//------------------------------// // Don't touch it! It bites! // Story: My Little Villains // by HiddenUnderACouch //------------------------------// "Four hundred twenty one sheep jumped o’er the fence, four hundred twenty two sheep jumped o’er the fence..." Moonie whispered to herself, staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, she saw a small moth fly near the window. The little alicorn quickly shifted her attention to the moth and carefully watched its flight. However, watching the moth fly was just as boring as counting sheep, so Nightmare Moon jumped off the camp-cot and looked around. Her eyes had already adapted to the darkness long ago—even before the hundredth sheep!—so she could see perfectly. Noting nothing of interest, she decided to take a stroll across the house and see if anything was happening. Nightmare Moon slowly treaded through the house and inspected every nook and cranny thereof. She looked behind cupboards, hoping to find treasures, and snuck under the rugs, searching for ancient creatures. Moonie approached the couch. A strange sensation filled her when she looked at its surface, soft to the touch, made out of linen, and yet... there was this feeling of... sinister evil. Nightmare Moon walked around the couch, ducking and crawling under Chrysalis's camp-cot. The little changeling was already snoring, deep in her sleep; Moonie didn't want to disturb her. Once finished walking around the couch, finding no trails of evil near it, she got down on her knees and gazed underneath it. Goosebumps instantly covered her body and her legs started to shake as she stared into the void, the pure darkness. A heavy sheen of sweat covered her as she continued to stare into the lair of pure evil. The monstrous cloud of pure darkness, filled with nothing but convulsing rage, hatred, and desire to destroy and consume made her want to turn tail and run. It whispered things she couldn't understand, as they were far too evil for her to comprehend. It was the monster of the monster race that was banished from his world because it was too monster-ish. The little alicorn felt her insignificance, she felt like a complete nothing before this creature of pure, hellish evil. That which was hidden under the couch... was the definition of evil. Eventually, Moonie got bored of the definition of evil and continued to explore the house. The filly felt so bored that she accidently wandered into the kitchen by accident. She knew visiting the kitchen at night wasn't nice, but there was nothing better she could do, so why not hang around the kitchen? Nopony was here to berate her anyway. Nightmare Moon explored it with interest, looking at all the devices, knives and such, hanging far beyond her reach. She shuddered a bit at the sight of their sparkling surface, gleaming in the moonlight. They looked very sinister and she preferred to stay clear from those weapons of cooking. She opened a few cupboards, thankfully her magic had returned after the sunset, and looked inside, finding some forks and even some crunchy edibles, like bags of grain. Nightmare Moon ignored them and kept on looking before she stumbled upon a very interesting closet. It reeked of a certain grainy, crunchy, delicious treat. Moonie's senses sharpened up and her belly rumbled, teased by the delicious smell. "Don't worry, belly. I'll get my hooves thereonto, I promise!" she vowed to her rumbling stomach, eager for something delicious. She carefully opened the doors, using magic, and before her, a picture of pure heaven and bliss was present: A giant clay pot that clearly gave away the smell of crunchy cookies. Moonie felt saliva gather in her mouth, and she immediately crawled into the cupboard and used her magic to open the jar. Eager to taste its insides, Moonie jumped and found herself hanging on the edge of this reservoir filled with delicious treats. Finally, she had found her heaven. Nightmare Moon licked her lips before shoving her head down, chewing and swallowing any cookie that would fit into her mouth. She tried to pull herself up to get a better grip, and she had finally managed to put her forelegs on one edge and her hindlegs on another. This way, she could enjoy the delicious cookies without having to give her hooves a rest. All hail me, Nightmare Moon, the princess of Cookie Land! she thought, shoving the delicious treats into her mouth. They had a mixed taste of delicious dough, sugar and the chocolate chips of their surface. At first, Nightmare Moon wanted to eat just a few of the cookies, since eating at night was unladylike after all, but when she got to taste them, she couldn't stop. She stuffed herself full with them until she realized that she couldn't eat anymore. Seconds later, when she decided to back to bed, she realized that she couldn't walk either. She couldn't even move, her belly was filled to the brim with cookies, and she could barely even flinch. She tried swinging her hooves, lost grip and fell. Walking wasn't an option. However, what Moonie could do was to wrap herself in the magical aura and try to levitate towards her camp-coat. She gritted her teeth, gathered all her might and used the spell. The magical aura engulfed her and she felt herself rising. In just a moment's notice, with simple manipulations, she managed to levitate out of the cupboard and towards her bed. When she was hovering above it, Moonie finally let herself go and fell on her bed, which creaked under her newly gained weight. With her belly full of cookies and her mind of happy thoughts, she quickly fell asleep, lulled by the satisfied rumbling of her stomach. And the best part was: the cookie jar wasn't even half-empty! *** "Just a few moments, my dear ponies! Breakfast is almost ready!" Fluttershy exclaimed while rolling the toasts over, to fry them from another side. "Mhmm," Nightmare Moon mumbled, looking at the pegasus and shuddering at the thought that she would have to eat even more. Sombra and Chrysalis, however, were both excited to taste the fried bread. "Toasts! I had never tried toasts! But they smell delicious!" Sombra exclaimed, sniffing the air and clapping his hooves together. Chrysalis wasn't as eager as him, and, eventually, she switched her sight from the bread and to the sleepy alicorn. "What's wrong, night stalker? Didn't sleep well?" she asked with a sly smile. Moonie squirmed under the changeling’s gaze, not just because she was a meanie, but also because she always behaved like she knew more than others. "No, I slept quite well, thanks be thine." Nightmare Moon replied. Chrysalis snickered and turned away, obviously planning some sort of devious scheme! She could see it in her green eyes, her evil smile, the holes in her legs. She would have seen it even clearer if Chrysalis had a hole in her head, but, unfortunately, the changeling's head was whole. After the nutritious breakfast, Moonie expected to spend another lame hour sitting on the couch, doing nothing, but, to her surprise, Fluttershy approached her and asked her to come upstairs. Moonie obeyed and followed the pegasus. "What is wrong, Fluttershy?" Nightmare Moon asked when Fluttershy took her to her room and closed the door behind them. "Thou’rt not... going to do anything weird to me, correct?" "No, no, Moonie!" Fluttershy exclaimed in reply. "It's about your sun illness. I think I know how to cure it." Moonie's eyes widened. "Really? Thou know’st how to cure it?" "Well, I'm not exactly sure, but I think I know what will help. But, first of all, let me measure you," Fluttershy explained, scoured about in her cupboard, and finally found the measuring tape. "Nows, dowt moff." Speaking with the measuring tape in her teeth proved to be difficult, but Moonie understood the message and ceased movement. Fluttershy proceeded to carefully measure her height, length of her every limb, the tail, mane, horn... She started to get bored as Fluttershy continued to whirl around her, whispering numbers and constantly taking breaks to write down something in a notebook. "Fluttershy, with all due respect, how is this supposed to cure mine ailment? Performest thou an ancient spell?" Nightmare Moon asked, finally losing her patience. "If so, it appears to be dysfunctional. I don't feel any different!" "Well, it's not exactly a cure. It's more of a protection," Fluttershy said when her mouth was free. "Do not worry, Moonie, you will be able to play in sunlight. I promised you that." "Okay... because I really want to play outside... and I really don't want Sombra to stick with Chrysalis. She's such a meanie. What if that's contagious?! What if he'll be infected with the meanie virus too? That would be horrible!" Nightmare Moon exclaimed, gasping. Fluttershy chuckled, though she realized that the little alicorn was partially right. "Don't worry. You'll be able to play with him soon enough," Fluttershy assured her and looked at her notebook. All the measurements were taken. Now, she only had to gather all her courage and ask her friend to help her. "Moonie, I'm going to go away for a while. I leave you as the caretaker of your fellow foals. Please, make sure that everypony stays in the house while I'm gone and... I'll give you some cookies!" Fluttershy said whereto Moonie smiled. "A cookie! The peace and order shall be preserved. Thou may’st travel in peace, Fluttershy!" she promised and hailed Fluttershy as if she were a soldier. "He-he... well... yes... Good luck, Moonie. I won't be away for long, don't worry," Fluttershy said, blushing, and flew out of the window, having grabbed the notebook along with her. The preparations were complete. Everything depended solely on her courage now. *** Rarity's boutique was just a few blocks away from Fluttershy's cottage. However, it took Fluttershy a few moments to concentrate when she looked down on Ponyville from above. Yes, she had seen this picture hundreds of times: colourful roofs; dozens of ponies running on the ground like little busy ants; weather ponies, gathering or dispersing the clouds. This image was so usual, and yet, it was always impressive. For a moment, Fluttershy felt like she could just hang in the air and watch the busy ponies from above, but she had business of her own. She gently flapped her wings, trying not to overstrain them, and headed for the bridge. She hated flying above the city, since that would disrupt the weather ponies' work and because that was Rainbow's turf. When she landed on the stone bridge, Fluttershy folded her wings and continued her way on foot. Just as usual, the ponies didn't notice her figure among the blooming summer and other ponies, but... Fluttershy felt like they knew something, all of them. When she passed by Lyra, the unicorn noticed her and waved her hoof, greeting Fluttershy. "Hello, Fluttershy!" she said with a smile. Fluttershy returned the smile and the greeting, but the instant she turned away, she got the feeling that, by this simple greeting, she had exposed her entire agenda. A shudder ran down her spine, as Fluttershy felt like more and more ponies started to suspect something. Scared by the thoughts of what they would do if they had found out who was currently living in her house, she increased her pace, intending to reach Rarity's boutique without being seen. Usually, she could get anywhere and not get noticed. But today was not 'usual' in any way. "Hi, Flutters!" She heard a kind voice from above, as Thunderlane flew past her. When he disappeared from sight, Fluttershy felt cold sweat running down her cheeks, neck and the rest of her body. Thunderlane wouldn't usually greet her. Why did he greet her now? Did he know something Fluttershy didn't? What if he had seen the foals when patrolling the skies? A brutal realization came to Fluttershy's mind that made her stop and shiver. The foals were outside. That meant they could have been seen by the pegasi, Including Rainbow Dash! And soon, a giant flock of angry pegasi, demanding Fluttershy to surrender the villains to them, would siege her house! And then, they would get their hooves on the villains! And then... "No!" Fluttershy shrieked, and suddenly felt dozens of sights pinned only at her. Her fear of crowd kicked in and her cheeks turned crimson. "N- no, I do not like chocolate-flavored cotton candy..." She tried to hide her sudden outburst and it seemed to work when most of the ponies resumed their casual routine. Fluttershy gulped and trotted to Rarity's, hoping to reach her before the paranoia conquered her completely. Treading through Ponyville had never been so scary. Everypony seemed to notice Fluttershy, wave at her, greet her. Usually, she would welcome such behaviour, but right now, it scared the living feathers out of her. Her teeth chattering and the tips of her wings shaking uncontrollably, she slipped into a shadowy alley, jumped over a puddle of spilt water and galloped through the street toward Rarity's boutique. Fluttershy knocked on the door and gulped, having little to no idea about how to explain her situation to Rarity. Though, probably, it would be better to hide the fact that Rarity would be making an outfit for the goddess of eternal night. Fluttershy's plan was simple: after falling asleep with the question of how to help Moonie on her mind, an idea had graced her. Her theory was that the sunlight would not affect Moonie if her body was covered, like, in clothes, which would make perfect sense, since the parts of her body that had been in the shade when Fluttershy had found her appeared unharmed. So, maybe, clothes were the solution? The door opened and Fluttershy was graced with Rarity's smiling face and half-lidded eyes. There were black circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept during the whole night, and she levitated a cup of something steaming in her magical grasp. "Fluttershy! Good morning, darling," Rarity livened up, blinking several times to clear away the sleep from her mind and sipped her drink—coffee, Fluttershy deduced by the smell. "Oh, good morning, Rarity, um, I didn't wake you up, I hope?" Fluttershy said, blushing, afraid that she might have caused some inconvenience for her friend. "Oh, no, not at all. I just... didn't sleep last night," Rarity said, yawning and sipping more coffee. "Let's not stand in the entrance. Come in!" Rarity's boutique was as fabulous as ever, with everything looking orderly and cleaned up. Rarity led Fluttershy to a table whereupon few cups and a kettle were residing. "Don't be shy, pour yourself some tea while I—" She yawned. "—get myself in order." Fluttershy sat down and stared at the kettle, pondering whether she should pour herself some tea or be a good guest and wait until her host did so. After all, she could accidently break something... or pour more than Rarity would want her to drink... and that would all affect their upcoming conversation! And Fluttershy knew that upsetting Rarity would not help her matter at all. Rarity came back, looking refreshed. She must have put her makeup on and finished that coffee, Fluttershy figured, the only way she could have energized herself that quickly was by chewing an electrical wire. Fluttershy chuckled at her own joke, which relieved the tension a bit. She took a deep breath and prepared to ask a favour of Rarity, but the unicorn spoke first. "You won't believe what I had to go through this night, dear! I have so... so much to tell you!" Rarity explained, taking a seat and pouring herself some tea. "There has just been so much going on." Fluttershy waited till Rarity went for another sip of her tea, but before she could open her mouth, Rarity started talking about her personal life. It seemed she had had a busy week and just wanted to share her problems with a close friend, so Fluttershy decided to hold back and just listen to her. "You won't believe how difficult this Diamond Tiara is! I've tried over and over to talk to her and her parents, tried to get some sense into their head, but it never works! Filthy Rich doesn't listen to me at all, it just looks like he's listening!" Rarity hissed and made a very pompous expression. "Yes, yes, Rarity. I'll handle that. Yes, of course, my daughter will be punished for that. Of course, Rarity!" Rarity gulped down her cup of tea and resumed her angry tirade. "And then, next day, Sweetie Belle comes back saddened and angry because Diamond Tiara was teasing her again. All that conversation I had with Filthy Rich just went past his ears!" she exclaimed and then calmed down suddenly, relaxing on her chair. "I am so sick of this... I'm afraid that one day I'll just find that Diamond Tiara and beat some sense into her..." Rarity sighed, took another sip of her tea, and blushed when she saw Fluttershy all curled up and confused. "Sorry, dear, I shouldn't have bombarded you with my personal problems," she said and poured some tea into Fluttershy's cup. "No, it's okay, Rarity, um, I'm glad you're calm now," Fluttershy said, trying to force out a smile. Rarity was clearly displeased. Asking for favours right now would be foolish... but she had no other choice. Though, she could come some other time, but how would Moonie react to the fact that Fluttershy couldn't help her because she was afraid? No, Fluttershy had to fight her fear! She had to prevail for the greater good! "Um... Rarity, can I... ask you a favour?" Fluttershy said, and reached for the cup. "Oh, sure, Fluttershy, I'm always glad to help a friend in need!" Rarity exclaimed, looking at her friend. “What is it?" "I need... some clothes... a hoodie, preferably," Fluttershy sipped some tea, took a deep breath, and hoofed out her notebook to Rarity. "Hmm, I suppose there's the size of the hoodie you want..." Rarity said, taking a long and careful look at Fluttershy's notes. "Err... Fluttershy, is it just me or do you want a foal-sized hoodie?" She eyed the notebook a few more times and put it down. "Yes, this is definitely a size for a foal." "Um..." Fluttershy bit her lip, thinking of an excuse. "It's for... my nephew! Yes... from Fillydelphia." "A nephew? I thought you didn't have any sisters or brothers?" Rarity raised her eyebrow. "Err... I did! She's just... never around," Fluttershy said, turning pale and blushing at the same time, her hooves turning cold and her heart pounding like an engine. "Hmm... Okay... I hope you'll introduce your little nephew to us sometime," Rarity said, sipping her tea. Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief, feeling that her little white lie had worked. "A hoodie... Glorious!" Rarity suddenly jumped up, throwing the cup away, which somehow landed without breaking and spilling everything inside. "Hoodie... How about a fiery colour scheme, with red streaks of flame on the side? Or lightning, showing speed and grace? How about... a tornado themed hoodie?" "My nephew likes... nights... Can you make a night themed hoodie.. if you're okay with that... My nephew would not mind any other theme... I'm sure..." Fluttershy said, stuttering a little. "Oh, a night themed one? That's even better! A moon on the back, the stars on the belly... Priceless!" Rarity exclaimed, looking at the material she had at her disposal. "Fluttershy, darling, I'll be pleased if you stay with me and oversee my work. I want the hoodie for your nephew to look... fabulous!" Fluttershy sighed, and thought she had succeeded for a second, but then realized that there was another major detail she forgot. One hoodie wouldn't solve the problem. There was another part of the attire Moonie would have to wear to protect herself from the sun, something ponies didn't usually wear. "Rarity, can I ask one more favour?" Fluttershy said, her voice getting quieter. "I also... need...a pair of p-p-" "Oh, don't be shy, darling. You know I would never refuse," Rarity said with a gentle smile. "I need a pair of p- pants." Fluttershy finally finished her sentence and her cheeks were set ablaze with blush. She couldn't believe she had just said that. In her whole life, she had seen ponies in pants four or five times tops, usually at parades. "Pants? Huh... why does your cousin need pants, if you don't mind me asking?" Rarity raised an eyebrow. "He... He's a part of this new... subculture... Nocturnes, I think. They like wearing full body clothing and dark themed... They're... weird like that," Fluttershy said, hoping that it would work. "Ooh, Nocturnes? That sounds very fancy..." Rarity said, licking her lips and preparing herself for the upcoming work. "Maybe I should be a Nocturne too? Night theme suits me very well, don't you agree?" Fluttershy nodded to Rarity's question. "So... will you help me with the... the pants?" "Of course, I can make a pair of pants too, no problems. Night themed too?" Fluttershy nodded again and Rarity trotted into her workshop, gesturing Fluttershy to follow her. "Night themed... This is going to be fabulous! I might even make a series out of this... Nocturnal dresses, for the ponies treading in the darkness... Yes, that sounds great!" Fluttershy felt relieved, seeing her webs of white lies working out. However, she wasn't a very skilful spider, so, if she went too far, she might get stuck in it, so she decided to keep lying to the minimum. But, at least, Moonie would soon be able to play outside, with her friends. Hopefully. *** "Attention, everypony!" Nightmare Moon exclaimed, jumping on the couch, clearing her throat and assuming a regal pose. "Our caretaker, Fluttershy the Kind, has left the hideout and left me in charge of taking care of you two!" She measured Sombra, who was playing with a small ball on the floor, and Chrysalis, who tried to steal said ball, with her eyes. "Sweet! No adults in the building means lots of fun for us! Come on, Sombra, let's go wreck something!" Chrysalis said, smiling and turning to Sombra. "Um... I'm not sure if I want to wreck anything..." Sombra said, pushing the ball away from him and looking at Chrysalis with guilty eyes. "Aw, come on. Just because we got caught one time doesn't mean we'll get caught the second time. Besides, have you seen them running around? Hysterical!" Chrysalis sung, approached Sombra and started whispering in his ear. "If you're still upset about that little inconvenience yesterday, it's all fine. I'm not angry at all." "No, Chrysalis! No wrecking stuff!" Moonie declared, jumping off the couch. "I'm in charge, which means: thou hast to obey me! And I command thee not to wreck stuff!” "Sorry, Moon, but I can't understand a word you're saying. Every time you open your mouth it sounds something like..." Chrysalis put her tongue out, squeezed her lips and blew, making a very immature sound that many foals and foal-minded adults found amusing. Nightmare Moon's jaw dropped at the realization that this changeling had dared to insult her so. Her face flushed red as she grit her teeth, trying not to burst into anger. "Cease this sound this instant; else I'll be forced to use force!" Nightmare Moon stomped on the floor, trying to sound as menacing as possible. "Oooh, force!" Chrysalis stopped emitting the sound and leaned closer to Moonie. "I'm sooooo scared!" "That's it! Prepare to taste the power of Nightmare Moon!" Moonie growled, and started gathering energy at the tip of her horn. For a moment, it seemed that she would finally cast a spell when suddenly a blast of green energy zapped a vase right behind her, smashing it into tiny shards. "Oh, sorry, did I break your concentration?" Chrysalis asked with a smug grin on her muzzle. "I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue." She started walking in circles around Moonie, like a preying vulture. "You were saying about... Nightmare Moon's power?" Moon didn't reply, frozen in place, still shocked after the loud sound of cracking glass. "Oh, you were finished?" Chrysalis spoke again, moving a little closer to Moonie. "I have to say, your 'demonstration of power' is lacklustre. So, let me give you a tip." She looked Moonie straight in the eyes and smiled evilly. "I wreck stuff, you keep quiet." "That's not exactly a tip—" Moonie noted and her ears were promptly being molested by the shameless sound again. "Aaah! Stop!" "Chrysalis... could you please not do that to Moonie?" Sombra asked and Chrysalis looked at him slyly. "She deserves this, the little crying princess that she is. But fine, you've asked nicely after all!" Chrysalis said and stopped, trotting carefully to Sombra's side. "Now, let's go wreck something." Sombra gritted his teeth, gathered all his courage, and prepared to repel Chrysalis' charm that lured him to the dark side so much. He really, really wanted to go to the dark side with her, but at the same time, he didn't want to disappoint his mommy. "Sorry, I'm not in the mood at the moment," Sombra replied and proceeded to escape the scene to the kitchen, hoping that Chrysalis wouldn't follow him. "Huh... okay, then... I'll wreck some stuff on my own, then," Chrysalis was about to leave when Moonie stood in her way once more. "No! Thou shalt not wreck anything! I was given a mission, and I shall make sure it is completed. That mission is watching over you!" Nightmare Moon said proudly, preparing to stand her ground. "Oh, is that so?" Chrysalis grinned, losing her patience. "Well, let's see how you do your mission after I kick you in the teeth!" *** "Aaand... done!" Rarity exclaimed, leaning back from her desk and admiring her work. "Come here and take a look, Fluttershy! I think your nephew will absolutely love it!" Fluttershy approached Rarity and looked over her head. Her jaw almost dropped when she saw the beautiful composition of colours crafted by Rarity: a tight fitting hoodie with a wide hood big enough to obscure the whole face in the shadow it’d cast. The dominating colour was dark blue with various lighter hues of blue, which were only broken by the blood red lines of some strange pentagram that was enclosed by two crescent moons of a duller red colour. However, the hoodie wasn't as dark as Fluttershy thought it would be. "I took some liberty and made it of slightly lighter colour—not black. The poor filly would get fried in this sun otherwise," Rarity commented on her work. "Do you like the pentagram on the back, dear?" "Isn't it a little bit too... evil?" Fluttershy said, looking at the hoodie. Rarity chuckled a bit. "For you maybe. But for the modern youth, such designs are considered cool and fashionable. Modern zeitgeist, what can you do?" she said and moved on to the other part of the attire. "I have to say: I've never made stylized pants before, especially in gothic style. So, this was a new experience for me!" The pants were of the same colour scheme as the hoodie, but there also were some interesting design choices - like small stars just below the belt. They weren't too sparkly, but the light definitely made them noticeable. Fluttershy imagined how beautiful this would look in the moonlight. "What do you say? I think it's pretty edgy! Just what a young, rebellious foal needs!" Rarity sung, admiring her craft. Fluttershy nodded silently. "Definitely." Her feelings were mixed. To her, this attire seemed a bit too edgy and dark. But, on the other hoof, this was exactly what Moonie would want. These were her colours, her theme, right? "Please, Fluttershy, if you have any more nephews from other subcultures, come to me! I'll be glad to make something new for them!" Rarity exclaimed, hoofing the packed clothes to Fluttershy. "This was simply fabulous!" "Thank you Rarity. You really helped me out... I owe you one." Fluttershy said, and Rarity waved her hoof. "Pfff, don't mind it, darling. I enjoyed this work, and you're my friend, after all! You don't owe me anything!" she said, smiling at Fluttershy. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for tea and biscuits?" "No, no. I have to go, um, now," Fluttershy said. Rarity sighed, hugged her goodbye and waved as she flew away. "Don't forget to introduce your nephew to me!" Rarity's voice reached Fluttershy from the distance. Fluttershy wanted to say something, but decided against it, afraid of entangling herself even harder in the web of lies. The journey home took much less time than Fluttershy had expected. Maybe it was because the paranoia had finally subsided, or maybe because she was flying much faster. Nevertheless, Fluttershy quickly escaped the busy streets and skies of Ponyville and found herself in the quiet grove. Having found herself alone, she took a few moments to look at Moonie's new clothes more closely. Maybe she was holding the little alicorn's only hope for a normal childhood in her hooves... or maybe she was holding just some fancy clothes. Her theory wasn't proven, and it made Fluttershy feel horrible, the thought that she might be wrong was devouring her mind. Because if she was wrong, she had been lying to Moonie all along. Fluttershy suppressed the dark thoughts, opting to fill her mind with some other problems instead: obviously, Moonie would need more than one set of clothes. Clothes tend to get dirty and wear down eventually. Fluttershy didn't have a single clue where she would get more clothes. Requesting them from Rarity seemed like a bad idea, as generosity was a trait easily exploited and Fluttershy didn't want to exploit her friend at all. Maybe this was the perfect opportunity for Fluttershy to learn how to sew and knit. At times, in cold winter days, she would sit down and try to knit something, but this was more of a hobby. Finally, she saw the outlines of her house on the horizon. Torn between the feelings of dread, of fear that she was wrong, and the excitement to see Moonie's reaction, she increased her pace and ran towards her home. She was very sure Moonie did a great job of overwatching her friends and that her house wouldn't look like it had just been used as a battlefield of some Great Pony War. When she opened the front door and was about to greet the children, she realized what the phrase "Famous last words" meant. Her house looked like a battleground. Nightmare Moon, who had fortified the couch with chairs and pillows, was protecting her sacred keep from Chrysalis, who intended to use vases, picture frames and dishes as makeshift catapult ammunition during this siege. Nightmare Moon ducked behind a chair, fortified with pillows when another dish came flying at her like a deadly disk. The disk flew over her head and smashed against the wall. Moonie returned fire by throwing a pillow in a blind attempt to hit her enemy. By some miracle, the pillow hit its mark got skewered on Chrysalis' horn. "Lucky shot!" Chrysalis growled. By her expression Fluttershy realized that this wasn't a game. Her tone, her face: everything spoke about the fact that Chrysalis was trying to beat Moonie down with dishes and vases. Chrysalis threw the pillow off her horn—the poor victim spilt its feathery insides all over the floor—and prepared to launch another dish, but Fluttershy rushed towards the changeling and tackled her down, disrupting her spell. "No!" Fluttershy shouted. She didn't care about the mess, or her property. The children could cut themselves on the shards. That was the only thing she cared about at the moment. "Stop it! Stop it now!" Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around Chrysalis and kept her still. The changeling desperately tried to get out, constantly jerking, fighting and kicking, but no matter what, Fluttershy didn't let her go. "This won't stop me!" Chrysalis snarled, her horn lightning up in green energies. Fluttershy watched helplessly as the last remaining dishes rose up into the air and dashed towards Moonie's flimsy protection. If all those dishes were broken, Moonie was bound to cut herself on the shards, if not worse. And if one of the dishes actually hit the target... Suddenly, a crimson aura suspended the dishes in midair. Seconds later, they slowly drifted towards the table and carefully put each other on top of one another. Sombra jumped out of his hiding, his horn glowing crimson. He looked at the chaos, Fluttershy and Chrysalis, and at Moonie, the filly he had just saved, and blushed. "Thou... hast saved me," Nightmare Moon said, looking at Sombra with amazement. "Thank you, fair knight. I am forever in thy debt." Sombra looked at Fluttershy questioningly and she replied with a gentle smile. "She's right. Well done, Sombra!" Fluttershy said, and Sombra turned brighter than any sun. Not only had he not been berated for this mess, but he was actually... complimented! "What the Tartarus, Sombra?!" Chrysalis growled, looking at Sombra with a scowl. "I thought you were on my side!" "Um... I'm on your side, of course. But hurting ponies is bad, and you should never do that," Sombra piped, which made Chrysalis roll her eyes in annoyance. "Whatever!" She continued to jerk around in Fluttershy's grasp. "Will you let me go already?" The little changeling barely held back from hurling insults at her, Fluttershy knew that. In such a state, Celestia knows what she might do, and so, she decided to hold her in her grasp until Chrysalis calms down. "No, Chryssie! You need to relax first. You're too frustrated at the moment," she explained, trying her best to keep her still. "How about a nice and relaxing breathing exercise? You take a deep breath and then you exhale. Rinse and repeat. It really helps you calm down!" "I don't want to do your stupid breathing exercises! You're stupid! Moon's stupid! He's stupid, too!" Chrysalis growled in anger. Sombra and Moonie ignored the changeling's petty insults, though Sombra still looked worried about his comrade. He stared at her with his big round eyes, begging her to listen. "Please, Chrysalis, listen to Fluttershy. She's not stupid; she's actually very smart and kind," he begged, trying his best to persuade Chrysalis. "Yes, unlike thou! Thou art a mean, silly and evil pony!" Moonie huffed angrily. "Though, I'm not even sure that thou art a pony!" "I am a pony, you freak!" Chrysalis shrieked. She looked at Moonie once again, and the alicorn returned her look with the mocking gaze of a victor. Nightmare Moon knew she had won, and she wasn't afraid to rub it in her opponent's muzzle. Not with words, but with stance, tone, expression. Nightmare Moon gazed at Chrysalis like Celestia would gaze upon anypony who would dare to challenge her and fail. And it was driving Chrysalis completely mad. "Go to Tartarus!" Chrysalis spat, bared her teeth and sank them deep into Fluttershy's foreleg. The poor pegasus uttered a squeak, but she dared not scream. Chrysalis felt Fluttershy's grip weaken, and she used the opportunity to get out. She pushed Fluttershy's hooves away without remorse, and jumped away, leaving a bad wound on poor pony's left foreleg. After freeing herself, she dashed upstairs like a cat that had just touched water and disappeared from sight in seconds. Fluttershy looked at her wound and almost fell unconscious. Even though it was, in reality, not serious at all, there was a lot of blood and it hurt very badly. "Aaah...." Fluttershy mumbled, tears filling her eyes and threatening to pour out. "Mommy!" Sombra shouted and ran up to Fluttershy. She tried to gently push him away, unwilling to shock him with the sight of blood, but he was far too persistent. To her amazement, when he saw Fluttershy's wound, he didn't cry, nor say anything. His face turned sickly pale and a few drops of sweat ran down his cheeks, but he didn't look horrified. "Moon, can you get some bandages?" he told Moonie, his voice trembling. Nightmare Moon staggered for a moment, before running upstairs, remembering where the first aid kit was. "Sombra... What are you d- doing?" Fluttershy asked, flinching from the pain in her wrist. "Don't worry, mom! I'll save you! I know how!" Sombra said, trying to keep his voice firm. Fluttershy looked at him in the eyes, and saw determination and love that were suppressing all fears. Moonie returned, carrying the first aid kit in her mouth. She carefully dropped it on the floor and Sombra immediately approached it. "What wilt thou do?" Nightmare Moon asked, observing Sombra dig through the medicine in the kit. "I'm going to save my mom!" Sombra said firmly, taking out iodine, some sterile tissues and some bandages. Nightmare Moon looked at him questioningly. Sombra used his magical powers to rip the tissues into little squares, of which he applied some to Fluttershy’s wound with pressure of his small hooves. After they were soaked with blood, he took them away, drenched some clean tissues with iodine, and applied these, wrapping a bandage around it, in order to fixate them. Fluttershy clenched her teeth, for the iodine was biting her like a hungry wolf, but soon felt relieved, as the medicine started working and the pain became weak. When Sombra was done, Fluttershy carefully tried stepping on the injured hoof, and found out that she could still walk—with a limp, but still. "Wow... Sombra! How do you know how to apply medicine?" She looked at the little foal with amazement, and his dark coloured cheeks flushed. "Oh... I had practice... here and there..." he mumbled, biting his lip. Fluttershy smiled at the foal and gently kissed him on the forehead. "Thank you, dear. Thank you so much," she whispered into his ear. Nightmare Moon looked at the two with confusion, then shook her head and decided to interrupt them. "May I interrupt your little scene to ask a question: what should we do with Chrysalis now?" she asked, looking at Fluttershy. Sombra looked at her as well, eager to hear the answer no less than Moonie was. Fluttershy felt disturbed by their glances. She saw expectation, they were expecting her to act. They needed Fluttershy to do something about it. Even Sombra, who seemed to have jumped on the same boat as Chrysalis before, had eyes screaming "Do something!" at her. And it ripped Fluttershy's soul apart to see these looks, knowing that she wouldn't be able to respond. She couldn't do anything about it. She just couldn't. "I'll have a serious talk with her tonight, do not worry," Fluttershy replied, and the foals seemed to have bought that lie. Fluttershy's stomach churned, as she berated herself in her mind for this lie, but there was no other way. She couldn't tell them that she morally could not do anything harmful to a foal or filly, ever. "But let's not get sad now! Moonie, I have a present for you!" Fluttershy exclaimed, trying to shield herself from heavy thoughts and cheer up the kids as well. Nightmare Moon looked at her with eagerly, raising both eyebrows. Fluttershy slowly approached the bag of clothes she had dropped near the entrance and carried it to the couch. "Come on, unpack it and put it on," Fluttershy said. Moonie approached the bag and tapped it a few times with her hoof. "What is this? Some kind of magic robe?" "Well, you could say that. Just put it on." "So, how do I look?" Moonie asked, parading in front of Sombra and Fluttershy in her new hoodie and pants. "Wow... I had never thought before that wearing clothing could feel so good!" "You look magnificent, Moonie!" Fluttershy complemented and Sombra nodded thereto. "Yeah! You look super-duper-awesome!" he added. Moonie continued to trot through the room, constantly swinging her hoof at the hood which she’d drawn over her head. It concealed her face entirely, just as expected. "Dah, the hood doesn't appear to be suited for the horn I possess!" she exclaimed. "But, nonetheless, I can make a hole any time I want to, no problem!" In her glee over getting new attire, she was blind to where she was going. Fluttershy noticed too late that she’d step right into the cone of light emanating from the window. "Moonie, don't..." Fluttershy was about to shout, but then just stared at the miracle. Moonie rambled on. She didn’t notice the sunlight at all. Fluttershy... had been right! The clothes were protecting her from the sun that would otherwise be harmful for her. "’Tis very fashionable, I cannot deny that!" Nightmare Moon said, and then finally noticed that she was sitting in the sunlight. "What's this? Is this... real? I- I-" "I can finally go outside!" Moonie shouted, and stormed out of the room into the yard, completely forgetting everything in her life. Fluttershy proceeded to follow her, but found out there was no need for help; Moonie could handle herself just fine. "I can go outside, I can go outside!" Moonie sung, jumping and running all over the place. "Take that, you stupid, big, yellow disk!" She put her tongue at the sun, the hoodie covering her face in protective shade, and returned to running around aimlessly. "I don't get it. Did she have a problem going outside?" Sombra asked, looking at the overly happy alicorn. "I never feel this much fun when going outside." "Does it matter if she had problems?" Fluttershy replied, smiling. "All that matters is that her problems were solved. Go ahead. Go and play together." Sombra nodded at Fluttershy, muttered a quick "Yes, mom," and then ran away to Moonie, to join her in her delightful game of jumping around. Fluttershy observed the two foals and, for a moment, she forgot about all the difficulties and troubles of this world. Finally, she had managed to make ponies happy. And that was the best reward for her in the entire world.