//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: Loyalty, Honesty, and Justice // Story: The Missing Bard // by Kiniro //------------------------------// The Missing Bard Chapter 21: Loyalty, Honesty and Justice There I stood along side Applejack and Rainbow Dash, staring down my opponent by the name of Meadow Song. He stood ready with his guitar in hoof at any moment, he could strike the beginning chords and begin to activate the Song of Ragnarok. Arrogantly he positioned his front left hoof around the neck of the guitar and hovered his front right hoof around the strings. "You think you three can take me?" Meadow Song asked. "You better believe it bub!" Rainbow Dash stated as she spread her wings open and pounded down at the ground with her front right hoof. "I've bucked apple tree's tougher than you!" Applejack yelled pounding the ground mimicking Rainbow Dash. "You can count on it you bastard." I yelled. "Then bring it you pests!" Meadow Song shouted as he placed his hoof on the guitar to make contact with the strings. "LETS GO! You two take him from the sides! I've got him head on!" I shouted to the others as we took off making our charge toward our opponent. "Keep him from playing that song!" "I've got him from the sky!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she took off into flight. "I got your back down here Kiniro!" Applejack shouted. I looked toward her quickly and nodded. I heard the first strum of Meadow Song's guitar. "Shit we gotta move faster!" I looked forward at my opponent seeing his guitar begin to glow bright yellow. "Take this!" I heard Rainbow Dash yell out. I quickly turned toward her seeing her give a reverse kick while in mid air. Knocking down Meadow Song. "Great job Rainbow Dash!" I shouted in excitement still running with Applejack toward Meadow Song. "Watch out!" I yelled. "You gotta do better than that!" Meadow Song yelled, quickly jumping up and swinging his guitar onto his back. "Take this on for size!" The guitar playing pony shouted as he grabbed Rainbow Dash by the hoof and brought her down to the ground. "Whoa!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Get your grubby hooves of her!" I heard Applejack shouted as she gave her all running toward Meadow Song, and knocking him down by running into him and attempted to pin him to the ground. "Applejack!" I shouted. "Get off me you pathetic cow pony!" Meadow Song shouted as he pushed Applejack off and threw her off to the side. "Ye-ow!" Applejack shouted as she was thrown aside. "You have to do better than that!" Meadow Song screamed. "Then take me on!" I screamed as I charged at Meadow Song, quickly jumped on to my hind legs and got in hoof punching distance. "This again?!" Meadow Song shouted as he jumped on to his hind legs and attempted to throw a hoof punch at me with his front right hoof. "Yes this again!" I screamed catching his hoof with my front left hoof. " Did you forget already? We already did this once!?" Meadow Song stated as he jabbed me with his front left hoof, right in the chest making contact with my vest. "So it does work..." I said with a surprised tone. "I got something to help me this time Meadow Song!" I shouted as I jabbed him in the snout with my front right hoof. "Still doesn't hurt!" Meadow Song yelled. "Well maybe this does!" Rainbow Dash yelled. Seeing a sudden flash of color in front of me, followed by what looked like a light blue hoof make contact with the side of Meadow Song's face. Knocking him down to the ground, Rainbow Dash still airborne after her assault. "Heh... Heh heh..." Meadow Song tried to chuckle and quickly recovered grabbing Rainbow Dash by the hoof and bringing her back down to the ground. "Come now, its three against one!" He shouted as he kicked Rainbow Dash directly on her right wing, with what sounded like several snaps. "You bastard!" I shouted. "Looks like that's another pegasus down. Just like the yellow one! Weak." Meadow Song commented. "Rainbow!" I heard Applejack shout. "He broke my wing!" Rainbow screamed and flinched heavily. "But I can still take this jerk!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she brought herself back up onto her four hooves considering the injury. "I won't back down!" "Pitty." Meadow Song stated. "I'm going to show you how we take out the trash here on Sweet Apple Acres!" Applejack screamed and she charged toward Meadow Song. "Applejack! Wait!" I shouted and followed Applejack's lead charging straight into our already nearby opponent. "Really now?" Meadow Song said confused tone. "Take this you son of a bitch!" I screamed as I slid on the dirt, quickly bringing myself around attempt to give a reverse kick, however I had slid too far and missed my opponent. "Whoa!" I shouted as I collided with a tree, knocking down several apples from its branches. "Pathetic, you really have to try har..." Meadow Song tried to state but was interrupted by Applejack giving a reverse kick, in the same manner that I had attempted just moments prior, making her back hooves make contact with his torso. Knocking the guitar off of Meadow Song's back and knocking him to the ground. Applejack completed her maneuver and crossed her legs. "How about them apples!" I heard Applejack shout. "Still not hard enough!" Meadow Song quickly jumped up onto his hind legs and tried to throw several hoof punches on Applejack but was unable to make contact. "What's that? To fast for you?" Applejack stated. "No! I'm only toying with you!" Meadow Song shouted as he threw another hoof punch with his front right hoof, only to have it caught by Applejack's front left hoof. "Gotta do better than that nancy boy!" Applejack yelled and attempted throw a hoof punch of her own only to have it caught by Meadow Song's free hoof. "Hold on! Wait for me Applejack!" I shouted as I recomposed myself from my collusion with the tree and brought myself up on all four hooves and charged straight toward the two ponies in a stalemate. "My my, this again. Let me teach you a lesson, just like I did your dear friend Kiniro!" Meadow Song shouted as he used his hind left hoof to trip Applejack. "Ye-uagh!" Applejack shouted as she fell toward the ground. "Lesson learned!" Meadow Song said as he kicked Applejack forcefully in the side and then stomped his front left hoof straight down on Applejack's back. "YEEEEEOOOOOOW" Applejack screamed, followed by groans of pain. "You leave her alone you loser!" I heard Rainbow Dash shout as she jumped on top of Meadow Song attempting to pin him to the ground. "If you think your friend Applejack couldn't do it? Why do you think you could?" Meadow Song stated with an extremely frustrated voice as he squirmed heavily as he attempted to free himself. "Because she's not me!" Rainbow Dash screamed. "Keep him pinned Rainbow Dash" I shouted as I neared the two fighting on the ground. "Get off me you multicolored freak!" Meadow song screamed, forcing Rainbow Dash off him and brushed her off to the side. Freeing himself from the ordeal. "How did you?!" Rainbow Dash commented. "Easy! I'm better than you!" Meadow Song screamed and tackled her to the ground. "Now stay down!" "You'll never keep me down!" Rainbow Dash said as she quickly pulled herself back up onto her hooves. "Pick on someone from you're own size!" I shouted as rammed into Meadow Song at full speed, knocking him down to the ground. "Quick Rainbow give me a hoof!" I shouted "You got it Kiniro!" Rainbow Dash stated as we both piled on top of him. "Stay down you asshole!" I shouted as I struggled to keep Meadow Song from squirming free. "Yeah give up while you're ahead!" Rainbow Dash chimed in as she aided me. "You two really have try harder!" Meadow Song shouted and suddenly threw both Rainbow Dash and me off. Meadow Song slowly retreated toward his guitar. "Ye-ow!" I stated as I landed on the ground. "Whoa!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she landed right next to me. "This pony is tough!" "But we have to be stronger!" I commented to Rainbow Dash. "Lets go!" I stated. Both of us quickly recovered from the ground and charged toward our opponent once again. "Keep him away from that guitar!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Still think that old strategy will work?! You're already down one ally!" Meadow Song shouted as he reached his guitar. "Better than nothing!" Rainbow Dash yelled and tackled him down. "Quick Kiniro! Get his guitar!" She stated struggling to keep Meadow Song pinned down. "Get off me you Rainbow colored freak!" Meadow Song shouted. "I've got it! I've got it!" I yelled as I ran for his guitar. I brought myself to a halt as I saw his guitar laying down in front of me. It was still glowing its bright yellow aura. "You're mine now!" I shouted as I reached down for Meadow Song's guitar that laid glowing on the ground. "No! That's mine!" Meadow Song screamed as I made contact with his guitar. "Not anymore!" I said as I felt surge of power coming from the guitar. "Now that's more like it! Time for a piece of your own medi... Whoa whoa whoa whoa!" I shouted as I felt a bigger surge come from the guitar, causing deafening energy feedback that blew me back. "Oh shit!" I shouted while still airborne. I felt myself make contact with something, and I closed my eyes feeling the pain of the contact rushing through me as it penetrated the absorbing material of the vest. Hearing a loud crash and what sounded like the splintering of wooden boards, and finally landing hard on the ground. "You're on your own!" I heard Meadow Song shout. "I can still take you!" I heard Rainbow Dash yell at the top of her lungs. I opened my eyes to see that I landed inside one of the Apple Family Homestead's bedrooms and that I had crashed through the wall making a big hole in the process. "Ugh..." I quickly tried to pull myself up, struggling only for a moment to get on all fours. "I guess the vest has its limits, but still... that could have been a lot worse!" I quickly rushed to the hole and peeked outside to see Meadow Song and Rainbow Dash still at it. Meadow Song trying to land a hoof punches on Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash evading them elegantly. "You have to do better than that!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Fight back you rainbow freak! Stop evading me!" Meadow Song screamed. "Deal with it! Getting tired yeee-whoa!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she tripped over an apple that I had previous knocked down from my earlier collusion with a tree due to my botched reverse kick. "Shit!" I commented as I jumped through the hole and began to charge my opponent. "Looks like you couldn't evade me forever! Meadow Song screamed as he kicked Rainbow Dash on the ground. "Now stay down!" He yelled as he hoof stomped on Rainbow Dash's left wing. "Ye-ow!" I heard Rainbow Dash scream out in pain followed by several loud whimpers. "Now stay down... My fight's with him." Meadow Song commented. "You bastard! You'll pay for that!" I said charging at my opponent. "Are you forgetting something?" Meadow Song stated as he fell back some ways to where his guitar laid from my point of flight and picked up his guitar that was no longer glowing. Slowly he placed his hooves around the neck and around the base. "Crap!" I stopped mid charge and stared down at my opponent. "You know what this means right?" Meadow Song stated, but I refused to answer. Silence remained for a few moments as we both stared each other down, his right hoof hovering over the strings. "Game over Kiniro." Slowly Meadow Song began to play the first few chords of Ragnarok and his guitar slowly lit up into a bright yellow glow. I knew without my guitar or my magic, I would be unable to stop his onslaught that would be coming my way. I sat down on the ground on my hind quarters and closed my eyes. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry Twilight...I failed you." I stated as the chords of Ragnarok continued to play from Meadow Song's guitar. End of Chapter 21.