A Knight's Aria

by chillbook1

Chapter 3

“Let me get this straight.” said Wub-Wubs. “You’re a mail mare who works at Cloudsdale Postal Services, who was supposed to deliver a package from Canterlot to the Crystal Empire. Then you managed not only to end up with the wrong package, this one going to Appleloosa, but you got lost and ended up in Ponyville, then got lost on your way to Canterlot to pick up the original package and crashed into the Everfree Forest?”

“Uh… Pretty much!” said the pegasus.

“What’s your name?”

“Derpy Hooves.”

“That explains alot. Anyway, I am Sir Wub-Wubs and this is Vinyl Scratch.”

“Sup.” said Vinyl with a nod. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Believe it or not, I’ve had more than my fair share of crashes, so I’m used to it.” said Derpy, rubbing her head. She was a very strange looking pony. Her coat was dull grey, but her mane was a bright blonde. The strangest thing had to be her eyes. They were a nice, golden-brown color, and they were walled, as if she had run into a door so hard that her eyes crossed.

“It’s been nice, but we have to go.” said Sir Wub-Wubs. “Goodbye, Derpy.”

“Uh… that doesn’t look very safe.” said Derpy, watching them walk away. “There’s a weird thingy over there and it looks dangerous.”

“Thanks, but I’m sure I can handle it, Derpy.” said Wub-Wubs. He took one more step, then knew what Derpy had meant. His hoof triggered a trip wire. A trap.
BOOM!

Black smoke exploded from the trees, launching him backwards. Wub-Wubs crashed onto the ground, black staining his chest. He began to sputter and spasm, crying out in pain.

“Wubs!” cried Vinyl, rushing forward to help.

“Stand back, mare!” he growled. “I don’t know what this is, but it will probably kill you!”

“What about you?” asked Derpy. “Will you be okay?”

“Do not worry my dear, for I will not fall here. I’ll live longer and grow ever stronger.” sang Wub-Wubs. “This darkness can’t harm me, blind, maim, or disarm me. My love, you are charming. I beg, please, do not leave! I need you beside me, in my heart resides thee, you give me the strength to survive. You fill me with glee, every breath which I breathe, it may be cause I’m drowning, but I am not alive. Without you right there, I am going nowhere, so, please, my dear, please. Rise alongside of me!”

Green aura enveloped Wub-Wubs, raising him into the air. The black blemish that stained his chest slowly faded as he lowered to the ground. He let out a wistful sigh and rubbed his chest gingerly.

“What?” asked Vinyl in confusion.

“A healing song.” said Wub-Wubs. “Specifically a song that heals dark magic related injuries, such as that.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” asked Derpy.

“How’d you know it was there?” asked Wub-Wubs.

“I saw this blue wire thing and felt kinda… kinda scared.”

“But that’s impossible! That wire was hidden using temporal desynchronization, something that is completely undetectable.”

“What’s a tampon desinky-thingy?” asked Vinyl.

“Temporal desynchronization is an advanced method of concealment.” explained Wub-Wubs, rolling his eyes. “Whatever it’s cast on is sent forward in time by a small amount, usually less than a second, then put on it’s own timeline. The item, in this instance the trap, will always be a little bit further in the timeline than we are, so that we’ll never be able to see it. It’s always a second ahead of us. But then, when I go to occupy the same space as it, it corrupts the timeline. Two objects can’t take up the exact same area, which breaks the desynchronization. It essentially sends time into reboot.”

“So, by being there, we return the trap to the current time?” asked Vinyl. “And since we’re already there, we trigger it, right?”

“Precisely. Temporal desynchronization is tricky business, so the caster must be somepony extremely powerful. But the question still remains.”

“How could I see it if it wasn’t there yet?” asked Derpy.

“Good question.” said Wub-Wubs. “I’m not quite sure yet, but that is simply amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Wait a second.” said Vinyl. “If the wire was in the future, and Derpy could see it… Sweet Celestia! Derpy’s a psychic!”

“Incredibly crude and not entirely accurate, but as I can’t think of an alternative, yeah.” said Wub-Wubs. “Derpy’s psychic.”

“Cool. I always wanted to be psychic.” said Derpy. “Can I ask you guys something? What were you doing out here?”

“I am on an important quest to investigate a shroud of darkness covering Equestria and slay the being responsible. This will likely bring me to Tartarus and I will have to go hoof-to-hoof with Hades himself.” said Sir Wub-Wubs. “Do you want to come?”

“Huh?” asked Vinyl.

“Uh… are you sure you want me around?” asked Derpy.

“Why wouldn’t I?” asked Wub-Wubs.

“Well, I’m really clumsy and I make a mess of things a lot. Plus, I make some ponies uncomfortable.”

“How?”

“My eyes.” she said sadly.

“What’s wrong with them?” he asked.

“Are you joking? They’re crossed. One eye looks down and right and the other looks up and left. They’re my derped wall-eyes.”

“Derpy, you’re not the only pony here who has an ocular disadvantage. Just look at me.” Derpy leaned forward and gasped at the sight.

“You’re blind!” she exclaimed.

“As a bat.” he answered.

“I thought you said you don’t like being called blind.” said Vinyl.

“What do you say, Derpy? Wanna come help me save Equestria?” offered Sir Wub-Wubs.

“Are you sure you want me?” she asked.

“As sure as Celestia’s day is long.” he said. Derpy seemed to think it over, then a smile broke out on her face.

“Of course I’ll come! What do you need me to do?” she asked.

“Could you go ahead and search for more of those traps? I’d like to avoid them if possible, since my song only works once a century.” said Wub-Wubs. Derpy nodded her head and flapped her wings, rising into the air. She flew forward, disappearing into the dense trees of the Everfree Forest.

“What’s the deal?” asked Vinyl. “How come we’re bringing her along?”

“I’m bringing him because he’s going to be helpful. There is no ‘we’. As soon as we get to Appleloosa, Derpy and I are dropping you off.” said Sir Wub-Wubs.

“Why do you treat her so much better than me?”

“Why do you keep calling Derpy ‘her’?”

“Cause she’s a mare, dummy.”

“No, he’s not.” said Wub-Wubs. “He’s a stallion. I can tell by his voice.”

“Dude, I’m telling you. Derpy’s a mare. Wait! Is that it? You’re treating her like an equal because you think she’s a stallion?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m treating him like an equal because I know he’s a stallion.”

“You don’t really think much of mares, do you?” asked Vinyl.

“Nope. Science proves that stallions are the superior sex.” answered Wub-Wubs without an ounce of remorse.

“Then why do you serve two mares? Unless you think Luna and Celestia are stallions.”

“They are the only exception to the code.”

“What code?!” asked Vinyl in disbelief.

“The Code of Chivalry, of course.” said Wub-Wubs. “The Code states that mares should obey their stallion, whether it be her husband, brother, uncle, son. Whichever male is most closely related to her.”

“Wow, that makes a lot of sense.” said Vinyl sarcastically.

“The Code also states that a stallion should never fight a mare or let her get hurt, because they’re not smart enough to defend themselves.”

“That’s not true!”

“Could you defend yourself against that Whisper?”

“Uh… no.”

“Case in point.” said Wub-Wubs. The argument surely would’ve gone on longer, but they were interrupted by Derpy’s return.

“I didn’t see any more of those traps.” she said, landing in front of them.

“Hey, Derpy. Settle this for us.” said Vinyl. “Are you a mare or a stallion?”

“I’m a mare. Isn’t that obvious?” asked Derpy.

“Oh. Seems I was wrong. In any case, your foreshadowing will come in handy.” said Wub-Wubs. “Even though she’s a mare, she is going to be helpful. She is still going to come.”

“I’m chill with that. Derpy seems pretty cool.” said Vinyl. Derpy’s face lit up with excitement. She was happy to finally be accepted by others, something her eyes have prevented for a long time.

“It’s time to go.” said Sir Wub-Wubs. “We’ve been sitting here too long. We’ll be lucky to get to Appleloosa before sunset.”

“I’ll go first, just in case I missed something.” said Derpy. They all agreed and began to trot in a single file line, Derpy in the lead, Wub-Wubs in the middle, and Vinyl bringing up the rear. They were certainly an odd trio; A cross-eyed pegasus, a blind unicorn, and a mare who never showed her eyes. Hours passed, hours of walking through the trees and wading through rivers and streams. Celestia’s sun sank lower and lower into the sky with no sign of their destination.

“Wubs?” said Vinyl, glancing at the sky. “We don’t have too much time left. We’ll never get to Appleloosa before sundown. Maybe we should just set up camp for the night and try again in the morning.”

“That’s certainly an idea.” said Sir Wub-Wubs, pulling a knife from his inner pocket and levitating it in the air with his horn. He’d been doing this for hours and had returned the blade each time. “I think it might be for the best. But first… Do you trust me, Scratch?”

“Uh… I guess.”

“You don’t sound too sure.”

“Well, I just met you today and you won’t tell me anything about yourself, so… yeah, I don’t trust you all that much.”

“I have an exercise for that.” said Sir Wub-Wubs. He turned around and launched the knife at Vinyl’s face. She froze in fear and watched in terror as the blade melted through her face harmlessly, as if it was just an image. The Whisper behind her did not receive the same luxury and was impaled in the chest. It staggered backwards, allowing the trio time to run.

“How long has that been following us?” asked Vinyl, galloping beside Wub-Wubs.

“Oh, an hour or so.” he replied.

“Why didn’t you kill it then?”

“It never stood still enough. If I would’ve missed, it surely would have killed you.” said Wub-Wubs. They ran full-gallop through the woods and onto a clearing, just as the sun was dropping over the horizon. Luna’s moon would be rising soon, a half hour or so left of light. Sir Wub-Wubs took the lead, ushering the mares past the trees and onto a sandy floor.

“What is this?!” asked Wub-Wubs, jumping back as his hooves touched sand. “Is that sand?”

“Yeah.” said Vinyl. “What’s the issue?”

“Appleloosa! Damn! It wasn’t called that when I was here last!” he exclaimed in frustration. “If I knew this was Saharo, I would’ve set up camp ages ago!”

“What’s Saharo?” asked Derpy.

“Appleloosa wasn’t always called Appleloosa. It was once known as the desert town of Saharo. It’s one of Equestria’s only desert settlements, and therefore rests on sand.”

“So?” asked Vinyl. “What does sand have to do with anything?”

“The electrical currents have difficulty moving through sand. My vision will be extremely blurry until we’re on something a little more solid.”

“But that thingy is gonna come back.” said Derpy. “We have to get to Appleloosa or it’ll get us!”

“Yeah. And this is the dilemma. If we stay, I can see but we also have to fight that Whisper, this one a lot stronger than the other. If we leave, we have a chance at getting to Appleloosa and safety, but I’ll be blinded. I’ll have to depend on you for vision and safety.”
“What’s it gonna be, Wubs?” asked Vinyl. “Do you trust us?”
“Not at night. Too many dangerous creatures wander this desert at night. We’ll stay and… Yes! Barrier Song! The Ballad of Treble’s Wall!” exclaimed Wub-Wubs. “I know a song that should push that Whisper away until morning.”
“Then sing it, baby!” said Vinyl with excitement. She loved hearing Wub-Wubs sing. It was as mystical as it was beautiful.
“Intruders beware of what you’ll find in here, you are foolish to step through these walls!” sang Wub-Wubs. “By Vocal I swear, I will bring you great fear and send you all down Hades’ halls! Lady, please guide us, protect us, disguise us, from those who would bring us all harm! Please grant us your wisdom, your skill and precision, your wit and your devilish charm! Beneath, our mighty hoof, enemies will all fall, and act, as proof… of the power of Treble’s Great Wall!”
The song floated around in the air, even after Wub-Wubs closed his mouth. A faint blue circle surrounded the trio, causing Wub-Wubs to groan in frustration.
“Damn! I sang that song perfectly!” he said. “Why isn’t it working?”
“It’s not loud enough.” said Vinyl. Her horn began to glow a bright blue and the song grew louder and louder. “Sing it again.”
“Whatever you’re doing isn’t going to help.” said Wub-Wubs.
“Uh… That Whisper thing is coming back.” said Derpy. sure enough, the Whisper was galloping at full speed through the trees and at the trio.
“Intruders beware of what you’ll find in here, you are foolish to step through these walls!” sang Vinyl. “By Vocal I swear, I will bring you great fear and send you all down Hades’ halls!”
“Lady, please guide us, protect us, disguise us, from those who would bring us all harm! Please grant us your wisdom, your skill and precision, your wit and your devilish charm!” joined Wub-Wubs. It was working. The circle rocketed into the sky, growing far higher than the cloud layer, and grew even more solid.
“Beneath, our mighty hoof, enemies will all fall, and act, as proof… of the power of Treble’s Great Wall!” they sang together. The Whisper rushed forward, just as the wall solidified. Vinyl looked down and rushed at the Whisper, stabbing it in the neck with her horn. She pushed it back, pressing it’s back against the wall.
“The power of Treble’s Great Wall!” she shouted. The solid energy surrounding them compressed, passing through them all harmlessly, then exploded outwards. The trio was unaffected, but the Whisper was launched backwards, crashing through a tall tree and knocking it to the ground with a mighty BOOM! The Whisper burst into black smoke and evaporated.
“What in the name of all that is holy did you do?” asked Sir Wub-Wubs, jumping with joy. “You did it!”
“I totally did.” said Vinyl, looking exhausted, but otherwise quite pleased with herself.
“Woohoo!” cried Derpy, clapping her hooves. “Vinyl sang the song!”
“Yes. She sang the song.” said Wub-Wubs, his happiness leaving his voice. “She sang… the song. She sang the song.”
“Did I do good?” she asked.
“Go to sleep!” he exploded. “Everypony to bed, now! Scratch, don’t talk to me, don’t even look at me! Go to sleep and pray nothing eats you, because I’m not defending you!” He trotted off into the forest sullenly and dropped against a tree. He closed his eyes and fought against his tears, choking them back. An hour passed and the mares fell asleep, scattered throughout the trees. Sir Wub-Wubs sat wide-awake, anger falling then rising at the thought of Vinyl’s singing.
“Wubs!” whispered Vinyl, scooting to the other side of Wub-Wubs’ tree.
“What do you want, mare?” he growled.
“Are you still awake?”
“If I wasn’t, how would I be able to answer you? Stupid mare.”
“Derpy fell asleep already. Wubs, I don’t know what I did to piss you off, but I’m sorry.” she said, moving around the tree and settling next to her friend.
“Well, I don’t forgive you.” growled Wub-Wubs. “Get away from me, Scratch. I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Can you at least tell me what I did?” she asked.
“That song is one of the few things I have to remind me of my childhood and my family, of Lady Vocal, and you stole it from me.”
“I was just trying to… Wait, what? What about Ladies and vocals?”
“Just look at you. Speaking your stolen words without thinking of meaning or significance. Where I come from, you’d be punished for such feigned knowledge.”
“Where is that? Who are you and where are you from?”
“You say you want to know me, Vinyl Scratch? Do you really want to know?” asked Wub-Wubs.
“Yes. Please, I just wanna know who you are.”
“Very well, Scratch. Listen here to the tale of my past.”