Although Fluttershy never bragged about it, she was known as the Great Caretaker of the Animals. As a filly her heart was filled with great love of all living things big and small. That was where her butterfly cutie-mark came from; the love for the most fragile members of society. If anypony stopped by her house for a visit they will see that her backyard was filled with creatures of all kinds. Birdhouses hung on tree branches and wires, there was a freshwater pond for the frogs, toads and turtles. The chickens and hens stayed at the henhouse her friend Macintosh Apple build for her, while smaller animals stayed like rabbits, hamsters and mice stayed inside the cottage with her.
Most of the animals never stay in her cottage for too long. The birds would leave the birdhouses in search for other homes, with newcomers taking their spot. Some were injured animals Fluttershy found on the street, or abandoned by their original owners. It broke her heart to see innocent animals in such a state that she took it upon herself to care for them and nurse them back to health. Afterward she place posts across town to see if anypony would like to adopt them. For those who had not found homes they remained with Fluttershy at the cottage, and she kept them as companions.
In recent days Fluttershy had grown fond of cats. On her way home from the market square she found a box of kittens next to the dumpster behind the hardware store. There was a white kitten; two gray tabbies, one shorter than the other; two calicos and a little tuxedo kitten, all of them restless and begging for food. Immediately she flew home with the box of kittens, bathed and feed them, and nurtured them for as long as they stayed.
Fluttershy gave names to the kittens - she named the white cat Snowball, because of her puffy white hair. The short tabby was Minor and the big tabby was Major. The twin calicos were named Dash and Zoom, because they liked to run so much; and the tuxedo kitten was named Bond. Fluttershy watched the kittens grow into healthy adult cats. They got along well with the other animals of the cottage, with the possible exception of the hamsters and mice. The cats would use them for pouncing practice, much to Fluttershy’s horror. She made sure none of them were in the same room together.
When it came to animals her kindness had no boundaries. Nothing on earth would stop her from showing compassion to the helpless creatures who needed it the most. Whenever she took a glance at her cutie-mark she her spirit was filled with pride for her role in their lives.
Then there was the Black Cat.
One night, after Fluttershy had put the animals and herself to sleep, she heard a strange noise coming from outside. It sounded like something was dying, and it was growing louder. She climbed out of her bed to investigate the noise. Fluttershy opened the door and called out to whatever it was that was making the noise. A loud, gangling meow came out of the darkness. Then, deep glowing yellow eyes pierced through the darkness like golden diamonds. Fluttershy grabbed her flashlight and asked whatever it was to reveal itself.
The creature stepped forward. To her surprise, it was a black cat. The cat was as black as night, and from the look of it was badly malnourished and ill-treated. It was dreadfully thin, and it limped whenever it tried to walk. The tip of its right ear was chewed off, and there were scars on its thighs, probably from a fight with another cat, and another one under his right eye. One side of the cat’s face had all of its whiskers plucked off, leaving small scars. Then there were its eyes; those deep, glowing, piercing, yellow eyes. Pity swelled Fluttershy’s heart so much that she feared it would explode from her chest. With small tears falling from her eyes she flew toward the sickly and injured feline and brought it into her home.
She wasted no time healing and cleaning the cat’s scars and bruises that night. Fluttershy wrapped the gashes on its large bandages while its face was covered with the small ones parents used for their children. Next she gave the cat a much-needed bath that was long overdue. The black cat was so dirty that the water in the tub changed from crystal clear to dark and murky. Afterward she dried it, and, seeing how skinny it was, decided to feed it before it was time to go back to sleep. Fluttershy carried it into the kitchen and brought out a bowl, then poured soft, wet cat food into it. She figured the cat might be too weak to eat the hard food the other cats ate.
Fluttershy placed the bowl in front of the black cat. She thought the cat will be very relieved to see food. Goodness knows how long it was left out to starve. She waited for the black cat to begin its late-night meal, but all it did was stare at it for a long period of time. For eight minutes the wet cat food remained in the bowl, untouched and uneaten. Fluttershy took the bowl away from the cat. She wondered why the cat hasn’t eaten it. The other cats ate it when they were kittens, and most of them still do. Maybe it isn’t hungry, she thought. She covered the bowl with aluminum and placed it inside the refrigerator. Maybe the cat eat it tomorrow when it is well enough.
The black cat then turned its gaze toward Fluttershy, and she gazed back at the cat. There was something about the black cat that didn’t sit well with her. Its dark, yellow eyes didn’t seem like how a cat’s eyes should look like. It almost looked as though the black cat was glaring at her, like it was angry about something. It didn’t look away for anything, it never even blinked. The cat kept staring at her with its brows lowered over its eyes in a perpetual look of hatred.
Fluttershy searched for something to take her eyes off the angry-looking cat, so she found the clock that hung in her kitchen wall. It was two o’clock in the morning. Sleep sounded like a good idea. She reached down toward the black cat to pick it up.
Suddenly, the black cat nearly scratched her with its sharp claws. Then it sent her a nasty, sickly, deep hiss. Fluttershy’s heart frantically pounded against her chest. Her body shook and shivered while she inspected her arm. Luckily the cat did no harm, but she was hesitant to pick it up again.
Before the black cat tried to scratch her Fluttershy wanted to let it sleep in a basket the kittens used to sleep. Now she figured the cat doesn’t want to be bothered right now. It sat on the kitchen floor, unmoving. Fluttershy hovered softly out of the kitchen, but a severely cold chill crawled up her spine when the cat’s glaring eyes followed her.
She reached for the light switch on the wall, and once it was dark she saw nothing but the piercing yellow orbs that stood out in the blackness. Fluttershy winced, turning her head back as she took slow hoofsteps up the stairs, fearing the cat might jump behind her.
Fluttershy finally entered her bedroom, and the paranoia had moved on. She thought about the black cat before she slumbered off. Although it tried to scratched her she never held ill-thoughts for it. Maybe it tried to scratch her because it thought she might hurt it, Fluttershy thought. It was perfectly reasonable for a cat who had it rough for most of its life. She slept peacefully knowing that in the next few days the black cat will come to realize that Fluttershy was a friend to all living things.
Screeching, hissing, and vicious mewing were the first sounds of the new day. The commotion was loud enough to make Fluttershy jump out of her bed. She flew out of her room straight downstairs and into the kitchen. There she was met with a horrific sight.
The black cat had started a skirmish with Snowball. The hissed like poisonous snakes at each other, then exchange claws to the other’s face. The black cat laid under a kitchen stool while Snowball was over it, leaning downward to face her opponent. However, Fluttershy arrived just in time to pull Snowball away before the two decide to bite each other. When she inspected Snowball she saw small red scratches on her face. Fluttershy carried Snowball with her and hovered slowly to the black cat, who was still lying under the stool.
“Bad kitty,” she said in a soft but authoritative tone. “We don’t start fights with other animals in the house.”
The black cat growled at Snowball, and Snowball returned with a sharp hiss. Fluttershy took Snowball to another room and tended to her wounds, leaving the black cat alone. Although she didn’t know who had started the fight, she hoped the two of them will learn that no fighting is allowed in Fluttershy’s home, and all the animals must learn to live together in harmony.
After healing Snowball’s facial scars it was time to feed the animals breakfast. It usually took Fluttershy an hour to feed all of them, but she didn’t mind; as long as all the animals were well-fed and happy she didn’t care how long it took. Fluttershy started with the smaller animals; she fed the birds, delivered dead bugs to the frogs and toads, the mice had small slices of cheese, the hamsters had small pieces of fruits and vegetables, and the rabbits had carrots. Next on her list were the cats. Four bowls were laid out on the kitchen floor for them to share. Three were for the six cats to share, and the fourth was for the black cat, if it was hungry. The cats surrounded Fluttershy like sharks until their bowls were filled with food pellets. She was going to fill the fourth bowl until a revelation came to her.
The black cat was no longer in the kitchen.
Just as she wondered where it went off to, the answer came to her in the form of a loud clash in the living room. The sound had also startled the cats. Fluttershy flew to the living room with haste to investigate the sudden noise.
Fluttershy’s breath was taken away from her when the mice cage was knocked over. The black cat stood where the cage was supposed to be, and there was something hanging from its mouth. She didn’t want to believe it, but Fluttershy’s yellow coat turned green when she saw the tail dangling from the black cat’s mouth.
She fought against the urge to scream, not wanting to frighten the other animals in the house. Fluttershy didn’t know what to do. Nothing like this had ever happened before. The black cat sent its yellow glaring eyes at her again. She took slow steps as she approached it, but she noticed that the cat’s mouth moved up and down, chewing on the dead mouse. Fluttershy averted her eyes from the revolting sight, whimpering under her breath.
She forced herself to look at the black cat. Then, “That’s… not nice,” she stammered. The black cat continued to chew on the mouse, its eyes remained on Fluttershy. She attempt to approach it once more, only to feel queasy in her stomach when the cat finished the mouse with a loud slurp. “We… we don’t eat other animals… in this house.” Fluttershy knew it was not a good idea, but the black cat had to be punished. She reached for the cat with the grace of a turtle. “What you did… very bad,” she said.
From the moment her hooves touched the cat it let out a blood-curdling screech. It raised its paw and tore thin lines of skin off Fluttershy’s arm with its razor-sharp claws. She swiped her arm and shrieked in pain. The black cat ran out of room to goodness knows where. Fluttershy held her arm as her wings flapped frantically in search for the cat. However, she checked the kitchen to make sure the other cats were free of the claws from the black cat.
Fluttershy heard a splash of water and a shriek of a feline coming from outside. Flying out to the backyard she saw the black cat had fallen into the freshwater pond and couldn’t get out. It locked itself in a frenzy of helpless screeching. She sucked up the pain in her arm and rescued the black cat from drowning. Fluttershy held in her arms, but the cat was restless and hissing at her.
“Please stay calm,” she pleaded. “You’re safe now.”
The black cat released its claws and delivered searing pain to Fluttershy’s cheeks. The pain was much worse than that of her arm. She felt the trickles of blood oozing out of the scars. Her tears were mixed with the blood when Fluttershy pleaded for the black cat to stop hurting her. The cat threatened to scratch her again.
Then, something happened inside Fluttershy that she couldn’t explain. There were many ways she could have disciplined the cat. She could have used The Stare, but instead she lowered the cat into the freshwater pond. The black cat squirm under her hooves in a desperate attempt for air, but Fluttershy forced it into the bottom. After a few minutes of struggling the black cat ceased its movements.
Fluttershy released the black cat from the pond. It was dead, but there was a part of it that remained the same - its yellow eyes. The black cat’s face was full of anger, its eyes forever scowling, even in death.
Then she began to cry.
Later that day Fluttershy wrapped the body of the black cat in cloth and buried it somewhere in the forest outside her home. From the remainder of the evening through bedtime she cried herself to sleep, knowing that she had took the life of an innocent creature.
Days had passed since Fluttershy put down the black cat. Her arm and face were covered in bandages, to the surprise and horror of her friends. When that happened, she delivered a fake smile and said “I found a cat and brought him home, but he didn’t like me very much so I had to release it back into the wild. He’ll be much happier there.” That was the story she made up anytime they asked about the scars. Her friends didn’t need to know what had transpired at her cottage.
Every now and then she thought about the black cat. Whenever Fluttershy closed her eyes she saw the contorted face of the animal she drowned. Some days she would stare horrifically at her hooves, knowing well that she was a murderer, and there was nothing she can do to redeem herself of her crime. She couldn’t look the other animals in the eye, especially the six cats who lived with her. In the living room the empty mouse cage remained. Not only did the memory of killing the black cat haunted her, the image of the black cat devouring one of her companions kept her up at night. Fluttershy couldn’t think about how the black cat’s jaw moved while chewing on the mouse without feeling the sensation of losing her lunch.
Days turned into weeks and Fluttershy still saw the face of the black cat in her nightmares. Images of her yellow hooves holding the cat down, trying to escape for air. Before she screamed herself awake, she thought she heard herself laughing. Sweat dripped from her forehead, damping her coat and most of her pink mane. If she tried to go back to sleep, then she might see the black cat again, so Fluttershy forced herself to stay awake.
While Fluttershy sat on her bed, trying hard not to fall asleep, she heard a strange noise. It was faint and she didn’t couldn’t make out what it was. Maybe she was hearing things. The dark can do that to a pony. The noise grew louder, much squeakier, almost like a feline. Are the cats in trouble? Fluttershy climbed out of her bed to check if her cats were fine. She flew into the spare bedroom where the cats slept in a large basket. They were all fast asleep. Where did the noise come from?
Mew. Mew. It was coming from outside, the backyard. Fluttershy flew to the other side of the cottage and opened the door to the backyard. “Hello,” she called in a small voice. “Is anypony here?” She grabbed the flashlight she’d always leave outside, and found something next to the freshwater pond.
A black cat.
However, when Fluttershy pointed the flashlight at the cat she saw it was much different than the one from before. This black cat was well-fed, healthier than the last one. There were no scars on any part of its body, and when it walked there was no limp. The cat’s black fur had a sleek look to it. Then she paid attention to the black cat’s green eyes. Unlike the first cat, there was a look of pure innocence in this cat’s eyes, much like how an ordinary cat should look like.
Fluttershy and the black cat locked gazes at each other. There were so many things she didn’t understand. Was fate playing a cruel joke on her? Was the forces of karma having a hoof at her? She contemplated going back inside. Fluttershy reasoned that if she doesn’t bother the black cat then nothing bad will happen. Her plans were foiled when the black cat approached her swiftly as a shadow moving on the ground. The black cat began to show affection by smoothly rubbing itself on Fluttershy’s leg. The cat’s soft purrs sent chills to every nerve in her body.
Fluttershy tried to resist the affections of the black cat, but the creature stared at her with its childlike green eyes, all while rubbing lovingly against her leg. Could it be possible that the universe is giving Fluttershy a second chance?
The black cat gave Fluttershy a pleasant mew; and, reluctantly, she decided to give it a home. She carried the black cat up to her room where she allowed it to snuggle with her for the night. The black cat slept peacefully at the bottom of Fluttershy’s bed by her hind legs. She took one more glance at the sleeping cat before slumbering off for the night. Maybe things will be different this time. One can only be so sure.
The black cat grew more affectionate toward Fluttershy as the days went on. It was so much so that she couldn’t find any time to herself. Even after she gave her time to the other animals in her cottage, the black cat wanted more of her and nothing else. The cat would ambush her legs while she walked that Fluttershy feared that one day she will fall on her face; or worse, the black cat itself. Sometimes she had to send it away as nicely as she could so she can get other things in her schedule finished, but the black cat would not relent.
Sleep was also out of the question for Fluttershy. Every night the black cat kept her awake by forcing her to cuddle and snuggle. She often found herself dozing off in the middle of their sessions, and the black cat woke her by meowing very loudly. It continued until the cat went asleep. Unfortunately she didn’t know when that will happen.
There was a feeling inside Fluttershy that she hoped she’d never have to experience. She hoped it wasn’t true to her heart and prayed that it will never manifest, but she could feel it deep inside her.
She resented the black cat.
Fluttershy never harbored no loathing for anything before. In fact, the very word was not part of her vocabulary. The cat, meanwhile, was something entirely different. She involuntarily brought her face down to a soft scowl whenever the cat entered the room she occupied. Out of all the animals in her cottage the black cat was the only that seem more like a dark cloud floating over her head. Soon her resentment turned into pure hatred. The black cat was less of a second chance and more a thorn in her side. Her soul screamed in agony when the cat demanded undeserved affection.
It was a nuisance she must rid herself of. Nights later, during the witching hour, Fluttershy decided to take the cat for an outside stroll in the forest by her cottage. She carried it in her arms as she flew gently through the trees, resembling a patch of shadow when the cat curled itself. The dark feline rubbed its furry head against Fluttershy’s yellow neck. The forest was unnaturally quiet, as if it knows what she was about to do, and was judging her accordingly. A chilling breeze blew on her pink mane, yet there was no wind. The moon disappeared from the night sky when Fluttershy looked up. She realized she had gone far enough; now it was time.
She released the black cat from her arms and set it on the ground. It almost completely blended in the darkness, save for its bright green eyes.
“Go,” she said. “You can’t stay here any longer. Please, go away.”
The black cat responded by meowing very sweetly. It approached her with the intent of rubbing itself on her leg, but Fluttershy backed away. “Please, I don’t want you in my home anymore,” she said in a much harsher tone. “Go away. Just go!”
There was sudden change in the cat’s eyes. The innocence was gone, and its brows were lowered, completely aware of what Fluttershy was trying to do. The black cat responded by meowing in a very harsh tone; and, if she had known better, it was probably scolding her. As the black cat continued its tirade Fluttershy felt her body temperature rising. Just hearing the cat made her hoof drag itself on the ground in contempt. She restrained herself and turned her back on the cat.
She thought that was last of it, but when she turned her head the green eyes were following her. Fluttershy stopped on her tracks, turned her body around, facing the feline. “I told you to go away!” she growled. “Don’t follow me home!”
The black cat made a noise that sounded like the deep screech of a monster. Its green eyes were angrier by the second. Fluttershy tried to stare it down into submission, but the black cat did not surrender. “Leave me alone!” she screamed.
The black cat screeched, hissed, then latched itself on to Fluttershy’s leg with its claws. She collapse on her side as the cat’s claws pierced her skin. Then it went to her face and decided to give her a bloody makeover. It cut through her cheeks and the bottom of her right eye, but Fluttershy grabbed it quickly before any more damage was done. The black cat was in a frenzy while trying to get its claws on her. Somehow, its movements echoed how the original black cat tried to attack her.
Fluttershy threw the black cat on ground, but it climbed on its legs with the speed of Hermes and ran toward her. Acting fast she kicked it in the face, and from that blow it was no more.
Gazing at the black cat’s lifeless body she fell on the ground and wept bitterly, but there was nopony around to hear her, not even the crickets. It brought great pain to her face when her tears were mixed with the scars. She dug a deep hole to bury the black cat, filled it with dirt, then returned home to weep some more.
Over the months seven more black cats made refuge in Fluttershy’s cottage, and each of their deaths were unique from one another. One of them drowned, the other suffocated; many others were strangled, decapitated, and burned to death. Some of them wanted affection while others wanted to hurt her and the animals. Either way, all of them were killed, one by one. After the last one died by her hoof, no more black cats arrived at her cottage. As Fluttershy wrapped the last one and cloth and went into the woods to bury it with the others, she came to a bizarre revelation.
There were nine graves. Nine graves for nine lives.
