The Nightmare Knights Become A Band

by SwordTune

Verse 49

“I never knew you were allergic to paprika.”
Rara and Applejack walked back to the school together after the luncheon. There was a slight shift in the tone of their table after their orders all arrived. With food in their bellies, every pony became a little more friendly and a little more chatty, even with ponies they didn’t know very well.
“It never really came up, even after I found out. Whenever I was touring, Svengallop always handled the catering, the reservations, everything. I could just tell him what I wanted and he’d make it happen.”
“I remember. Had a lot of interesting demands, like sorting red and yellow cherries into separate bowls.”
“I just don’t like the colours mixing around, you know,” Rara laughed, “it’s silly, but, is that too much to ask?”
“Suppose we all have our quirks.” Applejack chuckled as well.
They walked up to the school but didn’t enter, instead they hung out by the fountain in the courtyard and watched as droves of students flocked to their next class. Rara’s expression slowly grew more sullen and thoughtful.
“He was a total jerk, but there are some things I miss about having him around.”
Applejack looked at her friend with a raised brow. “He lied to you and used your reputation for himself.”
“Yeah, but you know what I mean, AJ. He has his faults, a lot of them, but he’s not a bad guy. I couldn’t have gotten my career without him.”
“I dunno, Ra,” Applejack shook her head disapprovingly, “he put Pinkie through a ringer just to make himself happy. Nightmare Moon, Starlight, Stygian, a lot of villains did what they did because some old mistake put them on the wrong path. Even Discord, when you think about it, was kinda like a lonely puppy just looking for someone to play with. I don’t see that with Svengallop. He was manipulative for years, he chose to do that instead of being honest.”
“But isn’t he working with Luna now?”
Applejack paused, already jumping to Rara’s next point. It was no secret what the Nightmare Knights were to each other: outcasts, exiles, renegades. Their music expressed as much, and their fans, many of whom were students at the school, often talked about how “relatable” their struggle for acceptance and self-identity was. Applejack wasn’t sure exactly how, seeing as none of the students had ever gone through what Luna or Starlight had. Still, they were popular.
“I’ve been thinking of a project I want to do with the Knights,” Rara continued. “For a while now. But I’ve been hesitant about it because of Sven. I thought it’d be a nightmare working with him again. Pun intended. But seeing how he is now, I think I need to take that chance. I’ve worked with him for years. When I went to Manehattan for the first time, he was like some kind of music… dad during my first year as a singer. I know what he’s like, so I can also tell that he’s changing. The Nightmare Knights are changing him for real.”
“Starlight’ll do that,” Applejack nodded, though she was still wracking her head to come up with some kind of counterpoint. “What’s this project you wanna do, anyhow? Can’t you do it with another band?” She caught herself, realizing exactly what she was saying. Did she really hate Svengallop so much that she wanted to take away the Knights’ chance of working with Rara?
Even if she did, Starlight and Luna were part of the band too. Denying Svengallop would also end up denying her own friends.
“I want to collaborate with a bunch of bands,” Rara said. “Do you remember the news about the Crystal Empire a few months ago?”
“Shadow attacks. Hard to forget.”
“Yes, but it wasn’t just that. Those Crystal Nationalists or whatever they called themselves, I read about them in the papers. They wanted to kick the dragons out of the Crystal Empire. The official statement says that’s why the Crystal Heart was too weak to stop the shadows.”
“Sure, but what’s that got to do with your project?”
“I want to explore more than just pop music. I want to travel the world and get inspiration from all kinds of creatures: yaks, kirin, dragons, and all the others. And I think the Nightmare Knights have a good style that can help me do it in a fun way. I want to make music that can mix all our cultures so what happened at the Crystal Empire won’t happen again.”
Applejack held off on answering. It was an ambitious task. But not a surprising one. Rara had always been one to want to inspire others, and she was always successful with it. For a cause that noble, she couldn’t find a reason not to take a second chance on Svengallop. At least not a good reason.
Amidst the trickling of the fountain, they heard a set of hooves trotting behind them. Both of them turned, thinking it was the rest of the teachers and speakers returning at their own leisurely pace. It was not.
They were both surprised to see Luna and Starlight.
“What in tarnation?” Applejack noticed the wear on Starlight’s face, looking as exhausted Big Mac hauling uphill on the last full day of apple-bucking season. “Where have you been all morning?”
“It’s only been half a day?” Starlight rubbed her forehead as if a headache just overwhelmed her. “Ugh! Hope Sunburst doesn’t have any plans today, I’m going to need his help finishing school work.”
“No time,” Luna hurriedly said to Applejack. “Have you seen the rest of my band? I need them for something. Just a quick twenty-two-minute trip, that’s all.”
“Lies,” Starlight muttered.

Two days later, Luna returned to the base of Daybreaker’s tower with the full force of her band beside her. Lightning Dust and Tempest chatted away, both still riding the excitement of their presentations at the School of Friendship.
To say they captured the students' interests was an understatement. Tempest’s adventures, Lightning admitted, kept students on the edge of their seats the most, but even Lightning’s stories about the Washouts and Wonderbolts attracted many beady-eyed griffons and pegasi.
As they waited, taking in the sights of the world that was so different from theirs, yet still oddly familiar. Tempest swore she saw at least one evil version of Starlight enter a casino, and the band all had a good laugh as Starlight protested that she would never risk her bits on gambling, no matter what version of herself it was.
Daybreaker, arriving just as they had agreed, flew down from the top of her tower to meet the band.
“I remember you,” she said, sizing up Tempest as if they were about to fight. “I never imagined a pony as powerful as you would be involved in this ridiculous thing.”
“You know how it goes,” Tempest shrugged, “destroying ancient magical shadows got boring after a while.”
Daybreaker nodded, surprising Luna that she seemed to sympathize, before returning to business. “This ploy had better work in my favour,” she told Luna, “I had to dedicate a sizable portion of my forces collecting the equipment for this… game of yours.”
“It’s just a small concert,” Luna said, “and as my sister I expect you to be a little more supportive of my career choices.”
“Isn’t that something you should be telling your actual sister?”
“Maybe one day.”
Daybreaker grumbled throughout the whole set-up, but she did nothing to impede the Nightmare Knights from setting up their concert. In fact, she seemed eager to get to the end and see the results. Four squads of six unicorn soldiers worked alongside the band, following whatever orders Svengallop barked, to assemble the stage, speakers, lights, and a giant projector screen to show the stage to the back of tonight’s crowd. And a crowd there would be.
Though her city was not in her full control, those who remained within the walls feared Daybreaker’s power enough to agree to attend the city concert, which had apparently been announced as a mandatory event while Luna was away.
Lording over her subjects and forcing them to attend probably wasn’t a good start to becoming a better leader, Luna knew that. But at least no one was imprisoned or dead yet, so perhaps it was better than it seemed.
And then Daybreaker asked something Luna did not expect. “How long have you been doing this concert stuff?”
The question itself was not so unusual, but that Daybreaker seemed to have the slightest interest in the band caught Luna unaware. “Uh…” she fumbled her words, “a few months short of a year, perhaps. Why do you ask?”
“That scrawny stallion of yours barks orders like he’s preparing for war. He even pushed my unicorns ahead of even my demanding schedule. It’s a pity he focuses his talents on games and music. With a few modifications, he could be a valuable commander.”
“Well, he can be privileged and annoying sometimes,” Luna remarked. “‘I’ll send him through the portal if I ever get tired of dealing with him.”
Daybreaker looked at Luna. “You jest.”
“Of course. If you think you can get something out of him, it’s probably for the best if I keep him close.”
“Why?”
“Frankly, I can’t afford to lose him. Svengallop keeps my whole band together.”
Daybreaker shook her head. “No, I mean how can you stand there and jest with me? I pay good money to have eyes and ears everywhere, I know what that unicorn said about me. Starlight, that’s the one. You should listen to her more, she’s right about me.”
“What, that you can’t be changed?” Luna laughed. “If that were true, you’d still be a mindless weapon. But here you are, letting your little sister put on a concert in your city.”
“Stop saying that,” Daybreaker growled. “You’re still not Nightmare Moon.”
“Ah, yes.” Luna spied the look in her eyes. She wasn’t so sure before, but after going through the dreams of three different villains, she was certain of what that look meant. She saw it in Scorpan after his brother was killed. In Chrysalis after Shining was crushed. And in Cosy Glow, when she mentioned the life once had. That was the look of a villain hiding the pain of loss.
She decided to leave the matter alone. There were other immediate issues. Like the song they were going to play.

“We should talk to Daybreaker about hiring some of her unicorns.”
Svengallop smiled confidently in the middle of the stage. All its bells and whistles were up and running, so to speak. There was a twinge of fear when Luna showed up at the school, suddenly asking for a concert out of nowhere. He was in the middle of a conversation with Coco and Rarity, prompting them about next year’s projected fashion trends. It seemed griffon feathers and dragon scales were making their way into high fashion, lately.
And then Luna showed up, and he was once again thrust into one of her adventures. Though, he was happy to be at the tail-end of this one. He thought it’d be impossible to be performance-ready in a day, but Daybreaker’s soldiers were remarkable workers. Whatever their bodies couldn’t do, their magic could. And they did everything asked of them without a single complaint.
Starlight paced around the stage beside him, tuning her guitar. “Yeah… no. We’re not doing that. Pieces of their brain are replaced by crystal circuits. Maud and Sunburst asked me to bring a sample, but I don’t even want to touch them. Whatever they do to ponies, it’s not natural.”
“Oh, stop being such a worrywart. Think of all the ‘pushing the boundaries of magic and understanding’ stuff that wizards always talk about.”
“Hm, you’re right,” Starlight mused. “Maybe I’ll stick one in your head and see if being a loud-mouth can be magically modulated.”
“You want to shut some pony up? Start with Lightning Dust,” he replied.
The two of them spoke freely, Starlight describing in more detail what she had faced in the few long hours that she had spent in the city. While the unicorn guards would probably annihilate the more aggressive elements in the crowd, Starlight warned Svengallop to watch his pockets if the crowd ever got too close.
He took the advice to heart, and in turn, he listed the songs they were prepared to perform on such short notice. Of course, everything on the setlist for their concert at the Rainbow Falls was on the table, except for the opening act. That one would have to wait. Luna’s new single was too complex to pull off without a properly prepared stage.
The rest of the band joined them on the stage at this point, fully dressed in their usual tour outfit.
“Oh, if only Coco could ship our costumes to another dimension,” Svengallop remarked as he looked at them. “This stuff is already too old.”
“I still like it,” Lighting flapped her wings, ruffling her long leather coat and hooded cloak. “It’s soft and comfy.”
“It will serve its purpose,” Luna added. “The important thing is for the city to be in awe of Daybreaker, not us. If they can learn to admire her instead of fear her, hopefully, she’ll learn to stop using the same violent methods that Eris used on her.”
“Bleh,” Tempest stuck out her tongue like a child who had just been fed a spoonful of bitter medicine. “Just thinking about her makes me sick.
Lightning smirked at her. “Really? I heard Eris used the same staff you used to steal Luna’s magic, the same way you stole the magic of all the princesses. Doesn’t that make Eris a bit like the old you?”
“A bit too much,” Tempest grumbled. “That’s why it makes me sick.”
Luna suddenly laughed. The rest of the band looked at her, taken back by the odd cheerful sound from their typically sombre leader. Luna wheezed, sucking in air and trying to control her outburst.
“Sorry, I’ve just been thinking about how strange it must seem,” she explained, “for the Nightmare Knights to return to where it all started, except to perform a song.”
“Hey, some of us weren’t there for that,” Svengallop said, taking a stand by Lightning Dust.
“No, I suppose things have changed a bit since then. Well, it’s for the best. I’m sure Daybreaker would have incinerated you in seconds if you were there at the start, Svengallop.”
They did not get much further along in their preparations before Daybreaker joined them to inspect their progress.
“Even after the chaos and scattering of the villains in my city, I still have hundreds of creatures coming to witness this ‘show’ of yours,” she said in her usual angry manner as they played through a quick soundcheck. “If nothing else, it had better be entertaining.”
Luna scoffed, more focused on adjusting the placement of her microphone. “What would you know about entertainment?”
“I’ve seen plays,” Daybreaker quickly defended. “Shakespony and the like.”
“Plays. Really?” Luna looked at her with disbelief and then rolled her eyes. “No matter what dimension I’m in, my sister loves plays.”
“Hardly something to complain about,” Daybreaker turned her nose up. “What are you getting at?”
Lightning Dust cackled a sharp laugh from her seat behind the drums. “Hah! She’s just upset because Celestia made a play roasting Luna, and then showed it at the biggest theatre in Equestria.”
“That’s not it,” Luna started, but she was quickly cut off.
“Wait, did you ever watch it?” Starlight asked.
“Once,” Lightning Dust said. “Never mentioned it since it bothers Luna so much. It was good. Tickets were pricey though.”
“What? When did you go?” Svengallop’s keyboard creaked and sputtered as he leaned forward onto the keys. “I wanted to watch it so bad! I heard it actually got really good reviews from critics.”
Tempest strummed her guitar and turned to look at them both. “Hey, stop it. You’re upsetting Luna.”
By then, Luna was seething at her band.
“No— I mean I am, but because of that!” Luna pouted, fussing harder with her microphone.
Daybreaker crept up to the edge of the stage where Luna stood and sneered up at her. “And I guess no matter where my sister goes, she’s still insecure.”
“I’m just sensitive, okay?” Luna snapped. She almost shouted more, but she abruptly paused and stared at Daybreaker. “Wait, did you call me your sister?”
“No, you just misheard.” Daybreaker spun around and pushed a gust of wind in front of her with her wings, dusting the street in front of her so she could walk without getting her hooves dirty. “Just get this juvenile display over with so I can send you back to where you came from.”

Villains or not, a performance was a performance. In the end, the opening song they picked was an obvious choice. It wasn’t the most popular piece, most of their fans didn’t know what the song actually meant. How could they?
When Luna first wrote it, all that was on her mind was paying homage to the Nightmare Knights’ beginnings. She never imagined she’d perform the song for its titular subject. But no other piece seemed more fitting.
Luna didn’t bother with a call out or greeting to rile up the crowd. The disgruntled faces told her enough: many of them had been forced or threatened to come. Of course they did, most of them probably believed a concert was beneath them. Well, she’d show them.
She walked centre stage, planted her hooves in front of the microphone, and started to speak.
“Well, well, well,” she chided them all, sending an echoing boom with her royal Canterlot voice, though modified to be a little deeper and raspier. “Looks like we all brought our game faces tonight. Villains, each and every one of you, yeah?”
“Tough? Brutal? Cunning?” She pointed to an assortment of minotaurs, dragons, and changelings in the crowd. “Well, I’m here to tell you about someone who’s all of that and more. Someone you all might think you know, but you really don’t.”
Starlight and Tempest started a very slow, low strumming of their guitars.
“So whether you want to or not, here it is everyone. Are you ready for: Daybreaker?”

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