//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Show Time! // Story: Follower of the Night // by Nova_Wings //------------------------------// Chapter 4: Show Time! It was early the next night, but the entrance to Canterlot stadium was already packed full. The stadium was the second largest building in Canterlot, right after the palace it's self. At full capacity it could hold nearly the whole populations of Canterlot, and that's just what was needed. Early in the hours of dusk the hunter army of three clans had entered the city, they would rest the day here before going to Manehatten. And as a 'moral boost' hunters would be treated to a concert by Emerald Dust, one of the most sought after performers in Equestria. On stage she dominated the crowd, she was once compared to Vinyl Scratch in the way she ruled the club dance floor, though Vinyl was probably more excited to be compared to Emerald. How ever what no pony would ever know, is that before going on stage, no matter how often she did it, no matter how big (or small) the crowd, Emerald always got what Storm Shadow had come to call 'stage wall-bouncing'. “I can't do this! There must be over ten thousand ponies out there, and there all watching ME!” Emerald was twitching like a fall leaf in a wind storm, she practically jumped from one hoof to the other. It was easy to see why this went past simple stage fright, and why Storm called it wall-bouncing. “Yes and that's the point dear, their all going to be watching you and your hot flank, just remember I'm the only one who...” “DAD! For the love of Luna and Celestia, please do not finish that!” “What? I was just going to say 'touch'.” “Uh huh, shuuuure you were.” Night said with an over exaggerated eye roll. “Though if your interested I could give you some pointers...” “SWEET MERCIFUL LUNA! DAD DO NOT SAY WHAT I THINK YOUR GOING TO SAY!” Storm just let out a full belly laugh, Emerald was joining him but not as loudly. Night's muzzle blushed, but he tried looking as mad as he could non the less. Emerald just walked over and wrapped both of her forelegs around Night and Storm. “Thanks guys.” With out another word Emerald levitated a head set from a small table, and headed out on the now completely dark stage. “You did that on purpose didn't you?” Asked Night. “Yep, always helps your mother calm her nerves before a performance to have a good laugh.” “So what do you do when I'm not around?” “Oh just find something little and make it into something funny, but sometimes I just tickle her. Its really easy because she had this one spot...” Without warning Star Light flopped down belly first on top of Storm Shadow, pinning him to the ground as if the ethereal bird was as heavy as a house. Night snickered at Star's thankful interruption, he moved to get the bird, who was now cooing happily. Night motioned for Star to get off, who hopped onto Night's back in a single fluid motion. Storm now looked up from his semi flattened position on the floor. “I'll never understand how that familiar can have such perfect timing.” Storm noted. “Its because hes awesome.” Night smirked. Night, Storm and Star Light moved to entrance of the stage just in time to hear the piano opening to start Emerald's opening >>Number “Made a wrong turn, once or twice from hanging on to tight. Bad decisions, that's alright I've got another headache again tonight.” With out missing a beat, an emerald green ethereal copy of Emerald appeared on her left and continued singing. “You've been talking in your sleep, Oh Oh, thing's you'll never say to me, Oh Oh.” Now another Emerald appeared on the right, again picking up with out so much as a pause. “tell me that you've had enough look I'm still around, Oh ohhhhh.” Now all three Emerald's on stage began singing together. “I'm safe! Up high! Nothing can touch me! And when were broken just bits and we can learn to love again! No pain insight, your my protection. And when I'm just broken and bits, and we can learn to love again.” Emerald and her 'back up singers', continued there powerful hart felt preference. Everypony in the stadium sat on the edge of their sets, even Night and Storm were drawn a little closer. They both had seem Emerald preform dozens of times, but no matter how many times you've seen it, an Emerald Dust performance always hits you like the first time. As Emerald broke into the chorus again she flapped her wings now standing on her hind legs, the duplicates followed suit. Both Night and Storm glanced at each other knowing what was coming. “If somepony said three years from now, you'd be long gone. I'd stand up and punch them out, cause they're all wrong. So raise you glass if your wrong.” Emerald now flew off the stage into the air, she hung a few pony heights in the air as the next few line came out softly. “Cuz where there is desire there is gonna' be a flame, where there is a flame someponies bound to get burned. Just because your burned doesn’t meant your gonna' die you've got to get up...” Everypony was focused on Emerald, no pony saw the two pony thick ring of Emerald's materialize on the stage just below the real Emerald's hoofs. But every pony knew when there voices joined in. The first ring joined in. “...and TRY..” The Second. “...TRY...” “...TRYYYYYYAYAYAYYYYYYY!!!” Now every Emerald on stage was singing at full volume, the effect was grater then any sound, or acoustic system could ever hope to match. The crowd now moved to their hind hoofs and applauded loudly, but Emerald's singing still soared high above the clamor. Emerald landed at the 'front' of the ring of Emerald's, they all continued to sing out the rest of the song, not nearly as loud, but the effect was still as strong. “I'm safe! Up high! Nothing can touch me! And when were broken just bits and we can learn to love again! No pain insight, your my protection. And when I'm just broken and bits, and we can learn to love again.” “Ohhhh Ohhhhhhh Ohh. Ya got to get up and try... try... try...” With the last note the stadium fell into darkness, barely a breath passed before the entire stadium erupted into applause. The sound could be heard several blocks away, but this was how Emerald's shows normally went. Back stage Night and Storm added there own applause, realistically Emerald couldn’t hear them over the packed stadium. But as one of the ethereal Emeralds appeared behind them, wrapping them both in a tight hug, they knew she heard them over anypony else. The ethereal Emerald disappeared as the next number began, Night looked back to Emerald on stage as she broke into a more energetic number. In his mind he could see her cutie mark, an emerald hart with four hazy copy’s surrounding it, not what you might expect the cutie mark of a performer to be. She had told him once that it wasn't the talent that make you're cutie mark special, it was how you used it. Hearing the excited crown in the stadium, she was right.