The Equestrian Prime

Chapter 4: Musical Demonstration

Chapter 4: Musical Demonstration

While Artemis and Twilight were having some alone time, Sunset cocked an eyebrow as Cianán set up a few decent sized amps.

"I have no problem if we end up doing the songs together. I know of more than a few good duet songs. Admittedly, I'm more in the mood to see if we can blow these out." Cianán commented.

Sunset blinked before she unintentionally let out a snorting giggle. "That so sounds like something Rainbow would say," she commented.

"See? Dwelling on happy memories you shared with them is far better than remembering how they were taken… and rest assured that whoever took them from you will be someone's bitch behind bars," Cianán commented with a smirk.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5o8Daw1ZsY

"So how about we see how fast we can blow these amps?" Cianán quipped innocently. His fingers brushed over the strings before he saw Sunset's eyes widen slightly as she stared behind him, not seeing what she saw: the ghostly form of Pinkie grinning. She jumped slightly as his voice belted out.

Brother will kill brother…
Spilling blood across the land,
Killing for religion..
Something I don't understand,

Fools like me, who cross the sea…
And come to foreign lands…
Ask the sheep, for their beliefs…
Do you kill on God's command?

A country that's divided…
Surely will not stand,
My past erased, no more disgrace…
No foolish naive stand…
The end is near, it's crystal clear…

Part of the master plan…
Don't look now to Israel
It might be your homelands…

Holy wars…

Upon my podium, as the
Know it all scholar,
Down in my seat of judgement…
Gavel's bang, uphold the law…

Up on my soapbox, a leader
Out to change the world…
Down in my pulpit as the holier
Than-thou-could-be-messenger of God…

Wage the war on organized crime,
Sneak attacks, repel down the rocks…

Behind the lines,
Some people risk to employ me…
Some people live to destroy me…
Either way they die. They die…" followed by a strong solo.

"They killed my wife and my baby,
With hopes to enslave me…
First mistake... last mistake…

Paid by the alliance, to slay all the giants…
Next mistake... no more mistakes!" followed by a shorter solo that was heavier on the drums initially.

"Fill the cracks in, with judicial granite…
Because I don't say it, don't mean I ain't
Thinkin' it…
Next thing you know, they'll take my thoughts away…

I know what I said, now I must scream of the overdose…
And the lack of mercy killers…
Mercy killings, mercy killers…
Killers… killers… killers…
Next thing you know they'll take my thoughts away…." Cianán let the chords fade away, exhaling softly. He didn't realize that the White Ring he had was passively drawing on Sunset's memories and creating projections of her friends.

Sunset smirked. "Think you can keep up, hun?" she quipped teasingly as she hip bumped him.

My Past Is Not Today

Power
Was all I desired,
But all that grew inside me,
Was the darkness I acquired.
When I began to fall,
And I lost the path ahead,
That's when your friendship found me,
And it lifted me instead.

Like a phoenix burning bright in the sky,
I'll show there's another side to me,
You can't deny.
I may not know what the future holds,
But hear me when I say,
That my past does not define me,
'Cause my past is not today.

Ambition
Is what I believed,
Would be the only way to set me free.
But when it disappeared,
And I found myself alone.
That's when you came and got me,
And it felt like I was home.

Like a phoenix burning bright in the sky,
I'll show there's another side to me
You can't deny.
I may not know what the future holds,
But hear me when I say,
That my past does not define me,
'Cause my past is not today," she belted out.

"I know a couple of good ones that would fit our recent pasts," Cianán commented, a thoughtful look on his face. He didn't realize that White Lantern Ring was drawing on Sunset's memories and creating projections of her friends again, this time with their instruments ready.

The Touch - Stan Bush

"You got the touch!
You got the power!
Yeah!

After all is said and done, you've never walked, you've never run
You're a winner!
Got the moves, you know the street. Break the rules, take the heat!
You're nobody's fool!
You're at your best, when the going gets rough!
You've been put to the test, but it's never enough!

You got the touch, you got the power!
When all hell's breakin' loose, you'll be right in the eye of the storm!
You got the heart, you got the motion!
You know that when things get too tough, you got the Touch!

You never bend, you never break! You seem to know just what it takes
You're a fighter!
It's in the blood, it's in the will! It's in the mighty hands of steel
When you're standin' you're ground!
And you never get hit, when your back's to the wall!
Gonna fight to the end, and you're takin' it all!

You're fighting fire with fire!
You know you got the touch!

You're at your best, when the going gets rough!
You've been put to the test, but it's never enough!
You got the touch!
You got the power!
Yeah!"

You got the touch!
You got the power!

Touch!"

Sunset hummed, thinking. She didn't notice the projections of her friends watching her, nor did Cianán, though both Rarity and Rainbow glanced his way.

—

Artemis woke up, Twilight sleeping peacefully in his arms with a dopey smile on her face. He smirked as he realized why he woke up.

Well played on my favorite Transformers song, Cianán. Artemis thought before he fell back asleep with Twilight in his arms while she had her right wing draped over him.

—

Cianán smirked slightly, tilting his head fractionally. He hummed, thinking of which he would do next. He had considered 'Murdered Love' though he was almost certain nobody would quite grasp the intended imagery in the lyrics. He paused, noticing a shift of green on a hillside before his eyes widened fractionally, noticing a pale form in a deep green cloak watching them.

Fuck me… this only confirms my suspicion if The Spectre is capable of showing himself here. Cianán realized in a thought. He saw the Spectre shift forms into a human blond he realized was Jim Corrigan, the human host the Spirit of both God's Wrath and God's Vengeance.

Bring Me To Life – Evanescence (Cover by Jonathan Young)

"How can you see into my eyes, like open doors?
Leading you down into my core,
Where I've become so numb…
Without a soul,
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold…
Until you find it there and lead it back home.

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside (I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside… (save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run… (I can't wake up)
Before I come undone… (save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become.

Now that I know what I'm without…
You can't just leave me.
Breathe into me and make me real…

Bring (bring) me (me) to life

I've been living a lie
There's nothing inside
Bring me to life

Frozen (frozen) inside without your touch
Without your love, darling
Only (only) you are the life among the dead

All of this time, I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems
Got to open my eyes to everything
Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul
Don't let me die here
(There must be something more) bring me to life

Bring me to life
I've been living a lie
There's nothing inside
Bring me to life…"

Cianán chuckled. "We've all been there after rough incidents, I'm certain," he muttered wryly. His eyes drifted half-lidded.

"I can attest to that, Cianán." Artemis said, walking into the auditorium, a sad smile on his face. "Trust us, Sunset, like I said earlier, we're all here for you." Artemis smirked as he noticed the ghostly projections of Sunset's friends, but didn't say anything. He just nodded slightly to them, which they nodded back. Artemis walked over to the stage and stepped up, saying, "May I cut in for one, old friend?"

Cianán chuckled. "I don't see why not, mon ami," he drawled in a bad Cajun accent. He had an idea for a song he suspected Sunset would like.

"May I borrow your guitar, Sunset?" Artemis asked, holding out his hands.

Sunset shrugged, lightly tossing her guitar. Artemis strapped the guitar on and, after doing a few test chords, began to play a tune that both he and Cianán were familiar with.

"Interesting choice," Cianán deadpanned.

What I've Done - Linkin Park

"In this farewell
There's no blood, there's no alibi
'Cause I've drawn regret
From the truth of a thousand lies
So let mercy come and wash away.

What I've done
I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done

Put to rest
What you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands of uncertainty
So let mercy come and wash away

What I've done
I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done.

For what I've done
I start again
And whatever pain may come
Today this ends
I'm forgiving…

What I've done
I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done.

What I've done
(Na-na, na, na)
(Na-na, na, na)

Forgiving what I've done
(Na-na, na, na)
(Na-na, na, na)
(Na-na, na, na)
(Na-na, na)"

No one noticed except Cianán that a ghostly form of Optimus Prime stood behind Artemis the entire time he sang the song, a hand servo on his shoulder and a smile on his face. Cianán smirked as he rolled his shoulders.

"I'd wager you'll remember this one, brother," he quipped. Artemis smirked as he readied to play and sing alongside Cianán, subconsciously knowing what song his old friend was about to play.

New Divide - Linkin Park

"I remembered black skies,
The lightning all around me…
I remembered each flash,
As time began to blur…
Like a startling sign,
That fate had finally found me…

And your voice was all I heard,
That I get what I deserve…

So give me reason,
To prove me wrong
To wash this memory clean…
Let the floods cross
The distance in your eyes
Give me reason
To fill this hole
Connect this space between
Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies
Across this new divide

There was nothing in sight,
But memories left abandoned,
There was nowhere to hide
The ashes fell like snow…
And the ground caved in
Between where we were standing…
And your voice was all I heard,
That I get what I deserve…

So give me reason
To prove me wrong,
To wash this memory clean…
Let the floods cross
The distance in your eyes
Across this new divide

In every loss, in every lie
In every truth that you'd deny.
And each regret, and each goodbye
Was a mistake too great to hide…

And your voice was all I heard,
That I get what I deserve…

So give me reason,
To prove me wrong…
To wash this memory clean,
Let the floods cross
The distance in your eyes
Give me reason
To fill this hole
Connect this space between,
Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies
Across this new divide…

Across this new divide…
Across this new divide."

Cianán took a deep breath as he rolled his shoulders. He shivered as he got the distinct awareness that they weren't alone.

Sunset saw him shiver before she blinked, turning to see the ghostly projections watching them with small, sad smiles. Her eyes widened in surprise, unaware that with her surprise, broad, reddish golden wings flared out as her horn lit with its distinctive bluish sea green aura for a second.

"We didn't want ta leave ya, sugarcube. Dunno who managed ta plant that shit in mah truck." AJ's projection muttered.

"And that bastard… heard something hit the side of the plane as I was unbuckling." Rainbow's projection grumbled.

Cianán's eyes narrowed as Rainbow revealed that her death had been no accident. Sunset's eyes widened at Rainbow's grumbling. "Well, whoever was behind it… let's just say they're going to see what fear really is," he breathed, unaware his voice shifted into a guttural growl on that particular word, courtesy of a certain Entity embodying Fear.

He didn't notice that Fluttershy's projection shot him a concerned look. Sunset jerked, feeling an abrupt shift in Cianán's energy. The shift was abrupt as if he had connections to something that had never been human nor pony. What she didn't expect when she turned was a pair of lips to meet her own.

Cianán's eyes widened as he felt Sunset's lips meet his before he felt her tongue tease his lips as he unconsciously kissed her back.

"Whoo hoo! Snog his ass until he gets lightheaded… or you do." Pinkie cheered with a giggle before an audible smack followed as Rarity facepalmed as the duo made out.

Artemis just smiled, as he had seen this coming from light-years away the minute Sunset showed up. But then he turned to the projections of Sunset's friends with a determined frown, saying, "You have my word that Sunset will be safe here as long as my friend Cianán and I can help. You all also have my word as the last Cybertronian that whoever took your lives, they'll wish their mothers kept their legs closed when Cianán and I are done with them." His eyes flashing red like a Decepticon again as he said that.

"I do know of one song that could fit all of us, really… though it's probably a very different style than she's used to," Cianán commented, tilting his head towards Rarity's projection, missing how her eyebrow twitched upward.

"Ah, I'm sure we can play it, Cianny. After all, we're linked through that Ring… might not want to let Fear Buggy out, though, he's a meanie," Pinkie quipped.

Cianán did a double-take before he cocked an eyebrow. "Okay… how the fu..?" he started before he was cut off by Sunset's hand over his mouth.

"It's Pinkie," was all she said.

Twilight blinked before she started giggling. His reaction to Pinkie reminded her of herself with a certain Sense.

"What?" Cianán said blankly, wondering what had made her laugh.

Twilight snorted a laugh before she tried to regain her composure. "You're reacting much as I once did to Pinkie," she sighed.

He shook his head, rolling his eyes. "I'm not even going to ask… though I did notice something very startling when we were playing… a particular Spirit of God's Vengeance, though I don't know how he's here," Cianán commented wryly.

He took a deep breath and shifted his weight. "One more before a break," he exhaled softly.

"I agree." Artemis said with a yawn. "Besides, we have those sparring matches tomorrow, but I get the feeling that Shining Armor is being a prick about me dating Twilight here because of some underlying reason. You noticed the look in his eyes too, right brother?" Artemis sent a questioning look Cianán's way as he said that.

"Like some dumb fuckers have tried getting close to her in the past and hurt her. Either that or someone who's a mutual friend, pardon my blunt words, fucked them both over," Cianán deadpanned. "Either way, we all have scars both inside and out," he sighed.

Metallica – Broken, Beat, and Scarred

"You rise, you fall
You're down, then you rise again,
What don't kill ya make ya more strong…

You rise, you fall
You're down, then you rise again,
What don't kill ya make ya more strong…

Rise, fall down, rise again…
What don't kill ya make ya more strong…
Rise, fall down, rise again…
What don't kill ya make ya more strong…

Through black days…
Through black nights…
Through pitch black insides..

Breaking your teeth on the hard life comin'
Show your scars…
Cutting your feet on the hard earth runnin'
Show your scars…
Breaking your life,
Broken, beat and scarred…
But we die hard…

The dawn, the death…
The fight to the final breath,
What don't kill ya make ya more strong…

Dawn, death, fight, final breath…
What don't kill ya make ya more strong…

They scratch me…
They scrape me…
They cut and rape me…

Breaking your teeth on the hard life comin'
Show your scars…
Cutting your feet on the hard earth runnin'
Show your scars…
Breaking your life…
Broken, beat and scarred…
But we die hard…

Breaking your teeth on the hard life comin'
Show your scars…
Cutting your feet on the hard earth runnin'
Show your scars…
Bleeding your soul in a hard luck story…
Show your scars…
Spilling your blood in a hot sun's glory…

Show your scars…
Breaking your life…
Broken, beat and scarred…
We die hard…

We die hard…
We die hard…" he belted out.

Sunset shivered as that very much described all of them.

He took a deep breath as he let his wings flare out before he took to the air. He paused as he noticed something hanging from the tree not far from where he'd noticed The Spectre. His eyebrows rose in surprise at what hung there: a nano-fibre vest… with a detachable Arc Reactor.

'Hmmm… could use it as a belt buckle, that way the energy wouldn't have far to travel to keep the legs charged… though I do wonder how I formed those armored bracers yesterday… and the barrier,' he mused.

He didn't know how to manipulate metal in that way, yet it seemed almost instinctive. He got the sense that there was something obviously different that he was missing. He knew it wasn't Elemental Bending as he was almost certain that Benders didn't feel the damage as if whatever they manipulated were an extension of themselves.

He shook his head as he hooked it to his belt, turning away before he blinked as he saw a pair of deep aquamarine irises staring into his own. He chuckled before he felt her hand on his shoulder as he felt his wings fold against his spine just shy of his shoulder blades.

"You're going to bed, mister," Sunset deadpanned.

"Aye, mon amour. That's exactly what I had in mind," he sighed as his gaze rose to the sky seeing the full moon as he concentrated. "Still getting used to flight… as what I'm used to," he commented as golden white electricity arced over his body before he abruptly vanished in a gust of air.

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