//------------------------------// // 53 Adorable by Toratchi888 // Story: Full Moon Fever: A MoonLight Prompt Collab // by TheLastBrunnenG //------------------------------// Adorable by Toratchi888 Lightning and thunder crashed through Ponyville, sending its costumed denizens fleeing in abject terror. Their screams and cries resounded in the main square, flung far on sudden winds from the north. Twilight Sparkle vanished her Star-Swirl the Bearded costume and galloped towards the source of the wind, with Princess Luna (unclad) taking wing to follower her; Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie followed in their wake, quickly meeting up at a run (or in Rainbow Dash’s case, in flight). “Hey, Princess Luna,” Rainbow Dash called, “you trying to scare everybody again?” “Neigh, Rainbow Dash, ‘tis not so,” Luna replied. “As the festivities were drawing to a close, We presumed the ponies would wish their entertainments to cease for the nonce; We have pranked nopony of late.” “Then what’n the hay could be causin’ this ruckus?” Applejack called. “MAYBE IT’S THE REAL NIGHTMARE MOON! THE CURSE OF NIGHTMARE NIGHT—!” Pinkie Pie tripped over her own hooves, flying dock over withers and rolling with a “ba-ba-bacaw!” until Twilight caught her in her magic, righted her with a flip, and vanished her chicken costume; she vanished the others' costumes too. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” boomed a voice like thunder. Twilight and her companions skidded or fluttered to a stop, settling together back to back and peering around. “That almost sounded like…” Twilight narrowed her eyes and lit her horn, projecting purple light by which to see. Storm-clouds appeared around Twilight’s group, and malicious laughter echoed around them. In a flash, a black alicorn appeared before them, girded as for war. Twilight and her friends shrank back, but Luna stepped forward and pointed a hoof in accusation at the interloper. “NIGHTMARE MOON!” she boomed, wings snapped open wide, the Royal Canterlot Voice carrying the name like a pronouncement of doom. “I WAS RIGHT!” “Shaddap, Pinkie!” “Tarnation…” “LUUUUUNAAAAA, DEAREST, HOW ARE YOU KEEPING?” Nightmare Moon boomed in reply, mirroring Luna’s stance and delivery. “SILENCE, WRETCHED CREATURE!” “THOU SHALT NOT SILENCE THE NIGHTMAAAAAAAAAAAARE!!!!” The force of Nightmare Moon’s retort began to blow Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie away, and even Luna struggled to remain in place. Twilight focussed her energy, and with a “zzz-boff-poff!” she teleported behind Nightmare Moon. The black alicorn spun about, but Twilight shot a beam from her horn; Nightmare Moon danced back with the aid of her wings, but the beam struck one of her thunderclouds. The beam ricocheted between the half-dozen clouds, which suddenly burst into a liquid wave, drenching the Nightmare. The black mare blinked rapidly, stunned, and shook weakly before rounding on Twilight, eyes blazing as she stepped forward. “You miserable little—!” She checked her step, blinked rapidly again, then— “Ah… AH… ATCHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The force of her sneeze sent Twilight Sparkle airborne, flailing and screaming off towards the horizon, and snapped Nightmare Moon head over rump to smack into the ground. Rainbow Dash streaked past, catching Twilight on her downward trajectory, and bore her back to her friends. Twilight was hyperventilating, but quickly regained her composure as she saw Nightmare Moon’s unconscious state. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Luna approached cautiously, bodies low and ready to spring. “…I think she’s out of it,” Applejack observed. “So now what do we do with her?” Rainbow Dash asked. “…I’m going to have to take her home with me,” Twilight sighed. “WHAT?!” Luna, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash cried in unison. “SLUMBER PARTY!!!!” “PINKIE PIE!” * * * “Good grief, darling, you don’t seriously mean to…?” “She’s helpless, Rarity! Nopony would take her in, would they? Does she deserve to suffer?” “Rarity, ain’t no way Twi’s gonna leave this one alone; might as well indulge her.” “Oh, very well. Twilight, darling, promise you won’t let her trick you, or let her out of your sight, hmm?” “I promise, Rarity. I’ll be writing Princess Celestia as soon as Spike gets back, and Princess Luna promised to return and check up on me as soon as she straightened things out with Mayor Mare.” “Very well, dear. Now, I suppose the rest of us had better go check on those little fillies, and sweet Fluttershy. I know Sweetie Belle means well, but leaving those three in the Boutique… Come along, Applejack. Surely Rainbow Dash has eaten Pinkie Pie and the Cakes out of stock by now; we’d best collect them before we see to our sisters…” *Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop…* *squeee, clatch* Nightmare Moon groaned, stirring. She cracked her eyes and peered around. She was inside a home; that much was obvious by its furnishings. Or maybe not. She blinked, clearing her gummy eyes, and stared again. Bookshelves lined the walls, and there were a couple reading stands and desks here and there. A library? She pawed at herself; she was lying on her right side on a cushion—perhaps a little small for a pony her size—and her hindquarters were covered by a blanket, lying lengthwise across her flank. I suppose it’s better my hindquarters aren’t cold—Wait, WHY AM I HERE? “WHO HAS ABDUCTED THE NIGHTMARE?!” “Ah, you’re awake!” Nightmare rolled onto her left side to see the owner of the voice, who was behind her. Twilight Sparkle appeared, beaming, from a kitchen, a bowl of something steaming and smelling of delicious herbs clutched in her magic, a wooden spoon spinning along the rim. Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes. “Twilight Sparkle, the engineer of our downfall. Atchoo! Yet again.” She sighed. “Dost thou bring to us the poisoned hemlock, for to end our misery?” Twilight’s face fell into perplexity before she brightened again, giggling. “What are you talking about? Hemlock’s no cure for a cold.” “A what now?” Nightmare Moon deadpanned. “Well, I presume you were lying in wait during the festivities, so you might not have been keeping warm—oh, yes, I put your armour up so it wouldn’t get damaged; I haven’t had time to polish it yet—and you got drenched by the thunderheads when we, ah, met earlier tonight, so I decided to bring you home!” Twilight’s beaming face changed not one bit. Nightmare Moon snorted. “So. What now? Atchoo!” Twilight’s smile altered ever so slightly; it was disconcerting. “Soup.” Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened a little. “Ah, methinks not, thank you kind—” The wooden spoon was shoved unceremoniously into Nightmare Moon’s mouth. She made a muffled “hmph!” sound before swallowing. “I shall have you know, Twilight Spark—hmph!—I do not condone this—HMPH!—you foalish!—HMMMPH! STOP FEEDING ME AT ONCE!!!!” “Too late; that was the last of it.” Twilight chuckled, levitating the bowl and spoon back into the kitchen. Nightmare Moon began breathing heavily, her exhalations coming as fierce snorts. “Twilight Sparkle,” she hissed, “thou art a fool indeed if thou thinkest thine intellect and thy peasant soups shall defeat the Immortal Nightmare.” “Well, my intellect, plus some Valerian Root, Chamomile, Hops, Passion Flower, and a few bits of Wild Lettuce and a few drops of Cider Infusion for taste. And more than a few years of tricks for caring for a cranky little dragon.” Twilight’s smile softened as she made her way up the nearby stairwell to her loft. “So it’s bedtime for the Immortal Nightmare; pleasant dreams.” Nightmare Moon struggled to rise, but she slumped to the cushion and whinnied weakly. “Drat… I… Twilight Sparkle… you…” As warmth stole over her, Nightmare Moon’s last coherent thought was: Uh… Maybe this isn’t so bad… * * * Twilight smiled, watching Nightmare Moon as she snuggled under the blankets Twilight had fetched, snoring softly. It was absolutely adorable.