//------------------------------// // Adapting to Game // Story: There's Nopony I'd Rather Be Than Me // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Over the next couple of weeks, Ralph and Nightmare developed a habitual schedule for their activities. At first wake up, they would each enjoy their power-up pies. Afterwards, Ralph would head to his position in the game, and Nightmare would choose a game to play in during the day. As Wily had mentioned, as long as Nightmare didn't do anything destructive and played by the rules of the game she was entering - and copied her data to a local code block, players would merely think she was an Easter Egg in the code. In anticipation of this, Wily had already programmed in the 'Easter Egg' code blocks in several of the games, and Nightmare had uploaded herself into all of them. At Wily's recommendation, Nightmare stuck to a schedule of the games she went to on a daily basis, so it didn't look completely random. On Mondays, she would enter Marvel vs Capcom 3, where she would either sit in the background of several stages throwing things at the battling characters, or be an extra character to be chosen. She wasn't entirely fond of letting the player dictate her actions - especially as they could never figure out the button combos for her magic - but her small sprite size meant that she was outside most of the other characters' damage zones. On Tuesday, she raced in Sugar Rush. Dream Eater quickly became a user favorite over the next few weeks, as it allowed them to really show off their skills behind the wheel. Not only that, but it was noticeably different from every other kart in the game, and the players thought it looked 'awesome!' While not every player who selected her kart could properly control it, enough did that she quickly had a cache of gold coins for competing in the qualifying race Monday nights. On Wednesday, she went into Legend of Zelda as a bonus boss. Oddly enough, fighting Link was rather enjoyable, as she didn't actually get hurt as she 'took damage' from his sword stabs. She just faked it well as her health bar depleted. She also made especially sure to be extra difficult, as Wily told her that 'secret optional bosses' were always tougher than the genuine final boss. She also made it so - if the player did beat her - Link's sword would then shoot lightning, a modification Wily made for Link's anti-viral duties. On Thursday, she spent her time in Mega Man 3. Here she varied her schedule up a bit. On odd numbered weeks, she would act as the support unit in place of Rush. 'Nightmare Throw' replaced 'Rush Coil', 'Dark Wings' replaced 'Rush Jet', and 'Scuba Gear' replaced 'Rush Marine'. Oddly enough, 'Scuba Gear' got a great deal more use than 'Rush Marine' ever did. Considering it was Nightmare jumping into the water with scuba goggles, flippers, a snorkel, and a water pistol, Wily's theory was that she was 'just too adorable'. She threw Mega Man up to ledges with 'Nightmare Throw', and had Mega Man on her back while flying and shooting lightning for 'Dark Wings'. On even numbered weeks, she fought on Wily's side, replacing the Doc Robot. However, rather than fight until she exploded - she didn't like exploding - she went into battle with an energy barrier around her that had its own health bar. When the barrier dropped, she teleported out. Apparently, players liked that sort of boss a great deal more. Of course, it could have been the way she danced whenever she triggered a Robot Master power. On Friday, she relaxed in Tapper's as an 'intern bartender'. Unlike Tapper, who ran up and down rows sliding drinks across, she ran across the counters to deliver the drinks, pushing them with her forehead as she raced across. She found this both relaxing and fun. On the weekends, however, she stayed in Fix It Felix Jr. Encoded into the game, she became present in 'Nightmare Mode'. If the player selected that, they got a special treat...and a special difficulty. After clearing the first stage of climbing up the building to get to Ralph, Nightmare would swoop up next to the building. She would then declare in her tiny, adorable voice, "You shall fear the wrath of Nightmare Moon!" She then attacked the platforms Felix hopped between with her lightning, making them break. Thanks to coding from Wily, they'd auto repair after a time, and Nightmare would time her attacks so that there was always a way for Felix to make it out. If Felix fell from jumping on a broken platform, he lost a life. If he got zapped by Moony's lightning, he would suffer an insta-kill, regardless of his power ups. Since Moony moved extra fast and couldn't be targeted - even in the 'retro' bonus stage - this proved especially challenging for players, who apparently loved the extra challenge, considering it was selected every time it became available. The end game animations also changed with Moony's involvement. Instead of a Game Over if Felix ran out of the lives, Nightmare Moon would fly up towards the screen and laugh. She'd then proclaim, with text overlay, "The night...shall last...forever!" The cabinet would then go dark with the Game Over music looped for a full minute. It would then return to the boot up screen as though nothing happened. If the player won in Nightmare Mode, however, Moony would fly down next to Ralph as he lay in the mud and nuzzle him. She'd then look back up at the roof and shake her hoof, proclaiming with text overlay, "I'll get you next time, Felix! Next time!" before laughing maniacally. Whichever game she spent the day in, however, she always returned to Fix it Felix Jr. after the arcade closed. She then stayed right by Ralph's side no matter where he went, whether it was to another game or just laying back in the junkyard and looking up at the stars. Either way, after they ate for the night - whether pie from Mary, fruit from Pac Man, candy with Vanellope, or Ramen with Wily and Zero - Moony would curl up in Ralph's pocket against his chest, rest her head over his heart, and listen to his heartbeat and his stories of his first adventure until she dozed off. It was a perfect time for Moony. She was truly happy and content, and wanted this life to last forever. She had no idea just how significant it was for her to be...at peace. And she couldn't begin to imagine how quickly it would all change...