Since the Summer Sun Celebration, Nightmare Moon had been laying on Fluttershy’s couch, still teary-eyed and sad, occasionally muttering things. “I-I’m not a cat…” she would say periodically, as she buried her head deeper into a comfortable pillow.
Fluttershy had been housing Nightmare Moon in the days after she had faced that embarrassing moment in the town hall. Once the news broke, the story spread fast, and Nightmare Moon had been labeled a “pony in panther’s clothing”. Previously a terrifying force, she had been reduced and insulted to a shell of her former self.
Fluttershy had found Nightmare Moon in the park on the day after the Summer Sun Celebration, alone, scared, and shivering in the rain. So she surrendered, agreeing to live with Fluttershy, who then apologized to her for what she had said. It wasn’t fair to Nightmare Moon to be labeled in such a way, and have her appearance mocked and ridiculed.
So Fluttershy kept her safe, kept her away from harm, and kept her fed, giving her a home and a pony to confide within. Nightmare Moon couldn’t have been happier. Outside of Fluttershy’s home, she would be forever known as a laughingstock, but within, Fluttershy did her best to treat her as an equal.
“I still don’t get it, why must they ridicule me this way?” Nightmare Moon said one night, as they laid on the roof of Fluttershy’s cottage.
“Because ponies are mean. Many will find every way to hurt you. And the good ponies get roped in because they feel like they have to,” Fluttershy said, stroking Nightmare Moon’s back.
“It’s not fair,” Nightmare Moon pouted. “My sister gets to see the limelight, while I’m trying to not make a fool out of myself. I-it’s just been too much to bear, seeing the news come in with more rumors and the like about me.”
“Don’t worry about what others think, because I don’t think of you that way,” Fluttershy said slowly. “You don’t need to be adored by the entire population. Just one or two ponies is enough.”
“Thank you, Miss Fluttershy,” Nightmare Moon said, a small smile forming on her lips. “I am eternally grateful for your kindness.”
“You’re welcome, Nightmare,” Fluttershy said, as she softly kissed Nightmare Moon’s cheek.
A faint blush appeared on Nightmare Moon’s face, and the two continued to stare up at the night, forever grateful for each other.
A faint blue glow appeared on the balcony of the town hall. It sparkled and shimmered, going seemingly unnoticed by the crowd of ponies standing below, until the glow turned into a cloud. The cloud grew and grew until it was shaped like a mare.
At this point, the citizens had seen the blue cloud, and were screaming, not knowing what was going on, or what to do. And as they did this, the cloud slowly transformed into the dark and menacing form of Nightmare Moon, villainous cackle and all.
The ponies of Ponyville all fixated their eyes on the new arrival. She was alien to them all, a pony none of them had ever seen before.
“Oh, my beloved subjects,” Nightmare Moon began, her sultry voice echoing through the large room. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious, sun-loving faces.”
No pony dared make a sound as Nightmare Moon continued her monologue.
“Am I not royal enough for you? Does my crown no longer count after I had been imprisoned for a thousand yea-“ she said, but was cut off by snickering in the crowd.
Nightmare Moon listened closely.
“She kinda looks like a…a panther!” A pony said just a bit too loudly.
“WHAT?!” Nightmare Moon screeched, landing right before the pony with a thunderous flap of her wings. “Peon! Repeat what you just said! Your princess demands it!”
The pony in question, a gray pegasus, couldn’t stop snickering. “I-I said yo-you look like a-a p-panther!” The gray pegasus then collapsed in a fit of laughter.
“A panther?” Nightmare Moon said angrily, a hint of intrigue in her voice. “You dare call me, the Princess of the Night, the true leader of Equestria…a measly PANTHER?”
Several other ponies had been studying Nightmare Moon’s facial makeup, and had begun to snicker too. As the information spread around, the entire crowd began to chuckle and giggle at this newfound information.
While Nightmare Moon could take a childish insult like that, it was only until a pony came running back into the town hall with a photo of a panther that she became enraged.
The photo was passed around, and ponies began to laugh more.
“She looks like a panther who needs braces!” A young colt shouted, unaware that he was being too loud.
Nightmare Moon instinctively grabbed the colt with her magic and held him up in front of her. “How DARE you! Your Princess has no need for braces!”
Setting the colt down, she began to scan the crowd, all of which were now laughing hysterically. Ponies of all backgrounds, all races, and all genders were laughing their heads off at the prospect that Nightmare Moon, Princess of the Night, looked like a panther who needed braces.
Nightmare Moon became far more enraged. “All of you shall be executed on the spot!” she snarled, but a pony nearby laughed in her face.
“What’re you gonna do? Claw us to death?” She said, laughing and pointing at her.
“I do NOT have claws! You shall be executed via magical force!” she retorted, but it was obvious the insults were getting to her head.
A bright flash filled the room, and a singular “click” was heard as a camera snapped a photo of Nightmare Moon. A pony then ran the photo off to the press. Nightmare Moon watched in stunned silence as the newspony left, grabbing the panther photo as well.
There was about to be one hell of a news story.
Nightmare Moon seized Rarity’s hoof-held mirror, and took a look at herself in relation to another panther photo. Taking off her helmet, her eyes darted back and forth between the mirror and the photo. Ponies watched on in silence as she did this.
A few seconds later, her eyes grew wide. The mirror and the helmet clattered to the ground, and Nightmare Moon’s jaw hung open, exposing her fangs to everypony, fangs that looked distinctly like a panther’s.
“W-what? T-this…no…panther…me…” Nightmare Moon sputtered. “I…not…no…”
As ponies began to laugh, Nightmare Moon exploded into one last fit of rage.
“ALL OF YOU SHALL BE BANISHED FOR A THOUSAND YEARS FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!” she screamed, but nopony heard her over the laughter they created.
Nightmare Moon, defeated by her own looks, flew back to the balcony and laid down, casting aside her regalia and her shoes. Closing her eyes, she began to cry. Nopony had noticed this act, except for one.
Fluttershy, a timid, shy and scared pegasus, walked over to Nightmare Moon’s body, who breathed erratically and sobbed. Kneeling down, she slowly stroked Nightmare Moon’s head and back with a soft smile.
Nightmare Moon slowly lifted her head, and opened her tear-filled, puffy eyes to look at Fluttershy. “You…you don’t have to do this…I-“ she began, but was cut off when Fluttershy leaned into her ear.
“Good kitty…” Fluttershy whispered softly, petting Nightmare Moon a little more gently.
Nobody could hear Nightmare Moon’s cries of sadness and anguish over the raucous laughter in the town hall.
