//------------------------------//
// Episode 6: Moving In 
// Story: EoH Evolution: Season 3 
// by Bahamut0 
//------------------------------//

Burst Stream sighed. Well, this wouldn't be the first time I've broken new ground with her. He thought to himself as he stared at Nightmare Moon sitting directly across from him. She was my first fight. My first kiss. And now? She's going to be moving in with me at my house. So I guess that makes her my first roommate. Getting tired of the silence, he decided to attempt a conversation. "I hope you don't expect us to share a bed again."

"Too bad." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. "I really enjoyed using you like a pillow." The rest of the two sets of elements were watching the two speak to each other. They were wary, but their unease was slightly lifted due to how easily Burst Stream was talking with Nightmare Moon. "Of course, I think we both know you'd love nothing more than to spend a night with Celestia."

Burst blushed slightly. "She already offered me a place at the castle. But I've got more important things on my plate as leader of the Elements of Heroism."

"Interesting. So it seems my return led to the birth of a new team of elements." Nightmare Moon said with a chuckle. "So which element that makes up a hero are you?"

Burst smiled. "Power. And I guess it's pretty fitting. I'm half-Avatar since my dad's an Avatar like the princesses. He trained Steel and he's currently training Arctic Ace to control his magic. And he trained me when your return was seven years away. But what I said earlier? That's not why I think being the Element of Power fits me. It's really got to do with my core belief."

"And what belief would that be?" Nightmare Moon asked. Tilting her head in curiosity. 

"Might for right." Burst replied with a smile. "Those that have power should use it to do good. And the best good I can do? Well, I can't think of anything better than being a hero. Someone who fights for the good of others just because it's what they want to do."

Nightmare Moon let out a small chuckle. "You certainly seem to be living up to that belief. And it seems to echo in your friends over there." She motioned her head in the direction of the rest of the Elements of Heroism staring at them. "Time and again you've led them into battle where there's a high chance of some or all of you not coming back. And yet every time, you've all triumphed and returned together. From the looks of things, you all come out stronger. Especially considering that two of your little band have ascended."

"Yeah. Both of them stayed committed to the element they represented to the very end. Giving it their all, and putting it all on the line." Burst said with a small smile. He then came to a realization. "Hey, do you always wear that helmet?"

Nightmare Moon smirked. "My hair is ethereal like Celestia and Luna's. I don't have to worry about helmet hair." She then removed the helmet. Letting her ethereal hair flow freely. "But I suppose the night sky look does work better without it." She then looked herself over. "I suppose I should consider getting less intimidating garments."

The train soon came to a stop as it arrived in Unityville. Burst stepped off before Nightmare Moon. The people who were out and about were a bit nervous, but they saw that she was surrounded by both teams of elements and soon went about their usual business. "Good thing that Celestia got that announcement out fast." Burst Stream said with a sigh of relief. "Come on. I'll get us to my house."

Burst Stream led Nightmare Moon to his house, and opened the door. "Well, here it is. Home sweet home." He then moved on to showing her the house. "It's a pretty simple setup." He pointed to the various items and areas. "Couch. TV. Videogame consoles and game library. Bookcase. Kitchen. Bathroom and shower. That's my bedroom and closet." Burst then motioned to a vacant room with a bed and closet space. "And here's the guestroom. This is where you'll be staying. Also, I suggest you get some more clothes soon. Walking around in that armor can't be comfortable, and I sure don't want you roaming the house naked!"

"You didn't seem to mind me being in the nude last night." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. She just couldn't get enough of Burst's reaction. "But you've a good point. Plus, my armor is a real chore to put on. If I recall, one of Twilight Sparkle's friends runs a boutique. I'll see if she can give me some suitable clothing." 

Burst stopped her from leaving. "Wait!" He then handed her a small key. "It's a spare house key. You're going to need it if you ever go out and need to get in and I'm not home. I'll also get you a phone tomorrow and try getting you some stuff for your hygiene."

". . . Thank you." Nightmare Moon said. "But, why are you entrusting me with something as important as this so quickly? Your friends are not wrong to be wary of me. I can't blame them. The same can be said for this entire town. So why?"

Burst took a deep breath, and smiled. "Well, you said that you wanted to make things right. It's like you told me last night. I believe in you. And when everyone else doubts you, that can make all the difference." Burst Stream was looking right into Nightmare Moon's eyes. And in that gaze, something stirred within the dark goddess.

"I. . . better go." Nightmare Moon said as she tried to calm her heart. She would have no such luck as a pink blur zipped right up to her. Nightmare's wings flared out in shock, but she calmed herself upon recognizing the person before her. "You were the one who kept giving me silly names back at the Summer Sun Celebration. The Element of Laughter. Pinkie Pie, right?"

Pinkie nodded excitedly. "Yep! I know everyone else is a bit scared of you, but I made sure to listen pretty closely to when you were talking with the princesses earlier today. You're not as much of a meanie as everyone thinks you are. Ooh! And I can think of one good thing to come from a never-ending night!"

"You. . . can?" Nightmare Moon asked. She was utterly confused. Reflecting upon her actions made her realize that the world would slowly freeze over. Not to mention it would wreak havoc it would wreak on keeping time. "And what would that be?"

Pinkie Pie was grinning ear to ear. "A PARTY THAT LASTS FOREVER!" The girl bouncing in place! "All the sweet clubs would have to stay open because they wouldn't know how much time's passed! Meaning the party never ends! Cool, right?"

"I suppose it's a bit relieving to see you can make light of my past actions." Nightmare Moon said with a nod. "But, I really wouldn't know. I've. . . never had a party before." She then saw Pinkie Pie standing completely still. Gasping. "Um, are you. . . all right?"

Pinkie Pie's hair twitched along with one of her eyes. "Excuse me. I have something important to do." And with that, Pinkie Pie zipped away! Nightmare Moon knew in that instant there was no hope in trying to comprehend the sugar rush made flesh. She then looked in the direction of a nearby tree.

"You can come out of hiding now. Your girlfriend is safe. I didn't even touch her." Nightmare Moon called out. Akage Strider was soon hanging from his hiding place. "Trust me. You're good at remaining hidden. But I wanted to bring eternal night. Figuring out where someone is hiding is kind of my specialty since the dark is my domain."

Akage dropped to the ground, and bowed. "You have my respect for detecting me so quickly. But know this. I'll be keeping an eye on you alongside the rest of my friends."

"Good." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. "It's nice to know you all care about me so much. By the way? That girlfriend of yours is very sweet." This earned a nod from Akage as he took off to find Pinkie Pie. "Those two make a good couple. He's quiet and she's loud. But they enjoy making others happy." 

Nightmare Moon continued her walk to Rarity's boutique. Sure enough, she arrived and knocked on the door. Needless to say, Rarity was quite surprised. "N-Nightmare Moon! To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit your highness?"

"Don't waste your time with greeting me like royalty. That's not a right I've earned." Nightmare Moon said with a dismissive wave. She then spotted Inferno walking towards Rarity. Placing a wing protectively around the Element of Generosity. "You seem especially wary of me."

Inferno narrowed his eyes. "You held my best friend custody for a whole night. Not to mention your little fan club was terrorizing us not too long ago! A creep named Night Terror said you were his promised queen and tried to take all of us out for defeating you! He even turned Rarity into what looked like a version of you! That name ring any bells? How about the Nightmare Forces?!"

"I don't know this Night Terror. And I don't know who the Nightmare Forces are either." Nightmare Moon replied. "But from the looks of things, they wanted the opposite of what I desired. While it's true that I desired eternal night, it was because I wanted people to love and appreciate it as I do. But given the actions of the Nightmare Forces, I'd say they wanted to establish a reign of terror. As for this Night Terror's actions, he sounds like someone I wouldn't be caught dead with."

Inferno raised an eyebrow. "And why's that? Because Burst Stream wasted him with one punch?"

"No. Although that is quite impressive." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. "I find his actions disgusting. Using one of the Elements of Harmony against the others? Such a gutless tactic. A move from a coward who would not dare dirty his own hands. I may not be royalty, but I have a tremendous sense of honor and pride. I despise deceptive tactics and those that lie to their own benefit." Nightmare Moon relaxed a bit when she saw Inferno drop his guard slowly. "Now then. On to business. I would like my measurements taken so that you could provide me with some garments."

Rarity nodded slowly as her hands were covered in the aura of her magic. "I'd be happy to take your request darling. But might I ask, what would you need more clothing for? I thought you would have a whole wardrobe prepared for when you declared victory."

Nightmare Moon blinked. A puzzled expression upon her face. "This armor. . . is the only clothing I have." Rarity was silent for a moment. She then instructed Nightmare Moon to lift her arms and spread her wings out. And with that, Rarity began to furiously take Nightmare Moon's measurements! "You certainly throw yourself into your craft."

"Darling. I simply cannot let you go about with only one outfit for the rest of your life." Rarity said with a huff. "To do so would be a crime. You needn't worry about any form of payment. Just consider this a little welcoming present. I should have a few outfits ready for you tomorrow. I'll be working all night long."

Nightmare Moon smirked. "Element of Generosity indeed." She then looked to Inferno. "You know? The two of you have the potential to be a fantastic husband and wife." This made both Inferno and Rarity blush intensely. A slight giggle escaped Nightmare Moon's lips as she exited the boutique. "I guess I'll head home now." Nightmare Moon returned to Burst's house. 

Upon opening the door, Nightmare Moon was surprised to see Burst Stream manning the stove. She walked up to him. "So what's on the menu?"

"AH!" Burst screamed as he spun around to face her! "And here I thought Akage specialized in being silent. Do you, make any kind of noise when you move?"

Nightmare Moon smirked. "Never really put that much thought into that. But then again, the night is supposed to be a quiet time. I guess that's something everyone appreciates about it when they got to sleep."

"Tell that to the people living in Manehattan." Burst said with a chuckle. "Anyway, it's just a simple dinner. Nothing as grand as what you remember eating in Luna's memories."

Nightmare Moon let out a chuckle as she grabbed a seat at the table as Burst served her a plate. "Looks perfect to me." She then took a bite of the chicken. "Tastes even better."

"Thank my mom for that." Burst said with a smile. "She gave me a cookbook full of her recipes. Just so that I could learn to feed myself. I could never get enough of her cooking, so she made the book and put in a lot of my favorites." The two soon finished off their dinner. "So, uh, you can use the shower first if you want. I've got spare towels for myself in one of the drawers."

Nightmare Moon nodded. "I think I'll take you up on that." Nightmare Moon removed her armor, and levitated it into her room. Her shower took a while because it was difficult to wash her wings. She contemplated asking Burst to help, but figured it would be too easy for her to get him flustered. "It's all yours." Nightmare Moon exited the shower with a towel wrapped around herself.

"Got it." Burst called back as he grabbed his p.j. bottoms and left his sleep shirt on the bed. He exited about five minutes later with only his pajama pants on. "I've got a day off tomorrow. So I think I'll show you around town a bit more. But for now? I'm turning in for the night."

Nightmare Moon nodded. "I'll be off to bed myself." Nightmare Moon lay down on her bed, and nuzzled against the pillow. A few hours later, a knocking on the door roused her from her slumber. "And here I was thinking I was the only one who liked staying up all night long."

"I'll get it." Burst Stream called as he walked to the door. He was less than happy to see who was knocking. "Mrs. Rich. How can I help you?"

Spoiled Rich was scowling at Burst Stream. "You can start by sending that monster back to the Everfree Forest where it belongs! Her very presence strikes fear in my dear daughter! Nightmare Moon's appearance has the whole town on edge! I demand you eliminate this disturbance of the peace!"

". . . Okay then." Burst said with a shrug. His magic powered up, and he levitated one of his blasters to him. He pointed it right at Spoiled Rich. "Ma'am you have one minute to vacate my doorstep and return to your home. You're being very loud and disturbing everyone's sleep. I'm afraid that I'll have to ask you to head home. And I should warn you, I have no problem firing a warning shot." Several lights were switched on. Revealing a few people staring crossly at Spoiled Rich. Prompting her to huff and return to her home. "Good riddance. No wonder the TCC complain that Diamond Tiara's so rotten."

Burst Stream breathed a sigh of relief as he shut the door. He then tensed up a bit when he saw Nightmare Moon standing before him. Nude and her eyes tearing up. "Hey, hey! What's wrong?"

"I knew something like this would happen." Nightmare Moon said as she stepped towards Burst. "Not everyone would be so willing to accept my arrival. But despite what just happened, what that woman said, you stood up for me." Burst was about to reply when Nightmare Moon pulled him into a hug. "Thank you. It means a lot. Knowing that you care about me."

Burst slowly returned the hug, and smiled kindly as he pulled away from Nightmare Moon. "You're under my roof now. That means I need to look out for you." He then returned to his bed. "Good night Nightmare Moon."

". . . Good night." Nightmare Moon slid under the covers. A small, warm smile on her face. There's that feeling again. She thought as she closed her eyes.