//------------------------------// // Light Up The Night // Story: Skylanders X MLP // by Skylander545 //------------------------------// As news of the negotiations with Seaquestria hit Canterlot, most of the construction workers as well as mabu volunteers and Skylanders scrambled to build various barracks for their allies. But as the sun set, the Night Guard took charge as the Bat-Ponies either patrolled the area or helped the night shift with construction. As expected, the Captain of the Night Guard was the Swap Force Skylander, Boom Jet who was looking over the barracks for the griffins and the dragons as he took a glance up to the tower where the Princess of the Night herself gazed through her telescope. He sighed for a bit as he thought back to when he first met her, “It's strange that she found me on the shore of the lake and restored me. But I had to admit, her soaked mane, shining in the light of the moon really made her both mystical and beautiful.” The Sky Surfer was captivated by her beauty, although he was aware of her dark past when she fell into darkness and became Nightmare Moon. But the thing about her banishment is that it hurt her sister as well, starting her Thousand Year Sorrow. Ever since she was redeemed, some of the ponies are still fearful of what she did. But her first Nightmare Night also showed that she was lonely as well, but thanks to the love of her sister and the friendship of the Mane 6, she was a different pony now. Boom Jet knew that was before the Arrival, now she's one of the Portal Masters that oversee the Network between their worlds. When he met her, he was always by her side, he actually joined the Night Guard and rose through the ranks. The Sky Surfer remembered that one time during the Cloudbreak War where Luna kissed him as a means of motivation. He regarded it as one of the best moments in his life and thinking about that is what drove him to become the Captain of the Night Guard. “It's no secret that you like the Princess, Boom Jet.” The Sky Surfer turned to notice the dark centaur, Knight Mare approached as she continued, “It's in your body language, how you turn to her when she enters the room, how you watch her carefully like a bodyguard.” The Air Skylander explained, “It's not only that, but it's her past that gets to me. She was corrupted by the Nightmare and was banished for a thousand years. But she had her redemption, there's also Nightmare Night which is basically Halloween. She's serious, but she's also fun to hang out with during the off hours. I actually woke up with her in my bed a few times whenever I was napping in the off hours.” Knight Mare raised an eyebrow, “Seriously?” He brought up a poorly taken photo of his nap being interrupted by the Night Princess sleeping beside him, “Some of the mares on the Day Shift attempted to snap a few photos of me napping and they saw Luna sleeping in my bed as well. When I found out, I had Nightshade sneak into their barracks and steal the photos.” The Centaur shook her head, “Those mares…” After that was sorted out, the Sky Surfer thought of something, “Say Knight Mare, you know that Celestia holds the Summer Sun Festival to start the summer and there's the Running of the Leaves in Ponyville during the Fall, right?” The centaur nodded, “I know, there's also Nightmare Night like you said, but why do I get the feeling that you're suggesting something?” Boom Jet suggested, “Well, Summer is almost over and with the war going on, there may not be time for celebrations. But I think we should plan an event to lift everyone's spirits and boost morale for the troops. Like a parade.” “A parade?” “And considering that Luna got corrupted because she felt like she wasn't appreciated, why don't we have the parade at night?” The centaur was curious, “Holding a night parade? How would that work?” Boom Jet thought about it and decided, “We’ll discuss the details later. But I need you to find Spyro and Cynder and meet me in the training room after sunrise. We’ll discuss the details from there.” The Dark Skylander understood as the two continued with their shift. Once the night came to an end, the Solar Guard took over as most members of the Lunar Guard went to sleep or stayed up for a bit. As for Boom Jet, his duties as the Captain of the Lunar Guard and a Skylander means that he has to be up half the day, that's why he had a coffee machine in his office. But as was mentioned, Boom Jet was in the training room with Knight Mare, Spyro and Cynder as the Sky Surfer stated, “You know why we're here?” Spyro stated, “Knight Mare told us that you had something planned for the end of the summer? Like a night parade?” The sky surfer nodded as he pulled out a set of blueprints from his pack, “This is a concept for the Light up the Night parade.” He set them on the table as they saw what he planned, there were parade floats that looked like various races around the planet, performers clad in special light up garb, even a few clothes specialized for Skylanders. The floats themselves were covered with specialized LED lights which made them shine bright. Cynder looked over the plans and realized, “You must've spent the night in your office drawing this up.” The captain of the lunar guard stated, “While looking over various reports from the guards since most of the Bat-Ponies are nocturnal. I’d be a very poor captain if I wasn't updated, but I digress.” Spyro asked, “Knight Mare told us that you're doing this because of Luna. Is it true?” “That's partially the reason, but the full reason is that we are at war. Most of the citizens are scared that Malefor will bring the war to us at any moment. On top of that, we have troops from all over Equis gathering here until the time comes to march on Mount Aris. This parade would not only show appreciation to Luna, but boost morale for the war effort.” Cynder whistled, “That's clever of you, but Princess Celestia will have to look this over before the Tech Skylanders can get to work with building the floats.” “That won't be necessary, Cynder. I’ve heard everything that needs to be heard.” Said a familiar voice as Celestia herself appears out of nowhere. Knight Mare stood back a bit, “Your Highness, you seem to have a tendency of appearing out of nowhere whenever we're discussing something.” The princess stated, “Like you four, I have had concerns about Luna ever since she returned. She went mad because she felt like no one loved her or the night. I have to say, this Light up the Night parade will be great to lift everyone's spirits.” Boom Jet realized that she's approving his idea, “I’ve already made the blueprints for the parade floats and the clothes used for the performers.” She took the blueprints and looked over the designs and how they resemble a species native of Equis, “You did spend all night in your office writing these since each float resembles that of ponies, dragons, griffins, etc.” “A symbol of unity, all of us gathering together to strike back against darkness.” The sun princess smiled at this as she said, “I’ll be sure to tell the Tech Skylanders to begin building the floats.” Knight Mare smiled as she said, “Let's go build us a parade!” Upon the parade announcement, most of the Tech Skylanders and tech savvy mabu and ponies immediately looked over Boom Jet’s plans for the floats. Even Echo and Omega Squadrons were pulled from their R&R to work on this project since EQG Drobot was very knowledgeable about making a light up parade float, just like his dragon counterpart. Some of the reps from other kingdoms added their designs for their specific floats since unity against a greater foe was the idea. It would also serve to remind everyone of what they are fighting for - To bring peace to their world once more. As the construction of the parade floats continued, Boom Jet also made it a priority to keep the parade a surprise from the public until they sent out the flyers. Right now, he was with Luna in his office as he looked over the route for the parade and how to execute it. Luna, knowing about the project beforehand spoke, “It is strange that we are holding a night parade...but you must have had a reason.” The skylander stated as he turned his attention to the princess, “Well, it was mostly because I thought about you and your dark past. Jealousy was a terrible thing, so I came up with the concept of this parade.” The mare blushed, “I am touched by this kindness…” “It's the best I can do for you.” He soon looked at the Canterlot map as he was looking for a good route for the parade, “I think the floats could start from the castle gate and travel across the districts in the city and then end at the western edge of the city…” Luna suggested, “What about rounding the parade back to the castle?” The surfer looked at the map again and realized, “The Soldier’s Entrance is big enough to fit the floats. Luna, you're a genius!” The Alicorn smirked, “Thou has our moments.” After mapping down the parade route, he rolled it up and sent it up the suction tube in his office to the parade team. Afterwards, he looked at the princess, “There's one more thing we need to discuss…” She knew what was needed for the project, “Music.” For weeks, the workers and tech Skylanders worked non-stop on the floats as they waited for the night where these magnificent floats would make their debut and thanks to the dragon, Echo and the DJ, Vinyl Scratch, the music was set up and a song was in place. Finally, the flyers were sent out to the city and invitations were sent to the various cities of Equestria. On the day of the Autumn Equinox, several airships circled the city as the sun began to set. One of the airships was a modified troll gunship with radio antennas, cameras and speakers. The occupants of the ship were the show hosts, DJ Chill Bill and Broccoli Guy, both who fought in the Traptanium Wars for the Doom Raiders and later, the Skylanders. There was also their Mabu pilot keeping their ship stable as Chill Bill spoke, “Welcome everyone to a special ‘Cold Front Broadcast’ DJ Chill Bill here with my friend, Broccoli Guy onboard our mobile airborne station, ‘The Iceberg.’ We are currently hovering over the Equestrian Capital because of the news of a speech given by Prince Spike. What do you think?” Broccoli Guy stated, “Well, I don't know about you, but I don't think they would call everyone here just for a speech. Broccoli Guy is sensing something else in the works.” Chill Bill mused, “True, true... it is unusual that a speech was scheduled on Summer’s End at nightfall. Even considering the way the crowds are on the side of the roads.” Broccoli Guy noticed, “Let's hold up for a sec, the dragon is taking the stage.” Soon enough, the Iceberg’s camera caught Spike, Boom Jet and Shining Armor taking the stage as the dragon stepped up to the podium, clearing his throat before saying, “Good evening everyone, I am Prince Spike Solaris and I called this event this evening mainly because it's no secret that we are now at war. Our enemy is ruthless, relentless and will not stop until he destroys everything and everyone in his path. So me and a small group of my fellow Skylanders traveled all over Equis to recruit the other kingdoms and unite to fight our foe and his monsters. Pony, Dragon, Griffin, Hippogriff, Yak, Buffalo, all coming together to fight for the future of our world. And so, Lunar Guard Captain Boom Jet had this idea, an event at sundown at Summer’s End, to not only celebrate the end of the Summer, but to show everyone what we are fighting for and what victory over evil can bring us.” He gestured to Shining Armor as the stallion’s hoof stepped on a button that was on stage, “And without further ado, I’ll be the first to say ‘Welcome to the Light Up The Night Parade!’” Soon enough, all the lights in the city turned off as lights began to appear on the stage itself. The rope of lights were light blue, purple and emerald green as the stage started to move along the open road as music began to play. As the stage moved along the road, four Mabu wearing light up outfits were holding up the signs that said, ‘Light Up The Night’ And once the Mabu passed, the first float showed a light up display of the Wonderbolts with Spitfire and Drobot hitching a ride, waving at the crowds. The escorts were a mix of air and fire Skylanders wearing red or light blue lights. Chill Bill noticed, “Well this is a surprise, Broccoli Guy. What started out as a speech, turned into a parade.” Broccoli Guy stated, “You got that right, Chill. The whole city went dark at that point until the music started. They're really kicking this off with introducing a Wonderbolt float.” The next group shows Zap and Trail Blazer with three ponies in red and blue light up outfits while Mabu dances while wearing a multi-person suit (the ones that give the illusion of a synced dance) as the Fire float shaped like a volcano, and the Water float which was a tidal wave, rolled by with Ignitor, Sunburn and Princess Ember riding the volcano while Gill Grunt, Echo and the recently arrived Silverstream rode the wave. Even Fryno rode his motorcycle at a steady speed while waving to the crowd. The fire knight had his sword blade first at his feet as Sunburn let out a squawk as he flared his wings as the Dragon Lord To Be waved at the crowds, no doubt adjusting to her surroundings. Both floats were escorted by the giant of their respective elements, Hot Head escorted the Fire float while Thumpback escorted the Water float. The next group showed both Life and Undead Skylanders wearing their light up suits as the Life float portrayed a tree with two vines for arms with Arbo riding the float waving at the crowd and Tree Rex using the glow of his photosynthesis cannon to add to the parade. The Undead float portrayed a dragon-shaped skeleton as the bones lit up as it breathed smoke from its nose like it was breathing fire with the skeleton T-Bone doing a skeleton dance as he was riding the float with Eye-Brawl walking alongside it with the eye on one side and the body on the other. The next group was a combination of Earth and Air Skylanders with a mountain shaped float and a float with various clouds. The Trap Master, Gusto stood tall on the Air float with Sonic Boom, new Queen of Griffonstone looking her best while the pegasi waved their light up wings at the crowd and Swarm flew alongside it. The Earth float had Dino-Rang and Rocky Roll riding it while Prism Break was on the streets. The golem didn't need a light up suit since his diamond points glow in the dark. Crusher was alongside the float as the gems on the golem’s body shined bright, even his hammer. “Whoa, talk about natural lighting, folks!” Spoke Broccoli Guy. “That is right, Prism Break’s diamond points also serve as his main form of attacks. So it is natural for those green diamonds to glow, even for a lightcore. As for Crusher, he's been attaching some gems to his own body combined with his years of combat, making him add more effects to this event.” Stated Chill Bill. The next group was Tech and Magic with the majority of the Skylanders of both elements taking the streets as the light up accessories they wore shined with either purple or orange. The Tech Float was a light up replica of an Arkeyan head and torso as the head itself turned left and right as Sprocket rode her tank, Bouncer rolling alongside it and Trigger Happy twirling his guns on the float itself. As for the Magic Float, it was a light up replica of a spell book with Voodood and Double Trouble riding the float as Ninjini hovered beside it. The next float had a mixture of swap force and trap team Skylanders as a replica of the Wings of Freedom and it's miniature aircraft, pushed by pony and mabu performers came next with the EQG Main 7 dressed for the event with their band, ‘The Rainbooms’ providing for the song on their float which was fashioned in their style while the Echo Squadron rode the Mini-Wings of Freedom in their Supercharged forms, even EQG Spike and the newest Trap Ranger, Lemon Zest were in their Traptanium forms. Chill Bill noticed, “It looks like the Trap Team has a new member of their inner council.” Broccoli Guy stated, “You said that right, there were only two members, EQG Spike and Snap Shot, but now we have a new Trap Ranger, most likely out of her trial by fire from the looks of it.” Wolfgang put his bone harp to use as he did a solo matching with the Rainbooms as they passed. Soon enough, there were two more additional floats after the Rainbooms and the squadron, one was a replica of the underwater city of Seaquestria with Queen Novo of Mount Aris and Queen Ocean Flow of Seaquestria, both are in their hippogriff forms and Skystar and Terramar were with them as well as hippogriffs lead by Wind Blast escorted the float. The second float was different, it was by now the crowds realized that only eight elements were shown. As the float approached, they were surprised to see that the sun and moon crest that represents Equestria was being held up by a light up replica of the Blue Eyes White Dragon and Red Eyes Black Dragon, the blue had the Sun Crest for Skylands while the black one wore the Moon Crest. The crowds were in awe when they spotted the Royal Sisters along with Spotlight and Blackout standing by their side as their Ancestral replicas breathed red and blue smoke. “Whoa, Broccoli Guy is impressed by this!” “Indeed, the Royal Sisters alongside both Spotlight and Blackout while both blue and red eyes indicate their powers. Sun and Moon, Light and Dark, perfect balance as the monks at the temple say.” The song that's playing, ‘Let It Shine’ not only states that even at night, it can still shine, but it even shows that in a time of war, there's hope for victory over evil. The Light Up The Night Parade was a huge success for not only lifting everyone's spirits, but boosting morale for the various troops that are waiting for the day that they take the fight to Malefor.