Keeper of the Nightby CaptainExtremisChaptersCatching the NightUneasy AcquaintancesMy WingmanEducation TacticsClarityCatching the Night "Ahh...another beautiful summer night...gentle breeze, crickets chirping...and I'm inside playing Halo. Tonight can't get any better!" I was relaxing inside my house in a quiet neighborhood on July 17th. Mom and Dad told me they were going to be gone on business for a few weeks (my dad's Rodger. He's a software designer and Carrolyn, my mom, is a gymnast), and my little brother, Dion (it's pronounced "DIE-ohn, but I call him Di) was going to be at my grandparents' house, because they didn't trust me to look after him yet. Dad told me, "He might be your brother, but even at his age, it's going to take a lot of fatherly responsibility, and you...just don't have that yet." "What, have I got the plague!?" I argued. "Dad, high school is responsibility enough. I can look after the little rascal and not throttle him, really, I can! What can I do to prove it?" My dad just turns around and laughs, saying, "Relax, Miles. We're doing you a favor." They were right. No loud crashes coming from the kitchen, no obnoxiously loud videogames coming from his room at night, and I still had some time to hide all his stuff as a prank for when he came back. "Oh, baby this is the good life," I whispered to myself. I heard a loud *bang* come from my game that jolted me awake just in time to see my Spartan soldier fly across the map from a rocket explosion. "Whoo, shit, I gotta stay awake. Still not used to all this free time." Now, before this next part, I should tell you my neighborhood layout. Trust me, it'll become deadly important later on. My house is situated on a hill. The side of it rolls down into some dense woods. Not dense enough to get totally lost in, but the low-hanging branches will cut y'up if you're not wearing jeans. On the other side of the woods is the community pool. I never go there, because if you saw it, you would realize everyone currently in the pool is marinating in piss and band-aids. The only time its clean is when the water is replaced, which is about every weekend. So, nobody's really catching any STDs here (but trust me, the pool commission still desperately needs to post bathing rules). Back down my driveway is the rest of the houses. There's a lot of spacing in between'em, like 30 to 40 yards, at least, but that's because there's a lot of forest that the city didn't want (or decide) to cut down. I have a buddy who goes to my high school just around the left bend. Not a far run, but you gotta cut through the woods (again, cut being the key word, here). His name's Riley Ambromicvi; we go way back. Now, see, I've got my window open. It's the back window, faces the woods, right? Well, at about eleven sharp, I hear this noise. Sounds like an electric crackle. Normally, I'd call the cops, but it was loud enough for me to hear it, but quiet enough to not give two shits. Until I hear it again, that is. "What the hell was that?" *Vrrrzzzzztt!* "Alright, guess I should check," and I got up off my ass and snuck out the back door. I started down the hill when I heard that same sound again, but louder. It meant I was getting closer (or, as I was thinking at the time, it was getting closer to me). It was coming from the woods, so I cautiously slid under a branch and worked my way in. Whole place was damp from the humidity. The breeze was blowing west, so all the water vapor over Lake Michigan was floating our way. Nearly slipped off a log and broke my bum. Eventually, I heard the electric sound one last time, only a few feet in front of me. I peered over a fallen tree and I saw this...thing, lying on the ground, face first, twitching every so often as a dark purple electric pulse coursed across its body. Also seemed to have some weird plume thingies rising from its back. It was human, to be sure, but something about its build was...off. As I looked at the thing, I thought, "Well, no clue who or what this is, but it's definitely not in good shape. Better roll the thing over so it doesn't suffocate while I look at it." Now this idea, the "roll the thing over" tactic, probably wouldn't have been a good idea if the being was an alien, 'cause it would've vaporized my face off in two seconds. But I'm kinda glad I did roll it over, now that I look back on it. That way, I wouldn't have fainted if I simply brought...her...into my house unwittingly. Anyway, back on subject, the moon just happened to glint down through the canopy I was under and shed its white light on the thing's face. I almost screamed. "Sweet Jesus, have mercy..." There, in my arms, I was holding a figure I knew all too well...the light-blue helmet, gauntlets, and boots, the black fur, the horn, the plumage of stars that formed her mane (and that sexy, sexy purple eyeliner)...I was holding the very first villain in MLP history... Nightmare Moon. I wasted absolutely no time getting her out of the woods, and honestly, it wasn't too bad. I was extra careful not to scratch Nightmare because I had no idea what happened to her, and thought it might be best if she just slept it off (and if she woke up from a cut, I was also pretty sure she'd 0wn my ass in a hurry). Getting up the hill in my backyard, though...don't even get me started. My legs got sore about halfway up, 'cause she was heavy. Not fat heavy, but she had slightly more muscle than the average female (and she was a foot taller than me, at least). My arms ached when I got back inside, so I laid her on the couch as quickly and as gently as I could. I checked her vital signs and forehead. It was hot enough to roast a chicken over, so I grabbed a bag of frozen peas for her (Mom never seemed to carry any real icepacks, so to speak). Nightmare was breathing heavily, and I decided to stay up late and watch her...just in case. As I started thinking about it, I was ecstatic. Lady Luck had pretty much heard my dreams when I was a freshman, and actually answered them. Yeah, she was late, but I sure wasn't complaining. But as I kept thinking, I realized, "This ain't all it's cracked up to be." First, if--and when--my parents found out about me keeping a villainous princess from a kids' TV show, and a little girls' TV show, at that, one, they'd be pissed and confused, and two, I'd just roll over and die of shame. And then I thought about Nightmare Moon herself. When she woke up, I imagined she wasn't going to be very happy. I knew I was the one who'd catch hell right away, and even if I could bullshit my way out of that and, by some divine cosmic miracle, calm her down enough to stay inside and not unleash her wrath on Wisconsin, or, God forbid, the entire world, I didn't know where to hide her when my folks came back (or, God also forbid, my brother). But then, something strange happened to me. It wasn't loud and in-your-face obvious, but quiet. Subtle. As I looked back to the reposing Nightmare Moon, I started to calm down. Her breathing, slow and almost silent, eventually became a rhythm that I followed until I felt myself sink back into the recliner, and I felt my eyes glaze over. Oh, well, I thought, I'll burn that bridge when I come to it. Uneasy AcquaintancesI got a very rude awakening at exactly seven the next morning. It happened so fast. One minute, I'm dreaming of being a basketball star singlehandedly facing off against a team of Spartans (the Greek kind, not the Halo kind), next minute, I'm being held up by my shirt collar to the ceiling by a magical force field with an angry ursurper princess in control of it. I knew this was coming, but I was way too tired to think about it. Now, I was paying for it out my ass. "Aw, crap," I choked. Nightmare wore an expression of seething hatred, and she coldly stated, "Who are you...?" I knew I'd get my head blown off if I tired anything funny, so I decided to play along and see what would happen. "I'm...I'm Miles. Miles Owens," I choked again. Nightmare raised an eyebrow. "And would you happen to be a friend of those miserable little ponies my sister holds in high regard?" I shook my head frantically. She was still eyeing me questioningly. He voice became much more calm as she said, "Where are they?" "I'm afraid I don't know, ma'am," I said as calmly as I could. Before I had any time to process what happened, Nightmare Moon threw me straight into the floor and stood over me as if I were an elephant she just shot dead. "You lie!" she yelled. She bent down low with a pulsing orb of dark energy in her right hand. She aimed it at my face. "You will tell me where those pitiful foals are, or I will make sure you won't be able to speak again!" I, honestly, was taken completely by surprise by this violent outburst. I couldn't understand why, but looking back, maybe she was desperate. Who knows? Anyway, I was scared to shitting myself, and I cried, "Please! I don't know them or where they are! Don't kill me!" She must've believed it, because I heard the energy in her hand dissipate and the pressure from her heel on my stomach went away as well. I was in shock that she believed me, but I was thrown back into reality when she hoisted me up off the ground and stood me up. Looking up at her, I saw she still wasn't very happy. "Perhaps you speak the truth," she said. "I have never seen a creature like you in the thousand years I spent gazing down on Equestria from the moon." She was silent for a minute as she looked around. "Where is this?" she demanded. I stammered, "Uh, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Miss Moon." "Milwaukee? I have never heard of such a place in Equestria...and how did you know my name?" she asked with a noticeable hardness. I had no idea what she'd do if she found out she was only a fictional character. At the time, I imagined she'd go on a murderous rampage due to a shattered psyche. I had to lie about being a fan of the show so she wouldn't find out, no matter how bad the lie was. "...Magic?" I hesitated in answering. She stared at me for awhile then turned around so her back was facing me. "If you can command magic," she said, "then you will surely know a way that will allow me to travel back home, so I may take my rightful place on my sister's throne." Damn, she's smart, I thought. "I...I have many informational books at my disposal, your majesty." She turned back around with a serious look in her eyes. "I know you are lying to me, Mister Owens." "Oh, no, Mr. Owens is my father," I said. Yeah, that could've gotten me killed, but I had a feeling Nightmare Moon was going to be around for a long time, so I thought I should see how she reacts to humor. "Do not even try to be funny," she said through grated teeth. Apparently, she didn't handle it too well. I sighed. "Listen, ma'am, I have my resources," I said. Nightmare Moon didn't look too pleased with that answer. "Then I will suspend the sun until you confess to me who told you." I didn't like the sound of that, so I tried to kill two birds with one stone. "Nice try," I said with false confidence. "You can't affect my sun. It abides by physics, not magic." I was really counting on her to believe it and not try to do anything. Yeah, no such luck here. Nightmare Moon smiled evilly and her horn began to glow. I looked outside and saw the sun retreating from its current post. I knew that this would be bad news for the entire world and I would be responsible, but I hand no way to fight back. So, I tried half-truth. "Okay, okay, I admit: I had a couple friends keeping tabs on you to alert the world if you ever came here. Now, please, release the sun." Nightmare Moon seemed pleased she got me to fess up, but she gave the answer I really didn't want to hear: "No." I knew a couple more minutes of this would keep the sun at bay for so long it would make international headlines, so I decided to go against my will and bargain my way out. "Listen," I said. "What will it take for you to give us back the sun?" Nightmare Moon actually seemed to think about it. After a moment, she explained, "I do not think killing you would accomplish anything, for you are weaker than I expected. Therefore, I demand that you submit to my will." "Wait...you're telling me to be your servant?" I asked. She nodded. Now let me say that a man being a slave to a pony is backwards in every way, but since I brought her in and got a good look at her, I thought Nightmare was actually kinda hot. Her body had curves in all the right places, and her armor was skimpy, but it covered up what it needed to. She looked pretty sexy...y'know, for an anthropomorphic horse. I said "okay" without much hesitation. "Very wise of you, Owens," she said. "Since you have agreed to my demands...I suppose I will agree to yours. Be thankful I'm feeling generous today." All at once, the sun jumped back to its natural place in the sky. At this point, I was having my doubts about lowering myself to slave status. If my parents came home and I told her to hide, she probably wouldn't listen, and I would be in deep shit, maybe with both Nightmare Moon and my folks. But unfortunately, I had made my choice, and on the bright side, I had saved the world...on a technicality. I knew what was coming next, so I asked, "What do you wish of me first, mistress?" Nightmare Moon turned around and grinned wryly at me. "You seem to know your place well," she said with some surprise. "Hmm...ah, I know...take me to the ones who alerted you of my presence. I would like to know their faces if they should try anything else." Dammit, I thought. I hadn't expected her to follow up on that. In a flash, I decided I should take her over to Riley's place. No matter what, Riley was bound to find out about me unexpected guest. May as well do it now. I told Nightmare to wait while I called Riley up. After a second of ringtone, Riley came on the line. "Oh, hey, Miles. Whassup?" he said cooly. "Hey, Riley, I've got a problem. Night...erm, someone dropped by my house out of the blue, and I had to tell a couple lies to keep her from...doing bad things. She wants to see you now, so no matter what, just be cool and play along,' I explained. "Oh...kay...?" he answered tentatively. "Alright man, thanks, seeya, bye," I said quickly before he could ask anything else. I turned back to Nightmare Moon, who had her arms crossed and she was tapping her hoof impatiently (although she really had human-like feet, but I'm just trying to be consistent). "What is taking so long, slave?" I smiled innocently and replied, "Nothin'. Let's go." My WingmanI knocked on Riley's door only once and Nightmare Moon and I walked in. I never had to worry about Riley's parents being around, because they worked with mine. Both our families go back to around the 1910s, where, according to family history, both the Owens and the Ambromicvis lived in tenant housing. They were able to live by pooling their money, and both families have been on the same page ever since. Riley was waiting for us in the living room. You can easily see the front door from there, and I wished I had been quicker with my phone, because the moment Nightmare Moon stepped through, Riley's eyes totally bugged out and he nearly crushed the glass he was holding while watching the mid-morning football game. Nightmare immediately strode into the living room and looked down at Riley. I sorta felt bad for him, but I envied him at the same time, because she bent down so far that her cleavage was level with his eyes. She smiled menacingly and said, "Owens has informed me of you position as his commander, and I have bested him. He gave no fight, and you won't either, if you have any sense in you." She stood up again and walked back into the front hallway. She said to me, "Do not think we are done yet. I'm going to stay here and keep my eye on you and your associate. What you lack in strength, you make up for in cleverness and wit. I will make sure to never leave you alone for a minute." "Fine by me," I said raising my hands in a surrendering position. I walked over to the couch where Riley was and sat down. He still seemed shocked, but he had gotten over most of it. "Wanna play videogames?" I asked. We were playing Street Fighter Four while I explained what happened to me not too long ago. I didn't have to worry about Nightmare Moon hearing us, because she was curiously exploring the kitchen and how the devices worked. "Damn. I wouldn't believe it if she wasn't right here in front of me," Riley said when I finished. "Yeah, no kidding," I replied. "I thought she was gonna kill me for a few seconds." "It was quick thinking, what you did." "For what?" "For getting her to keep the sun goin'," Riley said. I rolled my eyes. "I'm still not all that proud of it," I muttered. "Oh, relax," Riley told me. "You did keep her out of the spotlight. Can you imagine what would happen if the government found out about her?" "Pssh. They'd start a World War Three. The world versus Nightmare Moon," I scoffed. Riley laughed. "No kiddin'. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nightmare eyeing us suspiciously. I cringed and nudged Riley. "We should talk about something else," I whispered. Riley looked at Nightmare Moon and nodded. "So did you hear about what my girlfriend's doin' on Friday?" he asked. I looked at him and told him, "Your main squeeze doesn't tell me anything, you dummy." "Well," he began, "She said she's getting a bunch of kids from Purple Mountain together and having a dance party in the parking lot of the high school. She told everyone she knows to bring their friends, even if they don't go to Purple Mountain." I asked him if that was a good idea, since being outside meant we'd be disturbing the public peace. He said, "Nah, you know the school is surrounded by trees. The sound'll get tangled in the pine needles." "Anyway," he continued, "Any one can come if they can make it. You gonna go?" "Oh, hell yeah," I said. I looked at the clock. It read 8:30. I was going to be late for my part-time retail job at GameStop, which starts at 9:25. I have never been late yet, so I told Riley thanks for understanding my dilemmas and letting me play games. I ran out of the house and back to mine, with Nightmare Moon following close behind. She was yelling at me, but I didn't notice until halfway up the hill. I stopped and turned around and saw her chasing me. I knew I was gonna get it. "What is wrong with you!?" she yelled. "Listen, Nightmare," I explained, "I have to go somewhere for about six hours. It's my job. I need the income to go to college this fall, so I can't stay at home." Nightmare Moon stopped her enraged breathing and scratched her chin, looking at me. "Which days of the week?" she asked with concern. "Only Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday," I said. She looked confused and I remembered that the Equestrian calendar probably didn't match the Gregorian calendar, so I clarified, "Only three days. Will you grant me that?" She was silent, but slowly nodded after awhile. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, ma'am." "However..." Bah, I knew there was a catch, I thought. "I overheard you talking with your partner about a dance on Friday..." she said. I dreaded what she'd say next. "I will be coming with you." Great, I thought. This is gonna be embarrassing. "...Your wish is my command," I sighed. I ran back up the hill and hopped into my car. I made sure Nightmare Moon went back inside before I drove off. Education TacticsIt was a long day at work. I couldn't get my mind off of what Nightmare Moon could have been up to while I was gone, but I was very relived to come back home and see the house hadn't been blown up...yet. I walked inside and hung my employee cap up. I heard music and assorted sounds from the living room going. Good, she's watching TV, I thought. I walked into the living room and everything seemed normal, until I saw Nightmare Moon. She was laying back in a recliner with her jet-black wings unfolded. However, she had taken off most of her armor and tossed it aside. The parts she had left on were a chest piece that resembled a tube top and part of her girdle that covered her hips about as well as a sling bikini. Her mane was free from the steel prison of her helmet, and her feet were propped up on a cushioned stool. They were quite slender but not thin, and her nails almost resembled elegant claws. My jaw nearly hit the floor when I laid eyes on her. "Um..." I stammered after awhile. Nightmare Moon turned around suddenly as if she hadn't noticed me. Her breasts jiggled a bit but I pretended not to notice. "You're home," she said after a long, awkward pause. I nodded. She regained her regal posture and stood up. I tried not to stare at her body. I stuttered, "What...what were you watching...ma'am?" She smiled and said, "I found this...thing," she said, holding up the TV remote. "Upon hitting this button, I inadvertently turned this box on," and she pointed first to the TV remote, then the TV itself. "At first, I thought it was a portal to another world, but I discovered it could only show moving pictures after I tried to go through it." "WHAT!?" I cried, thinking she may have busted the TV by jumping into it. Nightmare Moon just laughed. "I only touched it, little colt. Anyway, I then discovered this magical stick could change the viewing portal, so I decided to watch what this strange device had to offer. I think I have learned some things about you and your world through it." She chuckled again. "You amuse me, Miles," she muttered. I looked Nightmare Moon up and down and said, "I understand you may have learned something about Earth, but you still have a long way to go, especially if you plan on coming to the dance on Friday." She looked at me with disbelief and asked, "What? What could I not have understood as of yet?" I explained to her, first and foremost, that nobody really approves of walking around in armor anymore. I told her she needed new clothes, although this was really for my own benefit, because I figured if she wasn't walking around half naked I couldn't stare at her, which if I did, I'd get a sound ass-whooping. We went upstairs to my parents' room and I dug through my mom's clothes. I brought out the measuring tape and took Nightmare's measurements (which was extremely hard because I had to use ridiculous amounts of self control to keep myself from doing anything dirty). I then selected the clothes that either came closest to her size (adult female 36) or had a stupid amount of elastic in them (like my mom's yoga shorts). I let her change, and even then, the shirt she put on didn't cover her belly button. "How do I look, Owens?" she asked. I wanted to say "I'd take you right here," but I knew that would get my head blown off, so I said, "You look...kind of cute?" although that was kinda pushing my luck, too. She scowled at me, but didn't cave my face in. Pure luck allowed me to dodge a lot of bullets there. I then brought her downstairs and turned on my iPod. "What is this?" Nightmare Moon asked. "This..." I said as I turned on some Daft Punk, "is what you'll be hearing on Friday." Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger came on and Nightmare's expression was first puzzled, then surprised, then appalled. "What is this sorcery!? There are...there are voices coming from that machine!" she screamed. I tried to explain to her that those voices were, contrary to her beliefs, not coming from miniature people inside my iPod player, and were just part of the song. I told her that the voices were mostly synthesizers. She didn't understand a word of what I said, so I put on Owl City, hoping his electronic beats would calm her down a bit. After I explained the basics of the modern music industry to her, she seemed to take an interest in most of the stuff on my iPod, although she almost smashed it when she heard Eminem and Flo Rida's rapping, saying they sounded like incoherent garbage that confused her with their fast wordplay. I warned her that they'd be playing that at the dance. She didn't seem too happy with that. "That's all you need to know, Miss Moon," I said. "Anything else you wanna know about, I'm here." "Yes, there is one thing, Owens," she said. I turned to her and listened attentively. "I noticed that at your friend's establishment, and when I was watching your entertainment device...the 'television,' as you call it...I was made aware that most of the male species here enjoys playing 'videogames.' Where might I find yours?" she asked. "This way," I said as I walked upstairs to my room. I opened my door and Nightmare Moon made a vocal noise of disgust, because I'll be honest: my room is not the neatest place on the planet. Hell, I found a half eaten sandwich under a pile of clothes in the corner, and it was still fresh. I pointed to a 4:3 TV against the wall. "They're right here," I said. Nightmare Moon walked up to it and inspected the systems I had (a Gamecube, PS3, and Wii U). She nodded thoughtfully and said, "You will have to teach me how to use them soon. They were a recent invention before I was freed from banishment, but the ones I saw were pitiful compared to these." I smiled, thinking that the great Nightmare Moon was taking an interest in the affairs of mortals, especially mine. Then I noticed it was getting dark outside. I realized I had spent a lot of time teaching her about human etiquette and not enough time about basic house rules, because I didn't know where she would sleep. It was too late for that now, though. I'll do that tomorrow, I thought. Nightmare Moon noticed night was falling, too. "Perhaps now is a good time to rest," she said. "You're not going to stay up through your glorious night?" I replied in a rather wise tone. "Even a princess needs her beauty sleep," Nightmare Moon told me. I knew that telling where she should rest for now would do no good, because I was still her servant, and obliged to do whatever she asks, lest I doom the world. I asked her where she would prefer to bed down. She looked around and at last, gestured to...my bed. "Um...Miss Moon...that one's mine." Nightmare grinned and said, "As I have previously stated, I know you will try to weasel your way out of trouble if I don't keep you under constant surveillance. Besides, I have allowed you to go out for work when you should be at home in my service. I think you can share." Nightmare Moon was hot, but the thought of sleeping in the same bed with her did make me feel uncomfortable. I hesitantly took my clothes off, all the while watching Nightmare Moon do likewise. I finished first, due to my clothes not being as small as the ones she had borrowed from my mom, and I slid under the covers. I rolled over so I wouldn't see Nightmare in her undies (I do have standards, believe it or not). I felt her get under too and almost had a heart attack. Her fur was soft and warm. I scrunched up into a ball, because I felt something in my boxers get hard as stone, and if I faced up, Nightmare Moon would see it, and even worse, if I rolled over on my other side, she'd feel it. She must have noticed my nervous posture because she asked me, "Is there something wrong, Owens?" "No, ma'am," I replied quickly. She rolled over and commanded me to shut the lights off. I didn't want to, because if I did, I'd run the chance of her seeing my erection. But on the other hand, if I didn't she might rain eternal night on Earth. I picked the shinier of two turds and stood up slowly, carefully positioning myself so that if she looked up, she wouldn't see how aroused I was. I can look at girls all day, but once they get close to me, my brain just says, "All blood to penis, I repeat, all blood to penis." I hobbled my way over to the light switch, shut it off, and hopped back in bed. "...Good night, Nightmare Moon," I whispered. I didn't hear her reply for a moment and I thought she was asleep until she murmured, "Good night, Miles." I stayed frozen in a face-up position for what felt like hours because Nightmare Moon was blocking my alarm clock. Eventually, I heard her snoring lightly, and I shifted my position so that I was facing her back. I slowly, gently embraced her and whispered, "Sweet dreams, princess," and planted a light kiss on her fur. Her snoring lulled me to sleep after a few minutes. ClarityNightmare Moon and I slept in until about eleven a.m. I woke up earlier than her and reached for my alarm clock and slammed the off button in a flash. I looked back at Nightmare, who only snorted and rolled over onto her side. I got up quietly and dressed as I walked downstairs to make some late breakfast. I snatched some pancake mix and started flipping them as soon as the batter was ready. I had made a small platter of flapjacks when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and saw Nightmare Moon, still wearing her bra and panties. I expressed my surprise that she came down, because I was going to bring the pancakes up to her. "Ah, so that is what I woke up smelling. You were making those light, flat cakes for me, and without my asking as well? You make quite a fine servant," she said as she sat down. I grabbed a couple napkins, ran over, and placed one gently on her lap. Then I took my spatula and scooped up a handful of pancakes and slid them on her plate. I could see her lick her lips with satisfaction, and she grabbed one with her hand and began to chow down. I was about to ask if she wanted a fork, but she stopped after awhile and looked at me with a questioning stare. "Is...something wrong? One of them undercooked?" I asked. She ignored my question and commanded, "Sit down, Miles. I did not say you had to wait for me to finish." Without thinking, I snatched a plate off the counter and piled a couple pancakes on it, all the while asking myself, I was so sure she'd expect me to wait before she finished eating. What's she planning? as I watched her practically shovel the whole tary of food into her mouth. I really had to smile, because I wasn't expecting such an imposing figure to have such a monstrous appetite. We finished up at about eleven forty-five. I was glad I had decided to call work yesterday and tell them I'd work Friday instead of today. I was really lucky I didn't get on anyone else's shift. Nightmare Moon sat at the table after finishing off the last pancake, rubbing her belly. I decided to watch TV until she asked something else of me, but no sooner had I sat down on the recliner than I felt something lift me up by the heel and leave me dangling in midair. Nightmare Moon was still sitting in her chair with her arms folded and horn glowing. "And what do you think you are doing, Miles?" she interrogated. It was tough to say with all the blood rushing to my head, but I replied, "...I-I was just waiting for you to give me an order, Nightmare Moon." Nightmare shook her head and brought me closer with her magic field and dropped me at her feet. "You have much to learn," I heard her say as she stood up and walk back to the stairs. She paused at the first step and gestured for me to follow. I stood up in a hurry and ran to her side. As we walked up to my room, she explained, "I take back what I said earlier. If you were a true servant, you would have waited for me to say something, instead of simply running off," with a noticeable amount of disappointment. We entered my room again. "My apologies, mistress," I said. "What did you want of me?" Nightmare Moon pointed to my games collection under the TV. "Do you remember when I said you must teach me how to play your videogames?" she asked. I nodded. She bent over, picked up a PS3 controller, and sat down on the foot of the bed. "Now is that time," she finished. I was a bit surprised that she was serious about it, but I grabbed a copy of Super Street Fighter Four and said, "Let's start of with something easy." I had taught her all the basics and we spent a couple hours in Training Mode. She had taken on the AI in a couple matches and beat Easy and Normal settings without much difficulty. I was rather pleased with her. She caught on very quickly, and she was really enjoying herself. I liked to see her smile the way she did when she finally won against an opponent on Hard. "Nice work! That was a sexy combo you used to finish Dudley off," I congratulated her. She laughed and looked at me. "Good. Do you think I am ready to face you?" I was shocked. She obviously didn't know I had been playing the game for at least six years, and though I'm not a pro at it, I still had more experience than she did. But the thought of kicking her ass virtually was tantalizing, and besides, I didn't want to back down and disappoint her. I picked up a second controller and turned it on. We went to character select and I picked Guile. She chose Chun-Li, who I had guessed was her favorite character. We went to the Construction Site stage and as soon as the timer ticked down, Nightmare Moon rolled behind me and used a sliding kick to knock me off the ground and followed it up by kicking me into the air. I was surprised by how fast it happened, but quickly regained control and came back down with a dive kick that clipped her shoulder. We duked it out on the ground for a few minutes, brought it up with midair combos, and came back down. Nightmare unleashed her special moves on me twice and I just barely dodged the second one. However, after I jumped out of the way of Chun-Li's helicopter kick, she came right back and devastated me with a nasty combo from behind. That took away the last of my life bar and ended the match. Nightmare Moon cheered as I stared at the screen in disbelief. I tossed the controller aside and muttered, "Beginner's luck." We were playing an assortment of fighting, puzzle, and platformer games for the whole afternoon. I came back downstairs to make dinner while Nightmare Moon busied herself with Luigi's Mansion. I had made sure to place some beef out to thaw a couple hours back, to make hamburgers for me and veggie burgers for Nightmare Moon. I grilled them up and went up to talk to Nightmare Moon, who was still stuck on the second phase of Luigi's Mansion. I told her, "I made dinner, Nightmare. Do you want me to bring it up?" She looked at me, shook her head, and stood up. We walked back downstairs and ate our burgers in silence until Nightmare Moon heard some loud noises coming from the woods that sounded like yelling and splashing. "What is that dreadful row?" she asked. I grimaced. "That's the public pool closing up." Nightmare Moon stared at me and said, "You never told me you had a pool. Let us go there. Now." "Not so fast, my lady," I said. "It's extremely unsanitary, and I really don't want to tell you what's in that water." Nightmare Moon gazed out the back window in thought and said, "Does the water get replaced?" "Every Saturday at seven, after the pool closes," I answered. I heard Nightmare's chair scrape the floor and I turned to see her get up and walk to the calendar. I groaned. It was currently seven'o'clock. "Ah, so it is tonight," she sighed under her breath. She turned back to me, looked at the clock, and grinned wryly. I put my hands up and explained we couldn't go yet. People were still leaving the pool, and it was too light outside. I was afraid someone would see her and call the police. She said we were going to camp out in the woods until the water was replaced. I grimaced again and ran upstairs to grab my swimming trunks and a bikini. I was freezing. We had been camped between the trees for half an hour, but we had seen the officials and lifeguards bring the water in and drain the pool. We were waiting for them to leave now. Nightmare Moon had put me on lookout duty. After what felt like a drawn out conversation, the last two men finally left. "Okay, Nightmare, we're clear. Are you-" I froze when I saw Nightmare Moon in her really small bikini. I completely zoned out for a few seconds before I realized she was staring at me with an eyebrow raised. I cleared my head and just waved over my head to signal we could go. The pool has a seven foot fence around it, but Nightmare Moon just flew over it and a few seconds later, hoisted me over with her magic. Unlike her, though, I didn't change in the woods, so I said, "If you'll permit me, Nightmare, I need to change." She waved me off and I slunk into a changing stall and undid my pants. Massive hard-on, right on schedule, I thought. I really wished I had brought a one-piece instead of a bikini for Nightmare Moon, or better yet, normal clothes that I could easily wash. I got my trunks on and adjusted my penis so it wasn't as noticeable, and I went back outside. Nightmare Moon was already wading around in the water. She noticed me and motioned for me to come in. I placed my foot in the water and, while it wasn't warm, it wasn't freezing cold either. I slowly made my way into the pool, and had just gotten my groin accustomed to the water temperature when I noticed Nightmare Moon coming closer. I stood my ground with anxiety and a sudden excitement which I had never felt before, but I shrugged it off as being generically aroused. She stopped very close to me (I could almost touch her boobs with my nose) and looked down. She was smiling. I nervously smiled back. "This water is quite soothing, isn't it?" she asked. I could've sworn I heard a very seductive edge to her voice. "Y-yeah...it is," I chuckled nervously. Neither of us said anything for awhile, but I was feeling very uncomfortable, so I slowly began to swim away from Nightmare Moon, but as soon as I turned my back fully, I felt her hands grab me, pull me back and shove me up against the side of the pool. "Now where are you off to, Miles?" she asked. I could definitely hear lust in her voice now. I was shaking. "I...I thought that...you just, um...just wanted to sw-swim around for a little, and I'd just leave you to it, but then you kinda-" My mind was racing. I was with Nightmare Moon. A sexy Nightmare Moon. Alone. I was extremely confused over why she was acting this way, until I felt something wet and smooth rub up against my thighs. I looked down and first, I saw Nightmare Moon's cleavage. Then, I felt her lower body touch mine and I realized what I felt against my legs. It was Nightmare Moon's thighs. Whatever was going through Nightmare's head, I wanted no part of it. Oh, yeah, I was getting hot under the collar, but let me reiterate: Nightmare Moon was taller and stronger than me. If we got down and dirty, she could easily snap my cock in two. I had to think of something, fast. In an instant, I put on an expression of surprise and grabbed her shoulders and whispered, "Dive." She looked confused, but I pushed her under as quickly as possible, then went under myself. I motioned for her to surface again after a few seconds. We broke the surface and she looked at me with subtle frustration. "What was the meaning of that?" she huffed. I responded, "Saw a night watchmen stroll by. He didn't notice us." Nightmare Moon turned around, as if she was looking for the aforementioned guard. She spun around again and thought for a minute. She waded over to the pool steps and got out. "Perhaps now is not the best time..." she muttered. I looked at her in a confused manner. She noticed me and quickly added, "For swimming, of course." I clambered out and we grabbed our clothes and walked back home to clean up and go to bed.
Catching the Night "Ahh...another beautiful summer night...gentle breeze, crickets chirping...and I'm inside playing Halo. Tonight can't get any better!" I was relaxing inside my house in a quiet neighborhood on July 17th. Mom and Dad told me they were going to be gone on business for a few weeks (my dad's Rodger. He's a software designer and Carrolyn, my mom, is a gymnast), and my little brother, Dion (it's pronounced "DIE-ohn, but I call him Di) was going to be at my grandparents' house, because they didn't trust me to look after him yet. Dad told me, "He might be your brother, but even at his age, it's going to take a lot of fatherly responsibility, and you...just don't have that yet." "What, have I got the plague!?" I argued. "Dad, high school is responsibility enough. I can look after the little rascal and not throttle him, really, I can! What can I do to prove it?" My dad just turns around and laughs, saying, "Relax, Miles. We're doing you a favor." They were right. No loud crashes coming from the kitchen, no obnoxiously loud videogames coming from his room at night, and I still had some time to hide all his stuff as a prank for when he came back. "Oh, baby this is the good life," I whispered to myself. I heard a loud *bang* come from my game that jolted me awake just in time to see my Spartan soldier fly across the map from a rocket explosion. "Whoo, shit, I gotta stay awake. Still not used to all this free time." Now, before this next part, I should tell you my neighborhood layout. Trust me, it'll become deadly important later on. My house is situated on a hill. The side of it rolls down into some dense woods. Not dense enough to get totally lost in, but the low-hanging branches will cut y'up if you're not wearing jeans. On the other side of the woods is the community pool. I never go there, because if you saw it, you would realize everyone currently in the pool is marinating in piss and band-aids. The only time its clean is when the water is replaced, which is about every weekend. So, nobody's really catching any STDs here (but trust me, the pool commission still desperately needs to post bathing rules). Back down my driveway is the rest of the houses. There's a lot of spacing in between'em, like 30 to 40 yards, at least, but that's because there's a lot of forest that the city didn't want (or decide) to cut down. I have a buddy who goes to my high school just around the left bend. Not a far run, but you gotta cut through the woods (again, cut being the key word, here). His name's Riley Ambromicvi; we go way back. Now, see, I've got my window open. It's the back window, faces the woods, right? Well, at about eleven sharp, I hear this noise. Sounds like an electric crackle. Normally, I'd call the cops, but it was loud enough for me to hear it, but quiet enough to not give two shits. Until I hear it again, that is. "What the hell was that?" *Vrrrzzzzztt!* "Alright, guess I should check," and I got up off my ass and snuck out the back door. I started down the hill when I heard that same sound again, but louder. It meant I was getting closer (or, as I was thinking at the time, it was getting closer to me). It was coming from the woods, so I cautiously slid under a branch and worked my way in. Whole place was damp from the humidity. The breeze was blowing west, so all the water vapor over Lake Michigan was floating our way. Nearly slipped off a log and broke my bum. Eventually, I heard the electric sound one last time, only a few feet in front of me. I peered over a fallen tree and I saw this...thing, lying on the ground, face first, twitching every so often as a dark purple electric pulse coursed across its body. Also seemed to have some weird plume thingies rising from its back. It was human, to be sure, but something about its build was...off. As I looked at the thing, I thought, "Well, no clue who or what this is, but it's definitely not in good shape. Better roll the thing over so it doesn't suffocate while I look at it." Now this idea, the "roll the thing over" tactic, probably wouldn't have been a good idea if the being was an alien, 'cause it would've vaporized my face off in two seconds. But I'm kinda glad I did roll it over, now that I look back on it. That way, I wouldn't have fainted if I simply brought...her...into my house unwittingly. Anyway, back on subject, the moon just happened to glint down through the canopy I was under and shed its white light on the thing's face. I almost screamed. "Sweet Jesus, have mercy..." There, in my arms, I was holding a figure I knew all too well...the light-blue helmet, gauntlets, and boots, the black fur, the horn, the plumage of stars that formed her mane (and that sexy, sexy purple eyeliner)...I was holding the very first villain in MLP history... Nightmare Moon. I wasted absolutely no time getting her out of the woods, and honestly, it wasn't too bad. I was extra careful not to scratch Nightmare because I had no idea what happened to her, and thought it might be best if she just slept it off (and if she woke up from a cut, I was also pretty sure she'd 0wn my ass in a hurry). Getting up the hill in my backyard, though...don't even get me started. My legs got sore about halfway up, 'cause she was heavy. Not fat heavy, but she had slightly more muscle than the average female (and she was a foot taller than me, at least). My arms ached when I got back inside, so I laid her on the couch as quickly and as gently as I could. I checked her vital signs and forehead. It was hot enough to roast a chicken over, so I grabbed a bag of frozen peas for her (Mom never seemed to carry any real icepacks, so to speak). Nightmare was breathing heavily, and I decided to stay up late and watch her...just in case. As I started thinking about it, I was ecstatic. Lady Luck had pretty much heard my dreams when I was a freshman, and actually answered them. Yeah, she was late, but I sure wasn't complaining. But as I kept thinking, I realized, "This ain't all it's cracked up to be." First, if--and when--my parents found out about me keeping a villainous princess from a kids' TV show, and a little girls' TV show, at that, one, they'd be pissed and confused, and two, I'd just roll over and die of shame. And then I thought about Nightmare Moon herself. When she woke up, I imagined she wasn't going to be very happy. I knew I was the one who'd catch hell right away, and even if I could bullshit my way out of that and, by some divine cosmic miracle, calm her down enough to stay inside and not unleash her wrath on Wisconsin, or, God forbid, the entire world, I didn't know where to hide her when my folks came back (or, God also forbid, my brother). But then, something strange happened to me. It wasn't loud and in-your-face obvious, but quiet. Subtle. As I looked back to the reposing Nightmare Moon, I started to calm down. Her breathing, slow and almost silent, eventually became a rhythm that I followed until I felt myself sink back into the recliner, and I felt my eyes glaze over. Oh, well, I thought, I'll burn that bridge when I come to it.
Uneasy AcquaintancesI got a very rude awakening at exactly seven the next morning. It happened so fast. One minute, I'm dreaming of being a basketball star singlehandedly facing off against a team of Spartans (the Greek kind, not the Halo kind), next minute, I'm being held up by my shirt collar to the ceiling by a magical force field with an angry ursurper princess in control of it. I knew this was coming, but I was way too tired to think about it. Now, I was paying for it out my ass. "Aw, crap," I choked. Nightmare wore an expression of seething hatred, and she coldly stated, "Who are you...?" I knew I'd get my head blown off if I tired anything funny, so I decided to play along and see what would happen. "I'm...I'm Miles. Miles Owens," I choked again. Nightmare raised an eyebrow. "And would you happen to be a friend of those miserable little ponies my sister holds in high regard?" I shook my head frantically. She was still eyeing me questioningly. He voice became much more calm as she said, "Where are they?" "I'm afraid I don't know, ma'am," I said as calmly as I could. Before I had any time to process what happened, Nightmare Moon threw me straight into the floor and stood over me as if I were an elephant she just shot dead. "You lie!" she yelled. She bent down low with a pulsing orb of dark energy in her right hand. She aimed it at my face. "You will tell me where those pitiful foals are, or I will make sure you won't be able to speak again!" I, honestly, was taken completely by surprise by this violent outburst. I couldn't understand why, but looking back, maybe she was desperate. Who knows? Anyway, I was scared to shitting myself, and I cried, "Please! I don't know them or where they are! Don't kill me!" She must've believed it, because I heard the energy in her hand dissipate and the pressure from her heel on my stomach went away as well. I was in shock that she believed me, but I was thrown back into reality when she hoisted me up off the ground and stood me up. Looking up at her, I saw she still wasn't very happy. "Perhaps you speak the truth," she said. "I have never seen a creature like you in the thousand years I spent gazing down on Equestria from the moon." She was silent for a minute as she looked around. "Where is this?" she demanded. I stammered, "Uh, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Miss Moon." "Milwaukee? I have never heard of such a place in Equestria...and how did you know my name?" she asked with a noticeable hardness. I had no idea what she'd do if she found out she was only a fictional character. At the time, I imagined she'd go on a murderous rampage due to a shattered psyche. I had to lie about being a fan of the show so she wouldn't find out, no matter how bad the lie was. "...Magic?" I hesitated in answering. She stared at me for awhile then turned around so her back was facing me. "If you can command magic," she said, "then you will surely know a way that will allow me to travel back home, so I may take my rightful place on my sister's throne." Damn, she's smart, I thought. "I...I have many informational books at my disposal, your majesty." She turned back around with a serious look in her eyes. "I know you are lying to me, Mister Owens." "Oh, no, Mr. Owens is my father," I said. Yeah, that could've gotten me killed, but I had a feeling Nightmare Moon was going to be around for a long time, so I thought I should see how she reacts to humor. "Do not even try to be funny," she said through grated teeth. Apparently, she didn't handle it too well. I sighed. "Listen, ma'am, I have my resources," I said. Nightmare Moon didn't look too pleased with that answer. "Then I will suspend the sun until you confess to me who told you." I didn't like the sound of that, so I tried to kill two birds with one stone. "Nice try," I said with false confidence. "You can't affect my sun. It abides by physics, not magic." I was really counting on her to believe it and not try to do anything. Yeah, no such luck here. Nightmare Moon smiled evilly and her horn began to glow. I looked outside and saw the sun retreating from its current post. I knew that this would be bad news for the entire world and I would be responsible, but I hand no way to fight back. So, I tried half-truth. "Okay, okay, I admit: I had a couple friends keeping tabs on you to alert the world if you ever came here. Now, please, release the sun." Nightmare Moon seemed pleased she got me to fess up, but she gave the answer I really didn't want to hear: "No." I knew a couple more minutes of this would keep the sun at bay for so long it would make international headlines, so I decided to go against my will and bargain my way out. "Listen," I said. "What will it take for you to give us back the sun?" Nightmare Moon actually seemed to think about it. After a moment, she explained, "I do not think killing you would accomplish anything, for you are weaker than I expected. Therefore, I demand that you submit to my will." "Wait...you're telling me to be your servant?" I asked. She nodded. Now let me say that a man being a slave to a pony is backwards in every way, but since I brought her in and got a good look at her, I thought Nightmare was actually kinda hot. Her body had curves in all the right places, and her armor was skimpy, but it covered up what it needed to. She looked pretty sexy...y'know, for an anthropomorphic horse. I said "okay" without much hesitation. "Very wise of you, Owens," she said. "Since you have agreed to my demands...I suppose I will agree to yours. Be thankful I'm feeling generous today." All at once, the sun jumped back to its natural place in the sky. At this point, I was having my doubts about lowering myself to slave status. If my parents came home and I told her to hide, she probably wouldn't listen, and I would be in deep shit, maybe with both Nightmare Moon and my folks. But unfortunately, I had made my choice, and on the bright side, I had saved the world...on a technicality. I knew what was coming next, so I asked, "What do you wish of me first, mistress?" Nightmare Moon turned around and grinned wryly at me. "You seem to know your place well," she said with some surprise. "Hmm...ah, I know...take me to the ones who alerted you of my presence. I would like to know their faces if they should try anything else." Dammit, I thought. I hadn't expected her to follow up on that. In a flash, I decided I should take her over to Riley's place. No matter what, Riley was bound to find out about me unexpected guest. May as well do it now. I told Nightmare to wait while I called Riley up. After a second of ringtone, Riley came on the line. "Oh, hey, Miles. Whassup?" he said cooly. "Hey, Riley, I've got a problem. Night...erm, someone dropped by my house out of the blue, and I had to tell a couple lies to keep her from...doing bad things. She wants to see you now, so no matter what, just be cool and play along,' I explained. "Oh...kay...?" he answered tentatively. "Alright man, thanks, seeya, bye," I said quickly before he could ask anything else. I turned back to Nightmare Moon, who had her arms crossed and she was tapping her hoof impatiently (although she really had human-like feet, but I'm just trying to be consistent). "What is taking so long, slave?" I smiled innocently and replied, "Nothin'. Let's go."
My WingmanI knocked on Riley's door only once and Nightmare Moon and I walked in. I never had to worry about Riley's parents being around, because they worked with mine. Both our families go back to around the 1910s, where, according to family history, both the Owens and the Ambromicvis lived in tenant housing. They were able to live by pooling their money, and both families have been on the same page ever since. Riley was waiting for us in the living room. You can easily see the front door from there, and I wished I had been quicker with my phone, because the moment Nightmare Moon stepped through, Riley's eyes totally bugged out and he nearly crushed the glass he was holding while watching the mid-morning football game. Nightmare immediately strode into the living room and looked down at Riley. I sorta felt bad for him, but I envied him at the same time, because she bent down so far that her cleavage was level with his eyes. She smiled menacingly and said, "Owens has informed me of you position as his commander, and I have bested him. He gave no fight, and you won't either, if you have any sense in you." She stood up again and walked back into the front hallway. She said to me, "Do not think we are done yet. I'm going to stay here and keep my eye on you and your associate. What you lack in strength, you make up for in cleverness and wit. I will make sure to never leave you alone for a minute." "Fine by me," I said raising my hands in a surrendering position. I walked over to the couch where Riley was and sat down. He still seemed shocked, but he had gotten over most of it. "Wanna play videogames?" I asked. We were playing Street Fighter Four while I explained what happened to me not too long ago. I didn't have to worry about Nightmare Moon hearing us, because she was curiously exploring the kitchen and how the devices worked. "Damn. I wouldn't believe it if she wasn't right here in front of me," Riley said when I finished. "Yeah, no kidding," I replied. "I thought she was gonna kill me for a few seconds." "It was quick thinking, what you did." "For what?" "For getting her to keep the sun goin'," Riley said. I rolled my eyes. "I'm still not all that proud of it," I muttered. "Oh, relax," Riley told me. "You did keep her out of the spotlight. Can you imagine what would happen if the government found out about her?" "Pssh. They'd start a World War Three. The world versus Nightmare Moon," I scoffed. Riley laughed. "No kiddin'. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nightmare eyeing us suspiciously. I cringed and nudged Riley. "We should talk about something else," I whispered. Riley looked at Nightmare Moon and nodded. "So did you hear about what my girlfriend's doin' on Friday?" he asked. I looked at him and told him, "Your main squeeze doesn't tell me anything, you dummy." "Well," he began, "She said she's getting a bunch of kids from Purple Mountain together and having a dance party in the parking lot of the high school. She told everyone she knows to bring their friends, even if they don't go to Purple Mountain." I asked him if that was a good idea, since being outside meant we'd be disturbing the public peace. He said, "Nah, you know the school is surrounded by trees. The sound'll get tangled in the pine needles." "Anyway," he continued, "Any one can come if they can make it. You gonna go?" "Oh, hell yeah," I said. I looked at the clock. It read 8:30. I was going to be late for my part-time retail job at GameStop, which starts at 9:25. I have never been late yet, so I told Riley thanks for understanding my dilemmas and letting me play games. I ran out of the house and back to mine, with Nightmare Moon following close behind. She was yelling at me, but I didn't notice until halfway up the hill. I stopped and turned around and saw her chasing me. I knew I was gonna get it. "What is wrong with you!?" she yelled. "Listen, Nightmare," I explained, "I have to go somewhere for about six hours. It's my job. I need the income to go to college this fall, so I can't stay at home." Nightmare Moon stopped her enraged breathing and scratched her chin, looking at me. "Which days of the week?" she asked with concern. "Only Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday," I said. She looked confused and I remembered that the Equestrian calendar probably didn't match the Gregorian calendar, so I clarified, "Only three days. Will you grant me that?" She was silent, but slowly nodded after awhile. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, ma'am." "However..." Bah, I knew there was a catch, I thought. "I overheard you talking with your partner about a dance on Friday..." she said. I dreaded what she'd say next. "I will be coming with you." Great, I thought. This is gonna be embarrassing. "...Your wish is my command," I sighed. I ran back up the hill and hopped into my car. I made sure Nightmare Moon went back inside before I drove off.
Education TacticsIt was a long day at work. I couldn't get my mind off of what Nightmare Moon could have been up to while I was gone, but I was very relived to come back home and see the house hadn't been blown up...yet. I walked inside and hung my employee cap up. I heard music and assorted sounds from the living room going. Good, she's watching TV, I thought. I walked into the living room and everything seemed normal, until I saw Nightmare Moon. She was laying back in a recliner with her jet-black wings unfolded. However, she had taken off most of her armor and tossed it aside. The parts she had left on were a chest piece that resembled a tube top and part of her girdle that covered her hips about as well as a sling bikini. Her mane was free from the steel prison of her helmet, and her feet were propped up on a cushioned stool. They were quite slender but not thin, and her nails almost resembled elegant claws. My jaw nearly hit the floor when I laid eyes on her. "Um..." I stammered after awhile. Nightmare Moon turned around suddenly as if she hadn't noticed me. Her breasts jiggled a bit but I pretended not to notice. "You're home," she said after a long, awkward pause. I nodded. She regained her regal posture and stood up. I tried not to stare at her body. I stuttered, "What...what were you watching...ma'am?" She smiled and said, "I found this...thing," she said, holding up the TV remote. "Upon hitting this button, I inadvertently turned this box on," and she pointed first to the TV remote, then the TV itself. "At first, I thought it was a portal to another world, but I discovered it could only show moving pictures after I tried to go through it." "WHAT!?" I cried, thinking she may have busted the TV by jumping into it. Nightmare Moon just laughed. "I only touched it, little colt. Anyway, I then discovered this magical stick could change the viewing portal, so I decided to watch what this strange device had to offer. I think I have learned some things about you and your world through it." She chuckled again. "You amuse me, Miles," she muttered. I looked Nightmare Moon up and down and said, "I understand you may have learned something about Earth, but you still have a long way to go, especially if you plan on coming to the dance on Friday." She looked at me with disbelief and asked, "What? What could I not have understood as of yet?" I explained to her, first and foremost, that nobody really approves of walking around in armor anymore. I told her she needed new clothes, although this was really for my own benefit, because I figured if she wasn't walking around half naked I couldn't stare at her, which if I did, I'd get a sound ass-whooping. We went upstairs to my parents' room and I dug through my mom's clothes. I brought out the measuring tape and took Nightmare's measurements (which was extremely hard because I had to use ridiculous amounts of self control to keep myself from doing anything dirty). I then selected the clothes that either came closest to her size (adult female 36) or had a stupid amount of elastic in them (like my mom's yoga shorts). I let her change, and even then, the shirt she put on didn't cover her belly button. "How do I look, Owens?" she asked. I wanted to say "I'd take you right here," but I knew that would get my head blown off, so I said, "You look...kind of cute?" although that was kinda pushing my luck, too. She scowled at me, but didn't cave my face in. Pure luck allowed me to dodge a lot of bullets there. I then brought her downstairs and turned on my iPod. "What is this?" Nightmare Moon asked. "This..." I said as I turned on some Daft Punk, "is what you'll be hearing on Friday." Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger came on and Nightmare's expression was first puzzled, then surprised, then appalled. "What is this sorcery!? There are...there are voices coming from that machine!" she screamed. I tried to explain to her that those voices were, contrary to her beliefs, not coming from miniature people inside my iPod player, and were just part of the song. I told her that the voices were mostly synthesizers. She didn't understand a word of what I said, so I put on Owl City, hoping his electronic beats would calm her down a bit. After I explained the basics of the modern music industry to her, she seemed to take an interest in most of the stuff on my iPod, although she almost smashed it when she heard Eminem and Flo Rida's rapping, saying they sounded like incoherent garbage that confused her with their fast wordplay. I warned her that they'd be playing that at the dance. She didn't seem too happy with that. "That's all you need to know, Miss Moon," I said. "Anything else you wanna know about, I'm here." "Yes, there is one thing, Owens," she said. I turned to her and listened attentively. "I noticed that at your friend's establishment, and when I was watching your entertainment device...the 'television,' as you call it...I was made aware that most of the male species here enjoys playing 'videogames.' Where might I find yours?" she asked. "This way," I said as I walked upstairs to my room. I opened my door and Nightmare Moon made a vocal noise of disgust, because I'll be honest: my room is not the neatest place on the planet. Hell, I found a half eaten sandwich under a pile of clothes in the corner, and it was still fresh. I pointed to a 4:3 TV against the wall. "They're right here," I said. Nightmare Moon walked up to it and inspected the systems I had (a Gamecube, PS3, and Wii U). She nodded thoughtfully and said, "You will have to teach me how to use them soon. They were a recent invention before I was freed from banishment, but the ones I saw were pitiful compared to these." I smiled, thinking that the great Nightmare Moon was taking an interest in the affairs of mortals, especially mine. Then I noticed it was getting dark outside. I realized I had spent a lot of time teaching her about human etiquette and not enough time about basic house rules, because I didn't know where she would sleep. It was too late for that now, though. I'll do that tomorrow, I thought. Nightmare Moon noticed night was falling, too. "Perhaps now is a good time to rest," she said. "You're not going to stay up through your glorious night?" I replied in a rather wise tone. "Even a princess needs her beauty sleep," Nightmare Moon told me. I knew that telling where she should rest for now would do no good, because I was still her servant, and obliged to do whatever she asks, lest I doom the world. I asked her where she would prefer to bed down. She looked around and at last, gestured to...my bed. "Um...Miss Moon...that one's mine." Nightmare grinned and said, "As I have previously stated, I know you will try to weasel your way out of trouble if I don't keep you under constant surveillance. Besides, I have allowed you to go out for work when you should be at home in my service. I think you can share." Nightmare Moon was hot, but the thought of sleeping in the same bed with her did make me feel uncomfortable. I hesitantly took my clothes off, all the while watching Nightmare Moon do likewise. I finished first, due to my clothes not being as small as the ones she had borrowed from my mom, and I slid under the covers. I rolled over so I wouldn't see Nightmare in her undies (I do have standards, believe it or not). I felt her get under too and almost had a heart attack. Her fur was soft and warm. I scrunched up into a ball, because I felt something in my boxers get hard as stone, and if I faced up, Nightmare Moon would see it, and even worse, if I rolled over on my other side, she'd feel it. She must have noticed my nervous posture because she asked me, "Is there something wrong, Owens?" "No, ma'am," I replied quickly. She rolled over and commanded me to shut the lights off. I didn't want to, because if I did, I'd run the chance of her seeing my erection. But on the other hand, if I didn't she might rain eternal night on Earth. I picked the shinier of two turds and stood up slowly, carefully positioning myself so that if she looked up, she wouldn't see how aroused I was. I can look at girls all day, but once they get close to me, my brain just says, "All blood to penis, I repeat, all blood to penis." I hobbled my way over to the light switch, shut it off, and hopped back in bed. "...Good night, Nightmare Moon," I whispered. I didn't hear her reply for a moment and I thought she was asleep until she murmured, "Good night, Miles." I stayed frozen in a face-up position for what felt like hours because Nightmare Moon was blocking my alarm clock. Eventually, I heard her snoring lightly, and I shifted my position so that I was facing her back. I slowly, gently embraced her and whispered, "Sweet dreams, princess," and planted a light kiss on her fur. Her snoring lulled me to sleep after a few minutes.
ClarityNightmare Moon and I slept in until about eleven a.m. I woke up earlier than her and reached for my alarm clock and slammed the off button in a flash. I looked back at Nightmare, who only snorted and rolled over onto her side. I got up quietly and dressed as I walked downstairs to make some late breakfast. I snatched some pancake mix and started flipping them as soon as the batter was ready. I had made a small platter of flapjacks when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and saw Nightmare Moon, still wearing her bra and panties. I expressed my surprise that she came down, because I was going to bring the pancakes up to her. "Ah, so that is what I woke up smelling. You were making those light, flat cakes for me, and without my asking as well? You make quite a fine servant," she said as she sat down. I grabbed a couple napkins, ran over, and placed one gently on her lap. Then I took my spatula and scooped up a handful of pancakes and slid them on her plate. I could see her lick her lips with satisfaction, and she grabbed one with her hand and began to chow down. I was about to ask if she wanted a fork, but she stopped after awhile and looked at me with a questioning stare. "Is...something wrong? One of them undercooked?" I asked. She ignored my question and commanded, "Sit down, Miles. I did not say you had to wait for me to finish." Without thinking, I snatched a plate off the counter and piled a couple pancakes on it, all the while asking myself, I was so sure she'd expect me to wait before she finished eating. What's she planning? as I watched her practically shovel the whole tary of food into her mouth. I really had to smile, because I wasn't expecting such an imposing figure to have such a monstrous appetite. We finished up at about eleven forty-five. I was glad I had decided to call work yesterday and tell them I'd work Friday instead of today. I was really lucky I didn't get on anyone else's shift. Nightmare Moon sat at the table after finishing off the last pancake, rubbing her belly. I decided to watch TV until she asked something else of me, but no sooner had I sat down on the recliner than I felt something lift me up by the heel and leave me dangling in midair. Nightmare Moon was still sitting in her chair with her arms folded and horn glowing. "And what do you think you are doing, Miles?" she interrogated. It was tough to say with all the blood rushing to my head, but I replied, "...I-I was just waiting for you to give me an order, Nightmare Moon." Nightmare shook her head and brought me closer with her magic field and dropped me at her feet. "You have much to learn," I heard her say as she stood up and walk back to the stairs. She paused at the first step and gestured for me to follow. I stood up in a hurry and ran to her side. As we walked up to my room, she explained, "I take back what I said earlier. If you were a true servant, you would have waited for me to say something, instead of simply running off," with a noticeable amount of disappointment. We entered my room again. "My apologies, mistress," I said. "What did you want of me?" Nightmare Moon pointed to my games collection under the TV. "Do you remember when I said you must teach me how to play your videogames?" she asked. I nodded. She bent over, picked up a PS3 controller, and sat down on the foot of the bed. "Now is that time," she finished. I was a bit surprised that she was serious about it, but I grabbed a copy of Super Street Fighter Four and said, "Let's start of with something easy." I had taught her all the basics and we spent a couple hours in Training Mode. She had taken on the AI in a couple matches and beat Easy and Normal settings without much difficulty. I was rather pleased with her. She caught on very quickly, and she was really enjoying herself. I liked to see her smile the way she did when she finally won against an opponent on Hard. "Nice work! That was a sexy combo you used to finish Dudley off," I congratulated her. She laughed and looked at me. "Good. Do you think I am ready to face you?" I was shocked. She obviously didn't know I had been playing the game for at least six years, and though I'm not a pro at it, I still had more experience than she did. But the thought of kicking her ass virtually was tantalizing, and besides, I didn't want to back down and disappoint her. I picked up a second controller and turned it on. We went to character select and I picked Guile. She chose Chun-Li, who I had guessed was her favorite character. We went to the Construction Site stage and as soon as the timer ticked down, Nightmare Moon rolled behind me and used a sliding kick to knock me off the ground and followed it up by kicking me into the air. I was surprised by how fast it happened, but quickly regained control and came back down with a dive kick that clipped her shoulder. We duked it out on the ground for a few minutes, brought it up with midair combos, and came back down. Nightmare unleashed her special moves on me twice and I just barely dodged the second one. However, after I jumped out of the way of Chun-Li's helicopter kick, she came right back and devastated me with a nasty combo from behind. That took away the last of my life bar and ended the match. Nightmare Moon cheered as I stared at the screen in disbelief. I tossed the controller aside and muttered, "Beginner's luck." We were playing an assortment of fighting, puzzle, and platformer games for the whole afternoon. I came back downstairs to make dinner while Nightmare Moon busied herself with Luigi's Mansion. I had made sure to place some beef out to thaw a couple hours back, to make hamburgers for me and veggie burgers for Nightmare Moon. I grilled them up and went up to talk to Nightmare Moon, who was still stuck on the second phase of Luigi's Mansion. I told her, "I made dinner, Nightmare. Do you want me to bring it up?" She looked at me, shook her head, and stood up. We walked back downstairs and ate our burgers in silence until Nightmare Moon heard some loud noises coming from the woods that sounded like yelling and splashing. "What is that dreadful row?" she asked. I grimaced. "That's the public pool closing up." Nightmare Moon stared at me and said, "You never told me you had a pool. Let us go there. Now." "Not so fast, my lady," I said. "It's extremely unsanitary, and I really don't want to tell you what's in that water." Nightmare Moon gazed out the back window in thought and said, "Does the water get replaced?" "Every Saturday at seven, after the pool closes," I answered. I heard Nightmare's chair scrape the floor and I turned to see her get up and walk to the calendar. I groaned. It was currently seven'o'clock. "Ah, so it is tonight," she sighed under her breath. She turned back to me, looked at the clock, and grinned wryly. I put my hands up and explained we couldn't go yet. People were still leaving the pool, and it was too light outside. I was afraid someone would see her and call the police. She said we were going to camp out in the woods until the water was replaced. I grimaced again and ran upstairs to grab my swimming trunks and a bikini. I was freezing. We had been camped between the trees for half an hour, but we had seen the officials and lifeguards bring the water in and drain the pool. We were waiting for them to leave now. Nightmare Moon had put me on lookout duty. After what felt like a drawn out conversation, the last two men finally left. "Okay, Nightmare, we're clear. Are you-" I froze when I saw Nightmare Moon in her really small bikini. I completely zoned out for a few seconds before I realized she was staring at me with an eyebrow raised. I cleared my head and just waved over my head to signal we could go. The pool has a seven foot fence around it, but Nightmare Moon just flew over it and a few seconds later, hoisted me over with her magic. Unlike her, though, I didn't change in the woods, so I said, "If you'll permit me, Nightmare, I need to change." She waved me off and I slunk into a changing stall and undid my pants. Massive hard-on, right on schedule, I thought. I really wished I had brought a one-piece instead of a bikini for Nightmare Moon, or better yet, normal clothes that I could easily wash. I got my trunks on and adjusted my penis so it wasn't as noticeable, and I went back outside. Nightmare Moon was already wading around in the water. She noticed me and motioned for me to come in. I placed my foot in the water and, while it wasn't warm, it wasn't freezing cold either. I slowly made my way into the pool, and had just gotten my groin accustomed to the water temperature when I noticed Nightmare Moon coming closer. I stood my ground with anxiety and a sudden excitement which I had never felt before, but I shrugged it off as being generically aroused. She stopped very close to me (I could almost touch her boobs with my nose) and looked down. She was smiling. I nervously smiled back. "This water is quite soothing, isn't it?" she asked. I could've sworn I heard a very seductive edge to her voice. "Y-yeah...it is," I chuckled nervously. Neither of us said anything for awhile, but I was feeling very uncomfortable, so I slowly began to swim away from Nightmare Moon, but as soon as I turned my back fully, I felt her hands grab me, pull me back and shove me up against the side of the pool. "Now where are you off to, Miles?" she asked. I could definitely hear lust in her voice now. I was shaking. "I...I thought that...you just, um...just wanted to sw-swim around for a little, and I'd just leave you to it, but then you kinda-" My mind was racing. I was with Nightmare Moon. A sexy Nightmare Moon. Alone. I was extremely confused over why she was acting this way, until I felt something wet and smooth rub up against my thighs. I looked down and first, I saw Nightmare Moon's cleavage. Then, I felt her lower body touch mine and I realized what I felt against my legs. It was Nightmare Moon's thighs. Whatever was going through Nightmare's head, I wanted no part of it. Oh, yeah, I was getting hot under the collar, but let me reiterate: Nightmare Moon was taller and stronger than me. If we got down and dirty, she could easily snap my cock in two. I had to think of something, fast. In an instant, I put on an expression of surprise and grabbed her shoulders and whispered, "Dive." She looked confused, but I pushed her under as quickly as possible, then went under myself. I motioned for her to surface again after a few seconds. We broke the surface and she looked at me with subtle frustration. "What was the meaning of that?" she huffed. I responded, "Saw a night watchmen stroll by. He didn't notice us." Nightmare Moon turned around, as if she was looking for the aforementioned guard. She spun around again and thought for a minute. She waded over to the pool steps and got out. "Perhaps now is not the best time..." she muttered. I looked at her in a confused manner. She noticed me and quickly added, "For swimming, of course." I clambered out and we grabbed our clothes and walked back home to clean up and go to bed.
