The Missing Bard
Chapter 10: Fight in Canterlot Square
Seeing this other pony in the square, just fascinated me. Another pony who could play the guitar! I just felt like I needed to approach and talk to this pony! I felt my over bearing obsession of music taking control of me, I just had to know who this was. But deep down my gut kept giving me a different feeling. But the gods be damned I didn't care. I just had to know who this pony was.
"Hey Twi, do you see that pony over there?" I pointed with my hoof in the direction of the dark brownish orange pony. "That one right there, with the guitar for a cutie mark."
"Where I don't see... oh I see him now." Twilight responded.
"I have to go talk to him! Another guitar playing pony!" I said with a giant smile appearing on my face with a high pitched noise.
"But you d-don't know w-who that is." Fluttershy squeaked.
"I don't care! Another guitar player!" I disregarded Fluttershy's comment.
"But what about wondering around town for a bit before head back to the train?" Twilight commented.
"It will only take a few minutes top! I promise!" I reassured Twilight.
"Oh ok fine! But try not to waste to much time! I want to show you some of the sites in town before we go back to Ponyville!" Twilight stated.
I simply nodded toward Twilight and quickly trotted over to the mysterious pony with the guitar for a cutie mark. "Why hello there!" I called out to pony.
"Huh?" The other pony responded.
"I see you're cutie mark is a guitar! And you so happen to be carrying a guitar with you! Does that mean you play?" I asked.
"Yes. I play the guitar, now if you don't mi-" The other pony was interrupted.
"Oh oh! Another guitar player! My name is Kiniro! I can't say I've been looking for another guitar player but finding you! Oh my Celestia, its such an honor! Whats your name?" I quickly asked.
"Look my name is Meadow Song, and I'm rather busy, I'd love to stop and talk shop with you, but I'm rather busy, so if you don't mind." The other pony stated, brushed off Kiniro and began walking away.
"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't know you were busy. I'll leave you be then." I responded with a saddened tone.
"Don't worry about him K-kiniro, he's probably just busy and didn't m-mean it." Fluttershy commented.
"Yeah don't put to much thought in it Kini, we know you love music, but I'm sure you'll run into another pony who can play the guitar soon." Twilight comforted me.
"Y-yeah Kiniro, Twilight is probably right." Fluttershy squeaked.
Upon hearing the word Twilight, the other pony which I had just been talking to quickly turned around. "Twilight? As in Twilight Sparkle?" Meadow Song had asked as he approached her.
"Yeah, I'm Twilight Sparkle. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Yes... there is..." Meadow Song's voice quickly retreated from its normal sounding pitch to something much deeper, he quickly wiggled the guitar off his back, and stood on his hind legs to stand erect and grabbed his guitar with his front hooves. I looked back at the pony in awe thinking that I was going to see him play. Instead he positioned his guitar in a very familiar position and I quickly reacted.
"Twi look out!" I quickly shoved Twilight out of the way and we both hit the ground.
"Ugh... What was that for?!" Twilight yelled at me.
"THATS WHY!" I shouted and pointed my hoof quickly at what appeared to be an arrow lodged between two rocks that formed the road of the square. "GET BACK YOU TWO."
"They are the Elements of Harmony... they must..." I heard Meadow Song stutter. "I won't! I won- I must get rid of the elements."
I looked slightly confused at the pony, as if he was arguing with himself with those last words. "I don't know who you are, but what is it that you want!" I said as I got up, and wiggled the guitar off my back. "Why did you try to hurt Twilight!" I stood up on my hind legs and picked up my guitar with my hooves and held by its neck ready to swing.
"I...can't... I must... I have to get rid of the elements of harmony... BUT I WON'T" The pony yelled out, only to see his green eyes turn into a grey color. "I will get rid of the Elements, even just one will render them all useless, now get out of my way."
"Oh no you don't!" I shouted.
"Very well then, you'll fall with the rest of them!" The pony stated as he slid back pulling back on a lever on his guitar.
The first thought that appeared in my mind... a lever... just like my guitar. I quickly reacted and played the first 5 chords of The Rift and I felt the sudden surge of adrenaline in me, and time slowed down. I saw him aiming his guitar straight at me, and saw an arrow escaping from the head of the guitar, just like my current guitar was designed to work, and quickly I dodged out of the way, not even a moment to spare, as I hit deck I felt the arrow fly through my mane on my neck. I had only summoned enough power from The Rift to get me out of that tight spot. "How did you get that guitar!" I shouted. I quickly looked over to the direction the arrow headed and saw it break upon the impact of a wall then looked back at the pony to await a response.
"It's mine... I made it." The pony commented with a mono-tone voice and again pulled the lever of his guitar, only to hear a click.
I had recognized the click, he had used his last arrow in the slot. Just like mine it would click if I tried to depress the lever if there was no arrow to fire. "You're out of arrows Meadow Song!" I shouted and I quickly recovered from the ground. I saw the first arrow he had fired stuck between the rocks in the road beside me, and I stepped on it to break the shaft of the arrow.
"But I don't need arrows to do what I need." The pony quickly raised his guitar and charged at me with it ready to swing as he ran on his hind legs. I met his charge with one of my own and as we both got close enough, both our guitars made contact. Both of us reaching a stalemate.
"You're strong... Aren't you!" I yelled out.
"Yes and I'm stronger than you are!" The other pony yelled as he quickly kicked me with his hind leg to trip me and break the stalemate. I had fallen to the ground, laying flat in front of him. "Pathetic, stay down you sad excuse." Suddenly I felt a blunt object hit me on my back hard. Knocking the wind out of me, followed by a kick from one of his front legs on the side of my face.
I was in such horrible pain, and I felt like I couldn't move. I turned my head to see the pony still having his guitar at the ready to swing as he approached Twilight and Fluttershy. "Watch... out." I tried to say, but I was unable to speak due to how much pain I was in.
"Get back! I'm not afraid of you!" Twilight shouted.
"You should be..." Meadow Song said with an unsettling voice. I could see Twilight's horn beginning to glow in a purple aura, and trying to levitate his guitar away from him. "That won't work!" The pony yelled out still holding on to his guitar tightly, and stood firm like a rock.
"Gah! Why isn't this working!" Twilight yelled.
"Twilight d-do something!" I heard Fluttershy whimper. I tried desperately to get up, slowing pushing myself up with my front hooves, but I fell back to the ground.
"Get... away from... them." I said as I coughed up some blood. "Get... away... you... asshole..." I tried to yell.
"My magic isn't working! Fluttershy we have to get away!" Twilight shouted.
"I-I'm not leaving you Twilight!" Fluttershy tried to yell.
"You two are sad you know that." Meadow Song commented and I thought the Elements of Harmony were stronger than this.
"Fluttershy you gotta get out of here! Move it!" Twilight stated as she had her horn glow brighter and with in a blink she teleported away.
"Eek!" Fluttershy whimpered. "W-what do I do, w-what do I do!"
"You perish my dear!" I heard Meadow Song call out.
"Fly Fluttershy... fly!" I tried to yell as I still laid on the ground. I saw her trying to get a running start, opening her wings to take off, but the pony caught her by one of her wings and held her down from taking off. Fluttershy had tried to struggle trying to escape. But Meadow Song swung his guitar at Fluttershy's right wing and I saw it bend in such a way that did not look normal. I saw Fluttershy fall to the ground and heard a loud shriek what I assumed was from the pain, and I heard a constant whimper coming from Fluttershy as she curled up into a ball.
"Get up Kini... get up!" I heard Twilight call out to me. I turned my head around to see her standing beside me, nudging me trying to get me up. I had heard another shriek from Fluttershy.
"Help me up... quick!" I yelled out to Twilight as I coughed up more blood. I felt Twilight use her magic lift me up on my four legs and I turned to Meadow Song to see him switch the position of his guitar from a swinging stance to a playing stance.
"And now my dear... its time..." I heard Meadow Song say.
"N-no please... no... " I heard Fluttershy whimper.
I tried my best to then stand on my hind legs, but I felt the immense pressure and pain go up and down my spine. I was in so much pain, but I had to do something. Twilight had levitated my guitar into my hooves. I heard Meadow Song began to play a song, and the chords of a song they quickly called out to me. I had recognized the song. "NO THERE'S NO WAY HE CAN KNOW THAT SONG!" I yelled as quickly positioned my guitar to be able to swing and I began running with a limp toward the other guitar playing pony. "Get away from her... you son... of a bitch!" He had his back turned to me and as I reached him. I put my left front leg out grabbing him with my hoof turning him around. Seeing him playing the guitar, seeing it glow a yellow aura. As I turned him completely I jabbed him with my left hoof disrupting his song play.
"You will regret that!" The pony yelled out to me and pushed me off him, and I fell to the ground. He kicked me back some ways and he positioned himself further apart from me. "You may have stopped me once, but you won't stop me this time, but just to make sure, I'm taking you out first, instead of this pathetic yellow Pegasus." He began playing the same chords from earlier.
"I have to get, up, otherwise I won't make it." I called out to myself as I pushed myself off the ground, lifting myself up. "That song... how does he know it..." I saw his guitar began to glow yellow again knowing that I'd only have moments to spare. I pushed myself up and grabbed my guitar, from its neck, with mouth and charged at him while on all fours. As I reached with in striking distance, I saw his guitar glow a brighter yellow and I knew what I had to do, but I wish I could have done something else. I swung my guitar striking his guitar directly. Right as they made contact, the yellow aura of the guitar had engulfed Meadow Song, but that's where it would stop. My guitar glowed its bright blue and absorbed the energy of the that his had produced. Causing a massive amount of blinding light that knocked both of us quite some distance apart and making a loud booming sound.
As my eyesight returned I felt myself slouched up against a wall close to the ground. I quickly tried to survey what had resulted, coughing up blood one again. I saw Fluttershy still whimpering with her eyes closed where she originally lay. I saw Twilight in front of me, talking to me but I could not make out the words due to the loud ringing in my ears. But slowly the words began to form and I could slowly hear again. "-ni we need to get out of here, especially if he gets up again! I'll go get Fluttershy!" I heard Twilight say. I looked around again as Twilight rushed over to Fluttershy, I saw Meadow Song laying on the ground, hurt, and he was out cold with his guitar not far from him.
"My... guitar..." I said as I looked around only to see pieces of my acoustic guitar scattered around surrounding me. I began to hear whistles and sirens approaching. Only to see Royal Guards in their golden armor and other ponies which looked like a police force arrive. I saw a guard come and approach me and he recognized me.
"Your that pony from earlier at the court yard!" I heard him say.
But I could barely talk from all the pain. So I just gave a simple nod to give him his confirmation of who I was. "Who did this?!" The guard asked. Again unable to respond, I just pointed in the direction of the fallen pony who had attacked us. He quickly looked over in that direction to see what I had pointed to. "Understood! Guards take that pony into questioning! We has a lot of explaining to do when he comes to!" I saw several of the guards use their magic to levitate the pony up and carry him away.
I had gotten up slowly, and limped my way over to the other guitarist's instrument that now laid in the street unattended. I slowly picked it up and tried to investigate it and as I turned it around I saw a small engraving on a silver plate on the back side of the neck that stated. "To my d-ar fri--d A---, K-ng --is-am." As I tried to decipher what the engraving meant. It began to glow white and it began to levitate away from me, I turned around to see a Royal Guard levitating it away.
"I'm sorry sir, but that's evidence I'll have to take that from you." I heard the guard call out .
Again still unable to talk, I nodded in agreement and let him take it. I surveyed the square again to see Twilight attending to Fluttershy.
"I know it hurts Fluttershy but we have to get you out of here. I'm going to take you to the Canterlot Hospital. Just try not to move, I'm going to carry you there." Twilight called out, while slowly levitating Fluttershy up with her magic. "Kini are you ok to walk with us? I can't carry both of you."
"I'll make... it." I tried to say, but it was enough for Twilight to see that I was ok enough to walk. In an extreme amount of pain but I could walk.
"Just follow me Kini, I know the way and try to be still Fluttershy, we'll get you both some help soon!" Twilight's words seemed to comfort us both.
"P-please h-hurry T-t-t-wilight, i-it h-hurts s-so b-ad." Fluttershy said trying to hold back her sobbing from the pain followed by several whimpers.
"What was that Kiniro?" Twilight asked. "What caused that feedback?"
As we left the square, I looked back at the remains of my guitar that laid broken and scattered. I felt tears running down my face, not just from pain, but from sadness, that the guitar I had carried with me since I was a teenager in Midgard was now gone. I had to sacrifice it so that we could live. The one thing I had from my home... gone, my entire life seemed gone in just a sheer moment. The guitar that I had carried into battle several times, that brought me to this wonderful place, allowed me to stay in Equestria and it was gone. I knew its sacrifice would not be in vain, but how could that pony know that song, I sacrificed it to stop that pony from playing that song. "Ragnarok" I muttered under my breath only to see a shocked reaction from Twilight and a whimper from Fluttershy.
End of Chapter 10.