Fluttershy cantered down the street in Ponyville, a sweet smile on her face.  All around her, whispers, strange looks and pointed hooves came and went without end, but she didn't care in the slightest.  She wouldn't have had a lot of confidence to deal with it herself, but for her friend—the pony that these whispers and looks were aimed at—she had enough confidence for them both.

Behind her, glancing at the ponies whispering around him, was the 'phantom pony', Nocturne.

Nocturne had grown more and more nervous as he walked with Fluttershy, slowly realizing that this may have been a bad idea.  “I don't think I can do this, Fluttershy,” he mumbled, unable to keep his eyes from cautiously wandering, “I think the locals are getting agitated.”

“Now, don't you worry, Nocturne,” Fluttershy replied calmly, “We'll have you back in the community in no time. I promise.”

Nocturne eyes continued to shift, and each pony they saw looked just as nervous as he was.  “I don't think it's gonna be that easy,” he worried, “I know I asked you to help me ease my way back into society, but you have to remember, this is the same town that shunned me in the first place, and it wasn't exactly a friendly time.”

“Relax, Nocturne,” Fluttershy's reassurance was steady, “Things have changed since you were a foal. Ponyville is full of the nicest, friendliest ponies you'll ever meet.”

The whispers got worse, leading Nocturne to doubt his friend's words, “I wish I had some proof of that . . .”

“HI, FLUTTERSHY!!”

Nocturne recoiled when he heard it; a few seconds later, he immediately regretted his wish.  He'd heard Fluttershy talk about her hyperactive friend Pinkie Pie, and had hoped to make minimal contact with her.  This was obviously not going to happen.

“So, is he here yet, huh? Is he here?!” Pinkie asked excitedly, bouncing up and down, “You've been talking about your new friend for days, and I wanna meet him! Can I meet him? Huh? Huh? Pleeeeeeeease?!”  She then glanced over Fluttershy's shoulder, saw a very tense Nocturne behind her, and squealed, “EEEEEEE! You're Fluttershy's new friend, aren't you? The ghost pony hiding in the woods, huh? Fluttershy's been talking about you for days! Oops! Hee-hee! I already said that! Oh, I've been wanting to meet you!! It's always nice to make new friends! I wanna know everything about you! What's your favorite color? Your favorite food? Your favorite way to floss a toothless alligator? I love to throw parties for new friends, so I gotta know as much as I can before we can BOOGIE!!”

The more she spoke, the closer she got, and the farther back Nocturne had to back up.  As Pinkie waited for an answer, Nocturne's neck was craned backwards so far, the back of his hat barely touched the grass behind him.

He visibly struggled for words for a good few seconds, unable to see anything but Pinkie Pie's wildly grinning face, “Uhhh . . . if I ignore it, will it go away?”

Fluttershy chuckled, “Oh, Nocturne. That's just Pinkie. Like I told you, she's kind of . . . eager.”  She then addressed the excitable mare, “Pinkie, this is Nocturne. He's asked me to help him get himself back into our community.”  She went to Nocturne next, “Nocturne, meet my friend Pinkie Pie.”

Nocturne stood up straight as Pinkie backed up a bit, but was still less than enthusiastic, “Oh, lord, must I?”

Fluttershy frowned slightly, “Now, now. Be nice, Nocturne.”  She gave him a gentle push in Pinkie's direction.  Pinkie Pie could only shake eagerly where she sat.

Sighing, Nocturne, rubbed the back of his neck with one hoof and consciously avoided eye contact, “. . . . Charmed, I'm sure . . .”  He then felt his breath squeezed from his body when Pinkie reached out and crushed him in a hug without warning.

“YAAAAAAAY!! New friend, new friend, new friend!” she celebrated, dancing in place on her hind legs and taking Nocturne with her.  She dropped him after a few moments and gasped deeply, “I gotta get everything ready for the party! Nocturne theme! Shadows and scary trees and stuff! And we'll all come in costume! It'll be so scary and fun! Oh, and be sure to come early, Nocturne, so you can pick out the floss!”  And with that, Pinkie Pie hopped away, singing loudly in an off-tune voice, “Nocturne party! Nocturne party! We'll turn hearty at the Nocturne party!”

Nocturne dusted himself off from where Pinkie dropped him.  He stared in disbelief at the living, breathing ball of pink energy that had just left their midst, “. . . . . Floss?”

Fluttershy slowly shook her head, “That's just Pinkie being Pinkie, I guess.”

“How can you possibly be friends with her?” Nocturne asked, puzzled, “You're nothing alike at all.”

“Well, it doesn't really work that way, Nocturne,” Fluttershy answered, “It's not our similarities that bring us together. It's what makes us different, and how we appreciate that about each other.”

Nocturne frowned, still confused, “If you two have any similarities, I'd be hard-pressed to see them.”

“Hey, Fluttershy! What was Pinkie Pie yelling about just now?”

The voice came from above, and Nocturne and Fluttershy looked up to greet it.  Nocturne recognized the owner of the voice, and put a name with Fluttershy's descriptions of her friends: Rainbow Dash.

The Pegasus in the sky was pushing a group of clouds along, scattering them hither and tither across the sky.  She glanced at Fluttershy's companion, did a double-take, then suddenly looked angry, “YOU!”  She dove back to the ground in a flash and marched up to Nocturne belligerently, “You came to the wrong neighborhood, pal! If you got some score to settle, you'd better take it up with me! You don't mess with my friends without being prepared to tangle with the toughest Pegasus to come outta Cloudsdale—”

“Rainbow Dash, please!” Fluttershy begged, stepping between Nocturne and Dash before anything could get worse.  “Don't hurt him. He's . . . he's my friend.”

Dash froze where she stood, unable to believe what just came out of Fluttershy's mouth.  “Uhh, Fluttershy?” she asked tentatively, “Has Discord been messing with your head again?”

“I'm serious, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy asserted, then withdrew a bit, “Um, you know, sort of. But, Nocturne isn't here to start trouble, honest. I'm just showing him around, introducing him to some friends, that's all.”

Dash glanced between her fellow Pegasi, as puzzled as Nocturne was moments earlier.  She then returned her acrimonious glare to Nocturne, “That true?”

Nocturne simply nodded.  He could feel an overpowering sense of irony in the fact that he was quite frightened of what Rainbow Dash was willing to do to him if it wasn't true.

Dash's acidic eyes bored deeper into Nocturne for a little longer, but she made no effort to follow through with her threats.  “All right,” she said, not entirely satisfied, “I'm only backing off now 'cause Fluttershy asked. But I've got my eye on you, Dracula!”  She pointed to her own eyes with a hoof, then pointed at Nocturne's eyes with the same hoof.  Keeping her gaze on him as long as possible, she slowly backed up, until at last, she turned and took to the sky, back to work shuffling clouds through the stratosphere.

Nocturne gave a relieved sigh, feeling a bit pressured to ask, “She's not the welcome wagon, is she?”

“It's okay, Nocturne,” Fluttershy composed him, “It'll just take some time for her to trust you, that's all. Come on, we haven't met all my friends just yet.”

By now, the whispers had become full, unabashed talking; the gossip was worsening.  Nocturne retracted into himself a bit and replied gruffly, “Oh, sure. There must be somepony I haven't gotten off on the wrong hoof with yet.”

“Now, Nocturne,” Fluttershy gently admonished, “Just give them a chance. They'll warm up to you soon. Now, let's see . . . Pinkie Pie . . . Rainbow Dash . . . and you met Applejack the other day . . . I know! Let's go see Rarity!”

As she started walking again, Nocturne followed reluctantly, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Don't worry, Nocturne,” Fluttershy answered, “I think you'll like Rarity. She's pretty and smart, and she's really nice. And I think she'll like you, too.”

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!”

Fluttershy shook a bit, nervously, as Rarity paced back and forth around her boutique.  Evidently, the news of Nocturne's impending visit was a bit too much for her to bear.

“Fluttershy, how could you?!” Rarity raved, “You actually brought that . . . that, that . . . heathen to my store?! And to think you actually want me to let him in?! Absolutely not! Completely out of the question! I simply will not allow it!!”

“But . . .” Fluttershy began softly, her emotions rattled fit to break, “But, Rarity . . . please give him a chance . . . Nocturne just wants to make friends—”

“Well, I'm sure Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle can accommodate him!” Rarity huffed, turning away in an almost snobbish manner, “Now go out there and tell the brute that I will not be entertaining today!”

Fluttershy crept around to face Rarity directly.  “Please, Rarity,” she repeated, almost whispering it, “Nocturne's not a bad pony. He's just . . . misunderstood. Give him a chance. Please? For me?”  She widened her eyes, which had suddenly become a tad misty.

Rarity glanced at Fluttershy's pleading stare, and it seemed to soften her.  “Oooh,” she groaned, “It's just so difficult to say 'no' to you sometimes, darling. All right, let the creature in. But mark my words, if I get so much as a hint of funny business—”

“Oh, don't you worry, Rarity,” Fluttershy promised, hugging her Unicorn friend, “Nocturne won't be any trouble at all. Just wait and see.”  She then walked back to the entrance, opened the door, and spoke in a calmly coaxing manner, “Nocturne. It's okay. Rarity says you can come in. Come on, now. Don't be shy.”  Fluttershy backed away from the open door, and a pony began to ease in—only one red eye, a lock of black mane and the brim of a white hat were visible.  The eye looked up, down and around the inside of the store before its owner brought himself in the rest of the way.  The bat-winged stallion looked around nervously until his gaze settled on Rarity.

“Uhh . . . hi,” he said timidly, not unlike Fluttershy herself, “You must be Rarity. Fluttershy's told me so much about you.”

Rarity was silent for a few seconds as she took in Nocturne's presence.  The silence grew to an awkward level before Rarity finally spoke to her friend, “Fluttershy . . . for shame, darling, for shame.”

Fluttershy blushed and looked at the ground, “Oh! I'm sorry, but . . . well . . . what did I do, exactly?”

Rarity then stepped up close to Nocturne, staring deep into his eyes, “You never told me how devastatingly handsome this stallion is!”

Nocturne was so shocked by this statement that all he could offer was, “. . . . . What?”

“Why, of course!” Rarity went on, her eyes sparkling, “I mean, look at you, darling! This shimmering silvery coat! All that gorgeous black mane! That lovely slim body! Oh, the mares must positively drool over you! And here I was, expecting you to look like some sort of demon! Oh, how could I have ever judged a pony as good-looking as you to be anything they say you are—”  She stopped for a moment, suddenly remembering Prince Blueblood, “. . . . . oh, never mind.”

“So,” Fluttershy smiled a bit, “You think you two could get along?”

“Oh, more than that, darling!” Rarity replied excitedly, “Oh, Nocturne, dear, you simply must model for me! I've got so many ideas for a clothing line for colts, and you would be absolutely perfect for them! We can find something to bring out your eyes, maybe a little something to accentuate the silver in your fur, oh, and of course we'd have to get rid of this gaudy thing—”

“Stop!” Nocturne panicked; he saw Rarity going for his fedora, and he threw his front hooves over it, as if protecting it, “I'd rather you didn't touch my hat.”

Rarity seemed put off by Nocturne's sudden deprecation, but shrugged it away, “Oh, darling, don't be silly. There are plenty of other lovely chapeaus to choose from. Now, let's just get this off—”

“Touch my hat again and I'll bite your hoof off.”

Another long, awkward pause settled in, making all three ponies uncomfortable.  Rarity took a step back, pulling her hoof away as if Nocturne would make good on that promise.  Fluttershy released a small gasp, and Nocturne cringed—a sure sign of instant regret.

“Ouuuuhhh,” he moaned, “I said that out loud, didn't I?”  When both mares nodded, their expressions unchanging, Nocturne recoiled, “Uhhh . . . sorry . . . . . . . . . that's actually really nice, does it come in black?” he suddenly asked, pointing to some random material on a random rack.

The silence dragged on.

“Oooooookay,” Nocturne muttered, “I'll . . . . I'll just go now . . .”  He opened the front door with his back hoof and slipped backwards out of it.  “Ummm . . . nice meeting you,” were his last words, a sheepish attempt to reclaim friendliness, before he bolted out of the door.

Rarity still stood in shock of Nocturne's embarrassing slip-up.  Wanting to quell the awkwardness, Fluttershy spoke up, “Umm, sorry, Rarity . . . I guess Nocturne still needs work on his pony skills . . .”

Fluttershy had declared the Ponyville library as their next stop.  All around town, the gossip only seemed to strengthen; it went so far, little foals would run to their parents if they so much as caught a glimpse of Nocturne.  He could easily hear each and every word spoken about him:

“Is that the phantom pony?”

“What is he doing here?”

“Don't you remember? He used to live around here.”

“What's with the hat?”

“We don't need his kind around here.”

“We need to keep him away from the children.”

“Good heavens, those wings . . .”

Once they'd finally reached the library, Nocturne felt discouragement settle in again.  “Fluttershy, it's getting worse,” he said earnestly, “I really don't think I should stick around much longer.”

Fluttershy turned to him before knocking on the door, “I know it's hard, Nocturne, but don't feel bad. If anyone can see you for the pony you really are, Twilight can.”

Nocturne remembered the name, and his expectations took a dark turn, “That's not the same Twilight that told me off when you came to give me that basket, is she?”

Fluttershy seemed to remember this, along with Twilight's earlier attitude toward Nocturne, and looked a bit worried herself.  “Umm, well . . . yes,” she admitted, “But I've had some time to talk about you to her, and she doesn't think that way about you anymore. At least, she won't when she meets you, I know it.”  She turned back to the door and knocked, and a few seconds later, the door was answered, but not by Twilight.

“Oh, hey, Fluttershy,” the little dragon greeted her cheerfully, “Need something?”

This took Nocturne by surprise; he'd heard Fluttershy talk about this baby dragon before, but he'd never seen one himself until today.  “Fascinating,” he mumbled to himself; things had at least gotten a bit interesting, even if his attempts at familiarity had ended in failure.

“Hello, Spike,” Fluttershy replied, “We just came to visit you and Twilight for a bit. May we come in?”

Spike seemed to notice Nocturne standing behind Fluttershy, and was instantly ill-at-ease.  “Uhh, sure,” he said with trepidation, “Come on in.”  When the two Pegasi walked in, Spike sized up the newcomer with a scrutinizing eye.  “So,” he began, somewhat imperiously, “You're the guy hiding in the woods, huh? That 'phantom pony' they all talk about?”

Almost feeling as though he were being grilled, Nocturne kept his cool and answered, “Well, yeah. But if it's all the same, I'd prefer 'Nocturne'.”

The little dragon kept his eye on Nocturne for a while.  “The name's Spike,” he introduced himself, rather brazenly, “They say you scare ponies a lot. Well, being a dragon, I would know a thing or two about that, myself, us being such intimidating creatures, and all. So, you just mind your manners, and we'll get along just fine. Otherwise,” his gaze turned into a cocky leer, “I'll have to spook ya.”

Finding himself amused rather than intimidated, Nocturne felt a rare streak of mischief, and lowered his face closer to Spike's.  “You mean like this?” he asked, and for just a split-second, he gave a low, throaty growl, and his red eyes glowed like burning suns, just as they did in the woods.

Spike yelped and rushed to hide behind a stack of books.  He peeked out from behind the stack and replied, “Y-y-yeah. L-like that. S-s-so you just b-behave yourself, g-got it?”

Nocturne snickered a bit, but Fluttershy's attitude was the opposite.  “Nocturne,” she reproached him, “That wasn't very nice.”

“Oh, Spike! You have the checklists ready?” came a voice from the side staircase.  Fluttershy and Nocturne looked up, and Nocturne recognized the mare it belonged to: Fluttershy's friend, Twilight.

“Oh, hi, Fluttershy!” she greeted happily as she came down, “What brings you he—” she cut herself off when she got a good look at Fluttershy's company.  “Nocturne,” she said with far less luster, “It's you.”

Nocturne understood her lack of zeal—she did, after all, have some choice words for him days earlier.  Staying as genial as possible, he greeted her with a smile, “Twilight Sparkle, I presume?”

Twilight was on the ground floor by this time, and she stayed as cautious in her reply as Rainbow Dash and Applejack had before her, “You presume correctly. What are you doing here?”

“Umm, I can answer that,” Fluttershy stepped in, “Umm, if you don't mind, that is . . . umm, Nocturne asked me to help him work his way back into Ponyville. I thought we could start by meeting you and all my friends. I guess he's sort of learning about friendship, too. Hey, know what? That sort of makes you two alike in a way . . . umm, well, sort of . . .”

Twilight took a moment to reflect, “Hmmm . . . well, I did mention him in my last letter to the princess.”  She then turned to Nocturne, “Are you sure you want to go through with this? No tricks, no games or anything like that?”

“Yes, I'm sure,” Nocturne confirmed, then caught something interesting Twilight had said, “Wait . . . princess? As in 'Celestia'?”

“Yes,” Twilight confirmed, “I'm on assignment here in Ponyville at her behest, learning about friendship. So I guess we are a lot alike.”

“Wait, hang on,” Nocturne replied, the surprise getting to him, “So, you mean to say that you're Princess Celestia's protege?”

Twilight looked a bit modest in her reply, but her carried a hint of pride, “Well . . . actually, yes.”

“That's amazing!” Nocturne answered, all the more stunned, “You must be really brilliant! Oh! What's she like? The princess? I've never even really seen her before.”

Twilight blushed a bit at Nocturne's praise before answering, “Well . . . she's very wise and beautiful, and she carries herself like royalty. But she's also surprisingly down-to-earth. Very easy to talk to. In fact, a lot of the time, if you didn't already know she was a princess, you'd never know the difference.”  Her eyes widened a bit, as if inspired, “Hey, would you like to meet her? Now that she knows about you, I'm sure she'd like to get to know you personally.”

Nocturne's eyes widened, as well, “Oh, I couldn't. I mean, I'm just now planting my roots back in town, I'm not ready to meet a princess. Besides, I'm sure she wouldn't be interested in me—uh, meeting me, that is—I mean, I'm nopony. You report directly to her, so I shouldn't even really be talking to you.”

Twilight looked just as surprised at Nocturne as he was of her.  Fluttershy was definitely right about him; whoever that pony was in the woods, this certainly wasn't him.  He definitely had taken the chance to be different, somepony more than he used to be.

“Okay then, how's this for an idea,” Twilight suggested with a smile, “You seem like the private type, Nocturne. Why don't you tell me all the things you've learned about friendship whenever you can, and I'll write to her for you? I could be your liaison with the princess! Sound good?”

“Really?” Nocturne asked, “You'd do that? But, suppose Princess Celestia wants proof that I'm saying what you say I'm saying? I mean, if you say I say I'm learning, and you're learning what I say I'm learning, how will she learn what I'm saying if she doesn't say you're saying what I say I'm learning, and she says I'm not learning anything at all?”

There was a pause, almost as awkward as Nocturne's visit to Rarity, which was broken by Spike, “Yeah, run that by me one more time?”

“I understand your concerns, Nocturne,” Twilight answered him, “I can assure you, Princess Celestia will hold you to your word. But if you really feel like it's not enough, then here's what we'll do.”  She walked over to one of the library's enormous shelves, and her horn began to glow.  At the same time, one of the books from the middle of the shelf glowed with the same light, and removed itself from the shelf of its own accord.  It floated down until it was eye-level, and hovered along with Twilight as she returned with it.  “Here, take this book with you,” she offered, magically moving the book and stopping it in front of Nocturne.  She opened the book with the same magic, showing that it was blank.

“Umm, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, “Umm, could I ask why that book has no words in it?”

“Because,” Twilight responded, “The writer of this book is standing in this room, right now.”

Nocturne looked up and down, left-to-right, and finally took a guess, “. . . . Spike?”

“No, silly!” Twilight chuckled, “You! When you've learned something about friendship, use this journal to keep track of all the things you've learned. If it syncs up with what I put in my letters, the princess and I will know. Sound like a plan to you?”

Nocturne reached out and held out his hooves, and the book gently fell onto them.  “Wow,” he said, examining the gift he'd been given, “So, this is mine to keep? That's . . . that's really nice of you . . . Oh, I forgot to say,” he continued, “About what happened the other day. You know, when Fluttershy came by with the basket? I want to apologi—”

Twilight held up a hoof to stop him, “Don't worry about it. Just report to me whenever you've learned something important—but only when you have something, okay? I learned that one the hard way.”

On the way to Applejack's farm, Fluttershy was at her happiest.  “I'm so proud of you, Nocturne,” she said sweetly, “You're really getting the hang of talking to ponies.”

Once again surrounded by the rumors and gossip, Nocturne could hardly focus on what she said.  “Yeah, I guess so,” he said in a lackluster tone, “I just hope I can start over again with Applejack. I may just have to depend on her for a job until I can remember my talent.”

Fluttershy sighed, “That's so sad, Nocturne. I can't imagine what that must feel like. But my friends and I can help you find out what you're meant for. We'll be there for you, no matter what.”

Nocturne looked over at her, touched by her words, “Thank you, Fluttershy. It won't be so bad if I have a pony like you to help me.”  The pair stopped when they saw a young foal in the middle of the road.  He looked very young, probably fresh into grade school; he was tan with scant traces of brown mane and no cutie mark where there would be one on an older pony.

He looked up at Nocturne with curious eyes and waved a hoof to him, “Hi, mister.”

Nocturne and Fluttershy glanced at one another, then Nocturne felt politeness urge him to answer the boy, “Uhhh . . . hi, there, little buddy.”

Nocturne's mouth was closed for only a second before another pony stepped between him and the child.  She looked like the foal's mother; she crouched low in front of her child, stared at Nocturne with contempt and shouted, “Stay away from my baby, you monster!”

This seemed to be the final straw for the crowd; they were done talking behind Nocturne's back.

“What's going on?”

“It's the phantom pony!”

“What's he doing to that kid?!”

“I knew we shouldn't have let him back into town!”

“We don't want you here, you beast!”

“Go back to the woods, freak!”

The crowds churned and boiled with rage and increasing numbers.  They converged on Nocturne as if to corner him somehow.  Nocturne looked from one closed-off end of the road to the other, then on the sides of the street.  He was prepared for a little confrontation, but nothing like this.

“Get out of our town!”

“You're not scaring anyone here ever again!”

“STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!”

The whole crowd was silenced, and everyone turned to see who had screamed, even Nocturne.  It was Fluttershy; she was shaking all over, and her eyes overflowed with tears.

“Why are you all doing this?” she asked desperately, “Why are you all treating my friend so badly? He's not the pony you think he is! Don't you understand? He's different now! He just wants friendship! Why can't you give him a chance?! Why . . . . ?”  It was too much for her to bear.  Fluttershy turned around and ran down the street, toward the edge of the crowd, sobbing.  Just as the crowd parted for her, she bumped into just the ponies she needed: Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack.

As Fluttershy hugged Applejack and cried, Rarity stepped forward, “Oh, Fluttershy! What's wrong, dear? What's happened to you?”

“It was Nocturne, wasn't it?!” Dash exclaimed, “He scared you again, didn't he?! That monster, he'll pay for this!”

“Whoa, there, Rainbow,” Applejack stopped Dash with a hoof, using the other to rub Fluttershy's back, “Nocturne ain't the one you're lookin' for. I came inta town to check on a plow repair, and I saw the whole thing. There's plenty of monsters 'round here, but Nocturne sure's heck ain't one of 'em!”

Nocturne saw Fluttershy reach out to her friends for consolation.  Seeing her cry made him feel such pain, worse than when he'd been the cause of it himself.  It crushed him inside, almost brought him to his knees, and for a moment, there was a feeling deep in his mind that he couldn't explain.  It was hard to describe, even; it felt strange, familiar, recognizable . . . like . . . . . something that could be described as . . . . .

Clarity?

. . . . . . . . . . Being pushed around on the playground at school.

Losing his hat, which for some reason or another, meant the whole world to him.

Being laughed at for being the last 'blank flank' in his class.

Studying so many subjects so hard, not just to get his cutie mark, but to have abilities worth loving.

Never knowing what happened to his mother and father . . . . . . . . . .

Nocturne felt a massive headache coming on for a moment, and he dropped to his knees and cried out in pain.  Then, as quickly as it had come, it went away, and it seemed to leave something behind.  Memories.  Memories of his childhood.  A past he'd left behind to dull the pain of growing up alone.

The pain slowly gave way to anger—anger not for his own pain, but for Fluttershy's—and he rounded on the entire crowd, “What is wrong with you?! What kind of animals are you?! You know Fluttershy far better than you know me, and you still stepped on her feelings right along with mine!! No satisfaction you're getting right now is worth this!!”

The crowd went on being silent, but now, they went on looking at Nocturne not as some kind of monster, but as some kind of heretic.  They were shocked not only at Nocturne's blasphemy, but at the lengths he'd gone to defend another pony.

“You all came here today to make sure somepony knew I wasn't wanted!” Nocturne continued, “You all wanted me gone, and you made sure your opinions were known! And you didn't give a buck whose feelings were involved! You wanted to make somepony suffer.”  He then pointed a hoof at his sobbing Pegasus friend, “And there you have it! You got what you wanted! I hope you're happy.”  And with that, he walked off in the other direction, scaring the crowd into parting by igniting the fiery glow in his eyes.

When the road was clear, Nocturne made two steps when he was stopped.  A burst of sparkles went off in front of him, and from it, Twilight Sparkle appeared out of thin air.  “And where do you think you're going?” she asked him, narrowing her eyes.

Nocturne sighed and looked down dejectedly before walking past her, “Please, just leave me alone.”

“Don't give me that tough-guy aloofness facade,” Twilight called out to him, “You know where you have to be right now.”

Nocturne groaned as he stopped, “Twilight, if I stay, I'll just make things worse, and you know it! I should have been prepared for it before I let Fluttershy drag me back into this town, and now she's paying for it! What kind of friend does that make me?”

“What kind of friend does it make you if you leave now?” Twilight retorted, walking up to him and pressing a hoof to his chest, “You wanna learn about friendship? Rule number one: never, ever turn your back on your friends. Especially when they need you.”

Nocturne sighed again and glanced at Fluttershy, she was still sniffling and being comforted by Rarity, Pinkie, Dash and Applejack.  “She has plenty of friends,” he argued, “What does she need me for?”

“You really don't get it, do you?” Twilight asked roughly, “That's not the point! She stood up for you! And when Fluttershy stands up for you the way she did just now, she means it, with all her heart. You're her friend now, Nocturne. The least you could do is return the favor.”

Nocturne glanced back over to Fluttershy and her friends.  After a while, the crowds were beginning to disperse, but she was still recovering from her emotional collapse.  Heaving another deep sigh, he glanced at Twilight and spoke to her one more time before walking away, “Warn me next time. I didn't know you could teleport.”

At the other side of the road, Fluttershy continued to sniff, but her tears had slowed, and her breathing was normal.  All around her, Pinkie, Dash, Applejack and Rarity continued to console her.

“There, there, sugarcube,” Applejack soothed, releasing her, “Just settle down, now. You oughta be proud of yourself, tellin' off that crowd like ya did. That was real brave of you, hon.”

“Come on, cheer up, Teary McSobbykins!” Pinkie giggled.  She took a step back, and proceeded to pull her face apart, shake her mane back and forth, and bounce up and down making goofy noises like a madpony.  When this failed to cheer Fluttershy up, Pinkie herself looked dejected, “Aw, nothing? Really? Oh, now I'm starting to get sad . . .”

“Please don't cry.”

Fluttershy looked up and saw Nocturne looking worriedly into her eyes.  She was surprised that he was still here; she thought she'd heard him storm off.  Still, the fact that he'd stayed after all made her feel a little better.

“But . . .” she began, still fighting off her shuddering sobs, “But . . . those . . . terrible things they said about you . . . . it's . . . it's not fair . . .”

“Shhh,” Nocturne assuaged her, “Listen. I gave up believing what they thought about me a long time ago. I was only worried today because I thought something like this might happen. I never wanted you to get hurt trying to help me. But you know something? I'm glad you tried. And I'm glad to have you there for me. Even if you were the only decent pony in this whole town, I wouldn't care. I'd be lucky that you reached out to me.”

Fluttershy smiled through the remnants of her tears, and she threw herself into Nocturne, hugging him.  And for the first time since they'd met, Nocturne returned the hug.  Even though the memories he'd gotten back were filled with misery, he was still glad to have them back; it gave him hope that he could possibly remember more, better memories someday.  And knowing that Fluttershy would be there for him all the while made the misery evaporate.

It really was that much better to have friends.

Fluttershy and Nocturne parted, and the stallion cleared his throat, “So . . . what are we standing around here for? We have a party to get to.”

Pinkie gasped excitedly, “Really? Does that mean . . . ?”  When Nocturne nodded, Pinkie squealed joyously and jumped on him, squeezing him in another tight, inescapable hug.  “WHEEEE!!” she sang out in delight, “NOCTURNE PARTY!! NOCTURNE PARTY!! NOCTURNE PARTY AT MY HOUSE!!”

The other mares giggled, and Nocturne smiled.  This was an unusual group, sure enough, but Nocturne couldn't imagine wanting to be a part of any other.

As they all started off for Pinkie Pie's house, Twilight Sparkle caught up with them.  She got Nocturne's attention and made a scribbling motion with her hoof, signaling him to remember his promise.

Nocturne caught the gesture, and nodded with a wink, assuring her that it would be kept.

Nocturne's Log

Day 1 of my return to the city

Aside from the entry I'm making in this journal at this very moment, a lot of firsts happened to me today.  It was my first whole day outside the forest since before I left.  It was my first day interacting with ponies without scaring them to death.  And it was the first time I'd remembered my past.  Not much came back to me, but it means that more might return, and I sincerely hope it does.  Heck, I even got to meet Princess Celestia's prize pupil today.  Not bad for your typical day, right?

The best part: I spent the entire day with my first true friend.

Fluttershy has done more for me than she'll ever know.  She's given me a chance to change my outlook.  She's introduced me to new friends that, although they have their differences, you can definitely tell they care about each other.  She stood up for me today, placed herself in the line of fire without even being asked.  I'm told she's far too timid to do things like that for just anypony—I feel proud and privileged that she would put her own feelings on the line for me.

As for what I've learned today—this chronicle is made not just for just my experiences, but what I take from them as well—put simply: I've learned the basics of Friendship 101.  Recognize and accept each other's differences.  Be courteous to those you talk to, and try to keep rude comments to yourself.  Learn to trust the ponies closest to you.  Always do what you can to help a friend better him- or herself.  And above all—never, ever turn your back on your friends.  Especially when they need you.

I'll never turn my back on you, Fluttershy, especially when you need me.  Because even though I may not ever admit it to you straight, I need you, too. You've given me so much, and I will not let you down.

To you, and to your friends—Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and yes, even Pinkie Pie—thank you. Next Chapter: I'm With My Best Frienemy Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 26 Minutes