The Night Bard: The End of Dawn

by Iridescence T Wind

Bard (IV): To Canterlot?

It was good fortune that the group Sonata had encountered was heading towards Canterlot. While the Doctor and Alex had their own reasons (albeit something about some mechanical owl thing which she couldn't wrap her head around at all). She discovered Midnight had her own reason to travel there. Midnight star was going to ask the beloved princesses for a lower in Tax. So far a majority of the larger villages were faced with taxes on most food products except for a pair of strange medical powders called Sun Shade and Moonglow. While healthy apparently in their own ways, Midnight didn't see the logic of trying to feed a kingdom with only those two mineral products.

Her own reason for heading towards Canterlot was for a simpler reason. She wanted justice for the dragon-riding-mage who attacked her village. As the only one left of her village, she felt duty bound to alert the princesses to the rogue mage and his pet dragon. What struck her as odd however was the professions of the group she had caught glimpses of. Everypony here except for the Doctor seemed to be musicians. Though Alex was reluctant to mention his instruments for some reason, Midnight was more than glad to show off her lute and the skills behind her. Occasionally as the days past the outline of the grand city in construction known as Canterlot would begin to come into view. Every night came with a different set of songs, sometimes Sona would join Midnight with her own instruments, but mostly she was silent and mourning for her village.

Canterlot was an industrial city up close, as the castle itself was still in construction and it's supplies had required the fellow construction of many industrial buildings that gave so many ponies their jobs in the city. Some thought the construction would never end. Though that was a fool's folly. Though the construction was due to be completed in twenty years at the most, half that if nothing went wrong. They were after all planning on adding construction to the rest of the town in the same manner of décor as the castle after all, a process that would take the builders months for each individual home to be demolished and then remade in sturdy heavy stone bricks.

Even in its current state of construction the gates and walls of the city which were constructed from large sturdy logs would deter most ground invasions and settle as a large deterrent if it was ever attacked. It was through one of the cities large arcing wooden gates they passed through, settling in for the city beyond to the crowded marketplace beyond that was just flooded with every type of sapient creature and then some who were either buying, selling, or (worse) being sold off as well among the variety of goods that the market had to offer. At that point the group went their separate ways. Though they had arrived at the early afternoon.

It wasn't until the sun was already dropping from it's peak that Sona could escape the spiraling streets and markets which were all but flooded with ponies going their various ways. Nothing rather caught her eye among the markets though with the crowded streets she couldn't help but wince as she trotted on a few ponies hooves on accident as well as more than one zebra, griffon, and even gotten thrown through the air at one point as a rather vehement red minotaur, sick of being blocked yelled, "Somepony tries to block? Show them how you rock!" before barreling through the band of merchants who Sona had been stuck behind for more then ten minutes prior.

The castle itself however was a sight to behold, the grand intricate stonework had words of wisdom in various languages carved into each brick and the way it positively gleamed in the sunlight was magnificent. The gleaming walls of expertly placed and carved stone. the stone flooring itself was heavenly in comparison to the rough roads and gravel pathways the streets were filled with. It was warm at the touch, an effect she had to presume was magical. She also couldn't help notice the large amount of guards posted at every doorway though. Though why the heavy security was a mystery. Then she noticed the line to get to the princess's court rooms. The process was difficult to say the least.

First she had to stand in the waiting line for the waiting line. It was meant to sort the problems among three groups, ones who would actually need to see the princess was the first line which was relatively short. Complaints about livelihoods and living conditions, or matters of the states would go to the second line, which would be taken care of by a small group of unicorns in the western wing of the palace. The third line, unfortunately, was for the reporting of crimes which would be heard by the captain of the guard on the eastern wing... Which was the only complete wing. The only problem with that was that it was on the top floor. With a weary sigh she began the trot up the castle towers many floors in order to wait with an audience with the captain. She smiled though, despite her weariness, her village would finally get some measure of peace once that dragon riding mage was taken down.