More Than Just The Music

by Renegade3299

The Power Of Music (Contains Audio Track)

The morning came faster than I had expected. I left Ponyville without letting anypony know where I was going. I certainly didn’t need any press making headlines about how I “saved Equestria” or anything like that. Following the map, I made my way to the badlands. Upon arriving, I looked around, seeing why nopony would come here. Nothing but dark gray rocks, no sign of any type of vegetation. Looking at a mountain up ahead, I saw the dark, shadowy structure of the castle that Celestia had spoken of.

Not wanting to take any risks of climbing, I took flight and made my way toward the castle. When I finally got to the gate, I paused for a moment, looking around at the intimidating fortress that surrounded me, and wondered- what was I doing here? And why was I chosen? For Celestia’s sake, I was a musician, not a warrior! How was I going to ‘vanquish’ this thing I’d been sent to deal with?

Then I shook my head, remembering- even if I was doubtful, I still had friends in there that needed my help. And I recalled the times when I’d told other ponies to never have doubt, to never give up, and to always believe in themselves. Yet here I was, doubting myself, when my friends and even Princess Celestia herself were counting on me.

And of course, Rainbow Dash was in there, captive along with the rest of them. Rainbow Dash… even though we hadn’t gotten together regularly, thanks to our life in Manehattan, she had become my one real friend. She always was willing to listen to anything I had to say, always ready to help me out if I needed it. Every time we came down to Ponyville, her and I were usually at one another’s side. She was my best friend, no question. And I especially couldn’t let her down.

Heaving a great sigh, I made my way through the opening in the ancient gate. The castle was dark and eerie, not really a place I’d wanted to be in- alone, no less. I stopped and listened, seeing if I could hear any of my friends, which would help bring me in the right direction. Alas, I heard nothing, so I looked around the hall that I was in, hoping that one of the doors would lead me to where I needed to go. My eyes settled on a half-opened door that had several bolts and locks on them, as well as barred windows.

‘That must lead to the dungeon’ I thought, going through the doorway. Making my way down the long, dimly lit corridor, I saw that I was indeed in some type of keep. Smaller doors similar to the one I went through lined the walls. However, all of them were empty. I wondered, then, where the six were being held.

I made my way back to the hallway and tried one of the doors on the other side. It was a long spiraling staircase, which led to an empty room in one of the towers that had a huge section of wall missing. Cold air whipped through the room, and from this room I could see quite far. As I stood there gazing at the land below me, a gust came through and nearly took me off balance. To fall from this height would not be good, so I left that room quickly.

I searched another room, which led to what seemed to be an abandoned library. I checked to see if there might be any kind of map or guide to this castle, but to no avail. I ran from room to room, checking each chamber but finding nothing, all the while becoming more and more frustrated by the minute; time was limited, and who knew what could happen to my friends at any moment!

I returned to the ‘dungeon’ to check again, making sure that I left no cell door unchecked. But every single one of them was empty, no signs of anypony having occupied it in a long time. This was just great! Here I was, sent to rescue six ponies who were not only important to the Princess, but important to me as well, and I couldn’t find them!

“NOW WHAT AM I SUPPOSED I DO!?” I shouted out to nopony in particular, rather out of frustration. I knelt down on the cold floor, feeling bitter defeat. My voice echoed through the empty halls and rooms, to be heard by nothing more than the stones that laid the foundations of this accursed fortress. Then, my head perked up when I heard a voice.

“Is somepony there?”

The voice was muffled, but I could understand it. It sounded like Twilight’s voice as well.

“It’s me, Shadow Chord. Is that you Twilight?”

“Shadow Chord!”. This time, it was Rainbow’s voice, but it was still muffled. I looked around, seeing where her voice might have been coming from.

“Guys, where are you? I can’t see you anywhere! And is everypony together?”

“We’re all here.” Twilight responded. “We’re in a secret room that’s hidden behind the wall. Tacis ordered his assistant to put us in here so nopony could find us!”

“Do you know how to open it?” I asked, following her voice to the proper wall where the room was located. I finally found the source at the wall that ended the room.

“Look behind the prison door to your left.” she answered. “Do you see a brick that is sticking out of the wall?”

“I see it!” I told her after I searched for a moment. Not needing to ask what to do, I pushed the brick inward, and was greeted by the sound of grinding stone. I went back to the wall and sighed with relief to see a door slowly opening. Out of a pitch black room came my six friends.

Rainbow was the first to run out, and upon seeing me waiting at the doorway, she flung herself onto me, wrapping her forelegs tightly around me and burying her face into my chest.

“Thank Celestia you’re here, Shadow!” she said, tightening her grip. I followed suit, not wanting to let go. We held one another good minute or two, both of us so relieved to see one another.

“All right, save all the fancy-shmancy stuff.” Applejack said, though not in an offensive way. “We’ll all thank him later, but right now, we’ve gotta get outta here!”

The seven of us began walking to the gate, eager to get back to Ponyville. As we trotted along, I asked Twilight why I was chosen by Celestia to come here.

“I’m not sure about that.” she replied. “Not much is known about Tacis, except that he was an evil tyrant over a millennia ago. He ruled over a particular kingdom, and it was known for being absolutely silent.”

“Silence?” I asked, slightly confused.

“Apparently, Tacis claimed to be the embodiment of silence” Twilight explained. “And he felt that everything around him should not have any sound. He tried to take over the entire world, but the Prince known as Melodia defeated and banished him. If he continues to try and re-take the world, it can pose a real threat.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Well,” Twilight said “The Princess sent us here to defeat him with the Elements of Harmony, but when we tried, it didn’t work. It seemed as though he paid no attention to it, and he was able to make his escape. Then, he ordered his assistant to imprison us, and we were stuck there until you got us out. The next thing we have to do is figure out how we can banish him if he decides to return again.”

By this time, we got to the gate, but unlike when I arrived, it was shut. We tried opening it, but it would not budge. Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rung out from behind us.

“Going somewhere? I don’t think so!”

We turned about to see a black unicorn walking toward us. Sharp teeth glistened from a grimacing mouth, and searing yellow eyes staring angrily at us.

“It’s his minion…” Pinkie whispered. “And the Elements didn’t work on him, either.”

“I see you had a clever little helper to get you out.” he growled. “But it is of no matter. You have nowhere to go, and no way to defeat us. Your Elements were useless, and now you’re all going to experience eternal silence!”

He let out a nearly deafening cackle, and all of us wondered how we were going to get out of his mess. Then, I looked down, where I saw the small glass orb that Celestia gave me. I remembered her words:

“Should you see the minion left in charge, throw this orb onto the ground with all of your might. When it breaks, it will take effect and you will be able to vanquish him.”

I stepped forward, grasping the orb. My heart was pounding with nervousness, but I knew that I was being counted on.

“I think you’re a little confused about who’s going to be defeated here.” I told him.

He scoffed, and asked “And just who are you to make such a statement?”

“It doesn’t matter who I am.” I answered. “What matters is I have the means to defeat you.” I held up the orb, which was now beginning to produce a faint glow.

The other six looked at the orb, confused as to what I was talking about. An evil grin slowly spread across the minion’s face, and he let out another laugh.

“You have nothing that can defeat me, nor my master!” he proclaimed. “Even the Elements of Harmony could not hope to compare with our powers! What is a simple orb going to do? Just remember, pony- silence is golden!”

As soon as he made that statement, a force field went up around him and he looked upon us with an evil grin, one of sinister victory.

“That’s what Tacis did when we used the Elements!” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s useless!”

“No, it isn’t.” I announced to my friends.

I held the orb above my head, and then, with all of my might, hurled it to the ground. As it shattered, time actually slowed down, and then came to a stop and a bright cylinder of light came from where the orb landed. I looked around at my surroundings, searching for some type of clue as to what I needed to do next.

The minion was frozen, staring at me with a hateful glare. My friends were also frozen in time, their gazes were that of awe and fascination. Then, I looked back to where the light was shooting up from the orb. As I looked into it, I could see some type of outline, but I wasn’t sure what it was. I squinted my eyes to get a better focus, and then realized- it was a guitar. A guitar that seemed to be made of light itself.

As I stood looking at the glowing instrument, I heard another voice echoing through the castle. It wasn’t from my friends, and it wasn’t from the minion. In fact, I didn’t know whom it was from. But I heard it clearly.

“Play… and he will be defeated.”

“Who is this?” I asked.

“Pick up the instrument,” it said, not answering. “and play… it is the only way he, or Tacis can be defeated. For music will overcome silence.”

The voice didn’t speak again. But, trusting in what it said, as well as my instinct, I reached into the tunnel and got this guitar of light. I could feel a cool, somewhat electrical sensation as I came into contact with it. As I held it, I felt the electric vibe begin to slowly move throughout my entire body.

All of a sudden, time went back to normal. I could hear my friends draw a breath of fascination and surprise when they saw the guitar in my hands. The minion, however, had a different reaction. The evil glare quickly melted from his face, replaced by one of panic and fear.

“No…” he said in a hushed tone. I looked him in the eye.

“No…. No! it can’t be!” he said.

I wasn’t sure why he became afraid all of a sudden, but it placed a newfound confidence in me, and I was sure that we were going to make it. Remembering what the voice had told me, I stepped forward, staring into his fearful eyes with raw determination. The cool electric was beginning to run through me at a slightly quicker rate.

“If silence is golden,” I firmly declared, “Then music is worth double its value!”

“No!” the minion shouted. “Impossible!!”

With a guitar pick of light that appeared in my hoof, I began playing the mysterious instrument. I didn’t even think of what I would play, I just began playing. Slowly, a tune began to bolt through the room and throughout the entire castle. I could feel the electricity running faster through me, sending chills through my veins. I slowly began to play faster as these strange jolts rushed through me. The minion seemed to be cowering, in either pain or fear.

I began playing faster- I wasn’t sure if I was even in control, because this cold electric feeling was now rushing through me at an astounding speed, and I played with hardly any effort. Everything around me began to fade out- the minion who looked at me in terror, my friends who gazed with fascination at what they were witnessing. It was just me and the music I was playing. As I played even faster, I felt myself actually begin to levitate in the air, and a bright glow began surrounding me and the guitar.

When I played to a peak, I shouted to the six, “The Elements! Now!”

Nodding, the six sprang the Elements to life, and the minion screamed in protest. It had worked- the music had brought down his force field of silence, which allowed the Elements of Harmony to take full effect.

“NOOO!!!!!” he screamed one final time before vanishing completely.

The light coming from the guitar and the Elements temporarily rendered everypony sightless. When the light had vanished and we opened our eyes, the minion was gone, and the gate had reopened. I noticed that the guitar was gone, but I also noticed that I was wearing a necklace with a golden guitar pick. Everypony stared at me in wonder.

“What… what was that, Shadow Chord?” Rarity asked.

“And how did you know what to do?” Fluttershy added.

I stood there in silence. Honestly, I was a little dumbfounded myself. Whatever had just happened was incredible, but I had no answers either. I swallowed and blinked.

“Honestly… I have no idea.” I informed them. “Princess Celestia gave me that orb and told me to throw it to the ground if I were to encounter any enemies here. So when I shattered it, this guitar of light appeared and a voice told me to pick it up and play it, and then the minion could be defeated.”

“Well, since we got rid of him,” Twilight said. “Let’s get out of here. I’m sure that the Princess can explain everything else. Thank you for coming to rescue us, Shadow Chord.”

“We sure as hay owe ya one, Shadow!” Applejack said, hugging me. “We don’t know what we would’ve done if y’all hadn’t shown up.”

“Thanks Shadow!” Pinkie said, “And that guitar solo was so neat!”

“Thank you so much, Shadow.” Fluttershy said, half above a whisper.

“You have our greatest thanks, darling.” Rarity said.

We exited the castle and began making our way back to Ponyville. All along the way, Rainbow Dash walked alongside me. When we finally got to Ponyville, she stopped to pull me into another tight embrace.

“Shadow, we can’t thank you enough for helping us out back there.” she said. “We all thought we were done for!”

“It’s no trouble Rainbow.” I assured her. “I was starting to get really worried about you when you didn’t come back.”

“I’ll admit, Shadow.” she said. “I was afraid I’d never get to see you again. I’m so lucky to have a friend like you. We all are.”

“It’s really not a problem. I know you all would have done the same if I’d been in your situation. And I wasn’t about to have it to where none of us could have seen each other again. You’re all my friends, and I was more than glad to do this.

Rainbow Dash once again hugged me, pressing her head into my chest. I wrapped my forelegs around her holding her close. As we stood there, we heard Pinkie, who was slightly ahead of us, along with the others.

“You guys coming or what?”

We hesitantly broke the hug and caught up with them.

“Well, let’s not forget,” I told Rainbow, “We’ve still got a recording to make.”

Author's Note:

So, there's the next chapter. Not to worry, Shadow Chord will be out of the the dimly lit dungeons and back onstage in no time!

By the way, the guitar solo I included was from the track "Inferno" from The Crow soundtrack. I would have added my own solo, but sadly, I don't have any recording equipment at the moment.

Hope the chapter was enjoyable, the next one is on the way!

Comments

[Trent Roogna]

When I tried to open the music link, my YouTube malfunctioned. The song I got wasn't the one you had chosen, but rather the last song I'd listed to on you tube: Through the Fire and the Flames by Dragonforce.

It was so PERFECT