Requiem For A Nightmare

by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof

A Song for The Princesses

The performance was about to begin. Most of the ponies had taken their seats, and the orchestra was performing final adjustments to their instruments to make sure they sounded right.

High above the crowd was the royal booth, where sat Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. While Celestia seemed to be sitting calmly, Luna kept fidgeting slightly. A shift of her weight on her chair here. A flicker of her wings there. The occasional twitch of her ears and nibble of her lip.

"Is something the matter, Luna?" Celestia asked, looking at her younger sister from the corner of her eye.

"We are about to see a musical performance based on Nightmare Moon."

Luna's statement got Celestia's full attention. Turning to face Luna, Celestia raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't know? I thought that Octavia Melody had gotten your permission to create this."

"She did," Luna confirmed, "and asked quite a few questions on the matter to gain our perspective on the matter. However, she has not been the first to ask such from me." Turning from her sister, she looked out toward the stage again. "Yet she is the first I am aware of to actually complete the project." Her wings gave a flicker. "Also, while I was aware of it, it was more of a distant, abstract concept. Now that we are here, looking at the stage and waiting for it begin, it has all become so concrete, to fully sink in."

Princess Celestia moved closer to her sister. Reaching out one of her great white wings, she wrapped it around the dark blue form her younger sister, pulling her into a hug.

"We suddenly find ourselves feeling ... anxious..." Princess Luna continued. "A musical composition of our darkest moment is about to be performed before a great many ponies."

"Do you want to cancel it?" Celestia asked. "I am certain that Octavia shall understand. We can compensate her for the work she has already done, and reimburse the hall for the ticket refunds. Perhaps you could have a private performance instead. Hear the music for yourself before deciding to release it to the public."

Princess Luna looked at her sister, then at the stage again. Her eyes glassed over as her ears twitched and jaw shifted. The balcony was silent for several minutes as she considered the possibility, and Celestia allowed her to. Finally, Luna turned to look at Celestia.

"Celestia," she said softly, "were you in my place, would you do such a thing?"

"No."

"Than neither shall I." Luna shifted in her seat. "As tempting as it is, it feels... selfish to do such a thing." Raising a hoof, she motioned toward the crowd. "Miss Melody has put much work into this, as has many ponies. It is only fair that she and they are granted this opportunity at success and reward for it."

A small smile spread across Celestia's mouth before she leaned down, giving Luna a gentle kiss on the forehead. She then broke the hug, moving to sit up straight and return her attention to the stage. There, a spotlight was shining on Octavia as she made her way to the center.

"The past," she said in a voice that managed carry through the entire hall, "our history. There are many saying about it. Many beliefs. Such as 'those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it,' and -- conversely -- 'those who live in the past have no future.' As such, we must remember the past, but not let ourselves become obsessed with it."

Princess Luna squished down in her seat, blushing slightly as she recalled her experience with The Tantabus.

"Tonight," Octavia continued, unaware of Luna's reaction, "I present to you all a piece intended to commemorate a part of our own history as a culture, and of our beloved princesses personally. A piece that contains sadness, loss, grief, and fear, as well as hope, love, and forgiveness. A piece that I hope shall remind us that even the best of us can make mistakes, and that we should always remember to try and listen to those we love."

This time, it was Princess Celestia who blushed. Her gaze once more drifted to her sister.

"Mares, stallions, your majesties," Octavia said with a bow, "I now present to you, the debut of a new composition: 'Requiem For A Nightmare.'" She gave one more bow and then moved off the stage.

Once she was gone, the orchestra began to play. All of the sections started up, their music blending together into a single melody. Then, slowly, they started to get quieter. The music faded until it was just a harmonious piece of background music. However, it would not stay that way, and did not for very long.

The string section grew in volume, with the harps becoming the most prominent. These were intended to represent Princess Celestia. The notes were light and fluttering. They then faded back down.

That was when the woodwinds picked up. Long, slow notes played that were almost like the sound of a lullaby. They were meant to represent Princess Luna. They also faded slightly as the strings picked up in volume. The two sections became equal in volume to each other, but dominant to the rest. The strings and winds mixed together, creating a melody of their own.

It was interrupted by the loud clash of cymbals.

The percussion section started to grow louder, drowning out everything with their rolling beat. It stopped as a massive hammer slammed down a box with a deafening boom.

Discord.

The music alternated between the percussion, and the combination of wind and string. One would grow louder as the other softer, the pace becoming more erratic. Some times the cymbals or hammer would interrupt the combination, breaking the melody and taking over. Other times, the strings or winds would play by themselves, and when the percussion started to pick up, the other that had been silent would suddenly interrupt.

Finally, there was one final loud bang before the drums started to grow softer, the music fading as string and woodwinds picked up, taking on an upbeat and cheery tone.

Discord had been defeated.

There was a short silence before the music started up again. Once again the entire orchestra played before fading to gentle background music. Also again, the strings and woodwinds would play and take dominance. This time, one would play before the other joined, and then the first would fade as the second became dominant. After, they would switch and reverse. Celestia and Luna. Day and Night. Both of them equally balanced out.

However, it did not last. As the song progressed, the accompanying instruments with the string portions grew louder, stronger. The accompaniment with the woodwinds grew softer, shorter, until seeming to go quiet altogether. Next, the wind sections grew shorter and shorter, while the rest grew longer and longer. Soon, the song became lengths of a grand orchestra led by the strings, broken up by short bursts of just the woodwinds playing a few notes before turning quiet again.

Until a long, harsh note from the woodwinds broke the rhythm.

The rest of the orchestra turned silent as again the strings and winds began to alternate. Except this time, the notes were quick and harsh. They went back and forth, one growing louder to over power the other, only to dwindle as the other took control.

As the battle progressed, another section began to join in: the brass. It started low at first, barely audible. Each time the woodwinds would play, the brass section would accompany it. As it continued, they grew louder, harsher. Before long, the brass began to overpower the woodwinds. Then it came. A moment where the woodwinds started, played off into a high-pitched, sustained note like a scream, then faded as loud, short notes from the brass section took over.

With that, the woodwinds had stopped playing. Now the battle was between the string section and the brass. Again, they alternated back and forth, with one growing louder and playing longer before fading as the other did so. More often than not, the brass section would dominate, playing short, angry bursts of notes before being overcome by the strings at least temporarily.

Finally, there was a clash between the two, followed by the brass holding a long, single note that slowly faded to nothingness.

There was silence.

Once again, the string section began to play. Only this time they were alone, and the harp was quiet. The notes were long, low, and in minor cords. The violins were the most prominent, with cellos as the main accompaniment.

However, just as life had to go on, so did the song. A princess could not grieve alone for her loss forever, after all. One by one, the rest of the sections began playing again. Not the sad, slow tune that the strings were, but the happy, cheerful notes that they had before the events. As it grew louder, the strings got drowned out.

As the music faded, a single violin continued to play loudly. The notes were short and upbeat, almost bouncing with excitement. As it did, it was joined by the harp again. The two played together before the harp went silent again, the violin giving a series of short, angry notes before returning to a steadier, softer tone.

Then came something that likely none of the audience members had suspected: the accordion. It was a short set of loud, quick notes that quickly faded into silence.

The violin started playing again, getting back into rhythm. Once it did, it was soon accompanied by a banjo. The metallic twangs of the instrument filled the air, mixing with the classical sounds of the violin and creating a powerful contrast. It then faded back, turning to background noise before stopping.

Just as the violin started getting into a steady rhythm on its own, it was interrupted by a piercing note from an alto saxophone. The two alternated back and forth before the sax gave a series of short, quick notes, followed by a long, drawn out one.

There was a moment of silence before the violin picked up again. Once more, it played on its own, creating a steady rhythm, although not quite as upbeat.

The sounds of a piano began to follow the rhythm before overtaking it. The piano quickly dominated the violin, taking over the song and drowning out the other instrument. A high-pitched sour note from the violin caused silence before taking over and playing on its own once again.

Everything turned quiet before a bird flute started to warble. It played nearly an entire song on its own before a single note from the violin caused a single blast on the flute that stopped suddenly. Several notes played from the violin before a single one came from the flute. This was repeated. Then again. After a series of notes from the violin, the bird flute started to play properly, the two creating a melody together before going quiet once more.

Just as the violin began to play again, it was once more interrupted by the accordion. This time, it continued to play its loud, squeaky notes as it was joined by the banjo, alto saxaphone, piano, and even the bird flute. Each of the five then started playing together, occasionally interrupted by the violin, but not really stopping for it. Then, one by one, they started to go quiet, with the last note being from the accordion.

The entire orchestra began playing again, the volume picking up and instruments blending together into a single melody. Even the five more unique instruments played along. The song slowly faded, turning softer and softer before becoming barely audible. The harp began to play above the other instruments.

It was abruptly silenced by a loud, drawn out note from the brass section. They then moved on to deep, drawn out notes before ending on another long note that slowly faded down. The section continued to play low and drawn out, just barely audible to the audience. Meanwhile, the violin once again took prominence, playing a series of short, fast notes. It was soon joined by the accordion, banjo, sax, piano, and flute.

The six played a while before being interrupted by a blast from the horns. There was a series of short, erratic notes before going silent. It was interrupted by the sound of the banjo playing one of its metallic, upbeat tunes (Octavia had actually used a portion of a song about barn raising Applejack had shared). It was eventually joined by the violin, the two playing a duet before the rest began to join in as well.

Before long, they were again interrupted by a blast of the horns. Again, there was a series of short erratic notes, but this time it was stopped by a long, sustained, high-pitched note from the bird flute. As the echo of it faded into the silence, the flute then started playing a variation of the lullaby "Hush Now, Quiet Now." One by one, the other instruments joined in before returning to the main melody.

It was a pattern that was repeated one more time. After the blast of horns and the panicked notes, the accordion began to play. A version of Pinkie Pie's "Giggle at Ghosties" played, filling the air. The volume softened as it was joined by the bird flute, then the saxaphone, followed by the piano, the banjo, and finally the violin. The six continued on with the new melody before stopping again.

This time, the silence was broken by the sound of a waterphone. Its already unusual notes were long and low, echoing through the hall. The piano started to play a matching tune, accompanying it before a loud bang on the keys led to everything going quiet. The waterphone and piano started up again, the waterphone fading as the other instruments resumed the main melody once again.

One by one, the faded away until only the alto saxaphone remained. The brass section suddenly started playing, interrupting the sax. The section began playing a variation of The Wonderbolts theme, with a deep somber tone. Occasionally, the sax would join in, giving a short, happy burst of the theme song. The saxaphone then broke into a different tune: a song called "Awesome as I Wanna Be," supposedly written by Rainbow Dash, but a Rainbow Dash from a different reality. Kind of odd, but it seemed fitting. The other five eventually joined in as well before coming to an end and returning to the original melody.

The brass section gave out a loud, deep note that continued for over a second. This was followed by two short notes and another long, drawn out one. It then continued to play, more notes being added as it became a full song of its own. It was loud, with the blows being hard and heavy. The six other instruments tried to play again, only to be drowned out by the sound. Then one by one each of them -- violin, sax, flute, piano, banjo, and accordion -- played by their own, only to be silence again.

The sound of glass shattering filled the air, followed by a triumphant blare from the brass section.

Silence.

The violin began to play. Low and slow at first. It then started to pick up in pace and tone, becoming faster and lighter. There were several notes from the horns, but the violin kept going, faster and faster. As it hit a crescendo, there was a pause before the banjo joined in. It played a few lines of "Raise This Barn," before shifting to the same melody as the violin as the two played together. Again, the brass section blew several notes before fading away. Again there was a pause. This time filled by the bird flute and "Hush Now, Quiet Now," before joining the main song with the violin and banjo. Next joined the accordion, the piano and finally the saxophone. The six played together, fast and loud as they came together.

There was a hard note followed by a long, drawn out one from the brass that slowly faded away to nothing.

The violin started up again, playing at low volume. It was then joined by the others, the song fading further to barely audible.

The harps picked up, taking the lead for the strings.

Then came the woodwinds. They gave short, warbling notes at first. Slowly, they grew stronger, steadier, as they joined the melody.

The others picked up as well, growing louder. First the six instruments, then the rest of the orchestra. Before long, the entire orchestra was playing a happy, upbeat tune. All the instruments played together, blending perfectly. From time to time, one instrument or section would become more prominent before rejoining the rest again.

Finally, the performance came to an end.

Comments

[Corwyn]

Beautious