The Black Eyes of the Nightmare

Twilight's library becomes exhaustingly busy, but by one person only. Twilight Sparkle sticks to the end of her deal and lets the Moon Fox study her books. Moon Fox basically dumps out every book that is magic-related. She studies like she has an exam upcoming the following day, inconspicuously stressed, yet calm. The Moon Fox, unyielded by even an urge to rest, pulls out a pair of eyeglasses she rarely uses so she can read better. Twilight assumes that she's not the studious type. Moon Fox skims past book after book, using all of her "arms". The tails behind her never cease to move, picking and opening books, displaying them to their master. Moon Fox's eyes are rapid, alternating between the many books she has open. Some are scattered on the table, while others are being held by her tails. She's even a more effective learner than Twilight.

Celestia's sun is setting, so Twilight decides to interrupt her. "Um, Moon Fox?" she says as she gentle nudges her shoulder.

The Moon Fox turns around and takes off her reading glasses. Her eyes are locked to Twilight's. The white in them is slowly fading. "Yes?" she says.

Twilight expected a more hostile reaction, but Moon Fox is as calm as she'll ever see her. The monster that conquered the Elements of Harmony not too long ago, is as peaceful as any other Ponyville citizen. "The sun's setting," says Twilight, pointing a hoof toward the window. Moon Fox leans, seeing the sky turning into a fruity color.

"I don't have time for that."

Twilight's shocked. It's not like the Moon Fox can just refuse to rise the moon. "But you're the 'Moon Fox'! You rise the moon. Isn't that what you do?"

"I would, but I'm extremely busy. Let that black pony do it." Moon Fox's eyeballs fade to black. It's officially nighttime.

Luna, thinks Twilight. She almost forgot about her. She also remembers what the studious Moon Fox told her. She's not from our world. It's Luna job to rise the moon, not her. "But why did you do it anyway?" asks Twilight.

"I had no idea your kind even existed. I thought I was still in Vremena. Now please, I'm trying to work." Moon Fox puts her reading glasses back on, giving Twilight a clear signal. She does not want to be disturbed. Twilight already knows the consequences of having her agitated, and still fears that it will happen. With that, she leaves.

Twilight gives Moon Fox her space for the rest of the night, but sometimes she would take a peek to see how she's doing. She gets a growing urge to help her, considering her knowledge on magic, but keeps it sustained. The Moon Fox is more of a "do it yourself" type of person. Twilight peeks on more time, but notices a bit of Moon Fox's eyes, half-closed.

"Enough is enough, Fox," says Twilight. "You should go to sleep."

The Moon Fox drops seven books simultaneously. She puts away her reading glasses and turns to to Twilight, droopy and tired. She opens her gaping mouth and lets out a yawn. Twilight sees more than enough of those sharp teeth jutting out. Moon Fox slowly smacks her black lips. "Thank you, Twilight," she says calmly.

"You can come back tomorrow if you like."

"No, I'm good. I couldn't find anything helpful, anyway." Moon Fox drops her head. Twilight thinks she fell asleep, but there's still movement, and speech. "I couldn't find anything about multiverse travel, but I learned too much about other useless crap. Except there's..." She raises her head, locking droopy eyes at Twilight. "...teleportation."

"It's possible, but who knows how far away your world is. I can only do it on short distances."

"It could work..." says Moon Fox. She can only manifest a little bit of hope. "If not, I'll have to stay here, build a house."

Twilight doesn't reply. Moon Fox gets up and approaches her with open arms. "So nice of you to help," she says nicely.

"Wait, you want a hug?" Twilight is very unsure of embracing the beast like so.

"A nice good-bye hug too much too ask? Don't tell me you're still scared." Moon Fox's tone is both disappointing and stern.

Twilight's uncertainty shifts to determination. What Moon Fox said to her was a challenge. She accepts and jumps into the strong grip of her guest. She mostly feel the fabric of her robes, but her face touches hers. The purple fur mixes with the blue fur for only a few seconds, then they break apart. Moon Fox doesn't smile at all. She only leaves, dragging her tails behind her. Twilight can't move. She's too amazed with what just happened. She just experienced affection from a very unlikely source. The monster that dwells in the Everfree Forest had her arms wrapped around her, not to strangle, but to care.

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"Fluttershy, I'm not sure about this. I already got what I needed out of Ponyville."

"But you can't stay in that scary forest the whole time."

"A picnic with all of you ponies? Are you kidding me?"

"Please, just give it a chance."

The situation is backwards compared to yesterday. This time, it's Fluttershy who wants the Moon Fox to be seen. It's a beautiful morning under Celestia's sun. Nopony forgot about Moon Fox's appearance yet. Fluttershy is sitting with her on a checkered, white and red blanket. There's a woven basket next to them, filled with a batch of baby carrots Fluttershy prepared. The heat of the sun is unbearable for her, but Moon Fox is unaffected, even when wearing her robes. The Moon Fox's eyes keep staring down, worried about how the other ponies would react. Fluttershy, Twilight, and Spike are already fine with her presence, but what about the other four?

"Fox," starts Fluttershy, sweetly, "I work with animals all the time, big and small. Something that I always realized is that even the most vicious of them have a softer side. The roaring, the claws, the sharp teeth. It's all just a mask covering their true self."

Moon Fox is amazed, especially for hearing something so deep and touching to come out of a pony's mouth. "It's true," she says. "I had friends of my own, and we would have the best time together."

"I bet they miss you..."

One of the Moon Fox's pointy ear twitches. She hears the sound of hooves rustling on the evergreen grass. Twilight Sparkle and Spike arrives, with the rest of her friends following from behind. Moon Fox can see what they brought to the picnic. Applejack is carrying a basket full of apples with her mouth, Pinkie Pie bounces as she carries cupcakes, and Twilight is using her magic to levitate a basket of warm, fresh croissants. Moon Fox notices everypony's eyes. There's barely any hint of fear on them. She assumes that Twilight told them that she wasn't dangerous. They all reach the blanket and put the food down.

"Looks like we got another egghead!" teases Rainbow Dash.

They all laugh, except for Moon Fox. She remembers her long night of studying. "Cute," she responds.

"We're sorry fer that night," says Applejack.

"I know you're all sorry, but past is past."

"I'm so glad you all came," says Fluttershy as she opens her basket and takes out the baby carrots with a SQUEE smile. She's in that level of cuteness that can make hearts explode.

"Why wouldn't we? We needed a proper apology for our guest," says Rarity. She sits down as she flicks her mane.

"It's...nice," replies Moon Fox. "You ponies remind me a little about my friends back home."

"You have friends?" asks Rainbow Dash. Twilight smacks her in the face, implying to not be rude. Rainbow Dash glares at Twilight as she rubs her face.

"Had."

Everypony starts feeling sorrowful.

"Wh-what happened to them?" asks Rainbow Dash.

The Moon Fox leans her head to the side. "It was a long time ago. I really don't wanna talk about it..."

"Are we your friends?" asks Pinkie Pie, anticipating Moon Fox's response with big smile.

"We're not hostile anymore, so I guess so. I dunno about your princess, though. What was her name again?"

"Princess Celestia," answers Twilight.

"Yeah. And there's still that thing where you can't go into the forest, too."

"It can be our little secret," says Fluttershy, optimistic.

"This pony queen seems so highly praised. She'd find out eventually. I'm just saying. It's better for all of you to not get dragged into the mess I'm in."

"Princess Celestia is very compassionate," says Twilight in a sense of defense. "I can guarantee she won't cause you any harm."

"Harm?" says Moon Fox. She bursts into laughter. Spike gets closer to her as she clenches her ribcage like they're going to explode.

"Fox? I don't get it," says Spike.

The Moon Fox gets back up, relieving pressure on the base of her tails and wipes a tear off. She's still chuckling a little. "Do you ACTUALLY think your princess can hurt me?"

"Moon Fox, do not take her lightly," says Rarity, worried. "She's a goddess."

"Surprise, surprise. Me too." Everyone gasps. "Guys, I've been through a lot in my life. Whatever this Celestia can do to hurt me will never be as painful as what I've experienced before. But can we talk about something else?"

"Uh, sure," answers Applejack. "What do y'wanna talk about, sugarcube?"

"I'm just wondering what you guys do here," says Moon Fox. "As for me, I'm an adventurer, always traveling the world, searching for excitement."

"Well, we ain't adventurers. We all settle as part of the Ponyville community. I work over at Sweet Apple Acres." Applejack tosses an apple to Moon Fox. She catches it and takes a bite.

"Oh my God, this is good!" says Moon Fox. "You must be pretty good at your job."

"Oh, she is!" says Pinkie Pie. "One time, she and the whole family made apple cider and everypony was ITCHING to get some, especially Rainbow Dash!" She bursts into hysterical laughter. "But they kept running out of cider!"

Rainbow Dash glares at Pinkie Pie, suspecting that she had something to do with that.

"Fox, I've dedicated my life to fashion. I design outfits for my customers," interrupts Rarity, pridefully.

"Interesting," responds Moon Fox.

The ground shakes, then stops. Everyone feels the monstrous shockwave. Most of the ponies are shook off their feet, but the Moon Fox is in all four, trying to keep her balance.

"What the hell?" she says. She starts flying, along with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

"Oh, my, it's an earthquake!" yells Fluttershy, with her hooves slightly covering her mouth. She stars hovering aimlessly, panicking and muttering.

"No, it couldn't be. It's...footsteps!"

"Uh, Fox?" says a worried Rainbow Dash as she taps Moon Fox's shoulder. When she gets the Fox's attention, she points behind her. Moon Fox turns around and her eyes widen and her mouth gapes wide open. It really was footsteps. They seismic waves caused by them grow stronger, until Moon Fox, Spike, and all the ponies in the park catch sight of a dreadful Ursa Major.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" shouts Moon Fox, shocked.

"Ursa Major!" answers Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh my God! Look at the size of it! It's like...taking 5 mountains and squishing them together! IT'S THAT HUGE!"

"Uh, yeah," replies Spike.

"Moon Fox, can you be a dear and GO GET THAT BEAST?" shouts Rarity, panicking.

Moon Fox turns around and witnesses the Ursa Major hammering a building, reducing it to pile of debris. Thoughts run in her head about the possibility of innocent lives being there, taken away by the behemoth. She turns to her friends and says, "No! I have to get you all to a safe place!"

"We can take care of ourselves!" says Twilight Sparkle. "Just stop it!"

"Take care, ponies..." says Moon Fox. She turns around, and an blue aura glows around her. Her seven tails flutter in the air, then she darts off toward the ferocious Ursa, who's still destroying buildings and terrorizing Ponyville. The courageous Moon Fox drives a had blow to the beats's stomach. It causes the hundred-foot-tall Ursa to stagger a few steps back. It steps on another building, and Moon Fox notices the ponies struggling to run away from certain death. Fighting it here is too risky for the town, she thinks. I have to lure it away.

The Moon Fox hatches a small plan. "Hey, ugly!" she shouts. This angers the gigantic Ursa Major. "Catch me if you can!"

The enraged Ursa Major grunts as it swipes its giant paws toward the Moon Fox. Moon Fox dodges them, hovering backwards. "That's it! Catch the doggy! Catch the pretty, little doggy!" she teases. Moon Fox darts away from the Ursa, causing it to chase her. The shock of the footsteps get weaker as the Ursa runs away from Ponyville. Everypony notices the diminishing presence of the beast and all sigh in relief, but only to be disappointed by looking at the damage it caused. Twilight is the last one to see the Ursa Major leave.

"Thank you, Fox," she mutters in peace.

The Moon Fox underestimated the Ursa Major's speed. It's catching up quite easily. The beast keeps grunting as it tries to swat the flying Moon Fox out of the sky like she is a housefly. The Ursa Major suceeds. The Moon Fox is sent crashing through bushy trees, but nimbly gets up. She starts shooting spells at the colossal monster, but they do nothing. She charges up one more spell and fires. It pushes the Ursa back, but it only makes it even angrier. It swings one of its legs, sending poor Moon Fox flying once again.

Moon Fox crashes on the side of a mountain. Her robes are torn and she is coughing up blood. She can't pick up the strength to get back up. The Ursa Major approaches her, overwhelming the Fox by its size. It stretches one arm back and delivers a fist right at the Moon Fox. The pain feels terrible, but the Ursa doesn't stop. It punches the mountain again, and again, and again. Moon Fox is dealt with serious constant pain, begging for it to stop.

I've already died once, she thinks as the mighty Ursa Major keeps hitting her. I won't die to what I fear to become. I WON'T DIE TO THIS UGLY BITCH!

The Ursa Major readies another punch, but it gets a different result this time. It's stopped. The Moon Fox has an arm stretched, and it's holding the room-sized fist. The Ursa Major frowns in confusion. The Moon Fox slowly starts to get up, pushing the fist back. An aura grows around her and explodes, blinding the Ursa Major. But blindness is the least of its worries. It experiences severe pain on one cheek. The Moon Fox slammed a spell right at its face, causing the beast to fall on its back.

Then, the Moon Fox lets out a mighty roar. The blue intensifies around her, and she rushes toward the fallen Ursa. Her seven tails extend at an amazing length, tying up the Ursa Major's limbs and necks. With them, the Moon Fox picks up the moster and swiftly swings it back to the ground, dealing heavy pain on the Ursa Major. She swings it again, and repeats. The Moon Fox has reached the point where there's no mercy left to show. After around ten ground impacts for the Ursa Major, it's too shattered to move. Its nose is bleeding, one of the arms are broken, and some of its teeth are gone. Moon Fox loosens the tails and extends a tattered arm upward. Her blue aura intensifies, centering at her raised hand.

When the aura reaches a blinding, white glow, the Moon Fox swings her arm down, shouting with a godly voice.

Orbit Shatter!

A large, magical energy jet shoots down toward the defeated Ursa Major, landing a direct hit. The impact of Moon Fox's spell releases a huge, blinding explosion. It completely disintegrates the Ursa Major. Moon Fox can hear the echo of its cries of pain. To her, they are unanswered pleads for mercy. She is left with staring at a large crater her spell caused, and leaves to return to Ponyville. She may be wounded, but she can still fly decently.

Nopony missed gazing at the destruction of the Moon Fox, but nopony can make out what happened. Some of them are busy rescuing other pony folk stuck in piles and mazes of debris. Rainbow Dash hovers high above the other ponies, scoping for any signs of the Ursa Major. Fluttershy is with her, feeling uneasy.

"That explosion c-couldn't be good," she says.

"When is one actually GOOD for us?" replies Rainbow Ash. She feels annoyed, worrying about what happened to the heroic Moon Fox, the creature they once feared. "Where is she?"

"Who?"

"Fox. I don't see the Ursa anymore, but I can't find her either."

"Rainbow! Fluttershy!"

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy look down at the source of the voice. It's Applejack, along with Pinkie Pie and Rarity. "Get down here and help us with some lifting!" she insists as she points a hoof at a male pony who's stuck under a large wall. Rainbow Dash immediately gets to work, and the others join her in the effort. They manage to lift the heavy wall, giving the male pony space to get out.

"Thanks!" he says.

"All in a day's work, sugarcube," responds Applejack.

The male pony leaves as Twilight and Spike arrive. They're both sporting the wide eyes.

"Sweet Celestia," mutters Twilight.

"Something wrong, Twilight?" asks Rarity.

"That POWER! That was absolutely INSANE!" Twilight's mane starts to turn messy.

"Wait, the Moon Fox caused the explosion?" says Fluttershy. Now she joined the wide-eyes club.

"Yeah."

"But where is she?" wonders Applejack.

"I dunno. Fox could be either on her way back, or such a powerful spell could've..." She stares uneasily at her friends. "been fatal."

"C'mon, Twi! She couldn't have died!" argues Spike. "She's still out there. I know it!"

"Look, everypony!" shouts one pony, pointing a hoof at an approaching figure, and it's not a pony.

Twilight and her friends stare with amazement as the Moon Fox approches them, limping and bleeding. She pants like she's out of breath, but it's just for dealing with the pain. When she reaches them, she drops to her knees. "I...killed it," she says.

All the ponies in Ponyville stare at the Moon Fox, so vulnerable and weakened at her current state. They all start stomping their hooves, giving her their own style of a round of applause. All the ponies in Ponyville cheer for the Moon Fox. She's no longer the mysterious creature rom the Everfree Forest. She's now the guardian of their town.

Fluttershy lunges to the Moon Fox and gives her a hug without any hesitation. "Thank you! Thank you!" she shouts. Her friends join in, burying the Moon Fox with their love. Moon Fox slowly gets back on her feet, still struggling to stand straight, but the ponies notices tears running down her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" asks Fluttershy.

The Moon Fox sniffs a tear back in. "I'm just," she begins, still crying, "happy, Fluttershy. I'm glad that you, your friends, and the town doesn't fear me anymore. Thank you all."

The stomp of hooves dominate again, and Moon Fox keeps staring at all the ponies cheering on her, with a smile. Then she falls with a thud...

                                                              *                                 *                               *

"Doctor, is she gonna be alright?"

"Well, her case is pretty bad, but we did all we could. The surgeons had to go through so much blood. Nauseating."

"Oh, my..."

"It's a miracle how she managed to head back to Ponyville."

"Please help her, Doc. She doesn't deserve to die."

"Like I said, her case is bad, but we can help get her back on her feet."

Fluttershy is talking to a doctor, while the Moon Fox is in bed, unconscious with a slowly beeping heart monitor.

"Would've been bad for her if the Ursa destroyed the hospital," says the doctor. "Anyway, we can help, but her anatomy is slightly different. We don't get many bipedals around her."

Fluttershy turns to the Moon Fox. Her wounds include internal bleeding, a broken ribcage and leg, and difficulty breathing. All the ponies can do for her now is to give her rest. Even some of her tails are bandaged. They don't move at all. The only part of the Moon Fox that is slightly moving is her chest, expanding from her deep breaths.

"That friend of yours is crazy," teases the doctor. "Taking on an Ursa Major. You'd have to be insane to even consider doing that."

"She IS insane," replies Fluttershy. "Insanely brave."

"Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash enters the room. Fluttershy turns to her. "Twilight wants us at the library."

"What for?" asks Fluttershy.

"I really couldn't understand why, but it's something related to her." Rainbow points at the unconscious Moon Fox.

"Okay," mutter Fluttershy. She nears the Moon Fox and snugs her head close to hers. Rainbow Dash leaves the room, and Fluttershy follows.

                                                              *                                 *                               *

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash enter Twilight's library, coming across the rest of their friends. Spike is holding a letter, and Twilight Sparkle is reading it, for the tenth time.

"Okay, I found her," claims Rainbow Dash. "So, what's this about?"

Spike clears his throat and waves the letter, shifting the attention of all the ponies toward it. "It's a letter from Princess Celestia, and it doesn't sound very friendly."

"Can you read it?" asks Fluttershy.

"Yeah." Spike looks at the words in letter and reads. "Dear Twilight Sparkle, and friends if they also come across this letter, I've been worried sick about the creature, but I am more worried about you. The Everfree Forest was declared a forbidden place, and I've been hearing that your friend Fluttershy disobeyed my sister's royal decree. She should have never dealt with such a dangerous creature. Consider yourselves lucky that it didn't destroy Ponyville during her visits. I saw the explosion, and it made my heart stop, So I immediately wrote this letter to make sure you're all okay. I highly request a reply right after you're done reading this letter. Anyway, I'm tired of wondering how the Moon Fox behaves. I will not punish anyone, but I demand a talk with her. Tell her that she's invited to my palace tomorrow night. Sincerely, Princess Celestia."

Spike rolls the letter back into a scroll, coming across six worried ponies.