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Moth-drops was heading home- the sun had set, and she didn't want to be out too much longer. As she trotted along, a filly's voice reached her ears. Bug spray?! Oh no!

She galloped over towards the shout's origin. "No, wait! Don't spray them!" she shouted as she ran down the street. She wasn't even sure what they were yet, but Moth-Drops couldn't stand the thought of an innocent bug getting hurt. Unless it was mosquitoes; while she rarely got bitten, she knew that others got nibbled all the time, and well, you couldn't help but smack them when they bit you.

But most bugs were gentle, kind creatures that wanted nothing more than a dark corner to hide in and little scraps of food. Moth-drops wasn't the bravest phony, but she did love her insects, arachnids, and other assorted creepy-crawlies. She had to save these bugs!

It didn't take her long to run into a lemonade stand. Immediately, she could tell what the problem was; there was a warm light source, and that meant that the crepuscular insects would be swarming it. "Don't spray them!" she cried again, looking at the pink filly sitting behind the stand.

Moth-drops knew Pink Lemonade's lemonade was pretty dang delicious; she'd had it before, working in Mandrake's family's veggie patch. It was still warm enough for lemonade to sound delicious, but not even lemonade could distract her from moths. "Hm. I see your problem," she said, leaning in to look at the flitting insects.

"See, it's your light. Moths like light- and the cool thing is that nobody actually knows why! One theory is that they think it's the moon; they're using it to navigate, like they would moonlight, and then they get confused because they actually get to the moon." She poked her muzzle towards the lamp, looking intently at the little creatures and their dainty antennae. Their delicate wings beat silently, leaving little spots of dust wherever they hit. "But they're not at the moon; they're at your lemonade stand. And that poses a problem for both of you; they can't find food here, and you can't sell lemonade if there's, well, moths everywhere." She thought for a moment. If she got the moths out of here, everybody's problems would be solved- and she thought she knew just how to do it.

"I've got a proposition, Pink Lemonade! I don't have any bits on me, but if I solve your moth problem, can I have a glass of lemonade? I think I know what to do here!" she said with a smile, looking back up at the other filly.

Moth-drops smiled, happy at the opportunity to get the moths back to where they belonged. "Come on now," she cooed softly, gently flapping a wing at them. "Come on, little friends. This isn't your home!" The current from her feathers stirred the dainty flyers; they spiraled and spun, trying to navigate the sudden eddy in the air. She extended her pinions, cutting the cloud of moths away from the light source, and oh-so-carefully she let them land one by one on her outstretched wing. She slowly started to walk as they got situated, herding them with her other wing as they tried to fly away. The further she could get them from the lamp, the better. As Pink Lemonade watched, she headed across the street, the entire swarm either resting on her back or flying along nearby, being guided by the patient little pegasus.

She looked around for the best place to take them. She didn't want to leave them anywhere too exposed, where any passing nightjar or bat could snap them up as a quick dinner. But there was a small patch of woods not too far away. Yes, that would do quite nicely. Her insectoid charges resting gently on her feathers, she headed towards the woods.

Most phonies would have just swatted the moths, and she understood why that happened. Not everybody understood insects like she did- not even her friends. She didn't hold it against them; after all, to a good number of them, insects in general were a downright nuisance. They could be so incredibly detrimental to those phonies who dabbled in agriculture- they just didn't know any better. The insects, that is. They saw a free source of food, and they went for it. But some insects- like ladybugs and mantises- they had a nice relationship with the agrarian type. All they wanted to do was eat the bugs that chewed holes in leaves.

She'd have to introduce Mandrake's dad to some praying mantises. She bet that he'd like them.

She knew that she liked them. But not as much as she liked moths. Maybe her name drew her to them, or maybe it was their shared timid natures, but she felt a certain kinship with them. They were so soft and gentle, and they had such subtly beautiful wings. They were so much more subdued than their flashy, day-dwelling butterfly cousins, and their feathery antennae were just so absolutely adorable. And, if you looked at them with a magnifying glass, they had such sweet, charming little faces. Yes, moths were truly her favorite. But as much as she loved them, she knew that they belonged in nature, to where she was returning them.

When she reached the woods, she gave a gentle shake. The moths danced around her, a snowy, powdery cloud. They fluttered about her, then landed again. She stood stock still as the moths' delicate feet touched her lightly on her face, her back, her wings. It tickled, and she couldn't help but giggle. Once again, she shook out her wings, stretching them gently to their fullest length. The moths alighted, flapping their wings silently- and then the could dispersed, as quickly as it had formed. Moths were not particularly social insects, unless they were gathering at a light source, and they'd be much happier here in the woods, where they could find their food with greater ease.

She understood moths, she really did. It made her happy to think about them and to look at them. Moths were such quiet, elegant creatures, and she was always glad to get them to a safer situation. She smiled at them as they trailed off into the darkness, where they would be happy, then headed back across the street, trotting quickly. She knew the moths would stay there; they'd just been lost. Now they were home.

"There we go, they shouldn't bother you any more! Now, about that lemonade..." she said, leaning on the stand and smiling at the other filly.