An Old Friend

We begin this tale on an island, isolated from the rest of the world, where one special pony now resides. It's a beautiful island, with a sandy shore that's supported by lush palm trees. The sun is setting, the day is coming to an end, and the night will soon come to whisk the light of day away and replace it with its own nightly glow of the stars and moon.

There was a pony sitting on a tree, just staring out into the sunset, all alone, by himself. He's become a hermit of sorts. Lord knows what he's been through. Every day, and every night, he comes out to this spot to watch the time pass, as he doesn't have much else to do by himself.

Today, however, would be different than all the other days. Today, our special pony would get some company, from someone long ago.

A brown, long maned, lush tailed, mare donned in a lab coat emerged out of a building on the island, a little shack that just holds some old supplies, some old memories. She had teleported in from a land far, far away. One that was once both of these ponies’ home.

She approached the stallion sitting on the long, curvy palm tree, and took a seat next to him, without saying  a word. She just gave the hooded figure a smile as she placed her flank down on the tree as well, staring out into the sunset with him.

“It's been a long time, hasn't it been, old friend? I see time has only treated you well.” the cloaked stallion spoke in a calm and collected voice. He didn't show much emotion, but one could sense a little bit of happiness

“A long time indeed, old friend…  a long time indeed. I see you're the same as ever, always so… sentimental, so philosophical. The fact that you've moved all the way out here all by yourself without even a proper goodbye says a lot about you and your heart, you know.”

The hooded figure chuckled ever so slightly, the musings of the brown mare making him react in a way he hasn't in quite some time. He decided to give her the respect she deserved and pulled down the hood of his cloak, revealing the brilliant midnight once more, as his horn slowly emerged from the hood, as well as his defined muzzle, his deep purple eyes, and his ruffled mane. He's seen better days, but he hardly looks any different than what he used to, oh so long ago. Figures. His kind doesn't age as easily as others. “I have to say.. I'm sorry. I'm not someone who has a right to be anymore. I'm not someone who should be there, with you. Besides… despite my best efforts, I'm sure I've already been forgotten and replaced…. To what do I owe this special encounter to anyways?” he spoke in a more somber tone now, his voice cracking a bit here and there as his emotions are already overflowing out of his control.

The brown mare simply smiled and laughed. She giggled and guffawed. “Oh my, oh my. Always the one to get down to business right away, aren't you? Come on Nocty, I thought maybe after all this time alone, you would have been less of a stick in the mud.” she had a clear grin on her face, some memories returning to her as they surely were to the stallion as well. “I guess some things do never change~” she teased softly, still giggling ever so slightly.

“And you're still that silly, curious mare I knew all those years ago. I guess you and I aren't that different, eh?” the stallion attempted to muse around and joke and play just like his friend, a small smile growing on his weathered face.

“You know Nocty, you always had a funny way of being right about these things~”

The two of them continued to joke around for a while, some childish name calling here and there but it was all done in jest.

“You know Nocty…” the brown mare said, her tone and mood shifting to a much more serious and downplayed one.

“Yeah, Synny?”

“You weren't that off when you said you've been replaced… not in my heart, but by others. There's this… Other Noctis, you see. Moon cutie mark, same spiky mane, same sort of heart. He's really not that much different than you were… I've been to see, this other Noctis… he reminded me of you… when I heard that name… “Noctis”... I thought it'd be you again. But it wasn't. It was someone else entirely… you may share the same name… but he can't hold a candle to your flame… it's just not the same, Nocty. Not the same at all… I've missed you for all this time.. Hoping to find a way to see you again, and, well, here you are…”

“This… other Noctis… I've heard rumors of him long before… if that's the Noctis the public loves, then it's the one the public shall get. I'm meant to live a life here, Synny. I'm out of the picture, out of the focus, so something new can be born.” he said with a somber tone, tears starting to slowly flow down his face. “Go, Synny… I'm not a part of your life anymore…  you need to move on. You need to find someone new. You need to make new bonds, new relationships, new friends. You can't stay hung up on someone you once knew, and now they're gone.”

Syntax clearly and visibly got disheartened by the depressing words of the stallion. He meant well for her, but it's hard for her to let go. She loved Noctis, not as a romantic interest, but as a very dear friend. “Noctis… you aren't meant to be all alone like this. Noctis, someone, still loves you. I, still love you, after all this time… You can't just run away from your own past, you can't just abandon everything and hide away… that'll only lead to your own eventual self destruction… and I won't let that happen.”

“Syntax… I-” Noctis was ready to dismiss all that, but he was quickly silenced with a push off the tree, and into the water of the sea below.

“Shut up Noctis! You silly filly, you need to be mature about this!” She sounded both angry, hurt, and yet, her playful side was coming out as well. She hopped down into the water as well and started splashing the ever living hell out of the stallion. “Nocty, come on, you gonna run away from this too~?”

Noctis was just huffing and puffing now, the once calm and collected stallion was about to be in a rage. Before he could do anything, however, he was splashed again in the face. “Come on Nocty, you're taking a beating here~. You're looking pretty hot right now, I think you need to cool down~” She teased and giggled as she splashed him with water over and over again.

Noctis was about to just hit the mare, but the more she splashed him, the more she pushed him away, and the more he fell over in the water. The more the water flowed against him, the more the memories started flowing back, and the more his heart grew from  a heart of anger, to a heart of love. He started to laugh along with the splashes, and devised his own clever counter attacks with splashes as well, doing the best he can to overcome the brown mare's magical waves. Memories of the old house in Ponyville kept flowing back to him as well, particularly the spectacle that was the flooded house, all in the effort to make the best water balloon possible. Oh how the memories themselves made him laugh with joy, but he couldn't help but have tears in his eyes as while these memories were happy ones, they were also bittersweet. They were from a former life, a former incarnation.

Soon, the two of them managed to nearly drown their opponent with their own mini tidal waves of fun. It didn't take long for Noctis to come up with a new plan though. He swam over to a higher portion of the sea, where the sea level rose, to gain a tactical advantage. It was also closer to the shore, which gave him the upper hoof. “It's over Synny! I have the high ground!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, over to the mare swimming over to him at alarming speeds.

“You underestimate my power!” Syntax yelled as she leaped out of the water, and latched onto Noctis, tackle hugging him in the water, and rolling with him onto the shore. The two of them laughed and laughed for a good while, just basking in the silliness of the situation. Syntax was on top of Noctis, and she stood up, with the largest grin on her face, and she giggled as she said “Now it seems the apprentice has beaten the master~” she just burst into tears and laughter as she fell right back on top of Noctis, and her laughter was as contagious as ever, so the drenched stallion started to laugh along once more as well.

Soon, the time passed, and the moon began to rise above the sun. The two were lying on one another for quite some time, laughing to their hearts’ content, rekindling their old bond ever so sweetly. But it didn't last forever, as they both got up and dried themselves off before returning to that tree. They sat close to each other, Noctis draping his wing over Syntax’s back, and they stared off towards the sky and sea, watching the white glow of the moon reflect on the calm ocean water. “You know Synny… I have gotta say… thank you. You've made me feel so much better about everything… you made my day, hell, you made my year already. I forgot how much fun I had with you. Guess what they say is true, you never really know what you've got until it's gone… and I'm sorry for leaving you.”

Syntax beamed a large smile at Noctis, looking at him face to face, having turned his head over to her with her own two hooves. “Aww… silly old sappy Nocty~. You really haven't changed… this is why I love ya so much~”

“I love ya too Synny… you truly haven't changed all that much either, but you've certainly grown into a more mature mare… your new look suits you well. I hope I'll see much more of it~”

Syntax’s heart was pounding and she couldn't help but jump in excitement. “Does that mean you're coming back?!”

Unfortunately, the stallion shook his head solemnly and slowly. “No, no… Sorry, Synny, this is my home now, and I actually do like it here… but that doesn't mean my home can't also be your vacation home, right~?” the stallion said with a smile, hoping that would be enough to make the mare happy as well

“Oh Nocty… I'm happy to just be here with you today! Do you really mean that… I can come whenever I want? T-That is what you meant by that… right?” She seemed to still be rather peppy and excited, but that more mature side was coming out too, smiling softly and warmly at him, her eyes relaxed and docile.

The stallion chuckled and proceeded to nod his head “That's right! You've guessed it! You're free to come and stay for however long ya like, but you have to go back too sometimes, don't forget!”

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhh fine fine, you win Nocty~” The brown mare giggled as she snuggled up right back into his wing, getting all nice and cozy with his soft, gentle feathers.

“I always do Synny, I always do~” He replied back as he wrapped his hooves around her and gave her a big ol’ hug. The two of them squeezed it out and proceeded to watch the full moon rise to its peak, before Noctis took the mare back to his home on the island, a nice wooden building, homey and cozy. Definitely fit his tastes. Seemed a lot like the old one too, while feeling new and foreign at the same time. The two of them climbed to the top floor, where there was an observation deck, and they sat there until they both fell asleep on the hard wood, the brown mare lying on top of the pale stallion. They were reunited friends at last. It goes to show, friends, despite the time they're apart, despite how far away they are, they're always going to be friends, no matter what.