8. Forgiveness
The following day was spent almost entirely with resting. Noctura had been up most of the previous day preparing for the ritual, and Nightwatch and Buttercream had also pulled an all-nighter, so everyone was tired. Noctura was still very distressed over what happened to Nightmare Moon. The first thing she did when Nightwatch found a good place to keep her safe from the sunlight was cry herself to sleep. Nightwatch had set up the tent for him and Buttercream to sleep in, but Noctura preferred to curl up against a rock. The area they were in was shady enough for her to not be blinded by the light and this part of the forest didn’t seem so dangerous. Nightwatch slept for a few hours and then got up to go check on his supplies, while Buttercream and Noctura were still sleeping. Having no other way to pass time, he took out a small notebook to log everything that had happened in the past few days.
Hours passed. Buttercream finally woke up to find her brother. He was sitting out in a clearing not far away, reading a book. Nightwatch noticed her coming, bent down the page and put the book away in his satchel.
“Hey you,” he said as she cuddled up next to him. “Did you get enough sleep?”
“Yeah. I’m worried about Nocti though.”
“Me too. I’ve been thinking about her all day. The sun’s about to set so maybe she’ll come back out to talk.”
“If she wants to talk.”
“I’m sure we can get her to be honest with us.”
“What do we do with her though? We can’t let her be around those other bat ponies. Maybe Mom and Dad would be okay with her staying with us for a while?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind, but I hope Noctura will be okay. She’s going through a rough time. I know we’re all happy about Nightmare Moon being defeated and Princess Luna being back, but Noctura was waiting all her life for last night and now it’s all ruined.”
“You think there’s a way we can convince her she’s wrong?”
“We’ll wanna be careful about doing that, Butter. I hope she’ll at least tell us what’s wrong with her. I think Tenebris and the others weren’t too kind to her.”
“Yeah. I can tell.”
They sat still for a few minutes without talking, thinking about everything and taking in the beautiful sunset until something caught their eyes off to the side. Noctura walked in past them and sat down in the clearing, watching the sky turn darker. Nightwatch and Buttercream sat still and observed the poor bat pony. Nightwatch finally got up and sat next to her.
“Hey. You alright?” he asked.
“Not really,” she replied.
“Look, I know this is rough for you, but can we talk?”
“Talk about what specifically?”
“Well, is there something you want to tell us about the cult? I get the feeling they weren’t to kind to you.”
“They weren’t.”
“What did they do?”
Noctura sighed. She waited a few seconds before telling them about her experiences with the cult.
“When I was a filly, I was brought up to believe that Nightmare Moon was important and that she didn’t deserve what happened to her. That was it. I wasn’t part of the Cult of Eternal Night then. I lived a normal life and did normal things. Then I got my cutie mark. Father Tenebris, the head priest of our community suggested I join the cult because he believes my cutie mark meant I was supposed to serve Nightmare Moon when she returns. That was the case with most bat ponies with night-themed cutie marks. My parents and friends pressured me into joining, so I did. Everything changed then. The cult was totally strict and limited everything I do. I was only happy when we would take time off and I was free. It would have been nice to run away, but I risked being shunned by the other bat ponies and I was afraid the other species wouldn’t accept me. I think at some point, the other cultists recognized that I didn’t take their religion seriously enough, so they just became abusive. You saw how Oscura made me join them in the ritual. It wasn’t even required of all of us to do be in it.”
Noctura stopped talking to take some time to cry. Nightwatch and Buttercream didn’t say a word. The bat pony wiped her tears away with the knuckle of her hoof and then finished her story.
“When I met you two, you seemed nicer than anyone else I had known since before I joined the cult. That’s why I convinced Tenebris and the others that you meant no harm and we should free you from the cage. You both just seemed so nice and didn’t obsess over cultish behavior like the others, but I was still so attached to my beliefs and now I’ve hurt you because of it. Now Nightmare Moon is gone and I have nothing left to live for.”
Nightwatch and Buttercream finally got up to sit closer to her as she started crying again. Nightwatch put his arm around her as Buttercream hugged her from the other side.
“I’m sorry, Noctura,” Nightwatch said. “I had a feeling they didn’t treat you right. I’m glad we made you feel better when you met us though.”
“We’re here for ya, Nocti,” Buttercream added.
“And I forgive you for lashing out at me. Look, I don’t want to tell you what you should and shouldn’t believe in, but I promise you that Nightmare Moon being Princess Luna again is for the better. Luna was suffering with that possession. I tried to talk some sense into her while she was Nightmare Moon and she didn’t listen.”
“Yeah, she actually attacked both of us,” Buttercream added.
“She did?” Noctura asked as she wiped away more tears.
“For all we know, Nightmare Moon would’ve probably just enabled those cultists and they would abuse you more,” Nightwatch continued
“I…I guess. That’s why I was so intent on destroying the Elements and meeting with her. I thought maybe I could find favor with Nightmare and use it to get back at the cultists for how they treated me. Let them know I was worthy after all. At least they would respect me for once.”
“I wouldn’t worry about the other cultists. They obviously don’t have your best interests in mind.”
“You’re right. I’m still not sure about this whole thing with Nightmare though. I can’t accept what Princess Celestia did to her sister. It’s just not right.”
“Well Noctura, did you ever consider the fact that maybe the cultists told you lies about Celestia?”
Noctura looked down at the ground and thought hard about what Nightwatch had said. She wondered if maybe he was right. Perhaps Celestia was a benevolent leader and only banished her sister because she had no other choice. Perhaps Nightmare Moon was the real villain this entire time.
“I don’t know, Nightwatch…I…”
Suddenly, the wind picked up and the sky darkened. A vortex of dark clouds formed above them. Nightwatch did not notice any clouds earlier, so powerful magic was clearly at play.
“Nighty, what’s going on?” Butter asked.
“I have no idea. Whatever it is, that’s some pretty powerful magic.”
Light shone from the inside of the vortex and an object emerged. It was too far away to see, but as it got closer, they noticed several creatures in front with wings flapping. It was a chariot that appeared to be carried by pegasi, but Noctura noticed something different.
“Those are bat ponies. It’s Tenebris and the others!” she yelped as she hid behind Nightwatch.
“No, Noctura. That’s not the cult…” Nightwatch said.
The chariot had a very dark, bat-like appearance and was being flown by four bat ponies wearing armor in the front. They descended and came to a halt a few yards away from them. Inside the chariot was a tall female alicorn pony in a dark robe. She stepped out of the chariot, walked towards them, and opened her wings. The robe disintegrated into magical bats that took off into the sky. Her coat was blue and she had lighter blue hair. She was wearing shiny anklets and a black necklace and crown. Her cutie mark was the same as Nightmare Moon’s but now it was a black cloud instead of a purple one with a moon inside. It was Princess Luna. She had been freed of the spirit of Nightmare Moon and restored to her original form. She had a very solemn look on her face.
“Pr-pr-pr…prin…princess…” Nightwatch stuttered as Buttercream pushed him ahead.
“Go ahead! Talk to her!” she whispered.
“P-P-Princess Luna! I’m…I’m so…Princess, I’m so honored to meet you!”
Nightwatch trembled and took a bow with Buttercream. He was sweating and could not stop stuttering in the presence of royalty.
“Nightwatch and Buttercream, I have been looking for you,” said the princess, flatly. “Firstly, I am sorry for not speaking respectfully using the ‘royal we’ nor am I annunciating my speech like I should before my subjects. I have been through a traumatic experience and am in the process of healing.”
“Of course, Princess. I understand completely.”
“Now, I would like to take this time to apologize for what I did to you earlier. I was under the control of an evil spirit and I reacted harshly. Even then, I am still to blame. I allowed the possession to happen over a thousand years ago and I was rightfully imprisoned for it. I am pleased to report that the Elements of Harmony were restored and used against me to exorcise the demon. I am now Princess Luna once again.”
“It’s good to have you back, Princess,” Buttercream said, respectfully.
“Yeah, you’re…you’re gonna have to forgive me for acting so nervous,” Nightwatch said as he began stuttering again. “I’m just…you know, a huge fan of yours.”
“A huge fan? I fail to see how one can become a fan,” Luna asked perplexedly as she waved her hoof around in front of her.
“Oh, nonono, not that kind of fan. I mean like…it’s just a new modern word we use. It’s short for the word ‘fanatic’. Not in a bad way of course. In other words, I’m an appreciator of yours and I’ve studied up on the whole legend of Nightmare Moon and all. I even got my cutie mark when I found out which stars were going to set you free from the moon. I predicted this entire thing and it came true.”
“Oh. I see. You do seem to know much about me, but you are not a cult-member, I take it?”
“No, not at all. My adoptive sister and I have just really been waiting all these years to see the return of Princess Luna. I always had faith you’d be restored.”
“We both did,” Butter added as she hugged her brother.
“I am delighted to see ponies and dragons are still living in harmony to some extent. My sister told me what happened with the dragons after I was banished.”
“Yeah. The whole Nightmare Moon incident really tore apart Equestria’s foreign relations.”
“It’s nice to see some of the bat ponies have accepted you as Princess Luna now,” Buttercream added as she pointed to the guards.
“Oh, we’ve been in Canterlot for a while, little one,” said one guard, removing his helmet.
“Yeah, Princess Celestia has been keeping an eye on the bat ponies for hundreds of years,” said another. “When she heard some of them had formed a cult around Nightmare Moon, she sought out some of us and hired them as night guards.”
“And my sister has reserved a battalion of them for when I would return. I now have my own guards,” Luna stated.
“Wow,” Nightwatch said, glancing back at Noctura. “That’s impressive. I thought most bat ponies were part of the Cult of Eternal Night at this point, at least the ones in the Everfree Forest.”
“That brings me to another important matter. You back there. Noctura, I take it?”
Nightwatch and Buttercream stepped aside to allow Luna to walk towards Noctura. Noctura was facing the other direction with her ears down, but she slowly turned her head. Luna put out her hoof.
“Please come closer, my child.”
Noctura walked to the princess and locked eyes with her. Luna could tell she had not been taking recent events rather well. She remembered what Noctura had told her about the cult.
“What has happened to the other cult members?” Luna asked.
“I didn’t make contact with them. I’d rather not. They were not kind to me.”
“But these two were, I take it?”
“Yes. I haven’t had any real friends in a while.”
“Tell me, did you believe the things they said about me and my sister? That Nightmare Moon is a goddess and that Princess Celestia is a tyrant?”
“I did, your highness.”
“Do you believe them now?”
“I…I don’t know. All my life that’s what I was taught. That was before I even joined the cult and I didn’t even want to be in it to begin with.”
“I know your feelings, child. I too believed lies: the lies that were told by my inner voice that would become Nightmare Moon. I felt anger and resentment. I was jealous of my sister, and over time, it grew worse. Our relationship was no longer what it once was. I too believed my sister was a tyrant.”
“But she isn’t anymore?”
“She never was. My sister and I have both made mistakes, but I fell victim to the infection, not her. Celestia spent the next few decades in turmoil over what I did. She only used the Elements because she had no choice. The last thing she said before I was banished was ‘Forgive me.’ The first thing she did when I came back was make amends with me. We are sisters once more.”
“And what about our eyesight? That’s obviously not a curse from Celestia like I was told.”
“The chiropterequi may have developed a disorder over time from refusing to be in sunlight as a protest against my sister. It can be healed. My guards are not afflicted by this any longer.”
“It…it can?”
Noctura looked to the guards who all smiled and nodded to her. She was amazed to see how happy they looked being bat ponies who had been around Celestia for so long. Everything Noctura once thought she knew was wrong after all. Now that the real Nightmare Moon was standing before her telling her these things, she could deny it no longer.
“So then it’s all true?” she said, trembling. “Your sister is a good pony and you’re not a goddess?”
“I may have lived for a long time, young one, but I am no goddess. I am no different from you. I have made mistakes, but now that I am here, I plan to correct myself. The question remains: will you do the same?”
Luna smiled and put her hoof under the young bat pony’s chin. Noctura was silent for a few seconds until she started crying. She walked in to Luna and Luna put her arm around her. After all the years of her being mislead and bullied, she finally found comfort in the princess’s words.
“I’m sorry, your highness! I should have known!” she wailed.
“You are forgiven, child,” Luna replied.
Nightwatch and Buttercream watched as the two embraced one another. Buttercream hugged her brother and wiped the tears she had forming in her eyes. Nightwatch was emotional watching this happen. He wasn’t sure how he would help Noctura before, but Luna’s presence seemed to be just what she needed.
“Luna…may I ask you something?” Noctura said.
“You may.”
“May I come with you to talk to Celestia myself? I feel I need to apologize to her the most. And also, may I…I mean if it isn’t too much trouble, is there any way I can still be of service to you? Like, do you need more guards or an attendant or something? I just don’t know where else I should go after all this. All my life, I thought I would end up being a servant to Nightmare Moon and that was all I had to look forward to.”
“Say no more, child. You are more than welcome to come with me to Canterlot. The royal guards train extensively, but I’ll see what I can do. And my sister would be happy to speak with you. She is a very kind pony.”
“Thank you.”
The bat pony and alicorn princess embraced one another a second time. Luna then turned her attention to Nightwatch and Buttercream as Noctura went to introduce herself to the guards.
“Thank you for keeping her this long,” Luna told them.
“You’re welcome,” said Buttercream. “We couldn’t just let her stay out there with those other nasty bat ponies.”
“I’m glad she’s come to terms with this now,” Nightwatch added. “I guess she just needed to talk with the real Princess of the Night all this time.”
“So this Cult of Eternal Night is still out there then?”
“Yeah, I’m not sure we need to worry about them anymore. They aren’t going to be too happy about all of this, but what can they even do about it?”
“You know one thing that still bothers me: why did those weird Brotherhood guys want to put the Elements back?” Buttercream asked. “Like, did they actually want to help defeat Nightmare Moon?”
“Brotherhood?” asked Luna. “Who is this you speak of, little one?”
“Oh yeah! We forgot to tell you about…them?”
As he spoke, everyone heard loud footsteps from behind. The noise got louder and louder as it went. Everyone stopped talking and looked to see some trees shaking and a large silhouette moving in the forest. The guards took out their spears from the chariot and flew in front of everyone to protect them.
“Who goes there? Show yourself!” shouted one of the guards.
The footsteps stopped. Another noise was made that sounded like a machine’s working pistons and gears. Suddenly, something was lifted up in the air and flew out of the treetops. Nightwatch’s cart and all his belongings crashed off to the side. His telescope had been snapped in two in the process.
“NOOOOOOO! MY TELESCOPE!” he cried as he rushed over to try putting it back together.
The footsteps started up again. Nightwatch quickly retreated back behind the guards with Buttercream close behind him. The guards formed a line around the others and bared their teeth as the object finally marched out of the trees. Everyone could already see glowing blue lines all adorning its body before it stepped into the moonlight. It had four legs and a head that resembled a ram with two large curly horns. It was not a living being, however. It was a large moving machine designed to look like a ram. The marks on its horns looked like runic symbols, giving it the appearance of an ancient statue rather than a robot from any cartoons that Nightwatch and Buttercream had seen. Its eyes were round objects jutting out of the side of its head with a horizontal slot in the center and tiny glowing dots that moved around. Between its horns was a mohawk-like structure with a bright glowing light in the front. The tips of its horns also had two bright circular objects The shape of the horns curled back to point the tips in the front, so that all three lights could be seen at once. The robot stared at them and turned its head slowly to scan its environment. It saw the guards with their spears drawn. All the glowing blue lights on its body suddenly turned red. It spoke in a robotic, monotonous voice with a vocoder effect.
“THREAT RECOGNIZED. TARGETS WILL BE ELIMINATED!”
“Uh oh,” said Buttercream.
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Quite a wholesome chapter. Nightwatch and Buttercream have made amends with Noctura, helping her understand that the cult she had been following was full of liars and abusers, twisting the truth about Nightmare Moon and Celestia to get her to join. Poor thing...It was also quite a surprise for Princess Luna herself to show up. She got to apologize to our brother and sister duo and offer to help Noctura move past what she's been through, giving her hope for a more normal future away from her old cult.
Unfortunately, we still have the Brotherhood to deal with...
Aww glad Nocti got some good things come her way, especially after that crummy cult thing!
Course slimy donkey throws a wrench in the works, make that a ferocious mech! Hoping it get smashed to pieces in the next chapter! (Or before the real Grogar smashes the thing himself!
)
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Luna's part in this story was something I was really looking forward to writing for her. I thought it would really bring out her character and show us how good her heart is despite all that's happened.
And yeah, that robot will be quite a nuisance, but it'll all be dealt with.
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She's walked away from some people who lied to her all her life. I wish an old friend of mine would do the same and walk away from the cult he belongs to.
Yeah, it'll be dealt with, but this thing is still dangerous!
Aww, sweet Noctura...I wanna give her a hug. That ending sure is ominous though...
This was nice. Nightwatch and Buttercream were able to make friends with Noctura again, and help her move on from that terrible part of her life. Feels fitting she finally gets to meet Princess Luna when she is essentially doing the same. Plus Luna gets to apologize to Nightwatch and Buttercream as well.
Unfortunately, the Brotherhood aren't finished just yet either. Poor Nightwatch's telescope is the first casualty of their attack.
Why isn't Grogar blue in this story? ...That goat in the cover art is Grogar, right?
11404940
I knew Nocti would have that effect on some readers. :3
Yeah, it will surely get actiony in the next chapter!
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Lol, you think that's Grogar?! You've read the parts about Bleat the Goat in this story, right?
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Can't wait to see what happens!
No… it can’t be!!
It was nice that there was a moment of quiet before the chaos began again.
The bits of insight into Noctura's past were very well done, but they were heartbreaking too. Even before joining the cult, it seems her life wasn't very nice, but after she joined it, things clearly went even farther down the drain, going by what she said. I'm glad she got to meet Nightwatch and Buttercream, and going by what she says, so is she, which makes sense, considering how she begged for them not to be hurt even in that time when she was still determined to bring Nightmare Moon back. Good thing she was able to get out of it.
On a brighter front... Nightwatch and Buttercream's first meeting was awesome. It just hit all the right notes, from Nightwatch nervous before Luna because of how much he loves her, Luna apologizing for what she did, and the acknowledgment of how she has been out of touch with reality for so long, what with Luna being confused by the word 'fan', and Nightwatch then having to further explain the 'good side of fanatic', so to speak. It was great!
It was also great to see Nocturna being reassured by Luna that she's forgiven, as well as the introduction of the batponies in Luna's guard. It's nice to see that Celestia hasn't forgotten them and has kept a path open for them to remain on the 'proverbial side of light', even if not all of them took that chance. Also, interesting explanation as to why the cult has difficulties seeing in broad daylight but Luna's guards don't... if a rather pitiable one as too. They wanted Nightmare Moon so badly that even their physiology shunned Celestia's day. Even if it was deliberately inflicted, it's sad.
On another brighter front, though, it's nice to see that Noctura's future is brighter as well. Wishing her the best of lucks in her path, whatever she chooses to become. And whatever that turns out to be, her interaction with Luna was really sweet. :) I'm glad she got to have so many positive experiences with others after so much time in that cult.
As far as experiences, go though... the upcoming one seems set to be very negative. Hopefully the Golem is no match for an aged alicorn (even one as weakened as Luna is) because otherwise, things seem set to get very ugly very fast.
Whatever happens next, though, this was another great chpater! :) Looking forward to reading the remaining ones!
I'm gonna go out on a limb here & guess "This is a BAD thing."
Where is Squirrel Girl when you need her?
Excuse me, I need to get my "fangirl scream" out of the way.
Yeah, just like Nighty, I'm a fan of Princess Luna.
Okay, with that done...
I'm glad to see Nocturna is on the side of good now. It was sad what happened to her. A part of me wants to know the details of how she was abused, but perhaps it's too much for her to talk about right now.
Bat Ponies being a part of the Night Guard for a while now is good to see. I'm sure seeing this helped Nocturna a lot to see that she was in the wrong. It's also good to see she's willing to do what she can to turn over a new leaf.
Also, looks like we have a threat on our hands. Excuse me, Luna. Can you please take that thing out?
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If you’re a fan of Luna, you’ll love the next chapter!
Noctura’s redemption was important to show that one member of the Cult can change and to also set up and explain Luna’s guards. She’ll appear in another story later too.
And don’t worry, they’ll handle that thing!