One month passed since Nightwatch found Buttercream. She was getting better at crawling and could already speak by saying one word at a time. He took her out one night to look through the telescope his parents got him for his birthday. The skies were clear, and the stars shone brightly overhead. The moon would be full tonight but would not be up until after Nightwatch’s bedtime.
“See that one, Butter? That one is called Orion!” Nightwatch said as he held his little baby sister in front of the telescope.
Buttercream giggled as she looked through the eyepiece and started speaking.
“O…O…Owion!” Buttercream said, cheerfully.
“That’s right, Butter!”
“She really is a talker now!” Aurora added, cheerfully.
“She really likes this! Maybe she’ll grow up to be a star-gazer like you, buddy!” said Midnight Hue.
“Show her the Big Dipper, Nighty!” Aurora told her son as he began adjusting the telescope again.
“Riiiiight…there! Look Butter, the Big Dipper!”
“Biiiiidippuh!”
“Hehe, close enough.”
“Showing her these constellations is really helping her to grow up, son,” Midnight said as he patted Nightwatch on the shoulder. “Before you know it, she’ll be able to speak full sentences!”
“It’s so great to use my telescope and be with her at the same time,” Nightwatch said as he cuddled up to Buttercream. “I’m so glad you guys got me this. I love looking at the night sky and finding all the stars!”
“We knew this was what you wanted most, sweetie,” Aurora said. “Can you remember your zodiac constellation?”
“Yup! I was born on July 12th so mine is Cancer.”
“Butter was born on the same day so she has the same one! Do you wanna show her Cancer?”
“Good idea, Mom! Here Butter, let’s find it…”
Nightwatch walked back over to his telescope and moved it around until he found the constellation. He allowed Buttercream to crawl over to the eyepiece and start to look through.
“There it is! That’s Cancer, Buttercream!”
“Cansuh!”
“You got it! Say, Mom, Dad, can I ask you guys something?”
“Sure, son. What is it?” Midnight answered as Nightwatch walked to them.
“I know you guys don’t like when I stay up past ten, but can I pleeeease do it tonight? I really wanna show Butter the Mare in the Moon when it comes up over the mountain.”
Midnight and Aurora shared looks and then smiled.
“Alright, Nighty. You can stay up until you’ve seen the full moon.”
“YES! Thank you! Let me go inside real quick to get my book!”
Nightwatch rushed into the house to retrieve a special book about the Mare in the Moon. Aurora and Midnight stayed behind to keep an eye on Buttercream and the telescope. She stayed put to watch some nearby fireflies.
“He’s been happier than I’ve seen him in a while, honey,” Aurora told her husband as she snuggled up beside him.
“It’s because of this little one right here,” Midnight told her while petting Buttercream. “This little dragon has been quite the blessing to our family. She was just what we needed after losing poor Twinkle.”
“I was a little iffy about letting a baby dragon stay here at first, but she’s done well so far. Everyone in town doesn’t seem to mind either. I thought some would be more uneasy with a dragon around, given how poor of relations Equestria has with dragons.”
“Maybe one day the dragons and ponies will get back together again.”
They then heard Nightwatch running back outside. He was using his magic to carry a large book.
“I found it!” he shouted as he quickly placed the book on the ground and opened it up.
“Are you going to tell Butter about the prophecy?” Aurora asked.
“Sure am! Look Butter. See that? That’s the Mare in the Moon.”
Nightwatch pointed to a page that showed a picture of the moon with the shape of an alicorn head in it. On the same page were ancient illustrations of the royal sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Buttercream stared in amazement at the book as Nightwatch continued.
“Long ago, Equestria was ruled by two sisters: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. There was harmony in the land until the younger sister, Luna grew resentful and jealous of her sister and transformed into the wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon! Using her new corrupted magic, she raised the moon and threatened to make the night last forever, so Celestia had no choice but to banish her sister to the moon by using the power of the Elements of Harmony. There is a prophecy that says Nightmare Moon will break free of the moon after one thousand years, and if my calculations are correct, she will return in about ten years on the very night of the Summer Sun Celebration. I always try to tell the kids at school about this, but they laugh at me and say Mare in the Moon is just an old pony’s tale. I believe it though, and when Nightmare Moon does return, someone else will find the Elements of Harmony to break Princess Luna free of the curse.”
Buttercream put her tiny claw on the picture of Princess Luna.
“Woo…Woona,” she said.
“Yup, that’s her. I feel bad for Princess Luna because she just wanted other ponies to love her night, but her anger created Nightmare Moon and Luna didn’t mean to harm anyone. When she comes back and is set free, I want to meet her myself.”
Midnight and Aurora smiled proudly as Nightwatch recited the prophecy to his little sister. They looked at each other, giggling softly at the sight of their son being so educated on the matter and saying how he wanted to meet the princess some day. They then noticed something out of the corner of their eye. The moon began to rise over the hilltop.
“Nighty, it’s time!” said Aurora.
“OH! There it is, Butter! The moon is rising!”
Nightwatch jumped up and turned his telescope around to view the moon. He made some adjustments and then tightened the bolts and lifted Butter to allow her to look into the eyepiece.
“That’s the Mare in the Moon! See how it looks like the head of a unicorn?”
“Ooooh…” Butter said as she observed the moon.
“That’s where Princess Luna is right now. Someday, the moon will return to normal and Nightmare Moon will come back, but we’ll be ready for her!”
Butter started to laugh and wave her arms around, happy to have seen the moon through the telescope. Nightwatch then handed her to Aurora who held her in her arms.
“Alright buddy,” said Midnight. “I think it’s time you two went to bed.”
“Wait…that’s strange.”
“What is it, Sweetie?” asked Aurora.
“It’s…it’s those stars.”
Nightwatch then used his magic to bring his book back to him and looked closer at the paragraph about the prophecy.
“It says here that the stars will aid in her escape…but it doesn’t say which stars. Mom, Dad, I think I just found something!”
“What is it, son?” asked Midnight.
“These four stars have moved to different spots since the last time I saw them: Ari, Hamal, Sheratan, and Mesarthim! They’re moving across the sky on their own! Those must be the stars that will help Nightmare Moon escape! They’re getting closer to the moon with each passing year!”
“Wow, Nighty, great job!” Aurora cheered as Buttercream started to clap.
“I never would have noticed that myself, son! You really are good at this!” Midnight chimed in.
“Hang in there, Princess Luna. You’ll be free someday,” Nightwatch said as he stared up at the four stars and then back to the moon.
He thought deeply as he continued to stare at the moon until he heard his parents both gasp very loudly. He also noticed something had been shining nearby that his parents were clearly reacting to. He turned to look at them both but could not find the source of the shining object. Both of his parents were staring at him and had their jaws hanging wide open. Buttercream appeared very happy and started crawling over to Nightwatch.
“Guys…what’s the matter?” he asked.
“NIGHTY…YOU…YOU JUST GOT YOUR CUTIE MARK!” Aurora squealed.
“WHAT?!”
Nightwatch spun his head back and saw the light had come from his flank. A cutie mark had just appeared with some light still emitting until it finally died out. There was an image of a telescope with several stars and the moon in front of it. His eyes opened wider and the corners of his mouth stretched to form a huge smile.
“MY…MY CUTIE MARK!!”
Nightwatch lost all control and started jumping up and down in circles. He then used his magic to pick up Buttercream and bring her in for a hug. She giggled and hugged him back.
“BUTTER, I DID IT! I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!”
“ALRIGHT, NIGHTY!” shouted Midnight as he came in to join the hug with Aurora by his side.
“OH NIGHTY, WE’RE SO PROUD OF YOU!!” Aurora said with tears in her eyes.
Everyone hugged tightly as Nightwatch yelped with excitement. He could not contain his enthusiasm.
“I can’t believe I got my cutie mark while I was finding out about the stars that will aid in Nightmare Moon’s escape!” he said. “That must mean those really are the stars! The prophecy is true! I can’t believe I figured it out!”
“What a night this has been.” Aurora sighed, contently.
“I’m just glad I let him stay up later like he asked. I guess some rules really are meant to be broken,” Midnight added while laughing.
They all laughed along with him and then rested themselves on the cool grass. After a few moments, the laughing died down, and they sat still, staring at the night sky together.
“Mom, Dad, I think I know what I’m going to do with my life when I get older,” Nightwatch told them. “I’m going to keep studying the stars and become an astronomer, but I also want to practice my magic more. If the Elements of Harmony are what can stop Nightmare Moon and bring back Princess Luna, I want to learn about them.”
“We’ll support you no matter what, Sweetie,” said Aurora as she reached over and nuzzled her son as he yawned. “Well Midnight, in all our excitement, I think we’ve almost forgotten about putting these two in bed.”
“You’re right, Honey,” Midnight replied. “Alright, you two little goobers. Let’s get you to back to…”
Midnight looked over to his kids to see they had both already fallen asleep and were cuddling up to each other. He and his wife sat up and smiled at the little colt and baby dragon. Aurora quietly used her magic to lift them while Midnight took the book and folded up the telescope.
“Sweet dreams, my little ones,” Midnight said, kissing both of them.
Aww, hooray for Nightwatch! He's going to be an amazing astronomer!
adorable little children
Another wholesome chapter in this wholesome chapter. Seeing how close Nightwatch and Buttercream have become in only a month is absolutely precious. It's reminding me of my niece. She turned 3 this year, and she's quite the adorable little chatterbox. =)
Congrats to Nightwatch for getting his cutie mark, too, and by such a discovery! The stars that will aid Nightmare Moon in her escape. I remember that being brought up in the first episode, but I can't recall if that was ever elaborated on. The kid's gonna be a great astronomer when he grows up. =)
I like that Nightwatch doesn't fear Nightmare Moon's return, but is rather hopeful for Princess Luna instead. Also yay the little colt got his cutie mark! ^^
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And he's going to do a lot more than just that!
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Daw! It makes me happy to hear it reminds you of the relationship with your niece! :3
Yeah, it should have been touched on in the series, but was left a total mystery. Why would it be those four random stars and who foresaw that happening?
Aww this was a precious chapter, not only do we see Butter starting to speak but also seeing Nightwatch getting his cutie mark, pretty awesome Alex!
This was another cute chapter. Buttercream is still adorable, especially now that she can talk a bit, but Nightwatch was the true cute one here. I thought it was cool that he knows about Luna and Nightmare Moon too. In the first episode of the series it seemed like Twilight was the only one who realized Nightmare Moon was coming, and nobody else recognized her or knew who she was. But Nightwatch, despite his age, not only knows her but still sees the best in her immediately, and wants to meet her when she is free. I hope he keeps that optimistic personality as he grows up.
That day will come eventually, all thanks to a certain purple dragon.
That kind of reminds me of Luna's old nickname in the fandom, Wuna.
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Ooh, cool!
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Indeed Super, indeed
Since we're here, how will those stars help Nightmare Moon anyway?
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You'll see...
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Sylvester Stallion and three other stars will rescue her.
This is a unique idea u came up with. I like it. A male pony oc adopting a female dragon for a sister is quite adorable and uncalled for. I look forward to future updates.
Well... it seems Buttercream is settling well into the family, which is good. I'm surprised she can talk at such a young age, but then again she's a baby dragon, not a foal or a human baby, so she just may develop faster in some respects - which would make sense considering that Spike, who's at least younger than Apple Bloom (and maybe also than Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo) seems to be more mature than them, even if he's still a kid in many aspects.
All the same, her interactions with Nightwatch and his parents are adorable, and it's nice to see how much they all love her.
Interesting that Nightwatch actually knew that Nightmare Moon was Princess Luna, given that such information doesn't seem to have been known by the wider public, but then again, in a world without computers and the Internet, it's easier for information to remain hidden, so it's not impossible that a select few would know the full story while the population at large doesn't. And I suppose one could blame the EEA if one wanted to, given that Neighsay and his bunch seem to have issues with the education programs they implement. Either way, it's good that at least Luna has one more pont who knows the truth and wants to see her back.
And well... I know I'm repeating myself here, but the scene with him earning his cutie mark was really sweet too. Everyone's happiness for him was palpable, and so was Nightwatch's pride in himself and his accomplishment. I'm glad he now knows what he wants to do. I only hope Equestria provides the required career opportunities.
All in all, another great chapter! I liked it very much, and am looking forward to the next one! :)
my heart is melting
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I like to think dragons can grow fairly quickly when they are newborns. Since they are not humans, that means there's plenty of options to work with them growing a little faster or at least learning to talk earlier.
As for Nightwatch knowing about Luna being NMM, I'm kinda surprised not many others did, though if that happened 1000 years ago, it is likely it just faded into legend at some point or people forgot about the prophecy at least. Twilight's friends not knowing about it does make sense (though they did make a mistake when Twilight said "Sister?" even though she read the book and already knows it's Luna). What Nightwatch is figuring out now is not common knowledge and an upcoming chapter will deal with how others react to that prophecy actually.
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It does have its parallels with Twilight and Spike, but there's a reason for that. *wink*
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That makes sense. From what I know, reptiles develop faster than humans, and dragons are, for lack of a better term, 'reptile coded', so it makes sense they'd develop faster.
On Nightwatch and what he knows... I guess it depends on how much literacy was spread at the time, as like in the real world, there may have been ages where literacy was less common, so knowledge of Nightmare Moon's true identity and nature may have become distorted.
Looking forward to seeing how those others react to the prophecy, as well as who they are.
I've long (2015? 2016?) believed in a theory I first saw over in Poniverse.
1) Look at Twilight's Cutie Mark
2) Remember that MANY hers escaped that night. Including Mayor Mare & a large portion of Ponyville. But that's another story.
3) Remember that high ranking nobles often have many titles including a few meaningless but poetic titles.
4) If you assume that one of Luna's was Nox Aeterna (the endless night) then...
5) Twilight (among others) DID aid in her escape. The "she" refers to Twilight & "she" DID "bring eternal night".
& Someone is just NEVER going to shut up about this at class reunions.
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But how did she aid?