Twilight finally caught her breath and continued, “You . . . can't keep doing this to yourself, Fluttershy. I know you're just trying to be neighborly and all, but good or bad, Nocturne doesn't want anything to do with you, or anypony else.”  She stepped up closer, her eyes and voice equal in sincerity, “You need to just let it go, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy sat in the grass, her wings drooped in depression.  “But . . . I . . .”

“No, no buts,” Twilight shook her head, “If Nocturne wants to be left alone, let him. You can't change his mind, Fluttershy, no matter how much you want to. I know it's hard, but . . .” she hesitated, almost not wanting to believe it herself, at least for Fluttershy's sake, “ . . . he just doesn't want friendship.”

Fluttershy felt her heart ache at this.  Not want friendship?  How could that be?  Her friends were the most important thing in the world to her; how could one go without that feeling of comfort, knowing one had somepony to watch over them?

“You just couldn't listen, could you, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked as she moved another set of books from one shelf to another.  She was trying a new system of organization, but she hadn't let that get in the way of Fluttershy's visit.  In fact, she'd called her to the library to ask her about what had happened yesterday, and she'd insisted on killing two birds with one stone (if she could get away with that idiom in front of Fluttershy).

Fluttershy sat on the floor at the base of the ladder Twilight was on; she looked sad and guilty.  “I know you're worried about me, Twilight,” she replied meekly, “but I just can't help thinking that Nocturne really is a good pony. I can't explain why, but . . . . I just believe it, with all my heart.”

Twilight sighed and stepped down off the ladder.  “You know I want to trust your judgment, Fluttershy,” she reminded her, “but it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. He's been sending you mixed signals ever since you met him. I mean, first he scares you, then helps a squirrel. Then he beats up Rainbow Dash and threatens to do the same to you if he ever sees you again, then when he does, he breaks that promise? I mean, if he was really a good pony, why would he mess with your head like that?”

“I don't know,” Fluttershy lamented, “I just . . . . I wish I knew what made him this way. Why does he want to stay away from everypony? What did he do to deserve a life like that?”

Twilight used her magic to move another set of books.  “Well, I haven't lived in Ponyville long enough to know for certain,” she said, “but if I had to guess, I'd say Nocturne is an orphan who got in trouble a lot, and ran away because he was sure no one would miss him. ”

“Orphan?” Fluttershy asked, puzzled, “What makes you say that?”

“Because,” Twilight explained, “If he had parents, he'd have somepony in his life to set limits for him. He scares ponies, and is obviously not above hurting them if he has to, because he knows he can get away with it. No one set any boundaries for him as a foal, so now he feels he can do these things freely as a stallion.”

“But,” Fluttershy wondered, feeling her heart ache, “but . . . if he never had a mom or dad . . . how . . . how did he grow up? Who . . . . could he go to?”

Twilight pondered this for a bit, pressing a hoof to her chin.  “My guess,” she concluded, “He was raised by timberwolves.”

Fluttershy gasped, “That's awful! Growing up in that forest all alone . . . no father to play with . . . no mother to hug . . . nopony to love him . . . . .”

“Look, I know it's upsetting,” Twilight touched a hoof to Fluttershy's shoulder, “But it's much easier to look at it logically. If he's hurt ponies before, there's no sure chance that he won't do it again. So it's best to be cautious and keep your distance.”

Fluttershy's wings drooped, “And make him even lonelier than ever . . .”

Twilight started feeling as dejected as Fluttershy, but kept her voice steady, “It's for the best.”

“Uhh, Twilight!” called a tall stack of books from a couple feet away, “If you're done, I could really use a hoof, here!”

“Oh, sorry, Spike!” Twilight replied, easing the little dragon's load by lifting up half the stack telekinetically; she turned back to Fluttershy, “Nocturne may be a bad seed, but it's not the end of the world if you can't help him. You do so much good in Ponyville, and everypony you help is so grateful to you. And not just other ponies, but animals, too. You shouldn't be so down over just one pony. Take some time to remember just how helpful you really are, okay?”

Fluttershy nodded, but still felt depressed.  Maybe it was a little silly to get so worked up over one pony, but the feeling that Nocturne needed help grew stronger all the time.  Getting close to him was out of the question, and appealing to him hadn't worked, either.  She knew that if she could somehow get to know Nocturne better, she could help him.  But how?

“I have to go now, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, subdued, “I'll see you later.”

“Okay then,” Twilight answered, a bit confused at her friend's sudden departure, “Just remember what I said. Don't feel too bad about Nocturne. You have other friends who are always glad to see you.”

Fluttershy nodded again and took her leave.  She did have other friends who needed her.  Maybe it was best to attend to them and keep her mind off things.  Besides, one day without worrying about Nocturne wouldn't hurt, would it?

Or could she even go that long?

“Urgh! Pinkie, please! I'm trying to read here!”

Rainbow Dash was propped up on a spacious cloud, trying to engage herself in a copy of Daring Do and the Canyons of Fire.  Fluttershy sat next to her, and circling them, floating on a bunch of balloons and being her usual cheery, extemporaneous self, was Pinkie Pie.

“Oooh! Somepony's a cranky patient!” Pinkie giggled, “A grouchy with the ouchies!”

“Pinkie, I told you,” Dash complained, “I'm feeling better today. All I need is another day or two of rest. I appreciate what your trying to do, but you're really not helping!”

Fluttershy sighed at her friend's condition, “I'm sorry this happened, Rainbow Dash. I still feel so guilty about this.”

Dash shook her head, “I told you, Fluttershy, it's not your fault. I got myself into that mess, so I have no one to blame but myself.”  She then scowled, glaring in the direction of the Everfree Forest, “Of course, it wouldn't have happened if—”

“WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”

Dash and Fluttershy glanced at Pinkie as she backstroked through the air on her balloons.  As she made another lap around them, Dash continued, “It wouldn't have happened if Nocturne weren't the cowardly creep he is.”

Fluttershy saw that of all the things that still needed healing, none needed it more than Dash's ego.  “I just wish I knew more about him,” she lamented, “Why he is the way he is. Twilight said that he's probably an orphan who was raised by timberwolves, but . . . I just don't think I can believe that.”

Dash scoffed, “Makes him sound too tragic, if you ask me. As good as he is at freaking ponies out, I wouldn't be surprised if he was some kind of escaped carnival attraction.”

Fluttershy gasped, “Rainbow Dash, that's awful! Why would you say such a thing?”

Dash sighed, seeming to have forgotten Fluttershy's conflicted feelings about Nocturne.  “Yeah, I know, don't judge before you get to know them,” she admitted, “but he makes sure nopony gets to know him, because he never lets anypony get close to him. All he wants is to be alone, and he does whatever it takes to keep it that way. As far as I'm concerned, he brought all this on himself.”

Dash's words were painful for Fluttershy to hear, but she wasn't quite sure whether it was because she was being mean, or because she was right.  They were harsh words, all right, but there was a sliver of hard truth in them.  As much as Fluttershy hated to admit it, Nocturne did act cruelly to ponies often, so it was probably through karma that Nocturne earned his reputation.  The way he acted, it was only natural for ponies to hate and fear him so much, so to a degree, he did deserve what he was getting.

But there had to be a reason.  And if anypony knew about Nocturne's past, Fluttershy could learn it, too, and find out why Nocturne distanced himself from others.  Whatever reason it was, Fluttershy was sure it wasn't malicious.  Nopony acted malicious without reason.

With the possible exception of Discord.

“I heard he's an alien!”

Fluttershy and Dash both looked at Pinkie, baffled at her ludicrous suggestion.  “Uhh . . .” Dash began, unsure of how to respond, “. . . alien?”

“Sure!” Pinkie grinned, “Like, a creature from another world! Twilight says that they're in science fiction novels all the time! Yeah, and I'll bet he's like a spy, or a scout or something, sent by the mother ship to look over the place and find out all our secrets! And once he sends our weaknesses to his people, that's when the invasion begins! And they'll be all like 'Take us to your leader', and we'll be all like, 'Oh, Princess Celestia? Company!' and they'll be like 'We claim your land!' and we'll be like 'Oh, no you di-in't!' and it'll turn into a big huge battle for Equestria, with robots, and clones and lightsabers and—”

Pinkie had gone off on another tangent, and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash could only sit and stare, dumbfounded by Pinkie's bizarre scenario.  “Pinkie Pie?” Dash interrupted, “What the hay are you talking about?!”

Pinkie stopped talking and stopped moving at the same time, and simply stayed there, floating in the air.  She looked as though she had been taking a nap instead of paying attention to something important, and had just been shaken awake.  “Hmm,” she pondered, a hoof on her chin, “I guess I was thinking about something else. Oh, well! I'd still like to party with the little furry guys! Yub-yub—oops, I mean, yep-yep!”

Fluttershy smiled nervously and Dash facehoofed.  “Anyway,” Dash continued, “All I know about that jerk is what he shows us. And I know you wanna make him into some sad, lonely pony, but until he tells us so, we have to go by what he does. And no sad, lonely pony would do what he did.”

Fluttershy nodded. Dash was right in so many ways, but in just as many ways, she could be mistaken.  Just because he never put his pain on display, didn't necessarily mean he didn't feel it, right?  There was probably a lot more going on below the surface, something that Nocturne wasn't willing to show.  But who in all of Ponyville knew enough about him to be able to tell her what it was?  As smart as Twilight was, she didn't know anything about Nocturne, and could only guess.  And even though Rainbow Dash had herself had a close encounter with Nocturne, she only knew what she could see.

There must be somepony who can help, Fluttershy thought, Somepony who knew Nocturne before he was the 'phantom pony'.

“Fluttershy, what are you thinking?” Twilight asked, the concern only growing in her voice, “You've seen what Nocturne is like! He clearly wants nothing to do with you or anypony else! And besides, this isn't like Zecora! Nocturne is dangerous! He only scared you this time, but if you go back there—”

“Twilight, please!” Fluttershy interrupted, then backpedaled a bit, “Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but . . . but I think we might be wrong about Nocturne.”

Who would know better about a misjudged pony than another misjudged pony? Fluttershy reasoned as she knocked on the door of the unusual little cottage in the woods.  Luckily, Zecora's house was a good distance away from Nocturne's territory, and if anypony could have a chance at understanding Nocturne's secret side, it would be her.  Fluttershy was ashamed to admit it, but she'd thought ill of Zecora in the past without actually knowing her.  But, as it turned out, she wasn't bad at all.  So, it stood to reason that Zecora would be the one to understand Nocturne better than anypony.

The door opened, and the zebra pony stood on the other side.  “What a surprise to meet my eye,” she said in her heavily-accented voice, “A lovely visit from Fluttershy!”

“Hello, Zecora,” Fluttershy replied amiably, “I was wondering—um, that is, if you're not too busy—if I could ask you some questions. I-if you can't, I understand . . .”

“No, please, come in, my friend,” Zecora smiled and bade her enter, “What is this help you wish me to lend?”

Fluttershy entered and tried not to let Zecora's unusual décor put her off too much.  “Um, well,” she began uneasily, “I was just thinking . . . well, since we didn't really know a lot about you before we met you—I don't mean that to be mean, or anything—but, I just thought you would know what it's like . . . having ponies judge you before they know you—like I said, I don't want to sound mean—but, there's another pony I know . . . well, kind of . . . and nopony really knows about him too much. And I just thought, maybe, I could ask what you think about him . . .”

Zecora smiled and nodded, “Your heart, it longs, your feelings yearn, to solve the mystery of Nocturne.”

Fluttershy was amazed, “Yes, that's right. How did you know? Could you . . . read my mind?”

Zecora chuckled, “The word about town causes you to frown.”  

As if on cue, Fluttershy frowned dejectedly; again, Zecora was right.  “I just want to know why they think that way,” she answered, “What did Nocturne do that was so awful?”

Zecora started scrutinizing her shelves full of strange ingredients.  “Is Nocturne truly a bad seed?” she asked, “Unclear: ponies' hearts can be hard to read.”  She found a jar containing a strange pink flower and plucked it from the shelf, placing it on the wooden counter.  She searched the same shelf, further back, and pulled out a jar of herbs, colored bluish-black, and sat them next to the pink flower.  Dragging over a bowl from a far side, Zecora opened the jar with the pink flower and plucked a petal from out of the jar, placing it into the bowl.  Taking the other jar in her teeth, she shook out a dash of the blue-black herbs on top of the pink petal, set the jar down, and began to mash the bowl's contents together with her hoof.  All the while, Fluttershy watched her patiently, wondering what she was doing and how it would help.  She was about to ask as Zecora took a bottle of clear liquid and carefully hovered it over the bowl, but before Fluttershy could speak, one drop from the bottle fell on the mishmash in the bowl  As soon as it made contact, the mixture gave off a small explosion of dark-blue smoke.

“This spell will tell us of the past,” Zecora explained, “Read it carefully, for it will not last.”

Fluttershy dutifully paid close attention to the smoke, and saw it changing shapes in the air.  A chunk of the smoke separated in the middle, framed by the rest of the cloud, and it began to take a definite form—a crescent moon, with what looked like a musical note hanging inside.  The outer cloud swallowed the symbol, and the cloud reshaped into the form of a very small foal—a foal with large bat wings and a hat.

Fluttershy gasped, “That's Nocturne!”

“It is, indeed,” Zecora confirmed, “Now, continue to read.”  They both watched as the smoke-foal hung there in midair, clutching its chest with its hooves; a close look saw that that area of the smoke-foal glowed red, like a beacon, and flashed on and off.  It seemed to cause the smoke-foal a great deal of pain.  An even closer look saw small droplets of smoke fall away from the smoke-foal's face; it was crying.

“A searing pain, deep in his heart,” Zecora theorized, “A difficult thing from which to part.”  The beacon stopped flashing for a moment, and the smoke-foal bent its head toward its chest, where the flashing light began.  It looked as though it were still crying, and it made Fluttershy's heart ache to watch.  After a long stretch of seeing this, though, the smoke-foal slowly and subtly began to grow.  Its already-large wings grew larger, and the glowing light returned, but remained bright and steady instead of flashing, and instead of in its chest, the glow permeated its eyes.  The smoke-pony looked up, and at once, it stood on its hind legs, spread its wraithlike wings, and glared at Fluttershy with its vicious red eyes.  The smoke cloud reformed, and it became a zoomed-in look at the smoke-pony's face, showing cruelly-hooked fangs in its wide-open mouth, and its eyes sporting an even brighter red glow.  Fluttershy even thought for a minute that she could hear it roar—could hear Nocturne roar—in a frightful fury.  It was horrifying.

Fluttershy turned away, shaking and holding back tears just as the smoke dissipated.  Zecora approached Fluttershy and placed a hoof on her back, “Are you quite all right, my child? Those images do seem quite reviled.”

Fluttershy took several deep breaths to calm herself, then turned back around, “I'm okay, Zecora. But . . . well, I'm grateful for your help, but . . . . is that all it could tell us?”

“The smoke tells all, both sweet and sordid,” Zecora explained, “but it can only tell what is known and recorded.”

Fluttershy was confused, “So, the spell doesn't know any more than anypony else does?”

Zecora nodded, crestfallen, “Sadly, yes, its limits are true. But with this knowledge, what do you intend to do?”

Thinking for a moment, Fluttershy found a bright side almost immediately.  It may not have explained much, but Zecora's spell did make one thing perfectly clear—it proved that Nocturne's wicked behavior was, indeed, a cover for inner turmoil.  Fluttershy had been right all along.

“Umm, Zecora?” Fluttershy inquired gently, “Umm, you said the spell only tells what ponies already know and have written down, right? How does that work, exactly? Whose knowledge does it tell, and what records does it use?”

Zecora supplied the answers, “Nocturne's past, both the gay and the ill, stem from here in Ponyville. All of Nocturne's fear and woe, were shown through ponies here who know.”

“So, somepony here in Ponyville knows what happened to Nocturne?” Fluttershy asked, finally feeling hope at last, until a thought occurred to her, “Wait . . . it isn't just Nocturne who knows, is it?”

“Strangely enough, the spell seems slacking,” Zecora replied, seeming to be befuddled by this problem, “Either that, or Nocturne's knowledge is lacking.”

Fluttershy was bewildered as well.  How could Nocturne not know his own past?  It seemed too silly to be true, but she didn't want to think that Zecora's spell was anything but helpful.  This was getting stranger and stranger by the minute.

But as long as Fluttershy knew for sure that Nocturne was not evil, it was all she needed.  “Thank you so much, Zecora,” she said, smiling, “This helped a lot. How can I repay you?”

“I was glad to assist you, dear,” Zecora replied with a benign smile, “For now, it seems you've lost your fear. Is there anything else you need for your venture to succeed?”

“No, thank you,” Fluttershy said politely, “You've done so much for me. Thanks again!”  And with that, Fluttershy took her leave.  This made it clear that somepony in town knew what made Nocturne become a beast, and if Fluttershy had to visit each pony in town, one by one, she would do it.  Given her notorious timidity, she knew she was risking her own constitution by visiting ponies she didn't quite know, but she kept her head and pressed on.  She knew that, if it could help warm Nocturne's cold heart, it would all be worth it.

Twilight was about to argue, but stopped when she heard this.  Fluttershy seemed like she wouldn't budge on this, and that was a rare moment.  Further, she seemed as though she'd done more thinking about this than Twilight had; in fact, when Twilight herself thought about it, it made some sense.

Twilight finally relented, “All right, fine. But as your friend, I'm going with you to make sure nothing bad happens. I don't trust Nocturne, but if you really think he's not so bad, I'll let you go along with this.”

Fluttershy gave a tiny squeal of joy and hugged her friend, “Oh thank you, Twilight! Like I said, just give him a chance. All he needs is a little kindness, you'll see.”

“I was right, Applejack! Nocturne really is just lonely! All he needs is a little kindness! I went to Zecora, and she told me so! Ooh, I know I can help him now! I know it!”

Applejack frowned at her friend's uncharacteristic zeal.  “You're a glutton for punishment, aren't you, Fluttershy?” she said dryly.

“Applejack, please, trust me,” Fluttershy replied, “I know he's a good pony, now. All I need is to figure out what happened to him, and why he went to live in the Everfree Forest, and I know I can make him feel better. I know it!”

“Is that why y'all came here, Fluttershy?” asked a tiny voice next to Applejack.  Her younger sister, Apple Bloom, had been listening to Fluttershy since she'd arrived at Sweet Apple Acres.  “You want to talk to Granny Smith, don't ya? She knows everythin' about Ponyville's history!”

“That's right, Apple Bloom!” Fluttershy smiled at her, “I knew your Granny Smith would be the best pony to talk to about Ponyville's past, and if anypony knows about what happened to Nocturne, she does!”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom agreed excitedly, “You wait right here, Fluttershy, and I'll go get her for ya! Don't go away, now!”  And Apple Bloom raced back to the house as fast as her tiny little legs could carry her, her red bow bouncing in the breeze.

Applejack shook her head, “Fluttershy, if I wasn't your friend, I'd swear y'all had gone plum daffy. You do know that Rainbow Dash is laid up 'cause of that varmint, don't ya?”

“He was just protecting himself, AJ,” Fluttershy rationalized, “Rainbow Dash confronted him, and she was way too loud and mean, so Nocturne fought back. I'm not saying it wasn't his fault. What he did was terrible. But I know he would've acted differently if Rainbow hadn't been so mean.”

“I can't believe I'm hearin' this,” Applejack sighed, “You wanna tell me that after everythin' that's happened, after he scared you, hurt Rainbow, and threatened to hurt you too, you still think that Nocturne fella is decent? You really believe that?”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and eyed her friend with a steady, resolute gaze as she replied, “Yes.”

Ordinarily, Applejack would have felt frustration creep up on her; stubbornness was hard to deal with, and Fluttershy was hardly ever this stubborn.  But she had seen the look in the Pegasus' eyes; this time, she was putting her hoof down and keeping it down—something else she hardly ever did.  Applejack nodded, relenting, “Okay. I understand. This means more to you than I thought. A lot more. I still think it's best not to fool around with Nocturne, but if ya really think he's okay, I won't say anythin' more on it.”

Fluttershy felt her heart swell, “Don't worry, Applejack. I promise, if I can't help Nocturne, or at least prove he's a good pony, then I'll walk away from the whole thing. I know there's some good in him deep down, but if I can't help him, then it's not worth worrying my friends like this.”

Applejack approached Fluttershy and put a hoof around her shoulders, “You should be worried about yourself, sugarcube. We all are.”

“Well, now, what's all this about a 'rock-burn'?”

Fluttershy and Applejack turned to see Granny Smith slowly trotting up to them, led by an excited Apple Bloom.  “Oh, hello, Granny Smith,” Fluttershy smiled, “I was hoping I could talk to you about someth—what? Oh, no, it's actually 'Nocturne', Granny Smith. 'Nocturne'.”

Granny Smith looked confused for a second, then returned the smile, “Oh, of course, dearie. Why, I thought a 'rock-burn' sounded silly, anyways. Now, then, darlin', tell me about this Nocturne, and I'll see if I can remember 'im for ya.”

Fluttershy nodded, “Well, um, you see, Nocturne is the Pegasus living in Everfree Forest and scaring ponies who come near him. Everypony says he's a monster, and I think he wants us to believe that, but I think he's just lonely and angry and needs a friend. Do you think you can remember anything about him, maybe from his foalhood?”

“Hmm,” Granny Smith paused, putting a wrinkled hoof to her chin in thought, “Well, I might recall a young'n wearin' a hat. Big white fedory-type thang, I reckon. Little darlin' looked so cute, it bein' too big for 'im and all. Big ol' bat wengs, though. Not too easy on the ol' peepers.”

“That's him!” Fluttershy answered, “Can you remember what he was like?”

Another pause, complete with chin-stroking, and Granny Smith recounted as best she could, “Hmmm . . . now you mention it, lil' Nocturne was a lonely young'n. No friends, nopony to love 'im. Used to try all kinda thangs to earn his cutie mark, but ain't nopony notice or care. Coulda been those wengs, I reckon, but it coulda been those red eyes, as well. Then one day, just up and ran away.”

“Do you remember why he left, Granny?” Apple Bloom looked up at her grandmother expectantly.

Granny Smith pondered in her third pause of the moment, but couldn't seem to reply in the affirmative.  “Sorry, dearie,” she finally answered, “Can't seem to recall. Must be them small details.”

“But, Granny Smith, that don't make any kind of sense,” Applejack shook her head, “You remember everything about Ponyville's history. One little old incident should be easy to remember for you.”

“Ahh, but there's the trouble, hon,” Granny Smith replied solemnly, “If I remember right, whatever sent lil' Nocturne away, that was somethin' nopony remembers. Prolly 'cause, if'n it was that bad, nopony wants to remember.”

“So, it was really bad for everypony, and not just Nocturne?” Fluttershy asked.

“I reckon so, darlin',” Granny Smith replied, “All ponyfolk got diff'rent ways of forgettin'. Fact, you may just be right. Lil' Nocturne ain't no monster, he just has a diff'rent way of forgettin' thangs, is all.”

Fluttershy understood what Granny Smith was saying.  Nocturne didn't attack Rainbow Dash because he was being deliberately cruel.  It was the same reason he had scared Fluttershy away—because anypony on the outside had a chance to remind him of his pain.  He didn't want that; in fact, given what he'd done to Dash, he was desperate not to let that happen.

He really was just in pain.  Terrible pain . . .

Twilight and Fluttershy squealed in fright.  “Okay,” Twilight replied, the force in her tone now entirely gone, “Uh . . . have a nice day.”  Both she and Fluttershy then turned around and bolted back to town.

Before leaving, Fluttershy stopped and turned back toward Nocturne, “Umm . . . I-I hope you like the basket.”  With that, she raced away, calling out to her quickly-departing friend, “Twilight, wait for me!”

Ever since he scared that little annoyance out of the woods, she'd come back to bother him at least once a day, up until yesterday.  It had been five days since then, and in that time, only one day had come and gone in which Fluttershy had not shown up with more gifts or letters or kind words.  He was glad he didn't have to put up with her all day yesterday.

Not because he hated her, but because he didn't know whether he should.

For four days, Nocturne had paced the woods, trying to figure out what was going on inside his mind.  He was feeling emotions he'd never felt before (at least to his memory, which was spotty at best).  Just the existence of that Pegasus brought up vicious conflict inside him, and Nocturne hated it.  He wanted to make her pay for making him feel this way, but another side of him was ashamed of feeling that way towards her.  He wanted Fluttershy to leave him alone, but at the same time, he wanted to see her again, at least one more time.  Did he hate her?  Did he want to thank her?  Did he want to repay her kindness, or beat her within an inch of her life?  Did he love her, or did he never want to see her again?  It was so difficult to tell, and it frustrated Nocturne to no end.  He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this way.

He couldn't remember feeling anything like this at all.

Nocturne suddenly went still and held his breath.  Voices.  At the edge of the woods. More intruders.

He swiftly made his way to the edge of the forest, once again aided by his excellent night vision and intimate knowledge of the woods.  Four days ago, that Fluttershy mare had brought him a basket.  Three days ago, her impudent rainbow-colored friend had stormed in, raising Tartarus and practically begging for a beatdown.  Two days ago, the local mail mare had foolishly come to his forest with another of Fluttershy's stupid letters.  He had grown careless yesterday, thinking nopony would be along to bother him again; now today, more intruders were threatening his isolation.  Nocturne was at his wit's end; this madness had to stop.  He couldn't stand any more ponies invading his territory.

And from the sound of the voices as they got closer, three ponies had come to do just that.  Young ones, by the sound of them.

Yes.  Three ignorant, oblivious young fillies . . . . . . Next Chapter: Day 5 continued Estimated time remaining: 55 Minutes