Egil was becoming used to babysitting Riki's littlepon, and he was not sure how to feel about that. The fact he was trusted with them seemed odd to him, after all he had done to the life of the Bionis, but… Riki was strange, perhaps it was best to not question it.

The little ones climbed over him, treating him as a jungle gym. This was usual, they seemed to enjoy how tall he was and how they could climb him as if he was a tree… He supposed Nopon just liked heights in general.

He supposed it was fine, as long as the littlepon didn't stab themselves on anything. He was quite… sharp, after all.

One of the littlepon had found her way into his hands, looking up at him with a little smile on her face.

"Unclepon Eggy! Mimiki wants to hear a story! Please tell Mimiki a story!"

He looked around at that point, making sure no one was around to hear his dirty little secret. No one outside of the littlepon had to know that he had learned a bit of Nopon dialect for babysitting, after all.

"Mimiki want Egil to tell her story?" He pat her head and she giggled a bit. "What story Mimiki want to hear?"

"Mimiki want to hear the story about the hero boy again! Mimiki like the story, it reminds Mimiki of her big brotherpon!"

"Egil tell Mimiki that story always. Is Mimiki sure?"

"Yes, yes! Mimiki want to hear again!"

"Alright, alright…" He pulled a few of the littlepon off his back before sitting down. "Egil will tell littlepon about the hero boy again."

And he began speaking, telling the same story he told them every time. The story of Shulk, though they didn't know it was about him. He spoke of what he did, how he was a light in the darkness Egil had buried himself in…

And, as always, the littlepon began to squeal in delight. And the same question they asked each time was asked.

"Unclepon Eggy! What happen to sad man hero save?"

"The sad man and the hero boy… became good friends, for years to come. Living in the peace they had dreamed of."

"I guess they did, didn't they, Egil?"

Egil tensed a bit as Shulk walked into view, a small smile on his face as he moved to sit next to him. "And how long have you been there?"

"Since the start of your story, I'd say…" Shulk placed a hand on his chin and Egil's embarrassment grew. "I assumed it was about us, seeing as how you described things…"

"I… suppose that may be the case." He looked away as Mimiki settled into his arms once again.

"I'm glad to know you see me as a friend." His voice was soft as another littlepon settled into his lap. "I was a bit afraid you didn't like me anymore."

Egil frowned at that, looking at Shulk. "And why is that?"

"You're always avoiding, well, everyone." Shulk looked at him, eyes as soft as his voice. "It makes me worry about what you're thinking…"

"Shulk…"

"Just… talk to me more, Egil. I worry about you."

"I…" He looked away, patting Mimiki's head. "I will try."

Shulk leaned against him and Egil nearly jumped out of his skin. "Good, that's all I wanted to hear…"

"Egil! Riki back! How are Riki's littlepon?!"

Egil pushed Shulk off his shoulder as Riki walked in, not wanting to be caught in that position by the Nopon. "Just fine, Riki. They were well-behaved as usual…"


Egil awoke as he often did. In the middle of the night, the screams of his brethren filling his head. Nightmares that had haunted him for years now, nightmares he was never sure would cease…

"I should get some fresh air…" He pulled himself up and made his way outside. "I need some fresh air."

It was quiet at night, empty. No one to stare at him, or avoid him… In a way, it was worse than the mornings. At least the mornings reminded him he wasn't as alone as he used to be.

As he was thinking, he noticed someone else out, sitting alone. Sharla…

Without thinking, he made his way towards her, sitting next to her and speaking. "I see I am not the only one unable to sleep."

Sharla frowned at him before looking away. "What? Too much on your mind to sleep, then?"

"No, it's not that." He shook his head, though his head was often full of thoughts. "It's…"

"Well? Out with it."

"I've been dealing with… nightmares."

"So even you can have nightmares, huh?" Sharla looked up at the night sky. "...You know, I have a lot of nightmares now, too. Nightmares about what happened to Colony 6, about how I lost Gadolt, about so many things…"

"I… see." Guilt simmered in his chest. "I suppose I am in no position to speak of nightmares when I am the cause of so many."

Sharla stood with a sigh, shaking her head. "You caused nightmares for a lot of people, myself included… And I won't, no, I can't forgive you for that, but…" She looked back at him. "That doesn't mean Zanza didn't cause you your fair share of nightmares. Follow me."

He stood, confused, following after her. "And where are we going, hm?"

She continued walking along, not looking back at him. "You can start making up for everything a bit, by being my guinea pig."

"Oh?" He frowned. "And what do you mean by that?"

"Machina can drink tea, right? It won't upset your systems, so…" She glanced back. "Let's see if an old Homs remedy for nightmares helps a Machina at all, hm?"

His eyes widened for a moment, before looking away, still following after Sharla. "...That would be nice, thank you."

"I'm not doing it to help just you… I want to see if it works, so if it can I can tell Linada about it." She huffed a bit, moving some hair behind her ear. "You're just a good test subject."

"Ah, of course." He nodded a bit. "I understand."