A young unicorn named Nightwatch is venturing out in the forest one day when he finds a mysterious egg. His life changes instantly when the egg hatches and reveals a baby female dragon that quickly imprints on him. He takes it back to his parents and convinces them to adopt the dragon which he names Buttercream. Nighty and Butter grow up as brother and sister, having many adventures and getting into all sorts of shenanigans. Their first adventure starts on the night of the return of Nightmare Moon, where they encounter a cult of fanatical bat ponies, a dark society of Tambelonian sorcerers, Princess Luna herself, and a deadly ancient robot on the loose. This sets the stage for a whole slew of adventures the sibling duo go through while a certain purple unicorn and her friends have their experiences on the side.
Next story: Ester Dracos
The first two chapters of this story start about 10 years prior to Nightmare Moon's return and the rest runs alongside the events of the official show. It will eventually cross over with the plot of Flurry Heart's Story. Click here to start reading Flurry Heart's Story: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/465425/flurry-hearts-story-elements-assemble
Awwwww! Great start for the story!!
Such an adorable beginning to the origins of your lovable and chubby dragon. The fact that Nightwatch named her after his favorite treat that his mother makes is absolutely precious. It's sad to know about what happened to the sister Nightwatch had been expecting, and it was sobering to hear his parents talk about it, but I know he's gonna be a great big brother for his new little sister. =)
Such a sweet first entry on your dragon OC Alex, it's terrible that Nightwatch lost the little sister he was expecting but glad he got this cutie in her place!
BTW glad you liked that giftart with her I sent recently, even if it's not canon. I do wonder if she'll meet my fave dragon duo later during this story though? (here's hoping
)
Looking forward to the next chapter!
Cute
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I knew that part would definitely be sad, but it presents a good reason as to why Nightwatch really wanted Buttercream as his sister. :)
Thanks again for making that and Butter will end up meeting Spike later in FHS!
Really good start. Can’t wait to see what you’ll do with the story.
Cute start already. Nightwatch's wish came true, and he has a little sister, just as a dragon instead of a pony. Buttercream is one of your most popular OCs, and she is as huggable as a Dragonite, so getting to see her origins is going to be fun and adorable.
It was surprisingly sad to hear that Nightwatch actually lost a sister already though. May she Rest In Peace.
adorable
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I know a lot of people were probably curious about Butter's story and I hope they're just as curious for Nighty's cuz he's going to have an interesting story as well!
Her name was Twinkle Star, and yes, she will not be forgotten.
How did Nightwatch's parents daughter, Twinkle died? Dis she died before Nightwatch was born, or was she a still born?
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I’d prefer to not specify how she died, but Nighty was about 9 when it happened and he was really looking forward to having a sister
I guess he and his new sister will have their own adventures like the M6? Would be cool to see another group of heroes who save the day from a different place since M6 can’t be the only heroes in the world.
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It might not be exactly like what the Mane Six went through in the show, but it will definitely be something else. Things will definitely get interesting once their stories cross over with everyone else's in Flurry Heart's Story!
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That’s fine. I’m here to see a sweet slice of life story of the pony family raising their little dragon
A very nice start. :)
I've enjoyed both Nightwatch and Buttercream from what I've seen of them in your DeviantArt gallery, and this closer look at them over here is also being enjoyable so far. Well, except for the underlying sadness in what happened to Nightwatch's sister, that is - whatever the exact details are, it's very sad for everyone involved, from Nightwatch's sister to her family. That said, that element is as well portrayed as everything else in the chapter, and while I do find it a sad concept, I feel it's a logical one that's being well-executed so far.
Midnight and Aurora seem like good parents so far - they care for their son, give him freedom while still showing concern, and also advise him while respecting his freedom and wants. Nightwatch himself is also being a nice kid so far. I like how he tried to make sure that the dragon egg actually had a family nearby before assuming the care for it, and his not wanting to leave the baby alone also shows his good heart. The notion of him hatching Buttercream is certainly curious given what was revealed on dragon eggs in canon, but given Twilight herself hatched Spike in the same way, it seems a strong enough burst of magic can be equivalent to lava.
The origins of Buttercream's name are sweet, both literally and figuratively, and her interactions with the family, particularly Nightwatch, also are. I look forward to seeing the development of the bond she has with all of them and her taking her place in the family.
Al lin all, as I said, a very nice start. :) Looking forward to more!
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Your comments are always a pleasure to read! :)
I really did take time to craft this first chapter and I actually didn't have it in my mind that Nighty lost a sister to a miscarriage until I started writing the part with the wish and then I wondered why he would really want a sister and then it came to me. It was definitely sad, but I aimed to make this one heartfelt. The other chapter might not be quite as bittersweet, but they will definitely deliver with these two's story. :)
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Well... thanks for letting me know. :) I can only say I try my best to leave comments the authors enjoy reading.
I get you. Sometimes moments of inspiration just come like that. And as I said, I find the idea logical.
And if it helps, sheer fluff is fine too. I don’t mind bittersweet stories, or even tragedy or sadness (as in, none of that makes me quit reading a fic, except in some cases where there's just way too much of it) but sheer fluff is nice too. :)
Aww, hooray for Nightwatch! He's going to be an amazing astronomer!
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.
Love how Butter was not only helpful during Night's presentation but also fisty against the teacher regarding the grade he gave Nighty!
Hope that teacher's ready to eat his own words & change Nighty's grade a week from now!
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It's so fun to write those parts with her! She's such a little sweetheart! :3
Oh he will! >:3
I like how Butter is willing to go to bat for her brother, though it would of been especially funny if she'd given the professor the ol' puppy dog eyes while say "please" .
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Oh dang, I didn't think of that. XD
Interesting that a “mail” pony works as a professor. Nothing wrong having two jobs
Really nice chapter. I wonder what it will be like from their point of view watching the Nightmare events. I bet Luna would like Nightwatch because he believed how she would be free and knows a lot about the night.
also Butter is cute 
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Yeah, sorry, I fixed it.
We're gonna see it from their point of view as well as plenty others! And Luna and Nightwatch will eventually meet!
Buttercream's a loyal little sister, helping Nightwatch with his presentation and sticking up for him when his professor didn't believe the evidence of his research. We all know how this eventually goes, so Professor Nebula's gonna regret accepting that deal of Butter's. =P
On a more serious note, it's sweet that Nightwatch just wants Princess Luna to know she's loved and that Celestia has missed her ever since she was forced to banish her. I dunno if it's just me, but I've grown a bit iffy on how Luna Eclipsed tried to portray her fitting in, when it felt like she couldn't fit in as her normal self until she played along with the whole Nightmare Moon bit, even though she deserved to move past it. Pinkie was right that it is fun to be scared sometimes, but Luna deserved to be liked without needing to resort to that, and Pinkie kept encouraging the foals to be afraid of her when she was just trying to act normal. I guess she just kinda assumed Luna would play along with it, since Pinkie does have a habit of thinking other ponies think the way she does, even if it's in an abstract way.
I dunno, kinda off-topic, but that's where Nightwatch's hopes for Luna led me to thinking.
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She’ll stand up for her brother any time and he’ll do the same! That’s how close they are. :3
That’s a criticism I haven’t heard before. People tend to just love “Luna Eclipsed” just because Luna is in it, but that is a good point.
Ooh, I like the new cover art. The chapter's pretty interesting too, so now Nightwatch has a reason to get involved with the return of Nightmare Moon, but what all will go on that night, I wonder...
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Yeah, I updated it since they are older now and I have plans to make a bigger more theatrical-looking poster.
What happens with NMM/Luna will definitely be interesting, and there are some characters I'm putting in here that will really help to create conflict and drive the plot!
Buttercream is a good sister to Nightwatch, standing up for him like that. At first I thought that her talking back to the professor like that was going to get Nightwatch in trouble, but instead she just guaranteed him a 100% on his project.
Almost sounds like this is going to be his own personal Best Night Ever!
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Ooh, cool. Can't wait!
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Can't believe I didn't notice the story pic change before, nice touch Alex!
So will it keep changing at certain key points in the story? (Getting older/wings/etc)
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I’m planning on making more finalized picture like a movie poster someday, but right now I figured I’d use a picture of them looking older.