//------------------------------// // At My Side All Along // Story: Live, Die, Repeat // by Hidden_Night //------------------------------// What do you know about Nightmare Night, son?! I have…NO IDEA! Good talk, son! Thanks dad! Anyway, Nightmare Night is upon us! Twilight has been in her room for a couple of hours now, she keeps telling me “she wants to look the part” a lot, but I think she’s just shy about her costume. Probably something cute, like a main character from a book, or a knight in shining armor, or even a prince from a book. Me personally, I’m wearing a cape. It’s I could find that wasn’t too revealing or going overboard. Just a cape. It also comes with these neat little hairband with a halo. So I guess I’m an angel. I wonder if someone is a devil so I can make a funny joke. “Twilight! You done yet!” “Just one moment just gotta! Tighten…this!” She is struggling with something, tighten something? Like…nope! No dirty thoughts today. It’s fun and whimsical time. Nerdy cute horse should stay nerdy and cute. “Gah! I’ll deal with it later!” She opens the door, it’s the big reveal and… “Huh…” It was an odd sight, she was wearing a cape and a hat, embroidered with bells I could only find partially familiar, but the odd part was the make up she used to look older and a fake bushy beard that was hanging on her face. “Sorry about the wait.” She almost stumbled on her cape but caught herself. “Pfffp! Nice look gramps! I don’t even know who that is!” Oh yeah, almost forgot about Spike. He’s here too. Wearing a costume of a dragon, even though he is a dragon. Aight, odd suit. “Spike! Don’t you recognize him?” “No.” He began to point and laugh at Twilight’s costume, but to be fair. It is pretty amusing. “Anonymous? Not even you?” “I mean…ancient wizard, beard, bells, and no whistles…” I could say Merlin, but she did teach me about something, plus all the magic books I read did mention a guy by his full title nonetheless. “Yes. Yeeesss!” She was getting giddy, guess she was hoping for someone to recognize it. “Starswirl the Bearded? Or was it Starswirl the Old Pillar?…” They weren’t clear, but they kept saying he was the true escalation of the research into magic. As before, unicorns used their magic for two things, shooting lasers and telekinesis. “Starswirl the bearded! Yes!” Her smile was worth knocking the old noggin over for information. “I knew it was something having to do with beards and a great wizard. He kept showing up in all the magic texts I’ve been reading. It’s good to have a refresher.” “Oh right, you know some some spells were so good, that even today’s researchers couldn’t improve them! Starswirl was truly a head of his time!” “Neat. Should probably find a biography of him. You gotta have one in here somewhere.” “Yeah. I keep it in my personal bookshelf next to my bed!” “Phsa! Eggheads.” Spike is unamused by our banter. “Get a room you two!” Twilight instantly recoiled at that statement. Even with her heavy use of make up, I can see the blush. “S-Spike!” “Can’t afford one.” My flat words stop the two. “But you don’t pay rent…” Twilight muttered, but I could still hear her. “Still can’t afford one.” Twilight looks saddened, did I shut down a moment of her thinking we had a chance? Oh god. She was into me? Unlikely, need more data. She can’t be attracted to a literal homeless guy she picked up off the street. To be fair this homeless guy did teach the princess so I’m probably someone of some merit, and she did assume I escaped from “Longsword” so I’m a foreign refugee. I should tell her the truth about myself if she ever wants to be actually do something with me. “Would if I could. Just saying.” I started to walk out the door, fixing my previous transgressions. At least I think. Flirting is hard, I don’t know what to say. Twilight fell into a deeper blush as Spike climbed on her back, whispering something into her ear. I just needed to break away from her for a while, she has been my only female contact this entire week and a half. Also, I would like some friends, maybe Davenport could be good, Big Mac could also be good, and I think that Lyra girl can help with the lack of female contact. It’ll be great because she is a hardcore lesbian with Bon Bon, even if they still call eachother ‘Best Friends’ I can see the writing on the wall. “Hey Twilight. I’m going to check out the fair. Have fun!” “Okay. I’ll be taking Spike Trick—or—Treating!” She was saying that oddly forcefully, I won’t question it. She probably has something on her mind. Oh wait, Luna was coming today, she’s probably thinking about that. When is she coming anyway and does Twilight know? Probably should’ve told her… Oh well! Nothing bad will happen I’m sure of it! But for now, it’s time to Socialize, make my own friends, get a girlfriend someday! I can’t be mooching off Twilight forever! I haven’t even so much as talked to her friends when I moved in, other than Pinkie. That’s only because she’s Pinkie. Wow, where did all that energy come from? Time to not use it, time to…fucking uh… I look around at the fair grounds, stalls selling tasty treats, a catapult with pumpkins are in the distance, those could be fun to use, oh hey there’s a- CRACK! A thunderous roar caught me off guard causing me to yelp loudly as a result. I’m not normally scared of thunder, but magical thunder, that’s a whole different story! I absorb it, yes, but the magic from the bolt comes into my body so quickly it feels like a tingle through my back. All I could hear above me was hard laughter, someone was laughing with their full stomach. “Oh you should’ve seen the look on your face! Hahahaha! And the sound you made! How does a stallion make that noise!?” A purple figure above me, but the rainbow hair was unmistakable, Rainbow Dash was the one who scared me! How rude! “You done?” “Yeah. Hahaha. Yeah…hahaha.” She wipes tears from under her goggles before breaking down into laughter again. “Man I should’ve pranked you earlier! Hahaha!” She’s just going to keep laughing. Though her costume is familiar, it looks like a Wonderbolts uniform, only this time themed with the night. I wonder what they call themselves. Probably something edgy like Evilbolts, or Scarbolts. Yet the laughter won’t stop. I’ll get going now, Rainbow is fun and all, but I feel the thundercloud trick is all she’s going to do tonight. Turning away I began to walk down the fairgrounds, stocking up on candy and other such goodies. Then something caught my eye, a stage in the center of this fun fair. Looking upon the poster I decided to take a quick read. ‘TEST YOUR MUSICAL SKILL’ ‘SING ABOUT NIGHTMARE NIGHT’ ‘GRAND PRIZE IS 100 BITS!’ Interesting, I could try my hardest, if I had a song in mind. Think Anon, think! What song do you know from other worlds that you could… Aah, You were at my side all along. My true mentor. My guiding moonlight. A shock of magical energy flowed through my body. Luna was here, she’s in Ponyville, I can feel it. Nightmare Night is actually about her, and how Celestia had to banish her sister to the moon for a thousand years. I feel bad, I don’t want to sing about the terror of Nightmare Moon, I don’t want to do that to Luna. She’s not Nightmare Moon anymore, she’s herself now. I know what I must do. Get on that stage, and sing! Sing with my heart, with my soul, and sing with my will! Get down to rock! Get up to burn! Stand up with pride never fear your desire! Let’s Rock! Running to the sign up I saw a DJ there, blue hair, white fur, almost looked like a gender bend of the big guy I saw at Canterlot. I wonder if she has odd blue eyes like him. “Yo! Signing up?” “That I am!” “Cool. Cool. Put your name and band here, if you don’t have a band just put solo.” “Awesome possum.” Taking the quill and ink I sign myself and solo. “Anonymous Incognito? Neat! You’re that homeless guy that Filty Kicked out! Ha!” “Yeah, yeah.” “Heard his kid got bored of the cabin a week afterwards! That’s been more funnier! Ha ha!” “Well. I don’t expect kids to enjoy their things for very long.” “You said it! Anyway, see ya later. I’ll ring you up when it’s your turn. Show up about say…” She looked around, there was no clock, so she resulted at looking up at the moon. “Thirty-ish.” “Aight, air enough.” So checking the time from looking at the moon was a skill here. Probably a useful one. So time to dick around for 30 minutes and return. Though why is Celestia approaching with Luna? The heat of the sun is breathing down my neck by her just existing and approaching Ponyville. What the hell is going on? Looking out at the distance, I decide to sit on a bench. Seeing a pony mare with a bun, and a devil outfit! “I can say the thing now!” “What?” “I can be your angle or your devil!” “What?…” She is unamused. “Someone will get it?” “Someone?” “Yep…”