The Tale of Noctis

by Noctis

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life
Length: 5559

Noctis was a simple pony (Same one mentioned in The Mysterious Masseuse) with big ambitions. He was a dreamer, but in the end, he gave up. This is his tale.

This is the tale of a pony named Noctis. Noctis was always a lonely pony. Depressed, lonely, quiet, etc. He was a wanderer, until one day, he stumbled into a certain part of Equestria in which a new chapter of his life would open. This, is that chapter.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-04-15 21:24:08 UTC

Ancestry and Early Years

Noctis came from the family that was known simply as the Family of the Night. His family was dubbed as such when his great ancestor, Nocturn had befriended Princess Luna. Noctis was much like Nocturn in many ways. Nocturn was a simple, quiet pony who didn't talk much and didn't do anything of significance. However, there was one thing that differentiated him from all the others. Nocturn was different from the rest of the citizens of early Equestria, in the fact that he did not fear the night. Rather, he embraced it. He was an orphan, and he always thought that his parents lived on as the twinkling stars in the serene night sky. Nocturn not only was an orphan, but he was also homeless. He was nomadic, and always kept on moving around Equestria. Most people who have seen him, did not see him for long. He was there one day, and gone the next. However, one day, this poor pony had the luxury of stumbling upon the Princess of the Night, Princess Luna, herself during one night when he was going on traveling when everyone else had fallen asleep.

When Nocturn had met Luna, he, unlike all the others, treated her as the princess she was. Nocturn, had treated Luna with the utmost respect because he believed she was the one who kept his parents living on in the night sky as stars. Luna, of course, was surprised by not only his behavior towards her, she was surprised he wasn't home and that he wasn't afraid of the night. Back then, long before the Nightmare Moon event, everyone had feared the night and had never dared step outside their homes as soon as Celestia had lowered her sun. Luna had questioned as to why he was different, why he wasn't in a home, why he was traveling at this time of the night.

Nocturn had explained to Luna all of the tragedies in his life with grief in his voice. She pitied this poor pony, and took him under her wing. She befriended Nocturn and became not only his very best friend, but she also became a teacher to him. She taught Nocturn everything she could, caring for him as a teacher and a friend. She was not only a friend but a mother figure to Nocturn. Without Luna to help him, Nocturn would have more likely met with a terrible fate. Nocturn eventually married a wonderful pony named Stella and then had a child named Nocturnus. Thus, the Family of the Night was born.

The Family of the Night were long time supporters of Princess Luna, for many, many generations. However, when the Nightmare Moon event occurred, she not only turned her back to the family, she had tried to kill Nycto, the current youngest member of the family because he had requested that she stop this. Ever since then, the Family of the Night had been torn apart, and just how Luna turned her back on them, they turned their back to her. Some members of the family refused to even engage in their favorite pastimes that took place during the night. The night was ruined for them, for generations, and the family continued to split. Some went to go support Celestia, some remained loyal to Luna, and some just became indifferent about the rulers of Equestira.

10 years before Luna returned to Equestria as Nightmare Moon, Noctis was born. Noctis was born to two loving parents. Little did he know that he would be the one who would restore the Family of the Night's name. When he was 8 years old, he had heard about the tale of Nightmare Moon, and he was intrigued by it, so he looked deeper into the lore. He learned all about Princess Luna's history and his great ancestor, Nocturn. Noctis soon began to stay up during the night, the length increasing every month. His love for the night and the pony responsible for it blossomed.

Noctis was a pony who loved everything about the night and spent most of his time studying about the events of the past, and piecing parts of the puzzle together, finding out every little detail he could. He also had interest in learning about the law of Equestria and had always had the goal to protect every innocent person he could. Noctis always had great questioning skills, and he knew how to get to the bottom of things. His classmates heralded him as a detective and his skills were undeniably the best anyone had seen for someone his age.

Noctis was not without his problems however. His family was poor, his father slowly dying due to an incurable disease, his mother growing heartless towards him and his father. The family was slowly tearing itself apart and Noctis began to grow more depressed by the day, yearning that maybe one day, Nightmare Moon could return and be turned into Princess Luna again. He thought that maybe if she were to come back, that things could get better, that maybe she would know how to help his father, that maybe she would help him out with his family issues. However, Noctis' father's time came sooner than expected. His father died a mere week before Nightmare Moon returned, when Noctis was but ten years of age. His mother did not react well. She had left him home alone for a few days because she needed time away from everything. This had sent a young Noctis into a serious wave of depression. He felt abandoned, and worthless, as if he was good for nothing and had absolutely no talent. He was unsure if his mother would ever even come back. Things did not look good for him. This said wave of depression made him even contemplated suicide, for he thought that because he lost his father, it was all over, and things will only go downhill from there.

However, it is safe to say that he was not entirely wrong.

Ages Ten to Eighteen

A few days later, it finally happened, Nightmare Moon, returned. This was the moment Noctis had been waiting for ever since he learned about Luna. Little Noctis was only ten years old at the time and he had a lot to learn. He didn't know it yet, but he was going to be the one who would bring back the tradition of supporting the Princess of the Night. Noctis will be the one to pick up the family legacy, right where Nycto, his ancestor, had left it off.

Of course, Noctis had absolutely nothing to do with the return of the Princess of the Night, nor her return to the side of good, however, in the long run, he did end up helping her stay happy. Noctis had merely witnessed the events that brought the pony, that he waited so many years to see, back. He cried to himself in a very quiet manner, as tears of joy dripped from his face for what he had just seen was simply beautiful and heart warming. Soon afterwards, he went back to Ponyville to celebrate the return of Princess Luna with everyone else.

Soon after the festivities were over, a nervous Noctis approached Luna, hoping that maybe she will be able to notice his moon cutie mark, a symbol of his family for generations, hoping that maybe she will recognize him as Nocturn's descendant. He greeted Luna with his high pitched, shaky, and nervous voice, "H-hello P-Princess L-Luna. My name is Noctis... I uh, think you're a really nice pony..."

Luna, who was just sitting their, with a sad look on her face, heard the colt and then directed her attention to him. When she did, she immediately noticed the moon cutie mark. "Hello there, Noctis. Wait, is that a moon cutie mark? No... it can't be... Urm, Noctis, by any chance, are you in any way related to a pony named Nocturn?"

"Nocturn? He was like my earliest ancestor. He's as far as I can go back, in terms of my family history. Why do you ask, Princess?" Noctis was confused as to why the Princess would even ask this question, or how she would even remember Nocturn.

"I can't believe it... after all these years... your family lived on... and now you are here... perhaps it was fate that we would meet. Noctis, your family was very good to me in the past. Nocturn was the very first pony who went against the usual crowd of ponies, and stayed outside during the night, basking in the moonlight. His name really suited him well. Noctis, you have no idea how happy I am to meet you. This has to be fate giving me a chance to make up for my transgressions. This has to be fate, giving me a chance to make up for what I did to Nycto, a thousand years ago."

"Well Princess Luna, I know everything about you. I've read books about you and everything! I even read Nocturn's journal! My parents tried to hide it from me, but I still read it anyways! He said a lot of nice things about you. I don't care what anyone else says about you, Princess. I love you!"

Luna smiled at the young, ten year old Noctis, showing his innocence and his affection for her. "Well, I love you to, little one. Come with me, thou shall accompany me in my Castle, if you may be so kind. I believe I could use someone like you, Noctis. You're my key back into my life. Back into the world."

"You want me to come with you to the castle?! Am I dreaming?! Can this really be?! Wow!" Sheer euphoria exploded out of Noctis and made the Princess smile and laugh with utmost glee.

And thus, a new friendship was born. Noctis had grew close to Luna every day that went by. Luna was like the best friend he always wanted, but also like the caring mother he never really had.

Noctis and Luna had spent almost every single day with each other. The two were inseparable friends. They had studied many topics together, including Equestrian law, they had played together, they grew together. The young Noctis had the time of his life with the princess and was always very grateful to know her. It was only through her that he was able to have a nice life. With his father dead, and his mother abandoning him, and with the rest of the family turning their backs on him, Noctis would have never survived. He would have ended up a pony that was homeless on the streets, and he would slowly waste away.

The two friends constantly went on adventures as well, typically through the Everfree Forest, exploring all the mysteries that that place held. Things got especially interesting one day, however, when Noctis and Luna stumbled upon the ruins of the Castle of The Royal Pony Sisters. It had been 4 years since Luna's return, and yet, the bad memories of being Nightmare Moon had still haunted her. The Castle did little to bring back any positive memories. The Narrator will now retell the event for you all.

"Luna, look! It's your old castle from a thousand years ago! Isn't it exciting to see again?! We should really check it out!" The 14 year old Noctis had excitedly stated. Luna, however, was not as ecstatic to see the Castle that was left in ruins that she was responsible for. Seeing part of the rubble from afar, did not make her happy in the slightest, it only brought back painful memories.

Luna knew that once Noctis had his mind on something, there was no deterring him from the subject. She knew that whether she wanted to or not, she would have to go back to that Castle. "You really want to go to that Castle... don't you, Noctis?" She reluctantly asked.

"Oh of course I do! I want to see it so badly! I remember being in the castle, watching you transform back into your true self! You know Luna, I would still love you just as much even if you were still Nightmare Moon. Its the pony on the inside, that counts. And who you are on the inside is a wonderful, fun, compassionate, and loving pony who is good to everypony she meets!" Noctis did not get a verbal reply from Luna. She smiled a little, with some tears forming in her eyes, but she quickly tried to hide her emotions from him. Even though he made a good point, her heart was still filled with discord over the whole Nightmare Moon incident. The scars from that event never healed.

After not getting a reply from Luna, Noctis grew a bit sad, and realized that something was bothering her. "Luna... I know you probably still have some bad memories of that place... Being Nightmare Moon must have really hit you hard. I-I'm sorry for bringing it up... I just thought it would be fun to explore what was left in that castle... I thought maybe it would bring back some good memories... I see that it doesn't though. I'm sorry for ruining the fun, we can just go back to Canterlot now..." Noctis then turned around, and began his trip back to Canterlot, walking with his head down in sadness.

Luna could not stand to see her best friend this way, she became more concerned about his happiness than her own, and she then learned an important thing about friendship. Even she did not fully understand friendship yet, because of course none of her friends live to this day. They all perished during her banishment. However, she learned that sometimes, if you just do what your friend thinks is fun, then you'll start to have fun to because you will see the happiness on their face. She learned that friends make sacrifices for friends to keep each other happy. "Noctis... wait. I changed my mind, we can go to the Castle. I can tell how much you really want to go there, and who am I to ruin your fun? Come on, let's go!" Luna said with a convincing and genuine smile on her face.

Noctis turned around quickly and his head had sprung up, being held high, as his eyes sparkled with pure joy and excitement. Luna giggled at the colt's innocence and predictability. In the back of her mind, she knew that he would not be this way forever, but she knew very well how to make the most of it. "Do you really mean it Luna? Do we really get to go to the castle? I dreamed of going there for so long, it's not even funny!"

"Haha, of course we are Noctis! Now come on! We're burning moonlight!" Luna said to Noctis with a bit of fake excitedness. She really felt a bit uneasy about everything, and in the back of her mind had worried about her own mental stability. She was worried that she would have an emotional break down right in front of Noctis, something she did not want him to see.

The two friends journeyed to the ruins of the castle, following the same path Twilight and her friends had taken but a mere 4 years ago. Things had changed since then however. The tree branches grew longer, the darkness was more intense, the water had stopped flowing, and lastly, the bridge that the original group had crossed was all gone. Luna remembered traversing this path as Nightmare Moon, laying trap after trap for Twilight Sparkle and her friends, to try to stop them from stopping her eternal night. Noctis could sense the discord within her, but he did his best not to show his knowledge of her disturbance.

"You know Noctis, traversing this path brings back many, many memories. Not only was this the route that I took as Nightmare Moon, but this was also the route Celestia and I always took whenever we traveled from our Castle to Equestria and back. I've had many conversations on this path, I've done many things on this path, and everything here reminds me of the events that took place years and years ago."

"I didn't know you and Celestia constantly took this path! That's pretty cool actually. I'm sorry that this all reminds you about Nightmare Moon though..."

"You need not worry about that, Noctis. We are here to have fun, let us not dwell on the darkness of my past, and instead look towards to brightness of the future ahead of us! Now come, we're almost at the Castle. You do want to see it, don't you?"

"Of course I want to see it Luna! But honestly, I want to talk about this whole place some more. I want to hear What's different between then and now, concerning the Everfree and this particular path, of course."

"We can talk about it once we get to the castle, Noctis. Now come on, I have some memories I want to relive, and you have a whole new place to explore. I promise we can talk about anything you want when we get there, so long as we just keep quiet for the time being." Noctis nodded his head in agreement as the two spent the remainder of their time travelling to what remained of the ancient castle.

Ages Eighteen To Twenty Five

As Noctis grew older, he started to take his education more seriously, and began to think what he wanted to do with his life. He admired the Princesses and their duties and began to wonder if he could become an adviser to Princess Luna. However, his dreams were crushed when Luna had insisted that he seek out different professions first. She told him, "My dear Noctis, please do not take this the wrong way. I would love it if you were to be my adviser, however, you are still young. You have a life to live, you have places to go, things to do. Being an adviser would make your young life miserable. Your youth would be stolen away from you, in a sense. I insist that you please, please, find some other field of work. You are only 18, and can contribute so much to our society. Noctis, you must learn to live life alone. You can not simply live with me forever. You need to learn how to be independent. Please, Noctis, think of something else. I will not allow you to pursue this path." After Luna spoke those words, an expression of sorrow grew upon her face. She knew that if he was not with her, that it would all end up for the better.

With a face of disappointment, almost to the point of tears, Noctis replied and asked, "Luna... I guess I understand...", he paused, lost in thought on what to say next, "Luna? What profession do you think I would be good at? Do you recommend anything to me?"

"Hm, well you are a pegasus, Noctis, ever think about joining the weather team? There are some really great ponies in that field, especially Rainbow Dash. I'm sure that if you sign up with the Official Equestrian Weather Patrol, you will have a lot of fun. I have no doubt in my mind that they will accept you, after all, you are a pretty amazing flier, all things considered. I suggest you go check them out. Be sure to write to me once they do accept you. I'm sure they'll give you a new home and a good position."

"Well... Alright Luna. I guess I'll go to Cloudsdale and talk with the leader of the team. I'll let you know how it goes. Goodbye." Noctis sadly replied as he then turned around and began to walk out of the castle. Tears began to drip down his face as walking away from the pony who he spent 8 years with basically told him to go away. He felt betrayed by Luna and vowed to not speak to her again. Of course, eventually, that vow was broken, but it would be 5 long years until he would do so.

"Goodbye... Noctis... I'll miss you..." Princess Luna said softly. She was heartbroken. She grew so attached to Noctis, and knew how much she meant to him and how much he meant to her. She knew, that there was discord within his heart, and that he was unlikely to ever return to her. This was the saddest goodbye she had said in years, but she knew that it was for the better that it ended this way. This was what seemed to be the end of a long friendship. But then, she realized, she didn't want to end on such a somber note, and quickly gave chase to the melancholic Noctis.

"Noctis! Please! Wait!" Luna had screamed to him. Noctis immediately turned around to find the Princess of the Night sprinting towards him.

"What do you want, Princess Luna? I'm going to Cloudsdale now, I have a new life to begin." Noctis stated, coldly.

"I wanted to give you a gift, of good will. Something to remember me by, when you begin your new life. Have these goggles, they have my cutiemark stitched into the band. These are the highest quality of goggles there are, and they are my own personal pair. I want you to have them, so when you become a weather pony, you'll do an even better job."

"Princess Luna... thank you... thank you so much for everything... I-I'll... I'll miss you... Luna."

"And I will miss you to, Noctis. More than you may think I will. I... I will always love you... as part of the family... you are always welcome at the Canterlot Castle. Please, do stop by every once in a while. You are one of my closest friends."

"I'll be sure to stop by, Luna. Thank you for everything. Now, I believe its time I go to Cloudsdale. Oh, and... I love you to, Princess." Noctis then began to weep, as he fell apart emotionally. Luna, as well, soon began to shed her own tears. She got closer to Noctis and gave him one last hug, before they said goodbye.

After the emotional scene, Noctis waved goodbye to Luna as he donned the goggles that she just gave to him, and departed for Cloudsdale. Although he was much warmer to Luna and felt a lot less betrayed, he still vowed not to speak to her. He knew that it would be for the better, even though the thought of Luna sitting there, all alone in the castle, waiting for her best friend, drove him to tears.

When he got to Cloudsdale and met with the team leader, he was immediately given the job as he was widely known as Princess Luna's close friend and was known to be a great flier to. He was soon run through the basics and once he came out of basic training, he was ready to be a weather pony. The Equestrian Weather Patrol supplied him not only with housing in Cloudsdale, but with great new friends as well. For the next 7 years of his life, he was a faithful and dedicated weather pony, constantly clearing the skies along with Rainbow Dash and the others. He felt like he was part of a new family, and loved every single moment of it. He enjoyed flying through the skies and just feeling free. It worked wonders on his heart and helped him lift his sad spirits day by day. In his home, however, he always kept a painting hung on the wall, depicting some of his favorite moments in life with Luna. He had it with him in his satchels when he departed the castle. He hung it there, to make sure he would never forget the good times he and the Princess had shared.

Noctis never went back to the Canterlot Castle to obtain any of his belongings, and they just remained there, in the guest room, collecting dust. Princess Luna ordered that the contents of the room shall never be altered in any way. She wanted to leave the room just the way Noctis left it, just in case he ever did come back to see her. However, as the years went by, Luna realized that her best friend, was gone. He had a new life without her, and probably forgot all about the years that they spent together.

During his time in the Weather Pony Patrol, Noctis befriended a specific few others, that soon became his best friends for the next few years. The first friend he made was none other than a pony named QuickSilver. QuickSilver wasn't a very outgoing pony, and neither was Noctis. They met each other when during one fateful day, a storm got completely out of control. It tore through parts of Ponyville, and the ponies that were currently working to stop it were not strong enough to do so. Noctis was feeling conflicted inside, knowing that he could help, but it would be really easy for him to lose his goggles in the process.

QuickSilver was in a similar situation as Noctis was. He was sitting down, unsure if he could be of use at all in the effort to tame the beastly storm. It was then that he knew that something had to be done. He convinced his soon to be friend to get up and help control the insane storm.

One fateful day however, Noctis had lost his prized possession. The one thing that meant the most to him, his goggles. It was an accident.

About 4 and a half years later, Noctis became temporarily stationed in Fillydelphia. They needed all the extra help they could get. He had no problems with it, so long as he still got to be a part of the team. He was stationed there for about 8 months. While he was there, he became acquainted with a Mare named Gusty Winds, she was one of the best police officers in Fillydelphia. Gusty and Noctis became good friends over his 8 month stay. He also had met his long lost cousin, Nacht, who was working as an undercover detective looking into a large crime ring. But during that 8th month, disaster had struck.

In that 8th month, Nacht, Noctis' cousin, was murdered. He was found dead, and adding to the stress of the situation, his great friend, Gusty, was the one who was being charged with his death. Noctis could not make sense of this, and it looked like Gusty was going to be executed, if she was found guilty in court. He did not believe for one moment, however, that she was the one who truly killed Nacht. He knew that there was something else wrong there.

Soon after he heard of the news, Noctis went down to the Fillydelphia Detention Center to meet with Gusty. She told him all about how her case was hopeless, and she was going to be a goner for sure. Noctis was outraged by this statement, and became furious at the Defense Attorneys that had rejected her case. He asked Gusty if he could become her Defense Attorney, and she was confused as to why he wanted this role. He explained to her that when he was with Luna, growing up, he studied Equestrian Law with her, and he knew how the system works.

Having no other options, she accepted the stallion who seems to never take off his goggles. "Hey Noctis, can I ask you something? Its unrelated to the case and all, but I'm really curious."

"What is it, Gusty?"

"Why do you always wear those goggles wherever you go? It seems to me that you never take them off! Is there any reason? Are those goggles important to you?"

"Oh, these goggles eh? Heh, man does that take me back. It was 5 years ago, I was just about to leave for Cloudsdale to apply for a job as a weather pony, I was really depressed, because it felt like Luna, who was my long time friend at that point, had turned her back to me. But then, she came after me. She came sprinting as fast as she could, screaming and begging me to wait. She then gave me these goggles. These were her goggles, you know. Her Cutiemark is embroidered into the band. I have these goggles on me at all times, because these were her goggles. She gave them to me to remember her by. To this day, I still wear them wherever I go. They are very important to me."

Gusty was amazed by his story, to say the least. However, Noctis quickly changed the topic back to the trial, and Gusty told him all the information he needed to know. He had Gusty write a letter, to get Noctis appointed as her lawyer. Once Noctis handed the letter to the police department, they told him everything that they knew, that Gusty didn't. Or at least, everything that they could say, with the Prosecutors keeping them tight lipped. After investigating the crime scene, he had found enough evidence to prove her innocence. Soon enough, he asked about the prosecution, and the Chief Detective replied, "Gee pal, I feel bad for you. If this is your first time being a lawyer, it will not end well. Chief Prosecutor Solaris is on the case, and he has never lost a trial in 10 years. Best of luck to you, but you're fighting a losing war."

Those words never deterred Noctis. Instead, it motivated him to be the best he could be. He saw it as a challenge. Little did he know that the one who was set to be the Judge for that case, was not Princess Celestia. No. When he stepped into the Court Building, he found out that it was Princess Luna who was going to be the Judge presiding over the trial. This made him somewhat uneasy, as this was the first time he saw Luna in about 5 years. Then, when Luna was done speaking to Solaris, she noticed Noctis. A smile of joy grew upon her face as her eyes twinkled with euphoria. "Noctis! It's you! My old friend! Oh I can't believe it! You're actually going to be the defense! Noctis! I am just so happy to see you!" She shouted. She noticed that Noctis was still wearing the very same goggles that she gave to him, 5 years ago, and that made her shed a few tears of joy. She was worried that he had forgotten all about her, but the goggles were the sign that showed otherwise.

"Luna... I...I'm..."

"You're what, Noctis?"

"I'm... sorry."

"Pray tell, Noctis, what are you sorry for?! You have done nothing wrong at all!"

"I'm sorry for abandoning you... I'm sorry for never visiting... I'm so sorry that we had to meet each other like this.In fact, in all honesty, if this never happened, I would never have seen you again. I didn't want to ever bother you again."

"Noctis, I admit, over the years, I became very, very depressed because I never got to see you again. It has been Ten long, lonely years since your departure. You know, I have kept your room exactly the way you left it, all those years ago. As the years went by, however, I knew you were never going to come back. I heard great things about you, throughout the years. The Equestrian Weather Patrol Leader had always complimented you when she spoke of you to me. I admit, I wept many times because I missed you ever so much, but I did not want to interfere with your new life."

This loving reunion has revived the old friendship that Noctis and Luna had once shared. Over the next few years, their friendship blossomed again. However, that is later in the story, and the narrator is getting ahead of himself.

The trial was going to happen in but a couple of minutes. Noctis was starting to get stressed, however, Luna came to him, and gave him a few words of wisdom. Those words helped calm him down and when the case started, he was as bold and brilliant as ever. It was as if Noctis was a pro. He was truly happy defending his friend, Gusty, and when it finally ended, he got Gusty acquitted of her charges, even though she was still penalized for her involvement, as it was discovered, she had blown Nacht's cover in the first place.

Luna had celebrated with Gusty and Noctis as they won the court case, while Chief Prosecutor Solaris went to go yell at his subordinates in pure rage as he lost his first court case ever. Luna and Noctis, from then on, grew closer and slowly started to do more things together, as soon as Noctis was transferred back to Cloudsdale, Ponyville, and Canterlot shift.

Noctis had then asked his superiors if they could provide him with housing in Ponyville, where he wanted to live. They of course, agreed for he was one of their best, after all.