Nocturne lives a normal life. Well, except for living in a palace. And being of royal lineage. And being an alicorn. And being the bastard daughter of Princess Luna.
Maybe not so normal after all…
One day, she decides to try the experience of “normal” ponies, and live among the commoners for a summer. Without a disguise. Those accompanying and chaperoning her are: Brave Strike, a cute soldier with a tragic background; Cheerful Shimmer, his cheery (what else?) older cousin and customary "Team Mom"; and Amber, a common-born lady-in-waiting with a mile-wide sarcastic streak.
Surely nothing could go wrong!
The story can be found here
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The following tropes are associated with Overture.
- Abusive Parents: Arpeggio, Nocturne's birth mother, was this to her until she abandoned her as a young girl. While it has not been shown if she was ever physical with her daughter, her verbal abuse was bad enough that Nocturne is still anxious when others yell at her.
- The Alcoholic: Again, Arpeggio.
- Alternate Universe:
- Luna has a child out of wedlock.
- It is mentioned in chapter three that Queen Chrysalis and the Changelings have made peace with Equestria, and it seems that the seaponies are not ruled by Queen Novo.
- Princess Twilight, Princess Cadence, and Prince Blueblood have had their titles demoted to Countess, Duchess, and Duke, respectively.
- Bodyguard Crush: Nocturne has a rather obvious infatuation with Brave Strike, one of her guards.
- Covered with Scars: Aquatic Strike (Brave's cousin and a minor character) is described as having multiple scars. While most come from her work in the military, it is mentioned that she also picked up some from brawls.
- Crowd Song: Played Straight and Played for Laughs. In-Universe, "heartsong" refers to the phenomenon when "any sapient creatures" (especially ponies) break into an over-the-top, unrehearsed musical number. It is stated to be a magic that isn't completely understood. What is known is that while it usually can happen naturally, some ponies can start one on purpose - Nocturne being one of them. She expresses embarrassment at having caused it numerous times, and actively avoids "the usual instigators."Nocturne's thoughts: Okay, so no dramatic pauses, no lead-in or cue lines, and no speaking with a dramatic affect.
- Distracted by the Sexy: A minor incident in chapter three involves Nocturne becoming becoming flustered by cute stallions she meets at the Equestrian Military Academy. Celestia is quick to notice and quicker to tease her about it.
- Every Scar Has a Story: Brave has a large scar on his chest, and though how he got it is currently unknown, it is made clear that it is important to him.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: The narration says this almost word for word in chapter nine (titled "Normal") about Nocturne, revealing she wishes she could live without the pressures and rules that come from being a member of royalty.
- Love at First Sight: Showtime is completely infatuated with Brave Strike the moment she first sees him.
- Parents as People: While far from abusive, Luna is portrayed as a less-than-stellar mother for most of Nocturne's life. She is awkward around her and seems to have left most of the duties of raising her to the staff and Celestia. She admits she did this because she was afraid of messing up, and resolves to do better going forward.
