all!! You really are a thestral! That was so neat how you took him down!”
One of the fillies came and got her loot bag. She petted the cats and said, “I guess that the thing about black cats and bad luck is true!” Giggling, she pointed to the fallen pegasus thief. “It sure was for him!”