The Missing Bard
Chapter 22: Variations
I sat on the ground counting my final seconds. Feeling the tears run down my face, knowing that I had let not only myself down, but everypony I knew down. Feeling the heart ache of not just failure but the depressing fact of defeat. I knew that even if I tried to do anything I would no longer succeed at this point as the chords of Ragnarok continued to be played. Seeing my life flash before my eyes, that of Midgard, my short time in Equestria, and all the wonderful things that have come these past five months that I had awaited for an entire lifetime. I brought myself to the ground completely tearing that it was all going to be over, I just hoped that it would be quick and that I would be able to be with my family in Valhalla once I was gone.
"Don't you dare touch my special somepony!" I heard a familiar voice yell out, I quickly opened my eyes and turned to the direction I heard the voice originate from. It was Twilight magically carrying my new electric guitar with her, and next to hear was Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and The Grey Mare that I would run into occasionally when I lost my way to Octavia's.
"Twilight!" I shouted.
"You!" Meadow Song yelled as he broke his concentration playing Ragnarok and misplayed a chord. Deactivating the yellow aura on his guitar as the song was played incorrectly.
"Leave him ALONE!" Twilight yelled out as jumped up and her mane caught on fire followed by her purple coat turned white.
"What the..." I commented as I pulled myself up off the ground..
"Oh... crap..." Pinkie Pie stated.
"You girls get this guitar to Kiniro! I've got this pony!" Twilight stated and passed the guitar over to Rarity.
"O-okay Twilight." Fluttershy responded.
"You got it!" Rarity chimed in and began to hold the guitar in her magical grip.
"Okie dokie!" Pinkie Pie added.
"Derpy go get help!" Twilight shouted.
"Understood!" Derpy shouted as she gave an awkward salute and took off flying towards Ponyville.
"Well looks like I get the chance to destroy not just this pest Kiniro, but I get to destroy Twilight Sparkle, as well." Meadow Song commented.
"Well then bring it!" Twilight shouted as she began to charge at him with her mane ablaze and her horn began to glow a bright red. "Never fight a pissed off unicorn!"
"I've taken ponies stronger than you!" Meadow Song shouted and stood his ground with his guitar.
"Now's our chance!" Pinkie Pie shouted to the Fluttershy and Rarity.
"Right!" Rarity and Fluttershy said in unison and the three began to rush toward my position.
"Twilight no!" I shouted.
"Time to take you out like the cow pony and the rainbow freak!" Meadow Song shouted but as his sentence finished his eyes turned from grey to light green. "I won't do this anymore! I can't... I can't hurt anyone anymore!" His eyes quickly changing back from green to grey. "You will do as you're told! You will follow my command!" His eyes changed again after he spoke. "I... help... me...help...me..." He fell to the ground letting go of his guitar and bringing his hooves to cover his ears as if to stop from hearing something.
Twilight stopped mid charge and she returned to her normal color. "He's being controlled! I know who's behind it!" Twilight shouted.
"Applejack and Rainbow Dash commented something cryptic like that earlier. What's going on here?" I stated.
"Well I guess you all know now..." Meadow Song stated as his eyes turned back grey and he picked up his guitar again.
"It's Discord... he brainwashed us before... its what he's doing to this pony." Pinkie Pie said as her, Rarity and Fluttershy reached my position with my electric guitar.
"Very very smart. Except this time, I've taken a more direct approach from brainwashing, I'm in direct control, but this creature's spirit is very strong, but I'm stronger." Meadow Song shouted out.
"Everypony we have to pin him down and I can use a restoration spell to help that pony!" Twilight shouted. "It worked before!"
"Got it!" Myself, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy shouted out in unison.
"You really think its that easy?! You only got away with it last time because you ponies have no strengths of your own, only together you form the Elements of Harmony! But this... creature that I've turned into a pony, has such incredible strength and magical prowess... I wish you good luck reclaiming him!" Meadow Song shouted out.
"Well then... time to fight fire with fire." I stated as I reached out for the electric guitar and brought its strap over my body for leverage.
"You think you have the strength or power to fight me again?" Meadow Song stated.
"Maybe I don't, but I will keep fighting to defend what I hold close!" I shouted. "DO YOU GOT THAT!"
"My my... so feisty... I've always missed fights such as this... just like those between myself and Celestia..." Meadow Song stated.
"Girls... stay back... get Applejack and Rainbow Dash out of here... I need you all to stay safe, and get the Elements of Harmony together in case I fail to defeat him. You will be our last chance. Discord or who ever you are... you will have to go through me if you want to get to them." I stated as I began to strum on my electric guitar hearing a more vibrant sound compared to my old acoustic guitar.
"You heard him girls!" Twilight shouted and signaled the girls to split up.
The girls split up. Twilight and Fluttershy went to assist Rainbow Dash, Twilight using her levitation magic to carry Rainbow Dash. Followed by Rarity and Pinkie Pie using a combination of magic and strength to aid Applejack to safety nearby.
"We have to stay..." Rainbow Dash muttered.
"We have to help... Kiniro..." Applejack stuttered.
"But we have to go girls!" Twilight commented.
"But..." Applejack tried to say but was interrupted.
"We c-can't fight against t-that." Fluttershy interrupted.
"If that pony is being controlled by Discord... shouldn't we try to save him?" Rainbow Dash struggled to say.
Twilight pausing looking back toward me. "We have to stay and help that pony get free. We just can't let Discord keep using him this way." Twilight stated with doubt in her voice. The Elements of Harmony staying within sight of both of Meadow Song and myself.
I stared down my opponent, playing my left front hoof on the neck of the guitar and brought my right front hoof over the strings, awaiting his move, suddenly a thought entered my mind of what Vinyl had told me, "Its just a safety switch I put in so you can't overload it when its not in use so you don't over charge it with magic." I quickly looked at the safety switch seeing it flipped over to where it was not active. "That could be trouble." I thought to myself, as I quickly flicked the switch with my free front right hoof and brought it back over to strings.
"You really think that piece of junk will help you?" Meadow Song shouted towards me as he began to play the song of Ragnarok, seeing his guitar glow in its yellow aura.
"I don't know, but it's better than fighting with out a guitar!" I retorted as I began to play the initial chords of Ragnarok but my guitar didn't activate. "Shit! Its not working on this one either! Why is this not working!"
"See I told you pathetic!" Meadow Song commented.
"Well at least I can still do this!" I shouted as I quickly changed my melody to a more relaxing tone to form the song the Rift. Seeing my guitar glow lightly, feeling time slow down and feeling my reflexes become super responsive, I charged at him with my guitar and I got within a few feet of him I swung my guitar as hard as I could. But as my swing got within inches he reacted, brought his guitar up to block my swing and with the block the light aura dissipated on my guitar. "How did you... How... did..."
"You're song you played... it helped me get faster as well..." Meadow Song stated as we were now in a stalemate and as time returned to normal.
"Shit... he's using my song magic against me, it think's he's friendly!" I shouted as I pushed against my guitar in an attempt to break the stalemate.
"Well well... guess your magic is useless against me" Meadow Song shouted back as he pushed back on his guitar to counter me.
"How about a taste of you're own medicine!" I yelled as I tripped him with my hind right leg, causing the stalemate to break.
"Charming!" Meadow Song commented as quickly recovered, and pushed back on me and my guitar, so he could slide back some ways. Finally he brought his guitar up to play. "Don't think I'll fall for that again!"
"Damn it... I can't play Ragnarok... I can't use my basic song magic to help me... what about... my improvised magic!" I said aloud. Remembering that I could levitate objects and create barriers. "That won't work..."
"Having trouble finding something that will help you win?" Meadow Song commented and followed up with a sinister laugh. "You could just sacrifice your guitar again! See how good that will help you this time!"
"You bastard! You haven no idea how much that guitar meant to me! I may not be able to do much now! But damn it even if I have to discover a new song spell! I will!" I shouted angrily as because of him, I lost my most prized possession from Midgard. I strummed my guitar loudly and saw my guitar glow its unique glow vibrantly, playing a very violent song. Seeing my guitar continue to glow, and suddenly the thought popped in my head... "The safety switch..." I quickly brought my hoof around to deactivate the switch, to suddenly see my guitar change its aura from blue to a dark green.
"What the!" Meadow Song shouted.
"A new aura... I've never... seen or heard of one like this..." I said aloud, remembering the switch changed its color. I quickly flicked the switch back and forth momentarily seeing the aura change from green to blue and finally back to green with the switches direction.
"So you have a new aura... but no matter! It's nothing special and it certainly won't help you!" Meadow Song shouted as he began to play the song of Ragnarok again.
"Shit..." I said aloud. I know I have to play the song of Ragnarok to counter him otherwise I won't be able to fight him." I thought to myself as I began to play the chords of Ragnarok, but as opposed to seeing an aura engulf me, it began to super charge the aura of the guitar. "Oh hello." I said to myself seeing the guitar's aura grow stronger and darker green, and with a sudden urge, I strummed the guitar loudly with a chord of the song of Ragnarok. Only to have the aura of the guitar get discharged out of the guitar out of the neck and shooting out like lightning, as opposed to an aura blast, missing Meadow Song by quite a distance.
"This can't be!" Meadow Song shouted. "A new variant of Ragnarok?!"
"Looks like it doesn't it!" I shouted as I aimed my guitar toward him directly as he continue to play. "Lets try that again!" I strummed my guitar heavily seeing a yellow aura form around Meadow Song. Waiting for my aura to darken again.
"Looks like you are too late!" Meadow Song commented.
"Don't count me out yet!" I shouted seeing my guitar's aura darken just like before, and with another heavy strum triggered another discharge of lightning from my guitar aimed perfectly toward Meadow Song.
"No no no!" Meadow Song shouted as the lightning pierced through his yellow aura knocking his guitar away from him as he flew back quite a ways hitting a tree and knocking himself unconscious.
"Now to end this!" I shouted as I flicked my guitar's safety switch back seeing my guitar's aura switch back to blue and continued to play the song of Ragnarok, but this time, the guitar continued glowing and the aura began to spread around me from the guitar in its beautiful blue light. "Now you're back... I've missed you, I think I know why you are gone... That warm glow... It's over Meadow Song." I stated as I reached the mid point of the song and aimed my guitar toward Meadow Song's unconscious body. "This is if for Fluttershy! This is for Applejack! This is for Rainbow Dash! And This is for my guitar! You heartless bastard!" I shouted as I nearly reached the end of the song. I had a suspicion my mind that my determination to defeat my foe was the reason why Ragnarok responded to me this time around in both variations.
"NO KINI! NO!" I heard Twilight shout, I quickly reacted to Twilight's plea and stopped playing the song of Ragnarok, causing the aura to dissipate quickly and I brought my guitar down and slung it over my back.
"Twilight! Why?! He's been trying to kill us! Why should I let him live!" I shouted to Twilight.
"Because even though it's that pony's actions! He is not completely in control! He's being controlled by Discord and he's been fighting his influence! He needs our help! How can we let an innocent soul like that die for something he can't control!" Twilight shouted and came into view.
"But what if this Discord comes back to try and control him!" I retorted.
"You just have to trust me!" Twilight shouted back and walked over toward the unconscious Meadow Song. "Kini please come with me just in case. I hope this works."
"Ok.. but please... be careful." I commented as I caught up with Twilight and we both arrived at the body of Meadow Song.
"Please work..." Twilight commented as her horn began to glow purple and she placed her horn upon Meadow Song's for head. Suddenly the grey color that engulfed him, quickly retreated, his mane returning to its blond color, and his coat also becoming its former dark brownish orange color. "It worked!" Twilight shouted in excitement.
"Now look at that!" I said in shock.
"But he's still out cold... Look's like we won't be sure if he's back to normal until he wakes back up." Twilight responded.
"Looks like it... I just hope it works like you said it will." I quickly looked over to his guitar that laid some ways away from us. "Twilight... his guitar... remember that silver plate I told you I couldn't decipher? Think that restoration spell might be able to work on it?" I questioned.
"I believe so maybe we should give it a shot and see what that the silver plate says. Maybe it will finally answer the question of this pony's origin." Twilight looked at me and nodded.
"I have my suspicions but this... this could lay it to rest finally." I agreed as both Twilight and myself walked over to the guitar and we both looked down toward it.
"Are you ready Kini?" Twilight asked
Finally after so much fighting, lucid dreams and even questioning my Midgard's history. I was finally going to learn the answer of how this pony new the song of Ragnarok, how he had a guitar similar to mine and maybe why he was coming after us. I knew the connection was there and I was eager to know the answer. Yet at the same time now with all the evidence that had been brought forward these past few days, I worried about being proved right, especially if we couldn't save this pony but my curiosity of this matter had to finally be laid to rest.
"Twi... Do it." I commented.
End of Chapter 22.