//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6 
// Story: A Knight's Aria 
// by chillbook1 
//------------------------------//

Vinyl sat with her mouth wide open, shocked at the story. She looked at him uneasily, not sure what to make of him. Tears were flowing from his face, but he was laughing as if somepony had told him a semi-decent joke.
“Wubs?” said Vinyl. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fantastic, Vinyl Scratch! I just spilled out my entire history, a story I have never told anypony, to a mare I barely tolerate!” he said, in a sort of laugh/sob.
“Dude, I’m so sorry. I had no idea how much the song meant to you. You’re a Muussist?”
“The last of my kind. You thought I was joking when I said I was over a thousand years old?”
“Uh… yeah.” she said sheepishly. “Do you ever miss them?”
“That is a very good question, Scratch, and I’m going to ask you an even better question: Do you enjoy having air in your lungs?”
“Duh.”
“There’s your answer, moron.”
“Okay, this has to stop.” said Vinyl, getting to her hooves. “I get that you’re upset and that you feel sorta trapped by all of this, but enough is enough! I’m not gonna try to make you stop, because people don’t change, but at least tell me why?! Why are you so terrible to me? Why do you hate me?”
“I don’t hate you.” said Wub-Wubs. “I-”
“Yes, you do! You hate my guts and you won’t tell me why. I’ve done nothing to you but be nice and friendly and you’ve just been insulting me and making me feel like crap!”
“Scratch, it’s just-”
“You know what? Forget it. I don’t care.” she said, walking away. “Not like it matters. You’re dropping me off at Appleloosa anyway.”
“You remind me of Bari.” said Wub-Wubs, stopping Vinyl in her tracks. 
“Who?”
“When Muussa was alive and Lady Vocal still watched over us, I had a friend. My best friend in the world, somepony who would always have my back, somepony who would always protect me. Her name was Baritona.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“You two are very similar. Same coolness in your voice, same nonchalance. And you act similarly to her as well. You are both really confident and persistent and fantastic. You remind me of her, and I’ve been trying to remind myself that she is gone, that you aren’t her.”
“Dude, it’s okay to miss your friends, just as long as you don’t take it out on others.” said Vinyl, calming down a little. “I’m not trying to replace Baritona. Just because we act and sound the same doesn’t mean we are the same. Treat me as me and not as her.”
“You’re right. That was stupid of me.” said Wub-Wubs. 
“Yeah, it really was.”
“You sang that song and saved our lives, and I didn’t even thank you.”
“It’s not too late.” joked Vinyl.
“Perhaps not. How could I pay you back?” asked Wub-Wubs.
“You could tell me your real name.” 
“Or I could take you with me.”
“Come again?” asked Vinyl confusedly.
“Do you still want to come? With me and Derpy? I said I would drop you off at the nearest town, but you can continue travelling with us if you want.”
“Do you honestly think I still wanna go with you?”
“Fine. I’ll drop you off at Appleloosa and be on my way.”
“Alright, alright, you called my bluff. I’d love to come.” said Vinyl.
“Good. I doubt you’d survive otherwise. It’s strange, but it seems like the Whispers are actually targeting you.” said Wub-Wubs. “Which is odd because Whispers don’t have an objective. They just wreak havoc on whatever they encounter, but that last one was actually following you. Which can only mean that you have something they want. Or rather, you have something the caster of the Shout wants.”
“What could Hades possibly want from me?” asked Vinyl.
“No idea. It could be that he thinks that you are somepony else. In any case, we should probably get some sleep. Could you sing the Ballad again? We’re going to need to refresh the barrier and you sing my father’s song better than me, maybe even better than he did.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. We need a wall. Please, sing the Ballad again.” said Wub-Wubs. Vinyl nodded and cleared her throat.
“Intruders beware of what you’ll find in here, you are foolish to step through these walls.” she sang.
“Your voice is beautiful, Bari.” said Wub-Wubs, closing his eyes. 
“What?” asked Vinyl. “What’d you call me?”
“Scratch. Just like I always do.” lied Sir Wub-Wubs. “Are you going to sing it or not?”
“By Vocal I swear, I will bring you great fear and send you all down Hades’ halls…”

The sun broke over the horizon, bathing Derpy in bright, warm light. She opened her eyes and stretched out gingerly. As somepony who travelled across Equestria, she was used to sleeping in awkward and uncomfortable places, but the dangerous Everfree Forest was a first for her. If it wasn’t for Vinyl’s singing, Derpy wouldn’t have been able to sleep a wink. But, lucky for her, her new friend’s singing made her feel safe, whether it be because of magic she didn’t understand or just the beauty of Vinyl’s voice.
“Good morning, Vinyl!” she said happily, glancing over at the tree to her left. Vinyl was no longer there, which was strange because she promised Derpy she would stay with her until daybreak.
“Vinyl?” called Derpy. She rose to her hooves and trotted towards the west, where they saw Sir Wub-Wubs hide away to sleep. She nervously walked through the trees, afraid of the evil, mysterious forest.
“Vinyl? Sir Wub-Wubs? Where are you? I can’t-. Ah!” she cried, stumbling over a body. Or rather, two bodies. On the floor, on a bed of leaves and pines, was Sir Wub-Wubs, his hooves spread out to his sides. Vinyl was lying on his chest, nuzzling against his neck.
“Vinyl? Sir Wub-Wubs?” said Derpy, nudging Vinyl. She fluttered her eyes open and yawned drowsily. She picked her head up and, realising what she was laying on, scrambled off of Wub-Wubs.
“Geez! How did that happen?” asked Vinyl. “We were sleeping back-to-back against a tree.”
“Why is everypony up so early?” asked Wub-Wubs sleepily. “Go back to sleep.”
“Didn’t you say we should be headed out as soon as the sun rose?” asked Vinyl.
“That is exactly what I said. Which is why I plan to wait until it does, indeed, rise. Please go back to sleep.”
“Sir Wub-Wubs? The sun is up.” said Derpy. “From what I can tell, it’s been up for a while.”
“How long is ‘a while’? Where in the sky is it?”
“Uh… almost in the middle.”
“What?! How did we sleep until noon?!” asked Wub-Wubs, scrambling to his hooves. “We have to go! Hades could have destroyed all of Equestria by now!”
“Who do we have to blame for that?” asked Vinyl sarcastically.
“We’ll talk about it later. Just run!” 
They galloped through the woods and back into the clearing. Vinyl and Derpy rushed right onto the sand, but Sir Wub-Wubs faltered behind it, opting to stay on the dirt. Vinyl doubled back, grabbed Wub-Wubs by the horn and dragged him into the desert. They walked along, Derpy listening to her friends bicker without paying too much attention.
“Ow! Unhand me!” he said. “Release me, mare, or else!”
“Oh, give it a rest already.” said Vinyl, moving her hoof from his horn. They continued on at a steady trot. “Quit being such a baby.”
“This is a special type of discomfort for me! Imagine being able to see everything perfectly at all times in all situations with 20/20 vision. Now imagine your sight dropping to 20/200. That is what I’m experiencing.”
“Well, you’re just gonna have to deal with it.”
“Obviously, but if we would’ve woken up on time, I might have been able to prepare myself. Maybe learn to become more sensitive to the currents. That’s exactly why I wanted us to sleep in shifts, to prevent us from sleeping in.”
“Speaking of sleeping in.” said Vinyl. “What was that? You were snuggling me pretty hard.”
“Why in Equestria would I do that?” asked Wub-Wubs, slowing down to a trudge.
“I dunno. Probably wanted a little piece of the Vinyl Scratch pie.” she said, punching him softly in the shoulder.
“I already told you, Scratch. You’re not my type.”
“Was Bari your type?” 
“That was a low blow, Vinyl. Totally uncalled for.” said Wub-Wubs quietly.
“Oh, I get it now! You called me Vinyl because I pushed back! All I need to do to get some respect is assert my dominance.”
“As if a mare could ever be dominant.”
“Uh, guys?” said Derpy. “I have a bad feeling.”
“What is it? More visions?” asked Wub-Wubs.
A huge Whisper, this one with wings instead of a horn, dropped from the sky. It grabbed Sir Wub-Wubs by the mane and shot back into the air. He screamed as they flew over the trees. high above the clouds. The Whisper released Wub-Wubs, sending him plummeting to the ground.
“Sir Wub-Wubs!” cried Derpy.
“What?” he asked, grasping her shoulder. They were back in the clearing, not having stepped hoof on the desert sand. She looked around in confusion as Vinyl led the way forward. Shocked and confused, Derpy followed behind, leaving Sir Wub-Wubs in the clearing. Vinyl groaned and went back for him, dragging him onto the sand by the horn.
“Ow! Unhand me!” he grunted, struggling to break free. “Release me, mare, or else!”
“Oh, give it a rest already.” said Vinyl. “Quit being such a baby.”
“This is a special kind of discomfort for me! Imagine being able to see everything perfectly at all times with 20/20 vision. Now imagine your sight dropping to-”
“20/200.” said Derpy. “Deja vu.”
“How’d you know I was going to say that?” asked Wub-Wubs.
“I heard you say it already.”
“But he didn’t say it yet.” said Vinyl. “He also didn’t say when he would stop complaining about it. You’re just gonna have to deal with it, Wubs.”
“Obviously, but if we would’ve woken up on time, I might have been able to prepare myself. Maybe learn to become more sensitive to the currents. That’s exactly why I wanted us to sleep in shifts, to prevent us from sleeping in.”
“Speaking of sleeping in, what was that? You were snuggling me pretty hard.”
“Why in Equestria would I do that?” 
“I dunno. Probably wanted a slice of the Vinyl Scratch pie.” she said, punching him softly in the shoulder. 
“I remember this.” muttered Derpy. "He’s gonna say ‘I already told you, Scratch. You’re not my type.’”
“I already told you, Scratch. You’re not my type.” said Wub-Wubs.
“Everypony wait!” said Derpy. “Stop! I’ve seen all of this before. Vinyl’s about to ask you if Bari was your type.”
“How did you know that?” asked Vinyl. “I was about to say that.”
“That was a low blow, Vinyl. Totally uncalled for.” said Wub-Wubs.
“Oh, I get it now! You called me Vinyl because I pushed back!. All I need to do to get some respect is assert my dominance.”
“As if a mare could ever be dominant.”
“Guys?” said Derpy. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“What is it? More visions?”
“No!” cried Derpy. She rushed over and knocked Wub-Wubs onto his back, the Whisper flying right past him and crashing into the sand. Wub-Wubs rose to his hooves and drew his sword. 
“Where did that thing come from?” asked Vinyl.
“If I were to guess, I’d say the sky.” said Wub-Wubs. “This is bad. I can’t fight it like this. All I can see is a fuzzy shadow.”
“Get on my back!” exclaimed Derpy.
“Come again?”
“Get on my back and fight it! I’ll carry you in the right directions so that you can beat it!”
“That’s insane.” said Vinyl. “Give it a shot.”
“What? You just said-.” began Wub-Wubs. He cut himself off and climbed onto Derpy’s back, opting not to argue at a time like this. Just then, the Whisper rose to his hooves and rushed at Wub-Wubs. Derpy flapped hard and rose off the ground, passing over the Whisper’s head.
“I knew having a pegasus on this adventure would come in handy.” said Sir Wub-Wubs. “Okay, Derpy. I am now 100% blind. No gimmicks or anything. I’m visually dead. I have to depend on my other senses, but I don’t know how much good that’ll do me.”
“I’ll be your eyes.” said Derpy. She dove at the Whisper with Wub-Wubs at the ready. He jumped off of her back and slashed at the Whisper’s neck.
SNAP!
The blade of Sir Wub-Wubs swords shattered on the Whisper’s skin, doing nothing more than irritating the creature.
“Uh-oh.” said Wub-Wubs, bracing for impact. Derpy, seeing the Whisper rear back it’s hoof, dropped in front of Wub-Wubs, taking a hit that sent her flying across the desert, back to the grassy clearing. Wub-Wubs landed softly on the ground and jumped back to Vinyl.
“What happened to Derpy?” he asked, knowing the answer.
“That Whisper smacked her.” answered Vinyl angrily. “What are we going to do about it?”
“You are going to go help her. I’m going to show this demonspawn what happens when you hurt a mare in the presence of Sir Wub-Wubs.”
Sir Wub-Wubs rose his bladeless hilt above his head and music seemed to pour from it. A blade of electric-blue light formed on the end of the useless handle, blaring Vinyl’s song, PON-3 FINAL3. Wub-Wubs jumped at the Whisper, allowing his ears to guide him. He slashed at the Whisper, this time his blade severing his left wing, which puffed into smoke. As his blade fell through, the speed of the song increased. He slashed again, hitting the beast in the side and speeding up the song again. With each slice, the song’s tempo rose, 1 slash, 2 slashes, 3, 4, 5, until the song could get no faster.
“Drop it.” said Wub-Wubs. The beat stopped as he stabbed his blade into the sand, shaking the earth with a deep rumbling. A shockwave of rainbow light exploded from the tip of his blade, hitting the Whisper and bursting him into smoke.
“That drop was sick!” exclaimed Vinyl, trotting to Wub-Wubs with Derpy on her back.
“I told you I was good.” said Wub-Wubs. “How’s Derpy?”
“I’m okay.” said Derpy. “Just a little sore. Nothing I’m not used to. Did you get him?”
“I sure did. Couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Huh? I didn’t do anything but get launched across a desert.”
“Yeah, but you took the hit for me.” said Wub-Wubs. “You deliberately took a devastating attack that, for all you knew, would’ve killed you, just to protect me. Not many ponies would do that for me. In fact, only 4 come to mind.”
“And who are they?” asked Vinyl.
“Well, Derpy, obviously, then there’s Lady Vocal, Bari, and, I suppose, you.”
“Come again?”
“Forgive me if I sound a little pigheaded or presumptuous for assuming that you’d lay down your life for me, but I think that’s only fair. I’d do the same thing for you two.”
“Would you really?”
“Of course. You mares need somepony to protect you, and I’m stuck doing it. Might as well do a good job of it.”
“Oh. Right, of course.” said Vinyl, rolling her unseen eyes.
“Which reminds me. Derpy, that was brilliantly brave and you probably saved my life by taking that hit. Don’t do it again.” said Wub-Wubs. “You could’ve died. I’m not worth that much.”
“Of course you are.” said Derpy, getting to her hooves. “Friends are always worth dying for.”
“I think you guys are great and all, but we just met. Sure, we’ve saved each other’s lives, but can we really be friends after such a short time?” asked Wub-Wubs.
“I think so. It often doesn’t take longer than a day to build a bond or forge a friendship.”
“Where did I hear that before?” asked Vinyl.
“Princess Twilight said it once, I think” said Derpy.
“Look, we should really get going. We’re trying to get to Appleloosa before Hades has a chance to destroy all of Equestria, remember?”
“Eep!” cried Derpy, pointing her hoof forward. “Do you two see that?!”
“Yes!” said Sir Wub-Wubs.
“Really?” asked Vinyl.
“No, but I’m sure you knew that already. What am I not seeing?”
“The sky, the clouds, the sand, Derpy, me…”
“You know what I meant!”
“Guys! Stop arguing! This is important!” cried Derpy. “This must be another vision if you can’t see it.”
“Well, what are you looking at?” asked Vinyl.
“I… I don’t know. I’ve only seen us walking for a few minutes, so it should be here soon.”
“Then let’s keep going.” said Wub-Wubs, regaining their pace. They trudged across the roasting sand, completely at the mercy of the beaming sun. They weren’t walking for too long before a small, black and white rodent climbed up Sir Wub-Wubs leg, crouching on his back.
“Uh, Wubs?” said Vinyl. “You got a little somethin on your back.”
“I know. It’s just a desert mouse. He can stay.” said Wub-Wubs. “Mice are considered sacred by my people. Lady Vocal had a whole garden for her pet mice.”
“Actually, I think it’s a honey badger.” said Derpy, peering in closely to the rodent. “Yup. My friend from Ponyville taught me about animals and that’s definitely a baby honey badger.”
“Get this thing off of me!” he cried, knocking the badger to the sand and kicking it for good measure.
“What’s your issue?” asked Vinyl. “You were cool when you thought it was a mouse, but you flip when it’s a ferret?”
“That was a honey badger! They are evil, hateful, vicious creatures! If my brothers were working in the fields and encountered a honey badger, they picked a different field of crops! We had songs to charm bears, manticores, dragons, wolves, snakes, even ahuizotls, but nothing for those things. You can’t reason with a badger. If he wants to maul you, you’re getting mauled.”
“Wubs.” said Vinyl, stopping in her tracks. She finally saw what Derpy had predicted. A huge cloud of black smoke was over the desert, about the size of a small town.
“Hey, shouldn’t we be there already?” asked Wub-Wubs. “We’ve been walking for long enough.”
“A big black thingy.” said Derpy. “This is what I saw.”
“I don’t see it. In fact, I don’t see much of anything from that direction. No fuzzy blurs or anything.”
“I’m not too sure, but I think we’re here.” said Derpy.
“This can’t be Appleloosa. There’s nothing here!”
“But you were right.” said Vinyl. “We’ve been walking for a long time. About how long it takes for us to walk from Ponyville to Appleloosa.”
“But if this was Appleloosa, I’d be able to see something. I just see darkness.” said Wub-Wubs. “No rubble, no ruins, just shadow.”
“So, if this is Appleloosa…” began Derpy.
“Something powerful has completely erased it off of the map. Which means that these Whispers are just the beginning. Let’s find the end.”