//------------------------------//
// That's Different 
// Story: There's Nopony I'd Rather Be Than Me 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

Ralph lay back on his stump, staring up happily at the night sky of Niceland, sighing in contentment.  It was the end of yet another day at the arcade, where he did his best to tear the apartment building apart while Felix did his best to stop him.  As usual, the players were good enough that Ralph lost, but he didn't mind so much.  As he'd told the BadAnon group, as long as Vanellope thought he was good, he couldn't be all bad.  Between the now more comforting attitude of the Nicelanders, his growing friendship with Felix, and the time he spent over in Sugar Rush with Vanellope, being the bad guy was no longer such a bad thing.

Staring up at the moon, he smiled.  "I'm bad, and that's good," he said softly.  "I will never be good, and that's not bad.  There's no one I'd rather be...than me."  Ever since he had said those words as he flung himself to what he was certain would be his doom at Cola Mountain to stop the Cybug King that Turbo had become - to save Vanellope - he had said it to himself every night before he slept.  Each night, it had more meaning for him.  Each night, he believed it a little more.  Each night, it was a little more true.

As he stared at the moon a little groggily, however, he found a wish still in his heart.  The happiness Felix and Calhoun had together was wonderful and celebrated...but it often left Ralph feeling like a third wheel.  And despite restoring Vanellope to her true role in her game, she was still glitched.  She still couldn't leave Sugar Rush.  If Ralph wanted to have fun for a night in one of the other game worlds, he either found himself tagging along with Felix and Calhoun...or going alone.  Despite being a hero to the arcade, he was still a bad guy.  He was still dangerous to many of the hero sprites.

"Sometimes I wish..."  He paused, cutting off the words.  The last time he'd made a wish, the game had nearly been unplugged and the entire arcade had nearly been consumed by the Cybugs.  Even so, he couldn't stop himself from expressing this wish completely.  "I wish I had somebody...somebody who could come with me when I relaxed after games."  He glanced around at the empty little house he'd built around his stump.  "Someone who could help make this house...a home."

He turned back up to gaze at the moon, and squinted.  "Is that a horse face on the moon?" he asked in confusion.  He blinked, and the image was gone.  However, a bright streak of light was shooting through the sky.  "I wonder what that is..."

It was at that point he realized something rather important.  "It's coming right for me!" he screamed, scrambling away.

The rainbow colored light streaked to a halt pixels above the ground, hovering right in front of Ralph.  After a time, the rainbow light began to fade, leaving only a mix of very dark blue and black.  Eventually, the color solidified into a sprite figure.

Standing in front of Ralph was a tiny horse that barely came up to his ankle.  It had a pitch black coat, with wings and horn of the same shade.  On each side of its butt was a purple splotch, with a pale blue crescent moon in the middle.  Its mane and tail seemed to be made of energy, flowing in the absence of breeze.  They were dark blue throughout, save the edges, which were pale lilac, and they were speckled with points of light, as though the tiny pony wore the night sky atop its head and off its butt.  It wore pale blue armor in the form of a helmet, a curiously designed chest plate with the same moon symbol as on its butt, and shoes on all four hooves.  Its eyes, when they opened, were bright turquoise against pale turquoise corneas, with slit pupils.

"Well, someone had fun designing you," Ralph murmured to himself.

The tiny figure raised its head and grinned, revealing bright white teeth sharpened to fangs.  "At last!" she proclaimed, her voice revealing her to both be female and very young.  "After nearly 1000 years I'm free!  It's time to conquer Equestria!"

"Where's that?" Ralph asked.

The tiny figure blinked.  "Umm..."  She glanced around.  "...not here..." she muttered nervously.  "Well, no matter!" she rallied.  "This world will do as well as any other!  I am Nightmare Moon, Queen of the Night, and I proclaim that the night shall last...forever!"  She then proceeded to laugh maniacally.

"Uh...yeah," Ralph pointed out.  "It's always nighttime here in Niceland.  That's kind of the setting."

Nightmare Moon blinked.  "It is?" she asked, shocked.  She glanced around.

"Yeah," Ralph replied.  "The moon never moves," he continued, pointing to said orb.

Nightmare Moon looked up at the orb.  "...oh," she said, sounding crestfallen.  "But then...what am I supposed to do?" she asked sadly.

Ralph looked at her carefully.  "Well, you don't look like any sprite from any game plugged in here...tell you what.  Tomorrow night, I'll bring you to BadAnon.  Somebody there is bound to know what game you're from.  You might be from one of those online ones that got plugged in last week."

"How can it be tomorrow night if it's always night?" Nightmare Moon asked, tilting her head.

"It's always night in Niceland, but we live by the arcade schedule," Ralph explained.  He laid back, pillowing his head on his stump.  "In the meantime, you can find a room with any of the guys over there for the night if you like."  He gestured to where Felix had built homes for all the gameless sprites.

Nightmare Moon glanced towards the buildings, then flinched as one of the monster sprites stepped out to water the lawn.  "I think I'll stay here," she said quickly.  "You're harmless."

Ralph chuckled.  "Be my guest," he offered, gesturing around his spartan home of broken bricks.  "Make yourself comfortable."

Nightmare Moon jumped onto Ralph's belly and buried herself between his shirt and overalls.  "...is that edible?" she asked, pointing to Ralph's cookie medal.

"Don't eat my medal," Ralph scolded.  "The Nicelanders bring me a pie for breakfast before the arcade opens these days.  I'll split it with you.  Wait till then."

Nightmare Moon grumbled, but curled up against Ralph's chest.  She rested her head just over his heart, and fell asleep to the sound of his heart beating.

Ralph glanced up at the moon once more.  Apparently, his wish had been granted again, at least for a time.  Idly, he wondered what would happen next, and how long this would last.  He also wondered what sort of crazed, chaotic, wicked spirit would grant wishes like this.

Giving whatever spirit that was the finger, he curled up for sleep, one hand resting protectively over the tiny pony on his chest, covering her like a blanket as she snuggled in.