//------------------------------// // Verse 9 // Story: The Nightmare Knights Become A Band // by SwordTune //------------------------------// “Okay, explain it to me again,” Tempest scratched her head, “what’s so special about these ponies? Aren’t they just like that other singer… uh… Songbird Serenade?” Glitter Drops laughed as they stepped off the train. Luna and Lightning Dust had gone ahead to pick up their equipment from the luggage car, leaving the rest of the Nightmare Knights to wait outside at the front of the station. “You’re not wrong, if Serenade was judging, ponies would probably still be flocking to perform,” Glitter Drops explained as Starlight led them through the Canterlot station. “I guess the flyer just focuses a lot on them since Sapphire Shores and Rara are the two biggest names in the pop music industry.” Starlight nodded. “I spent a lot of my formative years ruling over an egalitarian dystopia, and even I’ve heard of them. Sapphire’s songs are classics, but when Rara came out as Countess Coloratura, she took over the whole industry.” “Thanks to my ingenious management skills,” Svengallop reminded her with a grumble. “Well, Rara was still the songwriter and singer, so…” Glitter Drops left her implications for Svengallop to pick up. Tempest shook her head in confusion and cut straight through the stallion’s rising tension. “So they were rivals. Why is performing for them so exciting? I thought ponies would want to see them have a competition, to finally settle who’s better.” “Oh Fizzy!” Glitter Drop laughed hard. “That might be dramatic to watch but I don’t think a lot of ponies go for that kind of stuff.” Starlight looked over her shoulder from the map of the train station. “I’ dunno,” she mumbled, “Tempest’s idea sounds pretty fun.” While Glitter Drops continued to explain to Tempest what to expect from a pony music festival, Starlight paused to take a closer look at the station’s map. Canterlot was as packed for the music festival as it was for Twilight’s coronation. Looking at the map and looking through a dense crowd of ponies was nothing alike. “Okay, just where is Princess Luna?” Svengallop brayed and tossed his head in the air. “I have just about had enough of all this Coloratura talk. There is a deluxe spa treatment waiting for me at our hotel and I cannot wait to get all of this…” he gestured to his clothes, “public transit dust off of me.” “I don’t think Luna likes being called ‘princess’ anymore,” Starlight reminded him as she found the station exit on the map and walked ahead. “Nonsense,” he spurted, “being a princess is the greatest privilege in Equestria. Who would want to give up all of that just for a boring normal life?” Glitter Drop stared at him. “Dude, that’s literally what she did when she retired.” “Besides,” Tempest smirked, “I turned three of the princesses to stone within minutes of showing up in Equestria. They’re not all that.” “You… really don’t let your past bother you, do you?” Starlight looked at Tempest. She shrugged. “Everybody makes mistakes.” “Huh, I knew I liked you for a reason.” Starlight returned to her map. “Okay every pony, I think I see the platform 2 exit. If we get split up just head for the ticket kiosk and the exit’s on the left.” Luna found her Knights waiting outside the busy train station. She levitated her luggage high above the passing crowd, except for the guitar cases slung over her back. Lightning Dust groaned as she squeezed with her drum kit on a wagon through a long ticket line just to reach the exit door. “Tell me again why I have to push this thing?” she grumbled. “Because if I lost my concentration while levitating,” Luna explained, “there’s a good chance the drums will break and ponies might get hurt. That’s why I’m not lifting up the guitars.” Lightning Dust released a tired and frustrated sigh. “Then ponies should get out of the way. Blocking me is just making this all harder!” “Oh stop, we’re already here.” Luna pointed to Starlight, who was laughing with Glitter Drops and Tempest. “You seriously told Princess Cadence that?” Starlight giggled. Tempest bobbed her head around. “Well… yeah… but I had my reasons. When I met her I couldn’t stand her.” “You all look like you’re getting along,” Luna observed as she passed back every pony’s bags and instruments. She turned to Svengallop, who was wearing his displeasure clearly on his face. “Don’t mind him, he just likes being grouchy,” Glitter Drops said. Tempest nodded. “And he hates Sapphire- no, wait- he hates Countess Coloratura’s guts. Yeah, she’s the one, right?” Glitter Drops gave Tempest a reassuring grin. “Svengallop, are you sure you don’t need your own keyboard?” Luna tried to cheer him up. “I should be able to bring it to you later once we reach the hotel.” “I don’t see why you didn’t just teleport us all in the first place,” he complained. “Well, it’s simple,” Luna shrugged. “For one thing, on a day like today, I would be liable to crash into some pony by teleporting into their space. And then there’s no guarantee that the ground we land on is as flat as where we started. The instruments could get knocked around and damaged.” “And I’m not risking my guitars,” Starlight added. Luna nodded. “Teleporting as few times as possible is for the best. But if you need your equipment, it should be safe inside the hotel.” “Ugh,” Svengallop rolled his eyes, “don’t spend your time on that. I’m a professional. Most sound equipment and keyboards now have the same basic layout, I can use the festival’s equipment just fine. You should be focusing on your vocal warm-ups instead. We only have two days to go through the soundcheck.” “Ha-ha,” Lightning mocked and patted the boxes packed with her drums. “We’re the ones with our equipment. Quit with the attitude, you’re the one who should be warming up.” “I will be operating an electronic system,” he looked at her with disdain, “while the Princess is using her voice. Singers need warming up, not keyboards. I’m honestly you didn’t know that.” “That’s not what I meant-” Lightning Dust sparked up. It took Luna physically standing between them to end their dispute. “I know, Svengallop. I remember the letter,” she said. A week before the event, all participants were mailed a letter providing detailed instructions on how to go through the final step of registration. Soundchecks were required for all personal equipment, or else they’d be replaced by spares provided by the festival. There was also time to go through one rehearsal for each group, though not in front of the judges. Oddly enough, Luna felt relieved. Twilight was her friend and she was proud to see the young princess succeed so much, but it was still a little embarrassing to think about performing in front of her. Then again, if performing in front of Twilight was embarrassing, Luna wondered why she didn’t feel the same apprehension about inviting her sister. Celestia had confirmed that she’d be back from a tour around Griffonstone in time for the festival. Maybe it’s because Celestia already knew so much about her? Luna held onto the thought, but she couldn’t focus on it. It thought it should bother her, but it didn’t. She just genuinely wanted Celestia to see her. “Which way to the hotel?” Starlight asked. Perhaps it was fine to leave it at that. Luna refocused herself. “Two streets over from Rarity’s boutique, actually. Once we get there we just have to cross the road a few times.” Starlight chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve actually ever been to her Canterlot location. I have absolutely no idea where it is.” “Hm, it’s actually a bit rusty for me as well,” Luna said. “We can start by heading to the business district, then onto the fashion row. We’ll probably-” “Oh for the name of Celestia just follow me,” Svengallop cried out, stepping out in front of every pony. “I’ve had my suits custom-tailored at her shop many times before. I know exactly where it is.” “So this means I can’t turn him to stone?” Tempest whispered to Starlight, who replied with a stifled chuckle. With little time on their hooves for sightseeing, the Nightmare Knights stepped off the station sidewalk and made their way towards their future. Checking into their rooms was quick and easy and it took only a few hours to get settled in. Though she had come with them, Glitter Drops was only there as a fan. Apparently, she still knew some ponies from her old days as a student at the School of Magic, and they agreed to let her crash at their place for the festival. “Guess it’s just you and me, hotshot,” Lightning Dust said to Tempest as she set her bag down and jumped onto one of the beds, claiming it for herself. “Oh this’ll be fun for you,” Glitter Drops smirked, looking inward at the mess Lightning was beginning to accrue. Tempest slouched her shoulders and flopped her ears. “If I can survive an ursa minor I can survive this. Just promise you’ll join us after the festival for dinner at restaurant row. There’s a barbeque place that recently opened. I heard all the cooks are dragons.” “Can’t wait,” Glitter Drop cheered, waving goodbye to her best friend and all the other Knights. Across the hall was Svengallop’s room, complete with a poolside view. He didn’t take the time to unpack, however. While Starlight helped carry the guitars into her room with Luna, he was in and out in an instant, a towel slung over his back. “If any pony needs me I’ll be unwinding in the sauna before getting a deep-tissue back massage,” he said, hurrying off. Lightning Dust cackled from her bed. “Dude, if you needed some pony to crush your back you could’ve asked me! More than happy to help.” “You’d probably break him,” Tempest sneered at the stallion while he walked away, ignoring their comments. While those two set their boundaries for their room, Starlight and Luna brought out an ironing board from the closet to take out the wrinkles from their costumes. The bag they stored it in had been crushed under the weight of neighbouring luggage on the train. “Black cloaks and face paint,” Starlight mused, “never thought I’d be wearing them again. I just hope no pony recognizes me once it’s all on.” “The School of Friendship is still in session, isn’t it?” Luna asked. “With Sunburst keeping an eye on things I doubt any of your students will see you.” “Hey, you never know.” Starlight levitated the iron over the cloak, testing the heat. Once steam started coming out she started pressing out the wrinkles. “The festival starts on Saturday. If the students get on the Friday evening train, they can be in Canterlot by the time the sound checks are over. Sooner if they can fly.” “I hope they do,” Luna said, hanging up the first cloak that was done. “This festival is for non-pony scholarships. A lot of creatures from outside Equestria will get to see who the Nightmare Knights are, before the legacy of Nightmare Moon leaves an impression.” Starlight nodded quietly. Luna spied her from the corner of her eye. Even silence had meaning. And she had a pretty good guess at what this silence meant. “It doesn’t bother me, however,” Luna said, “that the School of Friendship teaches the history of Nightmare Moon. After all, that was when the power of the Elements of Harmony were returned to Equestria.” Starlight’s ears stood up in surprise. “Oh! You, uh, you heard about that. Sorry, I thought about changing the curriculum after hearing you talk about wanting ponies to see you for yourself. But, that’s not something I can easily do in the middle of the school year.” “Do not fret it,” Luna chuckled. “I want to be myself, yes, but I am not going to ignore history like it did not happen. It did. All the more reason why expressing my true self is so important.” Starlight smiled as she passed another unwrinkled cloak to Luna. “That’s good to hear.” Tempest tuned her guitar and played the riff again. The sound was still a little off. On the sides of the stage were technicians adjusting the speakers settings to match the effect they wanted. Starlight checked on Tempest’s guitar. She had given it to her to play for the band, but Starlight still had all her childhood memories of her spare guitar, and she knew how to make it sing. “Think there’s a loose connection,” she said, jostling the wire plugged into the instrument. Tempest played her chords again with Starlight levitating the cable in place. And the guitar sang like a dove. “There she is.” Starlight smiled and turned to one of the technicians. “The last group must’ve done something, this cable doesn’t have a good connection. You guys have a spare?” One of them, a griffon, flashed a thumb’s up with his claws. Starlight hesitated for a moment before she realized what it was one of the popular gestures from creatures that had opposable digits. “Uh, great!” she said as the griffon headed behind the stage to grab the cable. She wasn’t sure how to respond to a thumbs up. Svengallop and Lightning Dust looked up from the game of cards they were playing on the stage floor. “Finally, can we get to the rehearsal now?” Lightning Dust gasped. Svengallop stood up and got ready by the keyboard that had been given to him. “Now, now, pushing performers to get the best results is one thing, but sound checks are the most important part of the preparations.” The griffon brought the cable to Starlight and once again Tempest tested her guitar. She played the first and last few chords of their songs, going across the whole volume range. It sounded good. “Oh thank Celestia I was getting tired of waiting,” Svengallop gave a sigh of relief. Lightning Dust made a twisted look at him. “You really don’t know how to read a room, do you?” Luna interrupted Lightning’s bickering with Svengallop and gathered every pony to the centre of the stage. Each of her members had a strong personality that didn’t back down from anything. That made them great performers, but it was clear some parts of their teamwork needed improvement. “I’m still not sure which of our songs to play,” she told them. They had prepared two performances, both pretty similar with their movements and choreography, but the songs were totally different. “Flip a coin,” Lightning said, “we only have two to choose from.” Svengallop scoffed. “Nonsense. I didn’t come here to bet success on chance. If we’re going to make a star out of Luna, then it has to be the second song.” The themes of both songs were almost identical, but they told different stories. The first one they wrote, the one she had played for Svengallop, was supposed to be their song. It shared its title with their name. The second, well, was a lot more personal. “I don’t know about stardom,” Starlight said, “but I think the second song fits better. I mean, this is your debut, right? The first song should leave an impression.” Tempest nodded. “We’re all here because of you. Me especially. It makes sense to sing the second song. We can sing about ourselves next time.” Luna looked at them. She was surprised. The second song was just to give themselves options for the festival, in case they were asked to perform more. But with so many bands signing up to take part in the festival, there was only time for one. Next time. That was right. If they did this right, ponies would be listening to their songs for a while. Luna wanted that. But in order to do that, they needed to stay a band. She brought them together, but it was their willingness to work together that made them a band. She looked at Svengallop and Lightning Dust. The Nightmare Knights formed out of ponies who once had villainy, or at least malice, in their heart. It was about redemption for all of them, not just her. So, there was really only one choice. “Sorry, but since I brought us together, I guess I have the final say,” Luna said. “And I say it’s only right we start this together. We’re singing The Nightmare Knights.” Tempest and Starlight looked at each other, shrugging. “Alright then,” Tempest said, getting into her position. “On your mark, Lightning.” “Yeah, no problem,” the pegasus replied. She took her seat at her drums, but didn’t take her eyes off of Luna. There was a question behind her golden irises. And they’d be answered in due time. Luna just gave her a smile for the time being, taking a lesson from her conversation with Vinyl Scratch and putting all her thoughts into one expression. “I’ll make you a part of a team once again,” her smile said. Lightning Dust shook herself back to her drums, focusing on getting the beat down. “Ready?” she asked every pony. “One, two,” she pulled herself to the rhythm, “one, two, three, four!” The ground shook with stomps and applause as the band before them closed out. Luna peeked through the curtains, and her eyes were blinded by the flashes of a thousand unicorn horns. The festival had gone perfectly so far, and every pony was in their party mode. Dragons brought the crowd alive in the night, even just by holding their fire in their mouths. Pegasi and hippogriffs streaked across the sky, viewing the performances from their seats in the clouds. Up in front sat the three judges, sectioned off from the massive herd by metal gates that barely stood up against the weight of thousands of ponies. Twilight, Sapphire Shores, and Rara could be seen laughing and talking among themselves. Luna wondered if they were even really judges. If so, they were keeping their scores subtle. Perhaps the prize would be announced behind the scenes. Still, ponies pressed up against the barriers around them tried to peek and steal glances at their notecards. “I feel ridiculous,” Lightning Dust looked herself over once Starlight finished applying the white and black face paint. “If we ever make an album cover, keep me out of it. I’m happy to stay drumming in the back if I’m looking like this.” “I think you look cool,” Tempest said, checking herself out with a mirror. “I wonder what Glitter Drops would say about it.” “You know you can’t trust a friend to tell the truth,” Svengallop chortled. “They’ll always sugarcoat something to make you feel better.” “Hey!” Tempest stomped and whipped her head around to face him. “You take that-” He threw his hooves up in a defensive shrug.” Ah-ah, I’m just saying it’s going to matter more hearing it from a professional. You look good.” “What?” She tilted her head in confusion. “Of course I could have gotten us a custom designer if I knew this was the look we were going for,” he added before returning to finish his black eyeliner. Tempest rolled her eyes. “Of course.” She stepped over to check on Luna, who was still staring through the curtain. “Hey, you’re not getting cold hooves, are you?” Luna chuckled. “Surprisingly, no. I’m actually surprised, I thought I would by now.” Tempest followed her gaze out the crack through the curtains. She went slack jawed when she realized what Luna meant. Standing in the middle of the crowd, with a ponies giving her a respectful distance, was Celestia. Her mane fluttered in the evening wind like a flag, the colours matching perfectly with the fire-red sky as it dimmed. “You’re not even a little fazed?” Tempest gawked. Even in retirement, her presence was commanding. “She was skeptical from the start about the band,” Luna smirked. “And I want to prove her wrong.” Tempest chuffed. “Now that’s something I’m looking forward to.” “Get ready Nightmare Knights,” the griffon technician whispered to them, “you’re up in ten seconds.” The hosts of the festival, two young mares from the School of Magic, stood up on the stage exchanging another one of their cheesy jokes to switch the audience’s focus to the next performance. Tempest and Starlight stood by Luna, clutching their guitars and with faces painted up. “Hey Butter Brickle, have you picked out your Nightmare Night costume yet?” asked one of the hosts. “What for, Teaberry? That’s not for another month,” the other responded. “Are you sure? I saw some ponies that looked like they were straight out of a horror movie. Oh! They must be our next performers! Now I remember, silly me.” “That’s right every creature, our next song is going to be performed by a very special guest. I’m sure at least some of you have gotten to know her. Please stomp your hooves and clap your claws, make some noise for Luna and her Nightmare Knights!” All together they sucked in a chest full of air and pushed themselves out onto the stage. Starlight picked up immediately on the cue, playing the opening chords for their intro. Tempest skipped the first few notes, stumbling by the stage lights before picking up the pace. Their sound check was during the day, and she had no idea how blinding the lights would seem once the sun had set. Rushing straight to the drums, Lightning Dust added the drum beat as they Svengallop took his spot by the keyboard and added the final grace notes to their opening track. “Hello Equestria!” Luna shouted out on instinct. She had played this moment countless times in her head. “Who here is ready to make some noise?” An uproar from the front of the crowd shocked Luna. It was Glitter Drops, accompanied by a whole herd of crystal ponies. Luna recognized the insignias on their outfits immediately, they were all from the Northern Patrol. Luna gave a quick look at Tempest, who had surprise and joy written across her wide grin. “Who here is ready to join us in the night?” Luna called out again, bolstered by the crowd. Now more ponies whooped and shouted. She spotted, some distance away, the distinctive colours of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their older siblings. It seemed the EEA had advertised her participation after all. At least, Luna could think of no other way they could have found out. The three little fillies she had helped to navigate their fears were now helping navigate hers. And then there was no more apprehension or doubt. There were ponies who already knew her, and how good the embrace of her night could be. If those few could learn, then so could every pony else. “I wanted to do something very special tonight, and share a part of myself with all of you.” Luna held the microphone and stepped closer to the edge of the stage. “Even as a Princess, there have been parts of me I haven’t shown to Equestria. I haven’t shared the music I love with all of you. I want to change that now. And I thank every pony here tonight for making it possible.” Her eyes passed to Twilight sitting at the judge’s table, and then to Celestia. Her sister’s eyes, nay, her whole face, was alight with pride. “Now I’ll ask again, are you all ready?” “Yeah!” “Do you want to join me?” “Yeah!” Luna saw her sister’s mouth shout out with the crowd. “Do you want to join…” Luna pointed her hoof to Lightning Dust, signalling her to begin the drum beat, “... the Nightmare Knights?” Waves of uproars rocked the ground like a raging stampede. But Luna was going to make sure even their noise could not stand against the might of heavy metal. She filled her lungs with as much air as they would hold, and bellowed out her heart and soul. “The nightmare comes, To visit us, The nightmare comes For we all are... - Cast out of the castle, Under the moon, we stand, Never to return again And always to lament. - Born of fear and hatred, But blessed by night’s embrace, In the world of the sacred We cannot show our face. - So we live with the scorn, Every night we’re reborn, For we brandish our hearts ‘till the dawn. - The moon’s light is our soul ‘Cause the dark makes us whole And we run to the sun on our own - In the night we seek thrill, Go live free, eat your fill And by moonlight We fight off the monsters - By the dawn, we depart, Fear and hate in our hearts So forever we know that we are… - The Nightmare Knights. The Nightmare Knights! The Nightmare Knights, We are! We are! - Our wishes burn like fire, In the ashes, we renew. To earn our peace and penance, Is all that we can do - Under watch by others, No life to celebrate, We will fight off the wicked, The wicked we await. - With the might of the moon, A new life is our boon, And we carry ourselves to the throne - To the Nightmare, we’re sworn You can trust, we’re reformed, We’re not blessed But we fight for our own. - In the night we seek thrill, Go live free, eat your fill And by moonlight We fight off the monsters - By the dawn, we depart, Fear and hate in our hearts So forever we know that we are… - The Nightmare Knights. The Nightmare Knights! The Nightmare Knights, We are! We are! - The nightmare comes, To visit us, The nightmare comes For we all are... - In the night we seek thrill, Go live free, eat your fill And by moonlight We fight off the monsters - By the dawn, we depart, Fear and hate in our hearts So forever we know that we are… The Nightmare Knights!”