The Night Bard: The End of Dawn

by Iridescence T Wind

Bard(II): Burned

The sun was setting when Sonata woke up. Her body ached with pain, some from the impact and physical exhaustion that the mage had forced her to take and the rest from the act of knocking herself out of the air with such a strong pulse of telekinetic magic that she was sore in the head. Forcing herself up, she began to limp towards the village, knowing she was probably too late to help but needing to have witnessed the scene that had unfolded in her unconsciousness. She whispered a few words, "I'm coming father..."

Through thorny bush and tall oak trees she waded through and around, the very forest itself was quiet as she grew closer to the pillar of smoke that was coming from the town. Her back left hoof was painful with every movement, the signs that she had bruised the limb was apparent but she continued on. Her father needed her and she wasn't going to let a little thing like a bad hoof stop her when a Dragon and Unicorn mage attacked the village. As she broke the tree line to her village her face however turned white.

The entire village was burning, what had once been the market district was completely charred. Dead bodies burnt down to their skeletons littered the ground with crows feasting upon what little flesh was left of them. Sona wanted to puke but swallowed it back down as she picked up pace, running towards her home. As she passed the various burning buildings her heart grew colder, the village hadn't had any noise other than the burning of fire and cawing of crows, not one call for help or any signs of life besides the cruel fire that consumed everything in its heat. As she ran closer her heart skipped a beat as she rounded the corner to her parents house. It was burnt to the ground, but there was a collapsed half burnt figure seeping with red.

There was also red around the front of the house, massive amounts of unnatural dark red blood long since dried all over the place, too much for a pony alone. As she neared her father she noticed he was burnt over his hooves, and a discarded flute and a swords hilt lay near him. Drawing the conclusion that her father had fought valiantly soothed at least one part of her mind but her eyes widened as she took in the very slight movement of his chest, he was still alive, "Father!" she shouted rushing to his aide and tearing off her bag pulling out a extra cloak she normally used as a spare. But before she could rip it up a raised burnt hoof stopped her. Her father smiled to her, despite being half burnt on one side of his face he spoke gently, "Daughter, you are here... at last."

Her father coughed as Sona fussed over him, "Father, hang on! I'll bandage you and take you to the nearest doct-"

"Don't be naïve my child." Her father cut her off, "I can already see the light..."

Sonata couldn't take it anymore, she broke down crying and hugging her father as he patted her gently on the back, wincing in pain but not minding. It would be the last time they would see each other, "Remember my child, to take good care of yourself... May music steady your hooves and re-... Remember, my child. You always will be my little filly." He wheezed.

"Father! Don't go!" Sona cried out to her dad hugging him.

Her father simply smiled, "I am afraid I can't stop... May I have a last request my darling daughter? Will you play me a song one last time?"

Sona nodded hugging her father once more, "What do you want me to play..."

Her father closed his eyes whispering, "Surprise me..."

Sona chopped back a sob taking her instrument out with an unsteady hoof and getting up in the position her father had taught her oh so long ago, she began to play. The song flowering up in musical intensity as she did as her father requested of her. Tears openly streamed down on her face as her fathers chest slowed down even further before eventually stopping. She played until the song was finished before her heart wretched her down to the ground to weep. She cried for several hours before she ran out of tears, and more hours still until morning was rising of the next day.

Eventually she stopped, the fires had died down and her father was dead. The village was dead, and she was a sole survivor only because of how cocky the Unicorn mage with the Dragon hadn't seen her horn or expect her to be able to escape. Haltingly she stood up and moved to the side of the house, dragging her fathers body with her she took a large burnt piece of the frame of the house and began to dig with the crude tool a hole. She was going to burry her Father. The only family member she had since her mother had died of a accidental blast of chaos magic in the era of Discord. Her mothers grave would now be joined by Sona's Fathers.

Eventually she was finished, marker and all. The sun was at high noon, she was tired and sweaty but she wasn't done yet. She had so much more to do. She approached the ruins of the well sized house that used to be called home and began to dig through what used to be her room for surviving belongings. Out of the room she reacquired half of her bags, miraculously saved due to being still wet from use in a rainstorm a few days ago. In them she had put a few instruments including her fathers Flute and sword hilt, the few unburnt food and the camping canteens that used to hang on her shelf. While their straps were burnt off the metal containers for holding water was still whole metal wise. The rest of her belongings was completed by a small sum of bits discovered near her father's room and a set of spare winter clothes.

Gradually she moved onto her fathers workshop, it was still standing for the most part, having only the roof and door was made of wood, while the rest was made of stone unlike the house. It was the place her father made his instruments and tuned them, while she doubted anything had survived in it she had to see. If only for sentimental reasons, inside she found half of the burnt roof collapsed on her fathers workshop. Mostly however it had hit the stage in which he practiced and sometimes held teaching lessons on. Inching around the fallen support beams she noticed only a few things were useable in the workshop. The first was a invention her father had made in an attempt to make a portable version of larger instruments, a literal roll up miniature piano that was powered by a unicorns magic.

While the buyer had later canceled the payment her father had competed it anyway, having said it was a interesting challenge. The result was a small wooden piano that would separate into six pieces that could be fit together like a jigsaw puzzle into a straight line or a box no bigger than a Lunch box. Normally it would need a amplifier however to be heard but that's where her fathers horn would come in with a spell to amplify the music it made in a similar fashion to that of a flute player changing the keys without blowing into it, the amplifier would give that blow to make it sound.

She put it in a bag, it would be useful she guessed, in the future at least. Scanning around the room she spotted something else, a wrapped bundle, slightly singed but not destroyed. Carefully she unwrapped it. Though her father was gentle and kind he did have some... downsides... Sometimes he would get requests for a hidden weapon inside an instrument. But those were usually requests by Bards who went with groups to do dungeons or fighting on the front line. Something her father had looked negatively on but had accepted as a normal activity in Equestria. Looking upon the bundle was a Harmonica. Well it looked like a harmonica, but the slight gleam on the ridge of it as well as a slight hole had designated it as a blade that was simply using it as a sheath. While it would still play music the small knifes real worth came when it was activated, similar to a spring, when activated the harmonica would turn into a small knife using the instrument itself as a handle. This too she picked up and put however in a inner pocket of her Cloak.

Now the only question was where to go. Sonata didn't know many of her relatives or where they lived for that matter. Well she might as well follow the road, figure out who that Unicorn was. That Unicorn... Sona's brow furrowed as she thought about him. She didn't care how long it took. She was going to get revenge.

Applejack and Fluttershy left the journal. Applejack was shocked at the massacre and misery she had just witnessed. This was not a happy story or some fillies rambling. This was just... she didn't know how to describe it. Her mind was brought back to the present at the sound of Fluttershy rushing into her bathroom and puking. It was a lot worse for the timid mare than it was for the tough farm pony. Applejack went to help her friend as the crystal was forgotten momentarily as the two recovered from the memory. So much death and misery within that article.

Eventually Fluttershy recovered, "How... could anypony be that...b-bad..." she whispered fighting the urge to paint her toilet green again.

Applejack shook her head, "No idea 'Shy. What do ya' think we should do with it?"

Fluttershy considered, before giving a self defeating sigh, "We should finish what we started... This journal is over a thousand years old at least. Might as well..."

Applejack nodded before checking the time, It was starting to get dark, "Maybe tomorrow, after we are both done with our chores."

Fluttershy nodded in agreement, "I guess it's time to head back home then?"

"Eeyup."

Fluttershy nodded, "See you soon AJ..."

Applejack nodded and left, quietly shutting the door behind her. Fluttershy watched from the window as her friend slowly receded from sight. It wasn't long before a small white foot hammered on her leg softly. Looking down she saw Angel bunny with a small food dish that was empty. Fluttershy giggled quietly and picked her favorite pet up, "Time for dinner Angel."