• Published 29th Dec 2012
  • 2,685 Views, 143 Comments

Sonata de Equestria - MyHobby



Equestria's history is catching up to the present. When Twilight Sparkle uncovers a dark crystal heart in King Sombra's tomb, she and her friends find themselves on the run from timberwolves, windigos, and Sombra himself.

  • ...
9
 143
 2,685

PreviousChapters Next
Second Movement: Part 6- Hymns and Protestations

Hymns and Protestations

Lyra was bored, painfully so. She flipped through Starswirl’s book absentmindedly, long past actually reading it for comprehension. How many pages does this thing have? She closed the book and turned it over, opening the back cover in the process. Sure enough, the bottom of the final page had a number: 2,259.

“Holy cow!” Lyra blushed as she clapped her hooves over her mouth. Several crystal ponies, other patrons of the new Star Bucks Café, turned towards her, startled at her outburst. She kept her gaze on the book, hoping that her lack of reaction would cause the others to lose interest.

Twilight Sparkle sat across the table from Lyra, an expression of bemusement on her face. “What’s all that about?”

“Erm.” Lyra shuffled her hooves. “It’s a really long book.”

Twilight took a sip from her coffee cup and stretched her head over to Lyra. “Two-thousand pages, huh?” She shrugged. “It’s a start.”

“A start!?” Lyra pointed her hooves at the doorstopper, mouth open in a sneer of exasperation. “How in the hay am I supposed to get any sort of information out of this? It’s too much!”

“Isn’t there some sort of index?” Twilight scooted her chair closer. “Somewhere at the back of the book?”

“No,” Lyra huffed. “Just this weird little poem.”

Twilight read the text aloud. “From one to another, another to one. A mark of one’s destiny singled out, fulfilled.” She shook her head. “Just gibberish, it doesn’t even rhyme.”

Lyra turned the book sideways. “Is it a haiku?”

“Not even.” Twilight brushed pages aside until she was half-way through the book. “This just seems so disjointed. He doesn’t even focus on a single subject for long.”

“Well, it is the collected works of Starswirl…” Lyra stirred some sugar into her cup. “Maybe it’s just meant to be a sampling.”

“A sampling,” Twilight mused. “A sampling of his much, much larger body of work.”

Lyra’s eyes grew wide, and her mouth bent into a frown. “How much larger?”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile sheepishly. “About an entire wing of the Royal Canterlot Library.”

Lyra laid her head back and stared up at the ceiling. “Yah, that sounds about right, seeing how the rest of this trip has gone.”

“Adventures aren’t always secret tombs and daring escapes,” Twilight shrugged. “More often than not, it’s a lot of hard work.

“Ah, here we go,” she grinned as she read. “’The following is an excerpt from Starswirl’s Basic Spellcasting, Starswirl’s Cinnamon Selections,’ blah, blah, blah… Aha!” She pointed at the page with gusto. “’Starswirl’s Personal Journal, located in the secure Starswirl section of the Royal Canterlot Library.’”

“Now Sombra’s personal library, great,” Lyra grumped. “Not exactly within our grasp.”

“Eh, I’ve broken into the archives before.” Twilight absently dunked a sweet roll into her coffee.

Lyra jolted upright. “What, wait, what!?”

“Looong story.” Twilight stood and tossed her empty cup into a garbage can. “C’mon, we should head back to the palace. I think Cadance and Shining Armor should hear about this.”

Lyra stood as well, dragging the book along with her magic. “Hear about what?”

Twilight sighed as the exited the café. “As soon as I heal, I’m going to Canterlot.”


“Oof!” The griffon flew through the air and landed flat on his back, staring up at the sun.

A rainbow-maned face came into sight, giggling triumphantly. “Any other takers?”

A groan arose from the crew as bits were exchanged. Far too many had bet on Stellar as the victor of that particular tussle. Rainbow Dash trotted around the deck with an oh-so-radiant smile. “Come on, guys! Don’t tell me you big, brave griffons are all scared of a lil’ pegasus girl like me!”

“Scared of hurting you, maybe!” One griffon, perhaps a little drunk on grog, strode forward. He cracked his knuckles and leered at Dash. “I’ll show yah what a real griffon can do!”

The pegasus beckoned him with a hoof. “Then bring it.”

The day before landfall had been heralded by the storm clearing up, allowing any who wished some time on the upper decks. Rainbow Dash took this as an opportunity to get some quality flying time in. While practicing a loop-de-loop, she had accidently collided in mid-air with a particularly grumpy griffon sailor. Said sailor had picked a fight, and said sailor was thoroughly trounced in a matter of moments.

Finding this turn of events to be quite hilarious, the rest of the crew, and a few of the mercenaries, had decided to test their mettle against Rainbow Dash. Wagers were made, and bruises were dealt. Rainbow Dash still had yet to receive a single scratch.

The griffon sailor dove at Dash with talons outstretched, intending to take her by surprise. Dash reacted in an instant, doing a back flip over his charge. She swung a hoof hard against his back knee, and followed up with a punch to his gut. While he was reeling, she rose into the air, grabbed his talon, and whirled around him. He spun and hit the ground with a wheeze.

The beaten griffon picked himself off of the ground, legs wobbling. “You cheated! You’ve got some sort of witchcraft behind you!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she caught a thrown bag of bits. “Do I look like a unicorn?”

“You…” The sailor shook his head, clearing some of the fuzziness away. “How did you do that?”

She took to the sky and did a lap around the crowd. “Black belt in karate, dude. Years of training, find your balance, yadda-yadda.”

The captain exited his cabin, followed by Martial Paw and Crested Barbary. “Alright, lubbers!” the captain exclaimed. “Break time’s over, back to work!”

Rainbow Dash trotted up to the trio, ready to extol her own virtues, when Gilded Wing also exited the cabin. She pulled up short, taking to the air in the event things got ugly. “Sooo, uh, anything I should know before we hit land?”

Martial Paw nodded, though he avoided looking at her. “First of all, Crested Barbary is not a mercenary, but captain of the Royal Griffon Airforce.”

Dash crossed her forelegs. “Couldn’t get past customs, huh? ‘Theatricality and deception!’”

Martial covered up his giggles with a cough, while Barbary ahemed loudly. “Secondly, you should be certain to maintain a semblance of respect for those in power.”

“Our society will not stand for you insulting attitude,” Crested agreed.

“I’ll respect them if they earn my respect,” Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“No, you will respect each and every noble.” Crested Barbary flew up to the pegasus’ level. “You will keep silent unless spoken to, you will not mouth off to anyone, and you will keep your bright ideas to yourself!”

“I’ve known too many nobles to do that.” She gave Gilded Wing a pointed glare. “I’ll keep quiet for the most part, but don’t expect me to be little miss prissy for everybody.”

By Moshe’s Fetlocks, Dash!” Martial joined her in the air. “These aren’t just guidelines! If you insult a noble, or Glory-forbid the king, then they. Will. Kill you!

Dash’s pupils shrank. “Seriously?”

“Felaccipidia’s noah like yer country, lass,” the captain piped up. “In Equestria, what ye do is more important than who ye are in th’ grand scheme.”

“It’s the opposite for the griffons.” Crested Barbary pointed a talon at her accusingly. “Manners and politeness are everything. Status is everything. It cannot be earned, it must be inherited.”

Rainbow Dash glared down at Lord Gilded Wing, who returned her glare with equal heat. “And can it be lost?”

Crested hesitated. “Not… easily. Lord Wing shall be in comfort for the rest of his life, though he will not be able to move freely.”

Birdbrains,” she mumbled under her breath. She addressed Martial, “Anything else I need to know?”

Martial clicked his beak nervously. “Remember this while we’re walking to the palace; keep your eyes forward, your wings closed, and your mouth shut.”

Rainbow Dash squinted at Martial. “And why’s that?”

“Because you won’t like what you see.”

Dash watched the young griffon fly off, his head down and his limbs limp. She briefly considered going after him, when Barbary spoke again. “Oh, and Rainbow Dash…”

She turned. “Yeah?”

Before she realized what was happening, she found herself flipped head-over-tail. She landed on the deck with a dull thud. She sat up and glared at the griffon soldier.

He smirked back. “Don’t get cocky.”


Shining Armor rested his chin on the back of the couch. “Canterlot?”

Cadance nodded. “As soon as she heals.”

Shining stared straight ahead. “Canterlot.”

“Yes, dear.” Cadance gave her husband a peck on the cheek. “You okay?”

“Canterlot,” he replied.

“Oh, stop it,” she chided. “If anypony can pull it off, it’s Twilight.”

“She shouldn’t even try.” He ground his teeth together. “Canterlot is… It’s the middle of the manticore pit; it’s the heart of the swarm. It’s the cesspool, the very armpit of Equestria now that Sombra’s named himself king!”

“Armpit?” Cadance asked.

“Sorry, Diamond Dog term. It’s just…” He ran his hooves through his blue hair. “Why does she think she needs to do all these things? All these stupid, dangerous things?”

Cadance put a hoof on his shoulder. “Shiny…”

“I mean,” he continued, “The black magic door, that stupid duel in Ponyville, even when Nightmare Moon reappeared…” He ran a hoof down his face. “Why does she think she needs to do these things by herself?”

“But she doesn’t!” Cadance answered. “Each and every time, she’s come out on top because of her friends.”

Shining Armor said nothing, choosing instead to sulk. Cadance scooted closer to him. “She’ll be fine. She said that she’ll take a detour to Manehatten to see if she can get reunited with her friends.” She nuzzled him. “Which leaves us to find out what happened to Rainbow Dash.”

Shining snorted. “If the griffons took her to Felaccipidia, it’ll be her first time in a new country, won’t it?” He groaned as another thought came to him. “All we need to do is follow the trail of destruction. She’s not a subtle mare.”

“Not quite her first time,” Cadance mumbled to him. “She followed the dragon migration with Twilight and Spike.”

“Oh, well that’s- Dragon Migration!” He about leapt out of his skin. “When was Twilie in the dragon migration!? She could have been killed!”

“But she wasn’t,” Cadance smiled. “She went to help Spike learn more about himself. She and her friends stayed hidden nearly the entire time.”

Nearly,” he stressed. He flopped down on the couch with a frown that made him look several years older. “Why didn’t she tell me about it?”

“Because she knew how you’d react.”

Shining rolled his eyes. “Then why’d you tell me about it?”

She booped him on the nose. “Because I knew how you’d react.”

They sat quietly, allowing the crackle of the fire to fill the silence. Cadance placed her head in the crook of his shoulder, nuzzling him contentedly. She felt him sigh. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” Shining met her questioning gaze. “I have to go with her, Cadance. I have to make sure she’s alright.”

“But…” She frowned deeply. “But you’re in charge of the Crystal Empire’s defenses. What happens if Sombra attacks?”

“Honestly?” Shining smirked. “Throw a party. Magick up that love-spell. Keep the citizens happy.” He wrapped her in a loving embrace, rubbing her back with a hoof. “The guards on loan from Canterlot are the best of the best, and the local militia is up and running.”

He kissed her on the forehead. “I’m not nearly as important to the empire as you are, Crystal Princess.”

“Now hold on! Don’t say that!” Cadance grabbed his shoulders and held him at leg’s length. “Don’t ever say that! You’re important to the empire, and you’re important to me! I need you, Shiny.”

“Don’t worry, Cadance,” he soothed. “Nothing’s going to happen to me, or Twilight.” He lowered her hooves and kissed her softly. “I’ll make sure of that, I promise.”


The ship pulled into the harbor, bypassing dozens of other waiting ships in the queue. Rainbow Dash supposed that Sombra’s little crystal heart was more important that she thought. The sun was hot, hotter than it had ever been in Equestria.

Her first impression of the land was that it was sandy. Sand everywhere. Sand on the shore, on the ground, in her hair. Sand in places she didn’t feel the need to think about. Sand, sand, sand, abso-frosting-lutely everywhere.

Her second impression was that this was most certainly the griffon country. Hundreds of griffons worked, sweated, and bartered in the harbor town. It wasn’t just the usual eagle/lion griffons, either. She saw a few with the heads of seagulls, a few with leopard-spotted butts, some tiger stripes…

Is that an owl/tabby hybrid? Her eyes grew wide as the stubby little critter walked past like he owned the place. Enormous glasses sat perched on his beak, and he wore a blue vest with an official-looking badge.

“Passports, please,” he said, large eyes examining Crested Barbary. The griffon mercenary—no, wait—soldier rolled his eyes as he passed a bulging bag of bits to the diminutive official. “Welcome to port, gentle-griffs.”

“That’s disgusting,” she whispered to Martial. He moved to shush her, and then the group was on their way.

The port soon gave way to a marketplace. There were the usual goods; a few jewelry shops, foreign cloth, a few giant slabs of meat…

Rainbow Dash promptly gagged at the sight of a griffon butcher carving up a large animal. Cleaver met flesh with a thack, thack, thack, each time he cut a new slab off. She was honestly cool with the idea of eating meat, really, but she had never actually witnessed a butcher at work before.

Martial held out a claw to steady her as she toppled to the side. “You okay?”

“-‘ll, ulp, be fine.” She covered her mouth with her elbow. “Guess that’s why you said I wouldn’t like what I see, huh?”

“I wish,” he said, and fell silent.

As they continued on, Rainbow Dash got a glimpse of a large structure in the distance. It was triangular, except for the jagged top, and built out of stone. “Is that the palace?”

Martial Paw looked where she was pointing. “No, that’s the pyramid, a big tomb. What’s left of it, anyway. It used to be pointier.”

“What happened to it?”

He shrugged. “Back in the ancient times, Felaccipidia was attacked by centaurs. They used the stones for building defensive walls.”

“How’d that work out for them?” Rainbow asked, her eyes drifting to the rest of the market place.

“Some slave king took over.” Martial followed her gaze until it fell on an auction taking place at the heart of the market. “He ruled until Moshe kicked his tail all the way to Tartarus.”

“There’s that name again.” Rainbow Dash gazed hard at the auction, trying to get a look at the goods. “That hippogriff is pretty important to you guys, isn’t he?”

Martial moved to block her view. “Very, he’s the one who founded modern-day Felalalalala…” He trailed off as Rainbow Dash climbed right over him and stared at the auction.

A stage held a griffon; he was shouting in the griffon language about a zebra, a diamond dog, and a deer who stood on the stage beside him. The latter three were in chains.

Dash got in Crested Barbary’s face, a look of fury burning in her eyes. “’Slavery is how the cruel and lazy get things done,’ huh?”

The airforce captain met her eye-to-eye. “I stand by my word.”

A look of confusion was slowly replaced by one of comprehension. “Okay, I get you.” She turned around and continued walking. “Maybe I can even respect you. Maybe.”

“Then while I have your attention…” His words put a pause in Rainbow Dash’s step. “If you speak like that to the king, you will be killed. And I will most likely be commanded to do the deed.”

He drew close, his milky, empty eye just inches from her face. “I will not hesitate, because if I do, I will share your fate. Remember this, Element of Loyalty.”

“I just bare the element,” she murmured. “And yeah, I get it.”

A few minutes later, a plush palace came into view. High columns and sweeping arches reminded Rainbow Dash of pegasus architecture, if a little more angular. Images of heroic deeds and mighty warriors adorned the walls in much the same fashion as Canterlot’s stained-glass windows. The troop stopped briefly to leave Gilded Wing with a separate set of guards, then proceeded towards the palace.

A ruckus rose up to the side, a small griffon chick appeared to be making off with a slab of meat without paying for it. One of the griffon guards quickly pounced on the little delinquent, grasping the meat hunk from the child. The guard produced a baton and proceeded to beat the snot out of the kit.

Rainbow Dash stared at the scene for a few moments, before she could take it no longer. She shoved Martial aside and dove at the guard, pushing him away from the now-bloody child. “Get off of him! I’ll pay for the meat! I’ll pay for it!”

The guard tilted his head and looked ready to beat Dash instead, until he caught a stern look from Crested Barbary. He accepted Rainbow’s bits and returned to his patrol. Rainbow Dash looked down at the griffon chick, who stared back with wide eyes. “Aheh, alright, go on now.”

She was about to return to the troop when she felt a tug on her wing. She turned back to see that the original chick had been joined by four others. All of them looked at her with wide eyes, begging her to help them, too. More appeared, all children, all looking to her for bits.

Rainbow Dash took a step back as they mewled at her. He mouth opened to protest that she didn’t have enough, that she couldn’t help them all. Her mind went blank and no words came out. She was slowly led away from the area by Martial Paw.

“Well, at least you’ve made a good impression on the locals,” he muttered.

“There’s so many…” She watched her feet as she walked. “I couldn’t help them all; I couldn’t even really help one.”

“Dash, listen to me,” Martial placed a talon on her shoulder, guiding her up the stairs. “A wise person once said, ‘it’s not about how many, it’s about how well.’”

“So?” she shot back.

“So, I think you made that little guy’s day.” He pointed back at the chick, who was now speaking with the other children.

The chick waved his arms animatedly, pointing from his piece of meat to the pegasus now climbing the steps up to the palace. He kept repeating one word over and over again. “Elohim! Elohim!”

“That’s an old word griffons used to refer to ponies by,” Martial chuckled as they entered the entryway. “It roughly translates to ‘god.’”

As the doors closed behind her, Rainbow Dash snorted. “A god? I’m not a god! Nopony is! Where in the heck did griffons get the idea of ponies as-” A large statue stood in the entryway, made from marble and studded with gemstones. The statue was equine-shaped, with a long, curved horn atop its regal head.

“Oh.”

The image was unmistakably Sombra.

“That answers so many questions, and raises so many others.”

Author's Note:

Before any of you ask, yes, Rainbow Dash's black belt in karate is canon!
Check out the episode Call of the Cutie!


There's a lot of callbacks in this chapter. Like Wind Through a Reed and A Song From the Heart introduced plot points that finally return in this chapter, and my short side-story, Fathers, receives mention from Martial Paw.

I hope you've enjoyed this little bout of world-building!

PreviousChapters Next