So, I always thought that author's notes were like a button that you would press somewhere… I was sadly mistaken. I want to express my thanks to everyone who pops into this story. I wanted to have a little chat with you, the reader. Now, I'm starting to become paranoid that I've made a logical error in this story or will. If you guys could read through and tell me where I'd be very appreciative and I will fix it right away. I will specify when the first season has begun by the way; we're still a few years off, just so you guys don't go "Hey, conform to the story, stupid!" Nightsong will be just as old as the mane six, in case I don't make it clear in the writing. Now, you might be going "When is he going to meet the mane six?" "When is he going to get on with something exciting?" Well (On the first question), simple truth is, I don't know except for some time soon. Personal affairs find a way of impeding on my creativity and I don't care for releasing an unfinished product. Second, I will be making up these "interesting" points as I go, while trying my hardest to ensure no logical fallacies. Now, I like people's criticism. Notice, I said criticism, not bashing. I will read and interpret the meaning of all reviews and comments, guaranteed, but I may not get around to answering them until later. I have a phone that can take these emails and messages, but I don't have access to my laptop at all times of day (school work, personal life, and sleep will get this time.) Third, Nightsong is 18 in this chapter, just to make it clear, and the legal drinking age in Equestria is 18. Deal with it… please and thank you. Last Note you guys. I'd like to thank Mrjorge624Pinkie pie for your support. (Look! Special size, space, and font just for you!)
Nightsong wandered for a long while. The sun had come up a few hours ago and he hadn't stopped walking the entire time. He walked through woods and plains, crossed streams and rivers and he was still a few miles away from any kind of town. "Curse living so far in the North…" thought Nightsong as he shook off the snow from his coat. He remembered his father telling him about another "nice and modern town" he had visited when he made his way around Equestria. He said that it wasn't very far from their home, 40 miles or so. "Made it sound so easy, didn't ya' dad?" he thought. At about noon, Nightsong found, to his relief, the town that his father had told him about. It was pretty bright, nice and comfortable looking. Nightsong had about 300 bits he could spare and had taken with him. He walked into town and looked for a place to stay for the day. He was so tired when he finally found an inn; he was huffing and puffing from carrying all his stuff, no matter how little he had. He looked at the empty desk in front of him and walked up to it. He looked down to see a small silver bell. He looked around one last time and then hit the bell. No sooner had it rung than a blue and mint green mare answered the sound, popping up from right behind the desk.
"Can I help you?" she asked in a particularly cheerful voice. Nightsong let his heartbeat get back to normal before he answered her.
"Yea… can I order a room please?" he asked.
"You most certainly can! That'll be 30 bits for the first day, and ten for any additional days. Is that okay?" she asked.
"That's fine. Thank you." he replied as he pulled out his pouch and counted out the bits.
"Okay and here is your room key. Enjoy your stay." she said. He nodded and walked down a hall, looking for his room. He quickly found it and entered the room. He closed the door behind him, looked around at the clean room, and then he jumped on the bed, falling asleep almost instantaneously. When he woke up, he threw the curtains wide open to see nothing but a black and star filled sky. Nightsong sat in his bed and put his face in his hooves. He rubbed his face in frustration with the whole situation and decided that he should get a shower and clean himself up. He went into the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting it get to a comfortably warm temperature before he stepped in. After the rather long shower, he stepped out, feeling a bit better. He lie in his bed after that, thinking about his mom and sister. A million questions were crossing his mind at once.
"I hope mom and Rosy will be okay. Uncle better not even look at them the wrong way or I'll… I'll… ugh… I need to get as far away as I can from that town for awhile. I wish dad were here… he wouldn't have put up with any of this… Celestia… I miss him…" His thoughts were interrupted by a loud grumbling and pains in his stomach. He stood up and rubbed it, grabbing his pouch and stepping out to get a bite to eat. He walked around outside, looking and hoping that someone would still be open for dinner. To his surprise, almost everyone in town was still up, including all the bars and restaurants. He stepped into a rather noisy bar and sat at a table. A waitress came up and placed a menu on his table.
"Hey hon. Can I get ya' something to drink?" she asked. Nightsong considered the mood he was in and answered.
"A shot of firewater would be good…" he said. She looked at him a little strangely, shrugged it off and walked back to the kitchen to get his drink. Nightsong barely ever drank, but he was no Nancy colt when it came to it. He actually came to like the stuff, whether it was the taste of cinnamon or the burning sensation, he didn't exactly know why though. The waitress brought him his drink. "Can't stand this stuff myself. What'll you have to eat, hon?" she asked.
"A tomato and cheese sandwich would be good. Please and thank you." he said. She smiled and nodded, taking the menu. Nightsong drained his shot and shook off the burning sensation that made his nose a little runny and his eyes water. He sat there and looked up at the stage at the front of an array of full tables. It had a big poster behind it that said 'KARAOKE NIGHT' on it. A pony walked up on stage and he tapped the microphone before speaking.
"Alright, ladies and gentlecolts! Tonight is Karaoke Night and you know what that means! Remember that no one here is an actual singer, apart from the band that we hired for in between songs, which means that there should only be encouragement! Now, who can we get up here first? You sir! You look like a stallion with a golden voice!" he said, pointing at a stallion at a table with two mares and another stallion. He grew red in the face and shook his head, but he got up there as soon as the other three cheered him on. "Ha ha! This is the only time I will promote giving into peer pressure, everypony! Now, young lady, would you like to give him a little help with this?" he asked the stallion's marefriend who had been sitting across from him. She shrugged and eagerly joined her significant other's side. The music dimmed and they both began to sing.
"Hm, not half bad. Can't make out the lyrics, but it sure is beautiful!" Nightsong thought to himself. The two sang in almost perfect harmony, both of their voices complimenting each other rather well. As soon as the song was done, they hugged each other and ran off the stage. The other pony retook his position on stage and spoke again.
"Wow, are you two professional or something? How about it everypony, let's give those two a round of applause!" he said as he and the crowd pounded the ground with their hooves. Nightsong joined in as his sandwich got there.
"Can I have a glass of water please?" he asked.
"Sure thing, hon." said the waitress and walked away. Nightsong waited for the next song to come on. He adored music, he even had his cutiemark because of how well he played guitar and sang. That doesn't mean he only liked one kind of music though. He liked a lot of genres, but most especially rock or having to do with guitar.
"Now, we're going to let the band come out now while we look for a couple of the requested songs. Ladies and gentlecolts, put your hooves together for… Discovering New Pastures!" he said with a lot of enthusiasm. Everypony clapped as the band took the stage. The lead guitar played out a couple of pretty notes, aided with a couple of triangle hits here and there and some distortion. The drums hit out a couple of familiar notes and Nightsong expected someone to start singing the classic song by one of the most famous pony guitarists ever to live, Purple Haze. No one sang and the entire band just kind of stopped right there, the mare on the drums staring at the guitarist with a glare. He stepped up to the microphone and spoke to the crowd.
"Sorry, we've got a couple of technical difficulties. We'll be back." He said. With that, he and the band walked off stage. Nightsong looked just like the rest of the crowd, confused.
"Sorry about that folks. Well, we have the songs. Now, we just need a pony to sing one… You!" he said, looking right at Nightsong.
"Me?" he asked.
"Yes you! Get up here!" he said, making gestures with his right foreleg. Nightsong stood up reluctantly and made his way up to the stage. "Now, just look through this list, pick one you know, like, or sounds interesting. You can do it with or without lyrics, you just have to specify to the DJ which song you want and if you want lyrics or not. Sound simple enough?" he asked. Nightsong flipped his mane back and nodded. He looked through the clip board that had hundreds of songs, all in alphabetical order. He found one he knew and showed it to the DJ.
"Hey, good choice, but you're gonna need a mare to sing the second part. No solos on those parts." said the DJ. Nightsong hadn't thought about that. He looked a little crestfallen. He was about to find another song when he heard a mare's voice behind him.
"I'll sing with the guy." said the voice. Nightsong looked behind him to see who had said that and he found the band's drummer standing there, her long and pretty blue and silver colored mane in her eyes.
"Rock on man, do you want lyrics or no?" asked the DJ.
"No lyrics, please." they both said.
"Ho ho! Gutsy, aren't we?" he replied. Nighsong nodded nervously. He had sung and played this song a hundred times in the woods, by himself, but not in front of any other ponies, much less with anyone. They took their place on the stage and the music began to play. He waited for the right time to begin singing. He let his beautiful voice spill out across the crowd.
Hey darling, I hope you're good tonight
And I know you don't feel right when I'm leaving
Yeah, I want it but no, I don't need it
Tell me something sweet to get me by
'Cause I can't come home 'til they're singin'
La, la la la, la la la
'Til everyone is singin'
If you can wait 'til I get home
Then I swear to you that we can make this last
(La, la, la)
If you can wait 'til I get home
Then I swear come tomorrow, this will all be in our past
It might be for the best
Then, the mare came in with her part. She, also having a beautiful voice, knew the part perfectly.
Hey sweetie, I need you here tonight
And I know that you don't wanna be leaving me
Yeah, you want it but I can't help it
I just feel complete when you're by my side
But I know you can't come home 'til they're singin'
La, la la la, la la la
'Til everyone is singin'
La, la la la, la la la
If you can wait 'til I get home
Then I swear to you that we can make this last
(La la la)
If you can wait 'til I get home
Then I swear come tomorrow, this will all be in our past
It might be for the best
Now, both the mare and Nightsong sang these last couple of parts together.
You know you can't give me what I need
And even though you mean so much to me
I can wait through anything
Is this really happening?
I swear I'll never be happy again
And don't you dare say that we can just be friends
We knew it'd happen eventually.
With that, both he and the mare stopped, allowing the music to just finish out. They were met by an audience, roaring with amazement. Nightsong's face got a little red and he looked at the mare who was smiling also. "Thank you!" he said.
"No, no, thank you!" she said. "Hey, a free spot just opened up in our band! Care to join?" she asked. Nightsong was taken aback. A very sudden question, he was shocked to hear himself eagerly say yes. "Great! Come here." she said as they both walked off stage. She grabbed a quill from the bar and grabbed a little note. She scribbled down an address and handed the paper to Nightsong. As they were walking out, she spoke to him. "Now, come here in two days. We'll be practicing and it'll be a great time to join in and get to know everyone. See you there." With that, she spread her wings and flew away. Night looked down at the paper he had been given. He was reading it carefully and the question hit him…
"Am I in a band?" he thought out loud. He smiled a bit, and then he began to laugh. He walked away feeling at least twenty feet tall. Life was strange and threw curveballs all the time… but he liked it.
Now, for those who are reading this first is first. The song is called "If It Means A Lot to You" by A Day To Remember. I personally feel like the chapter was a bit short, but hey, I liked it and I used it to show that, even though his life is kind of a bummer, Nightsong can still let loose. I showed you one of his many sides and I have been having ideas on where to take him. He is an intellectual with a book of forgotten spells after all. I can't think of anything more to say right now except for the next chapter will get here soon enough. I have taken to posting these late at night, which I will have to stop if I'm ever going to keep getting up at 5 in the morning. I personally write these stories to get away from the world and it keeps me happy, posting these was one of my non- brony friend's idea and I was so ecstatic that he actually liked it I agreed. Just getting a view makes me happy so reviews make me go nuts! Thank you all for reading this story!
