Nightlight is a super-powerful unicorn, but she also has special needs. She has Unicorn Syndrome, a condition similar to Asperger’s Syndrome. When Nightlight feels distressed by her environment, she might melt down. Her meltdown may come with a sudden burst of power. Nightlight feels a monster inside that terrifies even her.

When her friend Sparklefire tried to give her a surprise party, Sparklefire did just about everything wrong. Sparklefire can be grossly insensitive without realizing it. First — Nightlight doesn’t like surprise parties. She loves being able to plan it all out. Second — Sparklefire’s choice of party was a perfect recipe for sensory overload. Third — Nightlight tried to back out of the party, but Sparklefire kept following her around. Sparklefire kept popping up like a cartoon character, and Nightlight could find no way to avoid her.

Finally, Nightlight exploded in anger and fear. Now that she felt cornered, she was determined to destroy the environment causing her the distress. Sparklefire also made the mistake of having the party in the middle of a big noisy, crowded city with lots of lights. Nightlight tends to be afraid of big crowds and too many things going on around. It may sound like a phobia, but the root seems to be sensory overload.

In her crazed state of mind, Nightlight wanted to destroy the city that she hated going to. But she never wanted to cause anyone serious harm. Fortunately, her burst of power came with a lot of power to protect her victims. In addition — her big brother brought in his own shielding powers. When he faced his giant little sister, White Night did not try to fight her. Those who tried to fight her just made her even more angry and afraid. Instead, he floated as a guardian angel — simply trying to contain the damage.

Nightlight can show a sudden burst of power when her emotions run high. The emotions may be positive or negative. The power she really wants is one that brings things under control — rather than spiraling further out of control. White Night can also show sudden bursts of power when his emotions are high — especially when it involves his little sister. In this scene, he also grew in size, and his shielding powers became far greater.

White Night has taught his sister that the world is made for friendship. He has been one of few to really earn her affection. He is always there for her — ready to help her be a friend. Once Nightlight calms down, he and she will help the others rebuild the city. Some people ended up in the hospital, but there were no permanent injuries or fatalities.

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Drawing © M. Wayne Howell (me) and Tsitra360. Drawn by Tsitra360; slightly modified from original.

Characters © and ™ by M. Wayne Howell (me).