> A Knight's Aria
>  by chillbook1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Light beamed through Princess Luna’s window and onto her deep, blue face. Celestia’s sun shined into her bedroom, gently waking the princess from her sleep. Luna rose from her bed confusedly, and made her way to her chamber door. She opened her door with the use of her magic and sleepily walked right into her sister.
“Good morning, sister.” said Princess Celestia, lending her hoof to help Luna off the floor.
“Good morning. Why didn’t you wake me to lower my moon?” asked Luna. “I only wished to take a short nap.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t wish to disturb you. Today is your special day and you deserve to sleep.”
“Special day?” asked Luna in confusion.
“It’s been five years since Twilight Sparkle reunited us.” said Celestia, snuggling against her sister’s neck.
“Has it really?”
“You really didn’t remember?”
“I try not to think of my time in exile.” said Luna uncomfortably. “What is on the royal agenda for today?”
“Nothing. I have Prince Blueblood and Princess Cadence dealing with your duties. You have the entire day to do what you wish, until the celebration tonight.” explained Celestia.
“Could… Never mind.”
“What is it, Luna?”
“I was just going to ask if we could… spend some time together?” said Luna sheepishly. “It’s been awhile since we had some time alone, and I would like it very much if we could do something. Like the old times, before I… well, you know.”
“Of course, sister.” said Celestia with a smile. “How would you like to go for a little walk?”
“That sounds quite wondrous!” exclaimed Luna. 
“Fantastic. Meet me in the courtyard when you’re ready.” said Celestia, leaving her sister’s room. Luna closed her door and went about her normal morning routine. After she brushed her mane and teeth, she used the bathroom and washed her hooves. She exited her chambers and was swamped by her two main bodyguards. They walked with her through the long corridor and down the winding staircase. They escorted her to the courtyard, where Celestia was already waiting. Luna dismissed them with a nod and she began her stroll with her older sister. 
“Are you alright, Luna?” asked Celestia. “You seem concerned.”
“I’m sorry, sister. I’ve just been thinking.” said Luna.
“About what?”
“My betrayal. Not a day goes past where I don’t think of it. I’m so sorry for what I’ve done, Tia.”
“You mustn’t keep blaming yourself. You made a mistake a thousand years ago, Luna. I’ve forgiven you, and it’s time you forgave yourself.” Luna was about to respond when she felt a strange shudder in her chest.
“Did you feel that, sister?” asked Luna. “I sense a great evil.”
“As do I. Should I alert Princess Twilight?”
“I fear that this will be too much even for her.” said Luna. “I think we should first understand what we’re dealing with.”
“Princess Luna! Princess Celestia!” cried a guard, running at full gallop to the two princesses. He stopped to bow, then continued his shouting. “A blanket of shadow has engulfed most of Southern Equestria! We just lost contact with Appleloosa! We’re not sure what it’s doing just yet, but everything it touches seems to fall off of the map!”
“Have you found the source of this shadow?” asked Celestia.
“No, your highness, but we have reason to suspect that it is coming from Tartarus itself.”
“Thank you for informing us. Please, send squads across Equestria to move populations that are in danger of the shadow.” said Celestia. The guard saluted then ran off to fulfill his duty.
“Could it be... Hades?” asked Luna.
“He would be breaking our alliance, but I suppose it’s possible.” said Celestia. “We must send somepony to find him and put an end to this.”
“I will send a letter to Princess Twilight and her friends.” said Luna.
“No. We cannot send Twilight to Tartarus. It’s far too dangerous.”
“But if not Twilight, then who?”
“There is only one stallion who can help us. We must prepare the song.” said Celestia. Luna nodded in agreement and cleared her throat. She hummed a soft, light-hearted tune and waited for her sister.
“Be it me or be it you, we are birds of a feather. We will fight or we will fall, we will stand together.” sang Celestia. Bright, neon turquoise light began to envelope her horn, signaling Luna to continue the song.
“Be it you or be it me, we will stand taller. We will fight or we will fall, but we will never falter.” returned Luna. A bright lavender light began to emit from her horn, pulling her towards Celestia.
“Be it us or be it them, fire burns within us.” they sang together. “We will fight, bring us the one, who blindly serves the princess.” 
Both of their horns shot light forward onto the floor. The blue and the purple melded together, singing all the time. The song bounced through the courtyard, without a source, and rang in the ears of the princesses. The singing seemed to flow with the wind, eventually gathering in a single spot. The music grew louder, and slowly into view faded a unicorn stallion. His coat was bright, electric blue and his long, windswept mane was also blue, but with a bright lavender surrounding the edge, like a neon flame. His eyes were just as bright as his coat and had an odd glazing to them, and the features were almost indistinguishable. He solidified as the song died down, and he dropped down to a bow.
“Lady Celestia. Lady Luna. Why have you summoned me?” he asked, his voice deep and guttural.
“We believe that Hades is spreading a shroud of shadow across Equestria.” said Celestia. “It is up to you to find him and stop him.”
“What is this shroud doing, your highness? Is it corrupting the land?”
“That’s just it.” said Luna. “We do not know what it is doing. Perhaps you should find out before you rush to Tartarus.”
“Of course, milady.” said the unknown stallion. “Can you assist me in learning my appearance.”
“You’re bright.” said Luna. “Coat is turquoise, as are your eyes and part of your mane. The other part, around the edge, is purple.”
“My Cutie Mark?”
“Well, the shield is there, same as ever.” said Celestia. “On top of it is a sort of shock wave of bright, neon, rainbow colors.”
“What music is that?”
“One of the most popular forms of music in these days is known as dubstep.”
“I see. Dubstep. I’ve heard of it, of course. I will begin my quest as soon as I’ve gathered my supplies, your highness.” said the stallion. “Dubstep. I think the name “Wub-Wubs” fits. Yes. A little goofy, maybe, but I do like it. Sir Wub-Wubs, at your service.”
“Would you like for me to repair your sight?” asked Luna.
“If you absolutely must, milady, but I would prefer if you left me blind.” said Sir Wub-Wubs.
“Why is that?” asked Celestia.
“A multitude of reasons. To show my allegiance to you, for one. Another is that I do not trust my eyes. Dark magic can easily distort your vision, but it’s harder to affect the ears. But the main reason, honestly, is because it’s much more challenging.”
“Are you sure you will be able to complete this quest without your sight?” asked Luna.
“Of course, Lady Luna. When may I begin?”
“Right now, if you would. Your blade is above the entrance. I take it you still remember the song?”
“Yes. Any last words of advice?” asked Wub-Wubs.
“Trust only that which you can see.” said Luna. “If you cannot see, trust your ears.”
“If you cannot hear, trust your heart.” said Celestia. “And if you cannot love, then all hope is lost.”
“Yes, miladies. Thank you for your wisdom. Farewell.” said Wub-Wubs, trotting towards the castle. He left the princesses in the courtyard and travelled through the halls, weaving between guards with the dexterity of a seeing stallion. He held his head up high with purpose, as if everything else was insignificant when compared to his quest. The guards looked at him oddly, staring at his eyes. Nopony was sure how a blind stallion could move so well. When Sir Wub-Wubs finally arrived at the castle entrance, he looked up at the stone door and began to whistle. He whistled a sharp four-note tune, emphasizing the last note with an extra-loud whistle. Out of the brick melted a sword hilt with no blade. He took the hilt and placed it against his hip. A sheath and strap melted from the hilt and attached itself to Sir-Wub-Wubs. 
“My first quest in a thousand years begins now.” he said to himself. “With the fate of all of Equestria at stake. Lady Celestia, Lady Luna, guide me.”
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sir Wub-Wubs sat with his back against the tree. He had been walking for two hours, from Canterlot all the way to the edge of a town called Ponyville, and his hooves were starting to ache.
“Of all the things I had to forget it just had to be the teleportation song.” he said to himself. “I’ve known the song for over two thousand years and now I can’t remember even the first note. Oh well. I suppose that after a thousand years of dormancy a little exercise would be beneficial.”
He rose to his hooves and worked his way past trees and brush that bordered Ponyville, entering one of the most dangerous places in all of Equestria. Sir Wub-Wubs trotted carefully through the twisting vines and dangerous creatures of the forest. If there was another way, he would’ve taken it, but he was pressed for time and had to pick the quickest route. Sir Wub-Wubs felt a tingling on his back and drew his sword-hilt, preparing for danger.
“Help!” cried a mare, a few yards ahead of Sir Wub-Wubs. He galloped forward through the trees and into a small clearing. There on the ground was the mare, her eyes shielded behind a pair of trendy, purple shades. Her blue mane was wild and matted with dirt, almost as much as her pale white coat. Her Cutie Mark was two-bridged eight notes, hinting at a musical background.
“What’s the problem?” asked Sir Wub-Wubs, grabbing his hilt out of his mouth with his hoof.
“Dude, we have to get out of here!.” she said panickedly. “There’s this thing coming and it tried to kill me!”
“What did this ‘thing’ look like?” asked Sir Wub-Wubs. An answer was unnecessary, as the beast quickly jumped from the thick green. It had the same shape as a unicorn, but was completely black and it emitted an ominous smoke.
“We’re gonna die!” said the mare.
“Just stay behind me.” said Sir Wub-Wubs. He began to hum a soft tune which steadily grew louder. A grey steel blade slowly faded onto his hilt.
“Uh. no offense, but you’re not gonna do much with that hilt.”
“Watch me.” he answered. He rushed forward, his blade fully formed, at the shadowy figure. Sir Wub-Wubs stabbed his foe through the middle, removed his blade, and sliced at the enemies horn. The enemy dodged and prepared a spell, it’s horn becoming shrouded in a black aura. He fired his beam at Sir Wub-Wubs, who raised his blade and deflected the shot right back at it’s caster. The shadow pony burst into smoke and disappeared, flying into the air and fading.
“Dude! You’re legendary!” she exclaimed. “You saved my life. How can I ever repay you?”
“Thanks, but I don’t need a courtesan right now.” said Sir Wub-Wubs, sheathing his sword.
“Good thing I wasn’t offering. I’m Vinyl, by the way. Vinyl Scratch.”
“Vinyl Scratch? Well then, Vinyl Scratch. Bye.” he said, walking away. Shocked, Vinyl followed close behind.
“You can’t leave me here!” she cried.
“I know. I was trying to.”
“Hey, what’s your name? I think I should know who my savior is.”
“You may call me Sir Wub-Wubs.”
“Wub-Wubs? You’re a DJ?” she asked. “Dude! What do you mix? Hip-hop? I do dubstep myself, but to each their own.”
“Wait, you’re in the music industry?” asked Sir Wub-Wubs.
“What’d you think the Cutie Mark meant?”
“I can’t see your Cutie Mark.” he said, stopping to think.
“Huh? Why not?” she asked in worry. Just to be safe, she checked her flank. Sure enough, her Mark was there.
“Look closely, little filly. Into my eyes.”
“Why do they look so faded? Wait just a minute, you’re blind?” she asked. Wub-Wubs nodded. “Then how did you kill that… whatever it was!”
“They’re called the Whispers of a Shout. Whenever a powerful spell is cast, that being the Shout, there is a byproduct of the magic, that being the Whisper. That Whisper in particular was made of a powerful dark magic.” he said, scratching his head. “You said you play dubstep, right?”
“Yeah, but that’s the least of our worries. Somepony has to go tell Princess Celestia.”
“Lady Celestia already knows. Where did you think I came from? You wanted to know how to repay me?” said Wub-Wubs. “Well, I have a way. I need you to play me your best mix.”
“As much as I love sharing my mad skills with the world, I don’t think now is the time.” said Vinyl.
“And as much as I love hearing an ignorant mare like yourself babble about things she doesn’t understand, I’m very busy. Don’t ask any questions. Just play the mix and then we can part ways.”
“No way! Not with these Whisper things on the loose.”
“Fine! Just play me the mix and I will protect you. At least until I can find a town to drop you off at.” said Sir Wub-Wubs, shaking his head in frustration. “Where do we have to go to hear the mix?”
“Just a little bit further into the forest. I like to perfect my tracks in the Everfree Forest.” said Vinyl.
“Why?”
“Acoustics are good, man. Something about the trees carries the beat really well.” she said with a chuckle. “My equipment is just up ahead, and I should have my favorite mix on my laptop.” Sir Wub-Wubs fell behind Vinyl, allowing her to lead. She walked slowly, calling out every little branch, root, stump or stone in their path.
“Watch out, man. Root in the path.” she said.
“Yeah, I know.” said Sir Wub-Wubs, stepping over it easily. “You don’t have to point it out.”
“Sorry. I just thought that since you were blind, you’d need a little help moving through this greenery.”
“I’m not blind.” said Wub-Wubs, rolling his eyes. “I just can’t see.”
“I thought that’s what blind meant.”
“Yeah, you think a lot of incorrect thoughts, which is why mares shouldn’t be thinking at all. Leave that to the stallions.”
“That’s kinda old-fashioned, don’t you think? But what does that mean? You’re not blind but you can’t see?”
“To say I was blind would imply that I have no sight, which isn’t true. I can’t see the way you do, but I still have a sort of sight.”
“What do you mean, ‘a sort of’ sight?”
“All things have a very faint, almost unidentifiable electric current. When these things touch the ground, they close a circuit.” explained Wub-Wubs. “The electric currents travel through the earth and to my hooves, where I sense them and make note of their origins. I can ‘see’ in absolute darkness, as well as through walls. In a way, my vision is much better than yours. For example, I bet you didn’t realise that your equipment will come into view in four more steps.”
Sure enough, a few steps later and Vinyl could see her beloved equipment, her speaker cart with her laptop, microphone, headphones, and keyboard. She rushed over as soon as she saw it and started adjusting her speakers.
“So, you drag all of this out here whenever you have a project you need to finish?” asked Wub-Wubs.
“Pretty much.” answered Vinyl. She finished up with speakers and proceeded to open her laptop. She clicked around on the mousepad and opened up the mix, PON-3 FINAL3. She clicked play and the speakers began to pour out the sound of bass.
“Great. Now quick, give me your hoof.” said Wub-Wubs.
“I dunno. Holding hooves with a blind stranger in the forest doesn’t sound safe.” joked Vinyl, grabbing Wub-Wubs hoof in her own. “What if you take advantage of me?”
“Sorry, Scratch, but your not my type.” said Wub-Wubs as the beat progressed. Then, the electronics kicked in. It was a pretty solid beat, four beats in a row followed by three loud PEWMS!
“Really? Then why were you asking me to prostitute for you?”
“I wasn’t. I thought you were offering and I was declining.”
“Why would I offer that?” asked Vinyl.
“Well, that’s one of the few things mares are good at. Only three readily come to mind: Cooking, cleaning, sex.”
The beat sped up, and the PEWMS became more frequent.
“That’s a terrible outlook. Mares are good at tons of stuff, just as much as stallions. Take a look at this mix for example. This drop is sick.”
The beat stopped for a few seconds, then a loud, laser-esque sound fired from the speakers. Sir Wub-Wubs was enveloped in an electric blue aura, which swirled around him. He floated off of the ground as the energy consumed him, causing his eyes to glow as bright as the stars in the night sky. Slowly onto his back faded a cape, a flowing, lavender cape, the same color as his mane. As the song faded out, so too did the aura, slowly settling Wub-Wubs onto the ground. He spread the cape wide and checked it for inner pockets.
“Hm. Not completely useless, then. A couple throwing knives, a dagger, and a pretty nice cape.” he muttered.
“What’d you think of the track?” asked Vinyl. “Pretty swanky, huh?”
“I could do better.” he said. “Well, it’s been fun, but you’ve repaid your debt and now you can go home.”
“What happened to taking me to the next town?”
“I was hoping you’d forget. Very well, Scratch, come along. I have important business to see to on behalf of Lady Celestia and Lady Luna and I won’t let you hold me back.”
He began to trot forward with Vinyl following close behind. She was very confused and demanded answers.
“What was that?” she asked.
“I needed a sample of popular music to manufacture some supplies with.” explained Wub-Wubs. “I’ll need all I can get if I am correct in my suspicions.”
“Who exactly are you?”
“Call me Sir Wub-Wubs.”
“Yeah, but what’s your real name? That can’t be what’s on your birth certificate.”
“It’s Sir Wub-Wubs.” he answered stubbornly.
“You know my name.” she pointed out.
“Not because I wanted to. I was just trying to get you out of my mane so that I can complete this quest.”
“What exactly is the quest?”
“A shroud of darkness is blanketing Equestria. A shroud of dark, evil magic. A Shout. It’s creating Whispers which are wreaking havoc. Lady Celestia and Lady Luna have sent me to deal with it.”
“Oh, and another thing. What’s with the whole ‘Lady’ thing? Why not just Princess? They don’t even make us call them Princess very much, just for ceremonies and junk.”
“I’ve known and served them since before they were princesses and were noble mares, aka Ladies. I use it as a sign of elevated respect, something you should learn.” growled Wub-Wubs, pushing forward through the brush.
“Why are you so mad?” asked Vinyl.
“I’ve just been woken from my thousand year nap to destroy a powerful evil. I’m not mad, I’m being professional.”
“Nah, you’re mad. I know professional. Octi is professional. You’re pissed.”
“Octi?” asked Wub-Wubs.
“My friend Octavia. She can be a stickler, but she’s lot’s of fun if you get her in the right mood.”
“Octavia? Octavia what?”
“Melody. Why? You know her?”
“Not her. Her name. That’s a Muusist name.” said Wub-Wubs excitedly. “I might have to keep you around for a while longer, Scratch.”
“What’s a Muusist?”
“Long ago, before this land was Equestria, it was known as Muussa. The ponies who lived there were Muusists. They were the most powerful unicorns ever produced.” said Wub-Wubs, taking a short break. “Typical unicorns fight with spells, but the Muusists fought with song. Their music could raise mountains and dry oceans and burn forests, all in a matter seconds.”
“What happened to them?”
“Themselves.” he said. “They warred against each other and they all eventually died off. For the most part, anyway. But ‘Octavia’ and ‘Melody’ are Mussist names, so she might be a descendant. If she is part Muusist, I have to see her.”
“Why?” asked Vinyl. “Why do you care about these Muusists?”
“It’s time for us to go, Scratch.” said Wub-Wubs, ignoring the question. “We’ve been waiting for a little too long. Let’s go.”
He broke into a swift trot, leaving his back facing Vinyl. He wiped his silent tears from his face and pushed the thoughts of Muussa and it’s people out of his head. Now was not the time for tears. Now was the time for action.
“What am I crying for?” he muttered. “Only mares let their emotions take control like this. I am better than that.”
“Hey, Wubs.” said Vinyl. “I just wanted to say thanks again. You know, for saving me back there. I’m lucky to have a friend like you.”
“Yeah. Friend.” he said, rolling his unseeing eyes.
“But, you know, if we are friends, you should at least tell me your name.”
“Listen here, Vinyl Scratch. I am not meant to be here talking to you. I am supposed to be saving Equestria, something I can’t do if I have a dim mare such as yourself pestering me about irrelevancies such as my name!” he exploded. “I will tell you one, final time. I am Sir Wub-Wubs, and that’s all I will ever be! This is the last I want to hear about it!”
“Is it embarrassing?” she asked, disregarding his rage. “Is it like, a filly name? Oh my gosh, is your name Twinkle Glitter? Cause if it is, I feel for you. I’m a chick, and even I’d be embarrassed if my name was Twinkle Glitter.”
“If it wasn’t for the Code of Chivalry.” muttered Wub-Wubs.
“Yo, Wubs. There’s a stump in the path. Watch your step.” said Vinyl.
“I know. I told you already. I can see better than you can. My vision, although unconventional, is second to none.” said Wub-Wubs. “Nothing can take me by surprise. I see everything coming, often bef-.”
A grey blur smashed into Wub-Wubs, cutting off his sentence and knocking him to the ground. Wub-Wubs was dazed and confused, truly blinded now that his hooves were off of the ground.
“Didn’t see that coming.” said Vinyl.
“What in Tartarus was that?!” he asked, scrambling to his hooves in outrage.
“Whoops. My bad.” said the blur, a grey pegasus. Her voice was goofy and a little slurred, but she seemed genuinely sorry. “I was just trying to deliver this to Appleloosa, but I ended up in Ponyville. I just don’t know what went wrong.”
> 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.”
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tall grass slashed at the colt’s legs as he galloped at full speed to his home. He was in an even bigger rush to get home on this day, as he was excited to see his father return. Of course, he’d never actually see him. The blind colt rushed through the grasses of his village, darting between his neighbor’s homes, and knocked on his house door.
“Mother! I’m home!” he called. A short second of clattering later, and the door opened. In the frame was a smiling orange mare who ushered the colt indoors. She guided him to the kitchen, where she was preparing food for the Festival of Vocal.
“Did you get home alright?” she asked. “You say that you don’t need Bari’s help, but…”
“I’m fine, Mother.” said the colt. “Did Father arrive yet?”
“I’m afraid not. He won’t be home until supper.” she said. Catching the look of disappointment on her son’s face, she attempted to cheer him up. “That gives you time to work on your song.”
“Where is Chora? And Ryth?” he asked.
“Your brothers are working the fields. They will be in shortly.”
“How come I never have to work with them?”
“It’s… No reason.” she lied.
“Is it because of my visual impairment? I suppose that makes sense. Without my sight, I’d be useless in the fields.”
“You mustn’t think of yourself as useless. Everypony exists for a reason, and we all have an impact on the world around us.” she said.
“Yes. Lady Vocal wouldn’t create me without purpose.” said the colt. “I understand, Mother.”
“Did you know your father once thought himself useless?” said the mother. “Look at him now. Lady Vocal’s personal guard.”
“Do you think the festival will please her?” asked the colt. “I hope she enjoys our song.”
“How could she not? My handsome little stallion is singing it.”
“Mother, what do I look like? I’ve never seen myself.”
“Your coat is the brightest white and-” began the mother.
“What is white?”
“It’s a color. It’s bright and empty and ever-expanding. Your coat is that color, with thin, black lines running across you horizontally. Black is what you see all the time. The opposite of white, it is dark and dense and encompassing. Your eyes are a sort of soft brown, like chocolate.”
“I knew brown.” said the colt. “At least, it feels familiar. It feels like a forgotten memory.”
“How can that be?” asked the mother.
“I’m not sure, but I can feel it. Sometimes, when I sing or hear singing, I can feel the same things I feel when I’m around objects. When I sing the Anthem of Muussa, I feel the same as when I’m near daisies or out in the bright sun. What does that mean?”
“Yellow. You normally feel proud when you sing our anthem, correct? Proud and happy?”
“Yes.”
“Yellow is a color that does something similar, but instead of hearing it, you see it with your eyes.” said the mother. She looked out of her kitchen window and caught glimpse of the sun, which was dropping steadily. “Your father should be getting home soon. I’ll go fetch your brothers.”
“Mother?” asked the colt. “When will the war end?”
“I’m not sure. Nopony is.”
“Will Father have to go back and fight?”
“Of course not. The war is between the Octav clan and the Decib clan, and our village has members of neither. That’s why your father moved us out here. So we wouldn’t get caught in the middle of the fighting.”
“But couldn’t Father help? Before we moved, his Ballad saved hundreds of lives, even Lady Vocal herself.” said the colt.
“Don’t worry. Your father is just trying to protect us.” said the mother. “Go get ready. Lady Vocal will be here soon”
The colt trotted upstairs and into his room. He hummed a soft little song, high and proud, perfecting his pitch. The song had to be flawless, as it would be heard not just by the entire village, but by Lady Vocal the All-Maker herself. She deserved nothing but the best, and the blind colt was determined to supply her with just that. He pulled his drums from under his bed and began to beat against them softly. He started to vocalize, singing in words ancient and unknown, even to the Muusists. His song vibrated throughout the house, creating a soft buzzing.
“That sounds wonderful.” said a tall, thin mare, entering the colt’s bedroom. Her coat was a glowing, crystalline blue and her mane was a bright flowing emerald green. Her eyes burned yellow, bright as the sun. As soon as he heard the voice, the blind colt dropped to a bow.
“Lady Vocal!” he exclaimed. “Forgive me. I was not aware you arrived already.”
“That is quite alright. I simply came to say hello, and to deliver you to your father.” said Vocal.
“My father is back?”
“Yes. As much as I enjoy having him around, Treble does like to see his family.” she said kindly. “And I’ve been wanting to have a word with you.”
“With me?” asked the colt. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Of course not. I just wanted to apologize for my error. When I was creating you, my magic went awry, which is why you cannot see. I’m terribly sorry and I hope that I may fix it one day.”
“Thank you, milady. I am most gracious for your offer.” said the colt. “May I go see me father?”
“By all means. Go right on ahead.” said Vocal, stepping aside. The colt galloped down the stairs and into the kitchen. He grasped his father in a tight hug, happy he was back.
“There’s my little warrior!” said Treble, hugging his son. “How are you?”
“I’m good, Father. Happy to see you.” said the colt. “Well, not see you, but rather to hear you.”
“I’m glad to be back home, although I’m afraid I cannot stay for longer than a week.”
“Why not?”
“Lady Vocal has given me an assignment. I’d like to talk to you about it, but I have to go. The festival is about to start. Go meet with your brothers, so that you will be ready for the song. I’ll come get you later.” said the father, rustling the colt’s mane. The blind colt nodded and followed his father’s instructions, meeting his brothers outside. They trotted through the villages, past tents and vendors selling their wares. There would be time to take a look at everything later. They walked swiftly to the center of their village, where a huge platform had been erected not ten minutes earlier. Atop of this platform was three seats, one for the chief of the village, one for Treble, the head guard, and a huge, intricate throne which was occupied by Vocal. In front of the platform was a swarm of ponies, craning their necks to get a glimpse at their beloved Lady. A short second later and the extra two seats were taken by their owners. The colt felt a dash of pride, nearly glowing at the fact that his father was trusted and important enough to be seated next to Lady Vocal.
“Greetings!” called Treble, rising to his hooves. The chatter of the crowd died near instantaneously. “Greetings to all! We are gathered here today to celebrate! Celebrate our creation, our country, and our Lady. It was on this day, many years ago, before time had a name, that the All-Maker took this land as her own! Whether it be by a vision or goodwill or just unbearable boredom, the All-Maker created the first of our kind, one to whom our land is now named! Today is a celebration of the birth of Muussa! Today is a celebration of our lives and our good fortune, which we all owe to the All-Maker! Please, bow before her, a mare who needs no introduction: Lady Vocal, the All-Maker!”
As Vocal rose to her hooves, her subjects dropped their heads into a bow. She smiled and stepped forward, clearing her throat for her speech.
“Thank you! Thank you all for welcoming me to your village, which is as beautiful as ever, and thank you for this wonderful celebration!” she said. “I am truly honored to be here. Before we commence the festivities, I would just like to say that I love you all. Every face I see in this crowd makes me smile wider than the Bas Chasm! In that same breath, I must voice my displeasure.” 
The entire crowd collectively gasped, afraid and ashamed that they had offended their Lady. Right away, some begged for forgiveness and offered themselves to receive the punishment.
“Not with you, but instead with your brothers. This war makes the land weep and saddens it’s music. Your brothers are fighting against one another and it pains me to no end. So, if you see a brother on the battlefield, please, ask them to stop. There are better ways than fighting to work out a squabble. But I’m droning on, so, with the Song of the Foals, let the Festival commence!”
The colt heard his cue and trotted to the stage, joined shortly by his brothers. Although he couldn’t see her, he knew his best friend was watching him and glowing with pride. She would’ve been up there too, had it not been for her terrible cold. The blind colt began to hum, soft and deep at first, then growing louder and higher. Chora joined in, humming a little deeper than his brother, followed by Ryth, humming deeper than them both. Their horns were shrouded in a blue light and their drums faded into view before them. 
THOOM!
THOOM!
They beat on their drums twice each, then opened their mouths. Before they could begin to sing, another song floated into the village, a whispered song that brought fear to Treble and Vocal. The crowd of Muussists below were panicking and shouting, yet remaining completely motionless.
“Lady Vocal.” said Treble. “We must get you out of here.”
“I fear it is too late.” she said. “I cannot move.”
“What is happening?” asked the colt. “Why can’t I move?”
“This song is dangerous. It is called the Opera of Ash and it is a lethal war song.” said Treble. “First, it paralyzes all who hears it. Then it… what it does isn’t important. What is important, very important, is that you know I love you. I just wish your mother could be here with me to hear it.”
“I’m sure she knows.” said Lady Vocal, tears flowing from her face. “I will be the first to go. This song activates for the oldest listener first, then goes younger and younger. It is a terrible song, designed for genocide and terrorism.”
“I have failed you, Lady Vocal. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be, Treble. You’ve done more than enough for me. My last order is this: Let go.” said Vocal, smiling nervously. She was bathed in red light which engulfed her completely, shining sinisterly. Everypony released an outwards gasp, shocked and terrified. Lady Vocal glowed brighter and brighter, thin cracks and fissures growing in her skin. A fine, grey powder began to pour from the cracks, the ash piling around her unmoving hooves. She gave Treble, the blind colt, Ryth and Chora one last smile before erupting into a cloud of ash, settling on the floor. Treble screamed in rage and sorrow, louder than the rest of the crowd by far.
“I can’t stop it! There’s no counter-song!” shouted Treble. Just then, an idea came to him. “I can’t stop it, but I can speed it up. Is there anypony against me ending our misery?”
The entire crowd remained silent. Nopony saw much point in fighting, especially now that the All-Maker herself has been vanquished. Treble opened his mouth and a soft song floated out of his mouth. It was less than a whisper, softer than the Opera. He sang a single word, repeated over and over again.
“Goodbye.” he whispered. Red light surrounded everypony and Treble’s song was activated. With tears flowing from his eyes, he, the crowd, the chief, the entire village, burst into flaming ash. The blind colt cried out in his final seconds, a soft buzzing flowing through his body.
“Lady Vocal, please forgive us.” he said, bursting into ash and smoldering on the ground.

A blood red stallion stepped through the ashes of the former village. His job was simple to the point of dullness, but he couldn’t complain. It was either this or scouting, and Vocal knew how much he hated scouting. He picked through the ashes, looking for survivors he knew weren’t there. He poked at the ash with his sword, whistling as he went. He got to what used the be the center of the village, coughing at the concentration of airborne ash and dust. He whistled a little song to create a barrier, something to keep the dust away. It was a simple song, but very similar to another song. There was a difference of one note and the stallion was never good at remembering which note was which. He whistled his tune and was suddenly blinded by a flash of red. Out of the light stepped a white colt, no older than 9 years old, with black lines running across his body. He stumbled forward blindly, confused and scared.
“Well, I’ll be… It’s a survivor!” said the stallion.
“Who are you? Where is my father? Bari? Where is Lady Vocal?” asked the colt. The stallion touched his shoulder and the blind colt instantly felt uneasy. A strong vibration flew through his body, telling him that this stallion was not a friend. The colt grabbed the blade that was hovering in front of the stallion and brandished it in his mouth. He jumped forward and slashed, cutting his savior’s throat. The stallion fell to the ground, coughing and gurgling on his own blood. The colt was surrounded in red light again and faded slowly from view.

“Come this way, sister.” said the blue unicorn, rushing across the meadow. Her older sister followed close behind, catching a glimpse of everything around her. She grabbed her sister’s bright blue mane authoritatively and dragged her back a few yards.
“Don’t be foolish! This was a Muussist village. Who knows what sort of traps are around?” said the older sister. The younger sister wrestled free and yanked on her sister’s pale pink mane in retaliation.
“You’re the one being foolish! This civilization has been gone for over a thousand years. Nothing they set up could last that long!” said the younger sister. A small bird flew past and landed on her shoulder, whistling a soft tune. There was a flash of red light and a small colt stumbled out of it, crying on the floor. The sisters galloped to his aid, trying to piece together the situation.
“Lady Vocal! Is she alright?” he asked panickedly. “My father! Brothers! Bari! Mother! Lady Vocal! Are they okay?”
“Vocal? As in the goddess?” asked the younger sister.
“Is the All-Maker safe?”
“She has been gone for over a thousand years. Who are you?” asked the elder sister.
“She can’t be gone! No! Who did it?! Who are you?!”
“I am Celestia, and this is my sister Luna.” said the older sister. “Come along, foal. We can help you.”
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The colt laid with his back to the two sisters, unwilling to believe what they were telling him. Celestia rose to her hooves and shut the door before beginning her tsunami of questions.
“Who are you?” she asked. “What was that light about? Why do you keep talking about Vocal and Muussa as if you were alive during their reign?”
“My father is gone.” said the colt. “My brothers, my mother, my friends, Lady Vocal. All gone.”
“Could you please look at me?” said Luna. “I would like to figure out what that light was.” The colt sat up on the bed, still facing the wall.
“Will it hurt?” he asked, still not looking the sisters. Luna tilted her head in confusion, then repeated her request.
“Please, look this way.” she said. The colt looked confused, then turned apologetically.
“I’m sorry. I thought I was looking at you.” he said.
“How could you… You are blind?” asked Celestia. “I should’ve known. The glazing on your eyes should have given it away.”
“This is… impossible, for starters.” said Luna, her horn glowing blue. “Tia, you have to look at this.”
“What is it?” asked Celestia, her horn glowing yellow. “How could this be? It’s amazing! Impossible, but amazing!”
“What is happening?” asked the colt.
“What in Equestria are you? These readings prove that you’re not here, yet there you are!” said Luna. “Everything about you suggests that you’re not matter, but I can see you, hear you, smell you, even touch you. Where are you from?”
“The Village of Melo-dii.”
“And where is that? What country does that village belong to?”
“The only country there is: Muussa.”
“What do you think, Luna?” asked Celestia. “Delusional colt or honest, hoof-to-Mother Muussist?”
“I’m not sure. He’s definitely old, old enough to be a Muussist.” said Luna. “That’s not what bothers me. What bothers me is his molecular structure. His atoms are… vibrating.”
“Vibrating? That’s odd. We’re going have to do an atomic examination.” said Celestia. She touched the colt’s shoulder softly, him flinching a bit in surprise. “We are going to examine you. It won’t hurt.”
“It is going to hurt a lot.” said Luna. “One of us is a liar. Now you can guess who. Begin, sister.”
Celestia nodded and her horn was shrouded in yellow light. The colt was raised off of the bed slightly, and a song floated from nowhere, masking his squeals of pain. Apparently, Celestia was the liar. It was a soft, whispered song, the lyrics indistinguishable from white noise. As the song grew softer, the colt began to fade from view. Celestia cancelled her spell in panic and the colts image solidified. He dropped onto the bed, gasping for air.
“What… happened?” he coughed.
“Luna, he’s a song.” said Celestia. “I don’t know how, but this colt is literally music.”
“It’s true! It wasn’t his atoms vibrating, because he doesn’t have any! He’s sound, vibrating at a resonance you see, rather than hear!” said Luna excitedly. “Tia! We’ve just discovered a new subspecies!”
“Fascinating! We’ll have to keep an eye on you, even after we give you up.”
“Wait, what?” asked the colt. “What are you going to do with me?”
“Put you in an orphanage.” said Luna.
“Why?!”
“Because you’re an orphan.” said Celestia. “Sorry to break it to you, but your parents are long dead.”
“That’s not the issue. You can’t leave me, you just can’t!” he cried.
“Why not?”
“You make me feel safe. Last time this happened, I had a panic attack and I… Oh my.” said the colt, memories just flowing to his head. “I killed a stallion. One of the warring clans-ponies. He came to my village in search of survivors and I…”
“What do you mean ‘last time’? Has this happened before?” asked Celestia.
“Yes. One minute, I was next to my father and next thing I know, a stallion is brandishing a sword in my face.” said the colt. “Then, a second later, I was with you two. I feel safer with you.”
“Why is that?” asked Luna.
“I didn’t kill you like I did the other.”
“Not like you could.” said Celestia. “My sister is the second most talented unicorn to ever live.”
“Who’s the first, dare I ask?” said Luna.
“Me, of course. You always ask such silly questions, little sister.” said Celestia. “But she’s good at making decisions. What do we do with the colt?”
“I want to keep him, but what would Mother say?”
“She’d say something along the lines of ‘What a cute little colt! My daughters are doing a good thing by bringing you in.’”
“And Father?” asked Luna.
“He’d say ‘This new servant of yours is exceeding expectations.’”
“What?” asked the colt.
“Well, if we’re keeping you, you’re going to have to be our servant.” said Celestia.
“And why is that?”
“Look, my father is many things. Charitable is not one of them. He’s not going to let anypony stay in the castle for free.”
“Castle? What castle?”
“Canterlot Castle.” said Luna. “Capital of Equestria.”
“What are we doing in a castle?”
“Our parents rule this land.” said Celestia. “We’re sort of a big deal.”
“So, you two are princesses?” asked the colt. He was shocked. The only royalty he’d ever met was Lady Vocal, and she never had servants or charged guests to stay in her castle.
“Not yet. We’re underage, so we’re technically still nobles.” said Luna. “As soon as we turn 18, we gain the honorary title of princess.”
“And we gain actual ruler status whenever we turn 21 or our parents die, whichever comes first.” added Celestia. “I’m betting on the latter, and I for one can’t wait. But, for now, you may address us by the title of ‘Lady’. Lady Celestia and Lady Luna.”
“You sound quite eager for the death of your parents.” said the colt.
“Not really eager, just expectant.” replied Luna. “Our parents have ruled Equestria for several hundred years. They told us themselves that they don’t have much more time.”
“What happens when they pass?”
“My sister and I ascend to the throne, get our wings, find our successors, and rule Equestria.” said Celestia, eyes gleaming at just the thought.
“Find your successors? Wouldn’t you just have to have children?” asked the colt. “This monarchy is continued through the bloodline, no?”
“It is. Or it was, anyway. Up until me and Luna were born. Our father cast a spell on our reproductive system that prevents us from reproducing. He said that any children we have would be too powerful, and that it would be a foolish risk to allow them to live. Rather than killing them when they’re born, he stops them ever existing.”
“He even went as far as to make us not want to have children.” said Luna. “He corrupted certain hormones and numbed certain nerves so we don’t feel pleasure during… You know.”
“Actually, I don’t.” said the colt. “What are you talking about?”
“How old are you?” asked Celestia.
“Seven.”
“That explains it. I’m 16 and my baby sister is 15. But I suppose that doesn’t really matter if you don’t intend to play your role as a servant.”
“If it’s the only way to stay with you… I suppose I haven’t much choice.” said the colt.
“Excellent! We get a new servant and a new science experiment!” squealed Luna. “This is going to be interesting!”
“We’re going to have to repair your eyes first.” said Celestia. “Come here. I can fix them for you.”
“Don’t even bother.” said the colt. “Many healing songs have tried and failed to gift me with sight. Even Lady Vocal herself couldn’t correct her error.”
“Probably because she’s not real.” said Luna.
“Of course she’s real! I’ve met her! My father works for the All-Maker! Or he did, anyway.” said the colt sadly.
“Well, if she was real, even Luna would be more powerful than her.” said Celestia. “Don’t get me wrong, my sister is strong and all, but if she’s stronger than your gods, you should seek a new religion.”
“Don’t mind Celestia.” said Luna. “I will be sure she gets what’s coming to her.”
“And when will that happen, baby sister?”
“When you least expect it, Tia. When you least expect it.”
“Hello?” said the colt. “Weren’t you supposed to give me sight?”
“This spell should repair them in a few minutes.” said Celestia, her horn glowing yellow.
“I’ve been meaning to correct you on that. You’re not technically repairing anything, because my eyes aren’t broken. There’s nothing to fix, because this is my default state. I was born this way and I will die like this.”
“In any case, you’ll be able to see in 3… 2… now.” said Celestia. The colt’s eyes grew brighter and more vibrant, his pupils dilating. He pushed his back against the wall in panic, screaming at the top of his lungs.
“What is this?!” he asked. “What happened?! Stop! Stop! It’s making my head hurt!”
“Way to go, sister.” said Luna. “You put the poor colt into shock.”
“How was I to know that he’d have a panic attack?” asked Celestia.
“He’s been blind all of his life! Just imagine the information overflow. He feels like his head is about to burst.”
“How do I stop it?!” asked the colt, squinting his eyes closed. His breathing grew more and more ragged and he began to tremble violently. “I still see it! Why can I still see?!”
“It’s called ‘memory’ child.” said Celestia. “Stop screaming or my father will have your head.”
“Too much!” he panted. His body fell limp as the shock finally overtook his body. Luna picked him up and tucked him into bed, rustling his mane gently. She turned to face her sister with her horn glowing and fired a blast of blue light at Celestia. The blast hit the older unicorn in the chest, freezing her stiff and dropping her onto her side.
“Damn it, Luna!” she grunted. “What was that for?”
“I told you.” giggled Luna. “When you least expect it.”

The colt trotted into the throne room and bowed before the thrones. Celestia and Luna rose from their seats and bowed their heads downward. The priests entered from both sides, each one carrying a crown, one golden with a purple gem and one black with a light blue gem. The priests brought the headpieces over to the colt on levitated pillows, then bowed on either side of him. He raised his head and took the black crown from the pillow. He’d been rehearsing his lines for weeks, ever since the King and Queen of Equestria tragically met their end.
“With this crown, I dub thee Princess Luna of Equestria. May your rule be one of peace and prosperity.” he said, placing the crown atop of Luna’s head. She raised her head and stood triumphant, finally a princess. Now time for her sister. The colt took the other crown and trotted to Celestia.
“With this crown, I dub thee Princess Celestia of Equestria. May your rule be one of peace and prosperity.” he repeated, placing the crown on Celestia’s head. She looked up proudly and took her spot next to her sister. They slowly spread out their wings and flapped into the air, spreading them out and letting the light from the sun pouring through the window shine down on them. They fluttered to the ground and bowed, completing the ceremony.
“I am happy that you were the one to crown us.” said Luna. “But you said something about an additional ceremony. What ceremony?”
“I wish to serve you until the day that I die.” said the colt. “To prove this, I am going to return something to you.”
“What is that?” asked Celestia. The colt remained silent, his horn becoming enveloped in a brown light. The brightness faded from his eyes, returning them to the glazed, blind state of his birth. The light from his horn faded and his eyes faintly smoked.
“I offer you my blind service, henceforth and forevermore.” said the colt, blind once again.
“You really didn’t have to do that.” said Celestia. “In fact, you sort of handicapped your service with that.”
“I was able to last for seven years without sight and I can last even longer.” said the colt. “Seven years with it hasn’t changed a thing.”
“But a lot has changed in that time.” said Luna. “To think that Mother Father are actually gone.”
“And only a year after I wagered.” said Celestia. “I was always bad at predicting this sort of thing. Thank goodness you chickened out on that bet, Luna.”
“I could’ve had you for ten bits.”
“Anyway.” said the colt. “Now that you two are the princesses, what do you plan on doing?”
“We have to spread the word.” said Luna. “It’s royal etiquette to inform neighboring kingdoms of a change in the throne. Now that we are in power, somepony has to tell Chrysalis and Sombra.”
“Aren’t they enemies?”
“They are, but the rules still apply. They are of royal blood and therefore must be informed.” said Celestia. “I’ll go.”
“No! You mustn’t go to Sombra’s kingdom!” cried the colt. “The Crystal Empire is dangerous! If you perish out there, Equestria will be defenseless!”
“Then who do you suggest goes?” asked Luna. “Somepony has to, so who’s it going to be?”
“I’ll do it. Just give me armor and weapons, and I’ll go spread the word.” said the colt. 
“You’re going to go to the Crystal Empire?” snickered Celestia. “Yeah, that’s going to work. A blind, fourteen year-old, blind colt who is, did I mention, blind?”
“I do not need my sight to serve miladies. Even if I die out there, it would be worth it, just to help you.”
The colt was surrounded in a bright light, completely hiding him from sight. The light faded, and he fell to his knees with a much different appearance. His coat was a light, coffee-brown and his lines disappeared. His eyes faded from hazel to a light golden, and an image appeared upon his flank. A grey, steel-colored shield shined on his rear.
“What happened?” he asked in fear. “What was that feeling?”
“You got your Cutie Mark.” said Luna, helping him up. “A shield. I suppose it means you are meant to guard something.”
“You. I’m meant to guard and protect you. My destiny is to be your protector and servant until the day I die. Let’s begin now. I’ll be back soon, Lady Celestia, Lady Luna. Do not worry.”

The colt stood in the corner of the throne room, unaware of what to do next. He watched in terror as the two princesses whom he had protected and served for the past 10 years stared each other down, the younger sister with malice and hatred in her eyes, the elder with pain and regret in her own. Princess Celestia stepped forward, trying to plead with her sister.
“Not another step!” bellowed Luna. Celestia halted, taken aback by her sister’s outrage. “Did you really expect me to sit idly while they basked in your precious light?”
“Lady Luna. Please stop.” said the colt. Luna ignored him and stepped forward.
“There can only be one princess of Equestria and that princess will be me!” she shouted.
“Luna, I will not fight you.” said Celestia. “You must lower your moon. It is your duty.”
“Luna? I am Nightmare Moon! I have only one duty and that is to destroy you!”
“Lady Luna, I have to urge you to stop this at once.” said the colt. “Lady Celestia does not want a fight and, quite frankly, neither do you. It would be unwise for you to war against your sister.”
“Silence! I am not this ‘Luna’ that you speak of! I am Nightmare Moon!” she cried.
“Luna, if you do not stop this, I will be forced to use the Elements of Harmony!” said Celestia.
“Try me, Celestia.” said Luna, firing a beam from her horn. It hit the ceiling, blowing a hole in the roof. She flapped her wings and rose through the hole and into the night sky. Celestia turned her back, burning tears flowing from her face.
“Help me!” she begged. “If you help me, we can defeat Luna without hurting her too much.”
“I can’t.” said the colt. “I can’t fight Lady Luna.”
“You have to help me! I can’t do this alone.”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot help hurt her. It goes against what I stand for. I love and adore her far too much.”
“How the hell do you think I feel?!” asked Celestia. “Do you really think I want to be the one to fight and possibly kill my sister? What are you going to do? Join her or help me?”
“Neither.” said the colt, not noticing the faint song floating from him. “I will stay neutral.”
“You can’t stay neutral. Choosing neither is not choosing at all.”
“I can’t help you if it is going to hurt Lady Luna, and I cannot help her if it is going to hurt you.”
The song grew louder and louder, startling both of them. The colt slowly began to fade, becoming translucent. He grabbed at his own wrist, his hoof passing right through.
“What is happening?” he asked in panic.
“You’re fading. Since you won’t fulfill your destiny of serving the princesses, you are drifting back into song.” said Celestia. “You will be gone in a few minutes. This would be relatively easy to resolve with my sister’s aid, because all we need is to sing the song that your structure has become. I can’t do it alone.”
“So, I will be gone until Lady Luna comes to her senses?” he asked. Celestia nodded. “I guess that means that I will never return.”
“Do not say never. The universe is massive, ridiculous, and ever-changing, but there is very rarely room for definites such as ‘never’ and ‘always’. Only fools deal in absolutes, so I may see you again, if we are lucky.”
“Then let us hope that luck is on our side.” said the colt nervously. His coat was almost completely transparent and his voice was becoming drowned in the song.
“Good-bye.” said Celestia.
“Good-bye, milady.”

> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.”

> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sir Wub-Wubs levitated a knife from his cape pocket and floated it over to the smoke cloud. He buried the blade up to the hilt, waited a moment, then removed it. The sharp steel of the knife was completely gone.
“I figured as much. Molecular Diffusion Field. Spreads apart the atoms and molecules of whatever it touches until it becomes nothing.” said Sir Wub-Wubs.
“Eh. Doesn’t sound like the worst way to go.” said Vinyl.
“In the top 5. It would be excruciatingly painful and would take a relatively long time. 3 minutes for a complex creature such as yourself.”
“How are we gonna get past?” asked Derpy.
“Good question.” said Wub-Wubs. “Anypony got any ideas?”
“Derpy could fly us over.” said Vinyl.
“Too risky. She might drop us. What else?”
“We can go around.” tried Derpy.
“An entire city? We just don’t have that type of time.”
Sir Wub-Wubs was so wrapped up in thought that he didn’t notice the faint song coming from the shadows. Vinyl slowly took a step forward, being drawn toward the cloud of smoke.
“This doesn’t make sense.” said Derpy. “I was just here the other day. It was fine when I was here and now it’s gone!”
“I can only think of a few ponies who could completely destroy a city in such a short period of time. None of them make sense.”
“What doesn’t make sense?” asked Vinyl, stopping just outside the shadow.
“Well, only so many ponies could pull off destruction on this level. Lady Luna, Lady Celestia, this Princess Cadence I heard about could do it, uh… I could do it and… Well, even if she could, she wouldn’t.”
“Hey, I want to try something.” said Vinyl.
“What?” asked Wub-Wubs, noticing Vinyl for the first time. “Vinyl! Get away from there!”
Vinyl stepped forward, walking into the smoke. Wub-Wubs sat with his jaw dropped as Vinyl exited the smoke, completely unharmed. Just to boast, she jumped in and back out.
“Are you dense, mare?!” shouted Wub-Wubs. “You could’ve been killed!”
“But I wasn’t.” said Vinyl. “Why is that?”
“Why does it matter?! What were you thinking?!” 
“But how?” asked Derpy. “You should’ve been killed! I’m glad you’re not, but how?”
“I dunno. I just felt like I should try it. That song just made me feel like I could do it.”
“Song? What song?” asked Wub-Wubs.
“You guys didn’t hear it? It wasn’t exactly loud, but if I heard it, you guys should’ve.” said Vinyl, scratching her head.
“What did the song say? Was there lyrics or just a melody?”
“It said ‘go.’ It told me to walk into the smoke.”
“And you listened?! You just listen to any old siren-song mindcontrol?!”
“Well, it worked out for me.”
“Scratch, that was the dumbest, bravest, most moronic act i’ve ever seen. Not to mention useless.”
“What do you mean, ‘useless’?” asked Vinyl. 
“I mean that this doesn’t get us any closer to a solution. All that accomplished was giving me a heart attack.”
“Dude, the solution is obvious.”
“What is it?” asked Derpy.
“Duh! If you guys keep a hold of me, you’ll be okay!”
“How do you know that?” asked Wub-Wubs.
“The song told me so.”
“And we’re just going to trust it?”
“It didn’t let me down before.” she said.
“Well, maybe it won’t be so generous this time. Maybe it was lying to get us all to walk in together. And what makes you think you’re protected permanently? Sounds like a huge nugget of good luck.”
“Maybe this is why the Whispers are after me. You said I have something Hades wants, and maybe this is it! Some weird power that can resist his magic!”
“We could always go home.” said Derpy. “Tell the princesses what we found. I thought that’s what we were going to do anyway. Why do we have to get through Appleloosa?”
“I told you when you joined.” said Wub-Wubs. “We have to fight Hades. Hades is in Tartarus and a portal to Tartarus is a hard thing to create. Only Lady Luna and Lady Celestia could do it, and they can only do it once every thousand years, so it’s up to us to find one. I know where one is.”
“It’s in the Badlands, isn’t it?” said Vinyl. “If we have to go, there’s no other way but to trust the song.”
“That’s a lot of blind trust I’m putting into a piece of music.” said Sir Wub-Wubs uncomfortably.
“Your people had a special relationship with music. You trusted it and you still do. Just give it a chance.” said Vinyl.
“I don’t trust a song if I can’t meet the composer.”
“Then trust me.”
Sir Wub-Wubs thought it over, trying to find some sort of flaw in Vinyl’s plan. Besides the obvious risk of death, he didn’t come up with much. He let out a pained sigh, disappointed that he would have to depend on a mare.
“Fine. I’ll trust you to lead us through the smoke.” said Wub-Wubs, placing his hoof on Vinyl’s flank. She slapped it away angrily.
“Dude! You can’t just touch my butt like that!” she said.
“That was your butt? Ugh! I’ll have to burn this hoof.”
“If you didn’t want to, why’d you do it?”
“I’m blind, remember?”
“Oh, yeah, the old ‘I’m blind’ excuse! I’ve heard that one before!”
“I thought I made my feelings for you clear: I don’t like you that way. In fact, I barely like you the other way.”
“Please stop!” said Derpy. “We have to go, right? So why don’t we stop arguing and get moving?”
“Alright, alright.” said Vinyl, moving Wub-Wubs’ hoof to her back. “But no matter how sweet and soft it may look, keep your hoof away from there, alright?”
“With pleasure, Vinyl Scratch.” said Wub-Wubs. “Are you on, Derpy?”
“Am now.” she said, placing a hoof next to Wub-Wubs’. Vinyl took a step forward, passing into the smoke. The air was different, more dense and smelly, like old cheese. It was all they could do to stop themselves from coughing on the rancid stench of the evil black smoke. About halfway through, Vinyl started feeling dizzy, as though she would pass out at any moment.
“We have to get out of here soon.” said Derpy. “This stuff stinks.”
“That’s gonna help me narrow down who could’ve done this.” said Wub-Wubs. “I’ve gotten it down to a grand total of one pony with this ability, and I know he didn’t do it.”
“How can you be so sure?” asked Vinyl.
“Because you were sleeping on his chest when this happened. This is definitely Muussist magic, and I’m the only one left. Of course, this could be some weird mimicry magic, which places blame back on Hades. This looks like his style and his work, so I have no doubt in my mind that it’s him doing it.”
“I can see the exit!’ said Derpy. “Wait, is it real or a vision? It’s getting hard to tell.”
“It’s real.” said Vinyl. She could also see the break in the smoke a few yards away, sun pouring in the otherwise impenetrable gas cloud. The trio trotted carefully through the break, being careful as to stay touching. When they escaped the shadow, Vinyl let out a sigh of relief and told Wub-Wubs that it was safe to let go.
“Thank Celestia that worked.” said Vinyl.
“You had doubts?” asked Wub-Wubs.
“Not at first, but then that smell started hurting my head, not to mention that I’m freaking starving , all of that combined and got me a little worried about our survival.”
“Now that you mention it, I’m kinda hungry, too.” said Derpy.
“I could go for a bite.” said Wub-Wubs. He reached into his cape pocket and removed two knives, which he handed to both of the mares.
“What are we gonna do with these?” asked Vinyl.
“Go find a cactus and cut as much as you can. Then, bring it back here so we can have some breakfast.”
“You expect us to eat cactus? No way, dude. I’m a hay-burger-and-fries kind of mare.”
“Little known fact: Cooked cactus greens are delicious. Like roasted walnuts, but sweeter.”
“But how are you gonna cook them?” asked Derpy.
“Another little known fact: I’m a genius. Just get the cactus and I’ll do the rest. Oh, and make a little cup or something out of the greens. We need water.”
Derpy and Vinyl began their search for cacti, which was proving a much more difficult task than they thought. It seemed that this desert, while rich in sand, reptiles and other desert-esque things, was severely lacking in cacti.
“Where’s this stupid cactus?” asked Vinyl. “We’ve been walking for, like, ten minutes!”
“I see one!” said Derpy. “Right over there!”
“Cool. I see it, too. Let’s go!” said Vinyl, picking up speed. The cactus was only a few feet away, and they were slicing at it’s inner flesh in a few seconds.
“Hey, Vinyl.” said Derpy. “What’s up with those glasses?”
“What do you mean?” asked Vinyl, forming a little container out of the cactus. She used it to catch the water leaking from the plant.
“Why don’t you take them off? Do you have a problem with you eyes, too?”
“Nah, nothing like that. I wear these glasses to show that I’m a disk jockey. The glasses are the difference between Vinyl Scratch and Dj Pon-3.”
“Then how come you never take them off? I’ve only ever seen Dj Pon-3. When am I gonna meet Vinyl Scratch?”
“To tell you the truth, I don’t care for Vinyl Scratch too much.” said Vinyl. “I prefer the Dj. I met most of my friends as Dj, so why not just stay?”
“Uh…”
“Exactly. We should probably get this back to Wubs before another badger comes along and makes him pee himself.”
Derpy and Vinyl carried the spoils of their adventure back to Sir Wub-Wubs, who happily took the knives, cacti and water from the two mares. He used some of the cacti to make two more cups, then divided the water into them. He handed the mares a cup, which they drank from thankfully. Wub-Wubs stabbed his remaining four knives in a circle, all tilted at an angle, then placed the cacti in the center.
“Now we let Lady Celestia cook our food for us.” he said. “Am I good or what?”
“What?” said Vinyl.
“I said ‘am I good or-”
“I heard you.”
“Funny. You should go on the road with that routine.” he said sarcastically. “A stand-up comedian. The funny, the charming Dj Pon-3.”
“How do you know my stage name?”
“You talk in your sleep.” said Wub-Wubs with an evil smile. “You made quite a fool of yourself.”
“How did I do that?” asked Vinyl, falling for his trap. 
“‘Coming to the stage now is the mare with the sweetest drops in all of Equestria! Dj Pon-3!’.” mocked Wub-Wubs. “‘Hello Ponyville! Come talk to me after the show if you wanna drop more than beats if you know what I’m sayin.’ Classy of you, mare. Looks like my courtesan assumption was on point.”
“You think you’re so funny. You better sleep with one eye open. Not that it matters.”
“Guys! I think the cactus is done.” said Derpy, poking at the dark green plant. Wub-Wubs took a knife, stabbed a piece of cactus, then handed it to Derpy, he repeated the process for Vinyl and himself, bowed his head in his pre-meal prayer, then began to dig in.
“Huh. Never would’ve thought to eat cactus.” said Vinyl. “It’s pretty good.”
“I love it!” said Derpy, chowing into her third serving. It was a good thing they had plenty to spare, because Derpy was swallowing the cactus like another pony might breathe.
“I’m glad you guys enjoyed it. Lady Luna was the one who first fed me cactus.” said Wub-Wubs. “We were on an adventure, not unlike this one, and we stopped to eat. Lady Luna made cactus salad, cactus sandwiches, cactus burritos…”
“Cactus muffins?” asked Derpy.
“Yeah. Why?”
“I love muffins, all kinds of muffins! Banana, blueberry, cherry, strawberry, chocolate chip, lemon surprise! Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!”
“How about this? When this is all said and done, I’ll personally make you a batch of cactus muffins.”
“I’ll hold you to that, Sir Wub-Wubs.”
“Hey, it’s a mouse.” said Vinyl, pointing at the small, golden-brown rodent.
“Nice try, Scratch. I’m not falling for that twice.” said Wub-Wubs.
“She’s not joking.” said Derpy. “It really is a mouse. Wait, no. Not mouse. Mice. There’s… one, two, three… seven of them.”
“What are seven mice doing in the middle of the desert?” asked Vinyl. “Do mice travel in, like, packs or whatever?”
“No. There must be some sort of reason why. Maybe it’s just dumb luck, or Hades’ magic, or a big mouse family reunion. I don’t get it and I also don’t like it.”
“How long until we get to Tartarus?” asked Derpy.
“Hm… A few hours, at most.” answered Wub-Wubs. “I’m not worried about that, though. What we need to think about is how we’re going to defeat Hades. We need a plan. My blade will not be able to fell him alone, and I don’t know if I have any songs that will be strong enough to help.”
“What if I sang it?” tried Vinyl. “You said I sang the song better than you did, so maybe it’ll be enough.”
“No. You should only be able to sing that one song, since you’re not a Muussist. Equestrians can learn the songs of my people, but can only perfect one.”
“I could fly back to Princess Celestia.” said Derpy. “I can ask her for help.”
“There is no help. If Lady Celestia had somepony else to call, she wouldn’t have called me.” said Wub-Wubs, thinking it over. “Let’s think for a moment. What do I know about Hades? He’s clever, I know that. Conniving. He’s sneaky and deceptive, and chooses to have his enemies surrender before him rather than actually fight them. He has a habit of making deals with mortals, deals that look like they would give the mortal whatever they wanted, only to find out that something was hidden in the fine print.”
“Like a genie.” said Vinyl. “Rub a lamp, genie gives you three wishes. When you wish to jump high, he turns you into a frog.”
“That’s an interesting analogy, but it paints the picture correctly.”
“Trick him!” said Derpy. “You make a deal with him and then turn it around! You’re smart. I think you can do it, and that way, you beat him without risk of getting hurt.”
“That is brilliant, Derpy Hooves! You are a genius!” said Wub-Wubs. “I’ll offer Hades something he can’t refuse, and then I get him when he least expects it!”
“It was Vinyl who gave me the idea. I just read a book about a genie who got tricked and sucked back into his lamp!”
“That genie analogy was even better than I thought. Good job, Scratch. You just might’ve saved us.”

> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Tell me about this Princess Twilight.” said Sir Wub-Wubs, breaking the silence that had arisen several hours ago.
“Huh? You don’t know her?” asked Vinyl.
“Well, I know that she’s a princess, and that she’s sort of replaced me. Lady Celestia and Lady Luna have called me here before, but as soon as I arrived they sent me back because Twilight was dealing with it. Who is she?”
“Princess Twilight used to be Celestia’s student. She did a lot, even before she was princess. She defeated Nightmare Moon and turned her back into Luna.”
“Really? It’s her I have to thank for bringing me back to serve miladies?”
“She also turned Discord back into stone!” added Derpy.
“Discord? How could she defeat Discord?”
“She also defeated King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis, and Tirek. Wait a second… If we’re going to Tartarus, won’t that give Tirek a chance to escape?”
“I doubt it. As long as Cerberus is still there, I don’t think Tirek will be moving anytime soon.” said Wub-Wubs. “I still don’t get it. If Twilight has all of these achievements under her belt, why send me rather than her?”
“You might not want to hear this, but maybe it’s because she’s a princess.” said Vinyl. “From Celestia’s standpoint, it’s gotta be better for her to lose you rather than Princess Twilight. It seems wrong and cold, but it’s something to think about.”
“No, you’re probably right. It makes sense.”
“No.” said Derpy. “She picked you because you’re the best. Princess Twilight is powerful, but you’re even stronger.”
“You think so?”
“I do.” said Vinyl. “I was just joking around earlier. Trying to push your buttons is a lot of fun.”
“Something just occured to me.” said Wub-Wubs. “We’re in a desert, right?”
“Yeah. So?”
“Why aren’t we dying from heat stroke and dehydration? We should be unbearably hot and sweating out the last few drops of moisture in our bodies.”
“But good thing we’re not.” said Derpy. “Maybe it’s Hades’ magic. It’s making the animals and the weather act strangely.”
“Speaking of animals, are those mice still with us?” asked Wub-Wubs. “My vision is getting even worse.”
“They ran ahead a while ago. We might catch up to them.” said Vinyl. “Why is your vision getting worse?”
“The sand is loosening up, which is good. It means we’re getting closer to the Frostatip Mountains.”
“Don’t you mean the Macintosh Hills?” asked Derpy.
“That’s what they’re calling it now?” said Wub-Wubs, still a little behind the times. He stopped in his tracks, remembering something that had eluded his memory for the entire journey.
“What’s up, Wubs?” asked Vinyl.
“I remember! The Teleportation Song! Of course!” he cried, smacking his forehead with his hoof. “The Flicker Song!”
“You know a teleportation song?” asked Derpy. “Why haven’t you used it?”
“I forgot the words, but I remember them now.” said Wub-Wubs, clearing his throat. “We outweigh the air and are going nowhere, we will be lighter, Vocal’s three fighters. We rise in the air, is still going nowhere, but the thought of my Lady will protect and save me. Our Lady Vocal has gifted us song, we fight in her name and now we are gone.”
Bright light surrounded the trio, blinding them and shrouding them in heat and energy. They felt as if they were floating, with invisible walls compacting in on them. The heat grew more and more intense, as did the feeling of claustrophobia, until Vinyl and Derpy thought they could take no more. And then, just as quickly as it started, the heat cooled and the walls expanded, allowing them to breath. The light died down, revealing their new location. They were at the base of a tall, red-rocked mountain. Sir Wub-Wubs slowly stumbled forward, like a foal taking his first steps, and pressed his hoof against the mountain.
“This is it.” he said. “This portal will take us to the lower level of Tartarus, right in Hades’ main chamber if we’re lucky.”
“Cool! How do we get in?” said Vinyl, ready to see and defeat Hades. She had a question or two that only he could answer.
“Um…”
“You don’t know. Why does that not surprise me? I should’ve known that this was too easy!”
“Hold on, I’m trying to think…. Derpy!” exclaimed Wub-Wubs. “See anything?”
“I see… a cave, with stairs going down, but I don’t see how we’re going to get in.” said Derpy. She walked up to where the cave would be and knocked hard on the stone. “It’s solid, but there is something behind it.”
“We’ve come too far to let a little something like a locked door send us packing.” said Wub-Wubs. “We can break this lock, we just have to get creative! There has to be something, anything that I overlooked.”
“I don’t k-” began Vinyl, cutting herself off in confusion. She stopped and looked down at her hooves, which were slowly darkening.
“Some unknown factor that could help us.” muttered Wub-Wubs, pacing back and forth.
“Wubs?” said Vinyl, the black spreading up to her chest.
“An inexplicable detail that will get us into Tartarus.”
“Wubs?”
“A gift horse that I won’t look in the mouth.”
“Wubs!” shouted Vinyl in fear. Her entire body was now glowing black, and her face was slowly turning as well. Yellow light shined through her shades, which she promptly took off to reveal the glowing golden irises.
“What?” asked Wub-Wubs.
“I’m all black and glow-ey now! It’s freaking me out!” she panted, anxiety taking over. Soon, she’d hyperventilate, which is something she never wanted others to see. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself down.
“Relax. Here, take a seat.” said Derpy, leading her to the mountain. Vinyl sat down, pressing her back against the red stone of the mountain. She placed her sunglasses atop her head, when suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake and rumble. A thin fissure grew up the mountain, breaking open a cave, with smooth, grey stone stairs leading down into the bowels of the earth.
“What was that?” asked Wub-Wubs. “I felt movement.”
“It opened.” said Vinyl. “I sat against the mountain and it just split open.”
“You opened the portal? How? Do you have a Key?” asked Wub-Wubs. “You couldn’t have a Dimension Key. I’d sense it.”
“What’s a Dimension Key?” asked Vinyl.
“It’s an energy that can open a portal to any realm. You have it. Somehow.”
“How?”
“I have no idea. I’ll find out later, when we’re done here.” said Wub-Wubs, looking into the abyss uneasily. “After you?”
“You’re such a gentleman.” said Vinyl. She led the way down into the ground, Derpy behind her and Wub-Wubs behind Derpy. They walked down the warm, hard stairs, deeper and deeper into the hot, sweltering underground. There was an eerie, foreboding silence, not a peep coming from the trio, or anything else for that matter. Sir Wub-Wubs took the opportunity to check around for anything. Now that they were on something more solid, his “sight” returned to him.
“Nothing at all.” said Wub-Wubs. “No life other than us three. How much further down do we have to go?”
“Not much.” said Vinyl. “Only a few more feet.”
“I haven’t heard much from Derpy. You okay?”
“I’m fine. Just thinking.” said Derpy. “What is going to happen when this is over?”
“What do you mean?”
“Between us three. After we’re done, what’s going to happen? Will we still be friends?”
“Duh. I’m not just gonna jet on you two.” said Vinyl. 
“We’re here, aren’t we?” said Wub-Wubs. “What are we looking at?”
“A really big cave. The ceiling is high, with stalagmites hanging down and stalactites coming up from the ground. There’s a tunnel going forward and there’s a… an opening or something. I can’t see too much else. It’s really foggy in here.”
“It’s not fog.” said Derpy. “It’s… spirits.”
“She’s right.” said Wub-Wubs, his horn glowing bright blue. “This is Spirit Smoke. Evil spirits that had their souls removed and burst into vapor by Hades.”
“That’s jacked up, dude.” said Vinyl.
“Cruel, yet effective. I’ll take the lead now. This is going to be dangerous.”
Sir Wub-Wubs trotted in front of Vinyl, who was furiously scratching at her hooves. The black that stained her coat wasn’t showing signs of fading. She thought about bringing the issue to Sir Wub-Wubs’ attention, but disregarded the idea. She figured that he would disregard it, or ignore her.
“So many unanswered questions.” said Wub-Wubs, walking into the tunnel. “How did you know this wasn’t fog?”
“I saw their pain. I can see them screaming and groaning. It’s terrible.” said Derpy.
“Yo, do you guys hear that?” asked Vinyl. “It sounds like rushing water.”
“I just can’t catch a break, can I?” said Wub-Wubs. He had an idea what it was, but was holding on to the small glimmer of hope that he was mistaken. He trotted through the long tunnel, crawling closer and closer to the opening. When he reached it, he paused in front of the flowing river that was before him. It was about a dozen yards across, filled with rushing, purplish-black water. Sir Wub-Wubs smiled morbidly a few feet away from it, stopping the mares in their tracks. On the other side of the river was a huge, red castle, bloody-red towers standing tall and bold.
“What’s up, Wubs?” said Vinyl.
“The body of water before us is known as Styx River.” said Wub-Wubs. “Something that makes this expedition infinitely more dangerous.”
“Let’s just swim across.”
“No. If we touch the water, our souls will be stripped from our bodies and judged until our fates are decided. Then we will go to either the Fields of Asphodel, the Fields of Punishment, or the Fields of Paradisa. If you are deemed evil or sinful, you will go to the Fields of Punishment, where you are tortured and enslaved for all of eternity. If you are deemed good and peaceful, you will go to the Fields of Paradisa, a place of peace and harmony. The Fields of Asphodel is where most ponies go. Ponies who are neither good nor evil.”
“What you’re saying is don’t touch the water.” said Vinyl. “Derpy could fly us across.”
“No. You cannot swim through, fly over, teleport past, or ford the Styx River, unless you have a pass from the Keeper, who doesn’t seem to be here.”
“Hello? Who goes there?” asked a voice from behind, soft and kind, familiar to only Sir Wub-Wubs. When he heard the voice, he froze, filled with shock, joy and terror. He knew that voice. He heard the voice everyday, in his dreams, during meals, every waking moment of his life.
“Impossible. Where are you?” he said in disbelief.
“Over here.” she said. Slowly from the right, she stepped out of the shadows. Her body was thin and elegant, the definition of majesty and grace. Her blue coat was almost glowing, and had a crystalline shine. She absentmindedly twirled her emerald green mane, bouncing her glowing golden eyes from Wub-Wubs to Derpy, from Derpy to Vinyl, and from Vinyl back to Wub-Wubs. She trotted forward, her very presence baffling Sir Wub-Wubs to no end.
“Lady Vocal.” said Sir Wub-Wubs, turning and bowing before her. Tears were threatening to flow from his eyes, but he was holding it back very well. At the utterance of the name, Vinyl’s jaw dropped. She must’ve misheard, because Vocal just couldn’t be there.
“I’m sorry. Do I… know you?” asked Vocal.
“You don’t remember me?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“How could you not remember me?” said Wub-Wubs, his feelings more than a little hurt. Then he remembered his many, many aesthetic transformations. “Of course you don’t. There’s nothing to remember. You’ve never seen me like this before.”
“I beg your pardon?” said Vocal.
“My father was your personal bodyguard. I’m Treble’s son.”
“Treble’s son? No! Wait, wait, don’t tell me… Not Ryth… not Chora… you’re-”
“Lady Vocal, I can only ask that my name is kept between us.” said Wub-Wubs quickly. “If you wish to tell them, then by all means.”
“If you want me to keep it a secret, then I will honor that choice.” said Vocal. “But you are… the blind colt?”
“Yes, although I’m no colt. Time has not been very kind to me. It has, however, been fantastic to you. You are just as beautiful as I remember.”
“Yo!” exclaimed Vinyl. “Are you gonna introduce us?”
“Please do.” said Vocal.
“These are my companions, Vinyl Scratch and Derpy Hooves. I apologize for Scratch’s rudeness, disrespect, and ignorance, past, present, and future. Forgive me.”
“I’m sure she is just wonderful. If I may ask, how are you here? How are you in Tartarus?”
“We’re here to stop Hades!” said Derpy.
“Is that so? How do you intend to do so?” asked Vocal.
“I am going to trick the trickster. A few choice words and I will make a deal with Hades that he can’t refuse.” explained Wub-Wubs. “He’ll be in such a rush to accept that he won’t read the fine print.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“We have to cross Styx River.” said Vinyl. “Can you help us?”
“As a matter of fact, I can.” said Vocal. Her horn began to glow, surrounded by golden light. A path of yellow light shined across the width of the River. Lady Vocal grasped Wub-Wubs’ shoulder and trotted across the bridge. Wub-Wubs followed quickly, with Vinyl and Derpy close behind. They made their way towards the castle, allowing Wub-Wubs to ask the questions that had been plaguing his mind.
“Lady Vocal?” he asked. He didn’t care that he sounded like a child asking his mom for permission to play outside. “How did you survive? How did you end up in Tartarus? Why haven’t you left? What will you do when we get you out of here?”
“Um… Let’s talk after this is done, yes?” said Vocal, leading the way up the stairs.
“Perhaps you should stay out here.” said Wub-Wubs. “I do not wish to offend you, or to suggest that you can’t handle yourself, but it’s going to be dangerous in there. I cannot stand to lose you twice.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I don’t think Hades wants to fight.”
“Of course. Derpy, Vinyl, listen up!” said Sir Wub-Wubs boldly. “Until now, this quest had one goal, which was to defeat Hades. That is now the secondary goal. Our primary objective as of now is to return Lady Vocal to Equestria, and put her on the throne next to Lady Celestia and Lady Luna.”
“Lady Celestia? Lady Luna?” said Vocal, slightly bitterly. They reached the top of the stairs, where she opened the tall, wooden doors with her magic and brought the group into the main room of the castle. In the corner was an all-black stallion, locked in chains and unconscious. His mane was light blue and flickering like a flame that was dying out.
“Who’s that?” asked Vinyl.
“That is Hades, foolish mare.” said Vocal, closing the door. She levitated Vinyl, Derpy and Wub-Wubs towards the wall, smashing them into the stone.
“Milady! Something is attacking!” cried Wub-Wubs.
“I know. That was me.”
“Why? said Derpy.
“I needed an exit, and you fools hoof-delivered the only Dimension Key left in this filthy land of Equestria right to me.” said Vocal. “You really thought this was the work of Hades? Only a Muussist could do this, and their creator is here. Bow before Lady Vocal.”
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lady Vocal summoned chains around the trio’s hooves, binding them to the floor. She took Wub-Wubs’ sword and cape, and she covered Derpy’s eyes with a rag. She threw Wub-Wubs’ gear to the side and laughed maniacally.
“All of these years, just to be saved by my own creation! My only mistake, no less.” said Vocal, laughing.
“Milady? What…?” said Wub-Wubs.
“She’s evil, stupid!” said Vinyl, struggling to free herself. 
“This one is sharp, but not exactly fair.” said Vocal, pacing back and forth. “Is it evil for me to clean up my toys?”
“Huh?” said Derpy in confusion. “This is about toys?”
“I’ve been locked away here for far too long. Long enough to forget that idiocy such as this exists. You mare. You’re friends, your family, your loved ones, your comrades, your enemies! All of you are my toys! I made a mess, and I am trying to correct it.”
“Mess? What mess?” asked Wub-Wubs. “You couldn’t possibly fail at anything, milady.”
“I did fail, though. Muussa was a failure.” said Vocal. “You were at war, against my wishes. I had to punish you for your disobedience. Your war was coming to an end, but it was too late. My design was flawed, so I set out to start afresh.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I wanted to erase your kind from my Muussa and make a new people. But the question was simply how to destroy you without hurting the land? And then it hit me! I would let you finish your war.”
“You wanted them to fight?” asked Vinyl.
“Not at first. But when it got started, it had to end. I wanted to see the clans destroy each other, but the flames of war were dying down.” said Vocal. “I had to rekindle it, add a spark, so to speak. I faked my death to restart the fighting, but I… miscalculated. I was supposed to re-form in 3 years. I didn’t return to consciousness until recently. I leave with my creations warring at each other and when I come back, all of a sudden there’s an entire different species defiling my land!”
“That’s what the shadow is for.” said Wub-Wubs, finally understanding. “The shadow was going to erase all of Equestria so that you could make Muussa again.”
“Yes, that is the purpose of my Shroud. It’s working amazingly, by the way.” laughed Vocal. “The cities you call Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Appleloosa are all gone, and the Shroud is spreading quickly to your capital.”
“Lady Celestia will stop you.” said Wub-Wubs.
“Silence, foal! You call yourself a loyal Muussist, yet you go out and you worship your false gods!” shouted Vocal. “There is only one ‘Lady’ and she is the one who will destroy you all!”
“Wait a moment! The Opera of Ash was your doing?”
“Of course.”
“You are the reason my parents are dead? My brothers? Baritona?” said Wub-Wubs angrily.
“And you three are next. As soon as I remove the Dimension key from this insolent little mare, I will add you to my collection and then, Equestria will have no chance of stopping me!”
“Collection?” asked Derpy.
“Of course.” said Vocal, rustling Derpy’s mane. “I couldn’t just kill you all. That would be… short-sighted. I’m a creator, some would say an artist, and your kind may be useful inspiration later down the road. The Shroud doesn’t destroy, just archives. The Shroud makes contact, spreads the molecules into the air, and traps them in the smoke, which I will retrieve for a nice, easy clean up.”
“Why are you telling us this?” asked Vinyl. “Why not just ‘archive’ us and be done with it?”
“I need you for the Key. The colt is not a danger to me, and the pegasus has no power over her eyes.” said Vocal, chuckling a little. “Only a Muussist could defeat me, and the only one here is yours truly.”
“What about me?” asked Sir Wub-Wubs.
“Only a true Muussist, not the traitorous filth you are. You pledged your allegiance to me, but it was all false words and empty promises. You care not for me, but instead for yourself, how to better yourself and advance.”
“That’s not true! We cried when we thought you passed! We ended our own lives!”
“That’s exactly it! You broke under the pain. You didn’t endure, you didn’t persevere, you just gave up! You should’ve tried to avenge me, or to revive me, but instead you just rolled over and died!”
“I’m sorry, milady. I’m sorry for how I’ve wronged you. Please, allow me a chance to correct my blunder.” said Wub-Wubs.
“What’s the point? As far as I’m concerned, there was only one true Muussist, besides me, and that was Muussa himself! Muussa was perfect, kind and warm and strong. He loved and adored me, my perfect pet, my friend. He met his end protecting me from a gruesome creature, one who would have surely killed me. He was perfect and I wanted to replace him.”
“Lady Vocal.” said Sir Wub-Wubs. “Please. I beg of you, give me one more chance to serve you properly, milady. I promise, I will be just as loyal as Muussa, just as protecting.”
“Really?” asked Vocal. She hovered Sir Wub-Wubs’ magic, dubstep sword over to him and pressed it into his hoof. “Prove it.”
“How?”
“Kill yourself. Kill yourself to show your allegiance.”
Sir Wub-Wubs, without hesitation, removed the blade from it’s sheath, PON-3 FINAL3 playing from his weapon. He pressed the blade against his throat, shot Vinyl a smile then began to drag the blade across his neck, cutting deeply into his throat .
“Enough.” said Vocal, stopping the blade and healing his wound with her golden aura. She pointed her horn at his hooves, shattering the shackles into dust. “Come, child. We have work to do.”
“What may I have the honor of helping you with, milady?” asked Sir Wub-Wubs, bowing before his creator.
“Obviously, I need to be on the surface to collect the Shroud, and to spread more. Unfortunately, I need the mare in order to do that. She has the Dimension Key deep in her heart and I need it out. As humbling and degrading as it is, I need your help for such a task. You see, the magic of they Key is fairly new to me, and I cannot fail. If the Key is lost, then I am trapped here forever.”
“You need me to remove the Key from Scratch? That will take some time, milady. A few hours at least. I’m sorry I can work no faster, but that magic is complex and intricate, and one wrong move will destroy both Vinyl and the Key.”
“Take your time.” said Vocal, dragging Hades across the floor. The chains broke away as she hefted him out of the door, shutting it behind her. Sir Wub-Wubs raised Vinyl into the air with his magic, a smile spreading across her face.
“Nice one! She’s gone!” said Vinyl. “Let us out so we can bail!”
“No can do, Scratch.” said Wub-Wubs, pushing Vinyl’s back to the wall. He magically rearranged her shackles, chaining her hind legs to the ceiling and her front legs to the ground. 
“What are you doing, Wubs?! Let me down from here!”
“No. Lady Vocal gave me a task and I plan on completing it to the best of my abilities. Now sit still. I don’t want to hurt you unnecessarily.”
“Sir Wub-Wubs?” asked Derpy. “Did you… betray us?”
“It’s not that simple, Derpy. I wouldn’t expect either of you to understand.” said Wub-Wubs. He pressed his horn against Vinyl’s chest, right over her heart, bathing them both in a blue aura. The black staining Vinyl’s coat slowly faded, her eyes reverting back to their natural color underneath her shades.
“Are you seriously giving us up for her?” asked Vinyl, giving another fruitless attempt at escape.
“Yes. How could I not? Do you realise who she is? ‘The All-Maker’ is not an honorary title. She has created me, and my people. I cannot deny her any request.”
“But she’s using you, dummy!”
“I know. That is her will.”
“You’re really going to sit there and let her destroy Equestria? The place you worked for over a thousand years protecting?” asked Vinyl. “You’re going to let her kill Princess Celestia and Princess Luna? You’re refusing your destiny here!”
“My destiny is to serve my Lady. Lady Vocal is my Lady once more.” said Wub-Wubs. “And she’s not going to kill them. You heard the All-Maker. They will be archived, frozen in suspended animation.”
“Them, yeah, but what about us? What is she going to do to us?” asked Vinyl. Sir Wub-Wubs remained silent, concentrating on his work. 

Lady Vocal dragged Hades’ sleeping body out of the castle and down it’s hard, hot stairs, none too gently. Hades’ head bounced off of each of the stairs, resulting in a concussion or two. Lady Vocal smiled, knowing that blunt trauma would be the least of his worries. She brought him over to Styx River, the judgement place of all spirits who entered Tartarus. All except her, of course.
“How many have you drowned in these waters?” asked Vocal, knowing that even if Hades could answer, he would bite his tongue. “How many souls have you sent to your Fields? Where would you go, Hades? Would you be allowed into Paradisa? Or would you be subjected to the Fields of Punishment?”
“Asphodel.” he muttered, still not fully awake.
“Ah, yes. The Fields of Asphodel. You think you would have the fortune of wandering aimlessly for all of eternity? I would imagine that Asphodel is even worse than the Fields of Punishment. You trot and trot until your hooves start to bleed, and when they bleed, you start to crawl until your knees give out. By that time, your hooves are all better, so you get up and start walking. Is that what awaits you, Hades? Sounds like hell. Enjoy.”
Vocal grabbed Hades by the mane and inched him closer to the River. She took his head and shoved it into the dark, purple water. Careful not to get herself wet, she inched Hades into the water, watching as his skin melted and evaporated into thick, grey fog. She smiled and turned towards the castle, where her last servant was hard at working freeing her from this cage.
“Perhaps the child wasn’t such a mistake.” she said.

Sir Wub-Wubs sat in silence, his magic feeling around Vinyl’s soul, searching for the Key. An hour passed, Vinyl’s rage and Derpy’s sorrow both growing at exponential rates. Just when Vinyl was about to blow a gasket, Lady Vocal returned, but Hades was nowhere to be found.
“How far along is the process?” asked The All-Maker.
“Very close now, milady. Only a few more minutes.” said Wub-Wubs. “What happens when the Key is out?”
“We go to the surface and collect the Shroud. By that time, it should have finished it’s job and I can begin New Muussa. Perhaps I should name it after you.”
“What about Vinyl and Derpy?”
“We kill them, of course. An Espy is dangerous enough on her own, and now she has access to a Dimension Key? If she ever learned how to use her eyes, we’d be in deep trouble.”
“You are going to kill them?” asked Sir Wub-Wubs. “I thought you would say that.”
“See? She’s going to kill us!” said Vinyl. “Are you going to let her?”
“I cannot disobey my Lady.” said Wub-Wubs simply.
“Look at that!” laughed Vocal. “Finally, a true act of loyalty! My child, you a truly a masterpiece, worthy of your sacred name of-”
“Another thing that I cannot do is allow you to hurt my friends!” said Wub-Wubs. His horn glowed bright purple, a shockwave blasting out of it. The wave hit Vocal in the chest, sending her flying into the wall, and melted the handcuffs confining the mares. Sir Wub-Wubs removed Derpy’s blindfold and dragged her off of the ground.
“Traitor!” said Vocal, rising to her hooves.
“I am no traitor, Lady Vocal. I do intend on serving you, just not like this. My friends will not be harmed!”
“Wubs! Let’s go!” said Vinyl, grabbing Wub-Wubs by the hoof. Derpy rushed into Lady Vocal, knocking her back down to the ground and buying them precious seconds to escape. They ran at full speed down the stairs and back to Lady Vocal’s bridge across Styx River. Sir Wub-Wubs willed his horn to glow and began to sing his father’s song.
“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!”
A large, blue wall of energy formed behind him, stretching across to each end of the River. He ushered Derpy and Vinyl across the bridge and back to the entrance, Wub-Wubs humming and whistling complicated songs all along the way. They made it to the staircase just as they heard Vocal slamming into Treble’s Wall, chipping and shattering the magical energy.
“We have enough time. We’re already almost there, right?” said Wub-Wubs.
“Yeah. We can see the crack from here! Let’s go!” said Vinyl, dragging him to the exit. Wub-Wubs pushed Derpy out first, then Vinyl, he himself staying just inside Tartarus.
“What are you doing?” asked Vinyl. “Come on!”
“I’m staying.” said Wub-Wubs.
“Huh?”
“I’m staying in Tartarus with Lady Vocal. This is our only chance of her staying here. I have to collapse the portal to reverse the Shroud and to lock her in here.”
“Then come out here and do it!” shouted Vinyl desperately. 
“It can only be done from the inside, I’m afraid. I will be locked her for all of eternity, serving my Lady the way I was meant to.” said Sir Wub-Wubs. “Go. Tell Lady Celestia what happened, so that she doesn’t pin the blame on Hades. History should at least have an accurate retelling of what happened.”
“I’m not leaving you, Wubs!” sobbed Vinyl, tears flowing down her face.
“Aria.” he said simply.
“What?”
“My name. My name is Aria.”
“Hey, Aria. I’m Vinyl Scratch.” she sniffed. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too.” said Aria, at peace at last. “Go now, Vinyl Scratch. Go home and be safe.”
“Is there anything you want to say before I go?” asked Vinyl. 
“Trust only that which you can see. If you cannot see, then trust your ears. If you cannot hear, then trust your heart. If you cannot love, then all hope is lost.”
“Here.” said Vinyl, removing her shades and revealing her deep, red eyes. She put them onto Sir Wub-Wubs face, shielding his eyes. “Those are my favorite shades. Don’t forget me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Scratch.” said Aria, his horn glowing neon purple. Black smoke shot from the outside towards Tartarus, entering the crack and hiding him from view. The fissure began to close, sucking in all of the Shroud like a vacuum. Just as the crack shut completely, Vinyl could hear one last word.
“Goodbye.”

> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl Scratch and Derpy Hooves rushed into Canterlot Castle, not taking time to announce who they were to anypony. All that mattered right then was finding the princesses, alerting them of what had just transpired. They galloped through the halls and kicked in the door to the throne room, rushing in with no introduction. At the thrones against the back wall were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both looking at the pair with bemusement.
“Princess Celestia!” cried Vinyl. “Aria is gone!”
“Who is Aria?” asked Luna. “We know of no such pony.”
“Wubs! Sir Wub-Wubs!”
“His name is Aria?” said Celestia in surprise. “He has never told us his true name. But what is this? He’s gone?”
“Locked himself in Tartarus.” said Vinyl sadly.
“Did he vanquish Hades?”
“No. It wasn’t Hades. It was Lady Vocal.”
“It couldn’t have been.” said Luna. “Lady Vocal was just a myth.”
“I swear to you, she’s real. Wubs is locked with her now, serving and catering to her every whim.”
“He’s dead by now.” said Derpy. “Vocal wouldn’t let him live after a betrayal like that. He’s… gone.”
“Did you see him die?” asked Luna.
“No.” said Vinyl.
“Did you hear him die? asked Celestia.
“Nuh-uh.” said Derpy, shaking her head.
“There is an old saying. Trust only that which you can see. If you cannot see, trust your ears. If you cannot hear-”
“Trust your heart.” said Vinyl. “I know. He said it to me. What does it mean?”
“Well, if you did not see him die, and you didn’t hear him die, you can only trust your heart.” said Celestia. “What is your heart telling you?”
“That he’s alive. He can’t be gone, he just can’t be.” said Vinyl, not realising the glow on her horn.
“Do you, in your heart, love him?”
“What? No! We’re just friends!”
“There’s more than one way to love another.” said Luna. “Do you have love for him?”
“Trust your heart.” said Celestia. “If you cannot love, then all hope is lost.”
“Yes. I love him. He’s one of the coolest ponies I’ve ever met.” said Vinyl. A song began to drift from her horn. Not just any song. Her song. As PON-3 FINAL3 began to grow louder, a figure began to materialize before Vinyl. The beat grew faster and louder, just as the figure grew bolder and more distinguishable. The beat dropped, and light exploded out from the figure. When it all died down, a familiar electric-blue stallion was standing in front of Vinyl.
“Who goes there?” asked Aria.
“Wubs!” cried Vinyl, squeezing him in a tight hug.
“Scratch? What? How did you get back in Tartarus?”
“She didn’t.” explained Celestia. “She brought you here.”
“Lady Celestia? How?”
“You are a song. A song that changes at all times.” said Luna. “You normally change aesthetically, and with the popularity with music, but this transformation was a tad bit different.”
“Instead of changing your appearance, you changed who and what you are.” said Celestia. “By telling Vinyl your name, you finally accepted a friend, a true friend, which altered your musical composition. You are now bound to Vinyl Scratch, as she is bound to you.”
Aria thought it over, a smile slowly spreading across his face. He hugged Vinyl, then Derpy, then Vinyl one more time.
“That’s going to be handy.” said Aria. “If you want a permanent spot on the party, that is.”
“What do you mean?” asked Vinyl.
“Would you like to become my partner, rather than companion? Derpy can come, too. I want you two to be knights with me, so we can go on adventures together!”
“Are all of them going to be as dangerous as this one?”
“Just as, if not more.”
“I’m in.” said Vinyl, jabbing him in the shoulder. Derpy just nodded her agreement, her loyalties already in place. She’d go with them wherever they went.
“Uh, Princess Celestia?” said Derpy. “Do you know anything about my eyes?”
“Are you referring to the crossing?” asked Luna.
“No. I can see the future and stuff. That Vocal lady called me an Espy. What is that?”
“Espies are ponies with special abilities, shrouded in mystery. Not much is known about Espies or their potential. This is something you must discover on your own.” 
“Speaking of discoveries, I take it Scratch already informed you of Lady Vocal’s fate?” said Aria.
“Yes, she has. What of it?” asked Celestia.
“Lady Vocal survived. Maybe other Muussists survived.”
“Highly unlikely.” said Luna.
“But possible.”
“You’d never find them, even if they are still alive.” said Celestia.
“The universe is massive, ridiculous, and ever-changing, but there is very rarely room for definites such as ‘never’ and ‘always’. Only fools deal in absolutes. Right, milady?”
“That is true, but-”
“Lady Celestia, I have to do this.” said Aria. “This could be my only chance to find more of my kind. If Lady Vocal survived, maybe my father did as well. My parents could be out there someplace, with my brothers, maybe even Baritona! I’m going to try and find them.”
“It is going to be dangerous.” said Celestia.
“I’m aware of the danger, milady.”
“There’s a chance you might fail.” added Luna.
“There’s also a chance that I might not. Let’s focus on that chance.” said Aria, trotting towards the door. Celestia and Luna fluttered over to the door, blocking the exit with their wings. Aria stopped in his tracks, trying to figure out how to get past without disrespecting the princesses.
“What if we forbid you from going on this foolish search party?” asked Celestia.
“With all due respect, miladies, you could not stop me if you wanted to.” said Aria. “So, please and thank you, move out of the way.”
“This is a terrible idea, child! Can you not see how bad this can turn out? Are you bli-” began Luna catching her own stupid comment at the tip of her tongue.
“I understand that it’s dangerous and possibly a little stupid, but this is something I have to do.”
Celestia looked at her sister, an old spark in her eyes relit by Aria’s determination. She smiled morbidly and stepped away from the door.
“3 months. You have 3 months to search and return.” said Celestia.
“Woo-hoo! Another adventure with Sir Wub-Wubs!” said Vinyl.
“Actually, Scratch, this one is just me.” said Aria. Vinyl’s face dropped in sheer disappointment.
“But… I thought you said we could…”
“Yeah, just not for this particular quest. This is something I must do, Alone.”
“If you change your mind, we’ll be in Ponyville waiting for you.”
“Actually, I would prefer it if you and Derpy stayed in the castle.” said Celestia. “If Aria has not returned by the end of his three months, I would need you to bring him back.”
“Furthermore, she would be an excellent escape route if I run into trouble.” said Aria. “Before I leave, I’ll teach you a telepathy song. Since you’re not a Muussist, you won’t be able to use the song very often, only at the full moon, but it’s better than nothing.”
“I get that you have to do this alone, but what about the next one?” asked Vinyl.
“You’ll be coming with me, of course. If you can keep up, that is.”
“Why wouldn’t I be able to?”
“Do I even have to say it? Your extra X chromosome and high levels of estrogen are going to slow you down.”
“You are such a jerk.”
“You said you loved me.”
“You heard that?!” asked Vinyl in surprise.
“Of course. It was obvious, anyway. You were peacocking really hard out there, trying to impress me.” said Aria.
“I was the one peacocking? You were out there bragging about your amazing ‘sight’ and your magic Muussist music.”
“Is it bragging if I’m really that good?”
“Anyway.” said Celestia. “Why don’t you get ready for your quest? I’ll send a guard to bring Vinyl and Derpy to their new rooms, and you can gather the necessary resources to go on this adventure.”
“Your 3 months start today. Do not waste it, Aria.” said Luna.
“Of course, milady. And please, don’t call me Aria.” said Wub-Wubs. “I think I prefer Wub-Wubs.”
“I thought you accepted who you were.” said Celestia. 
“I did. It’s just that Aria is too serious. Too angry. Sir Wub-Wubs is the life of the party. Besides, who can stop us with a name like that? The dubstep duo, Dj Pon-3 and Sir Wub-Wubs!” Sir Wub-Wubs exited the room and headed for the armory to find tools and weapons for his journey. Vinyl and Derpy awkwardly glanced at the princesses, unsure of what to do now.
“Have you learned anything from this adventure?” asked Celestia.
“Yeah.” said Vinyl. “I learned that, once upon a time, you were kind of a bitch.”
“He told you of how we found him?”
“Yup.”
“And to think, if Mother and Father would have passed away a year earlier, Luna would’ve owed me 5 bits. That was a lot in my day.”
“Luckily for Equestria, my sister is like a fine wine. She gets better with age.” said Luna. “She has matured greatly since those days.”
“I suppose I have.” chuckled Celestia, gazing out the window. It was almost time for Luna to raise the moon, but it could wait a little longer. Sir Wub-Wubs had dealt with the threat, allowing Celestia to finally spend those precious moments with her baby sister. The night was young, and the moonrise could wait.

Vocal stomped her hooves in rage and fury as her only remaining servant faded from view. She blasted jets of golden energy from her horn, each blast accompanied by a shriek of an angry song. Her magic shattered rocks and shook the cavern, her rage flowing through the entirety of a realm. When she had blown off all the steam she could, she began her way back to Hades’ castle, her new home. She crossed Styx River and climbed up the tall, stone stairs of the blood red castle. A creak broke the silence as she opened the door, old and dusty, untouched for years until earlier today. Vocal dropped to her stomach in the main chamber room, rage in her own failure rising steadily. She closed her eyes, preparing to fall asleep right there.
“Did you really think that would work?” asked a deep, sinister voice. Vocal froze in fear upon hearing the voice, the voice of the stallion she drowned in the Styx. Hades grabbed her by the mane and dragged her out of the castle and down the stairs, being none too careful. His smile grew wider with each THUD! of her head on the stone steps. He dragged Vocal to Styx River, where he punched her in the jaw.
“You sought to drown me in my own river?’ asked Hades, his fiery blue mane growing wilder and wilder. His iridescent purple eyes beamed into Vocal’s soul, pain flying through her mind.
“How are you here?” asked Vocal, still partly petrified.
“This is my kingdom! I do what I wish, and cannot be stopped by a mortal like yourself.” said Hades.
“I am no mortal!” cried Vocal indignantly. “Do you know who I am? I am Lady Vocal, the All-Maker!”
“You are a fool. You thought you could drown me in the Styx River? Why would you think that? Because it worked on my Keeper?”
“What are we doing here? Maybe it’s foolish of me to think this, but couldn’t you just torture me at the castle?”
“You’re right! That was foolish. You should stop talking. It’s best to stay quiet and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”
“You dodged my question.”
“You’re here for judgement, just like all souls who enter my kingdom.” said Hades. “Let’s see: Attempted genocide, mass vandalism, destruction of public and private property, conspiring, treason, attempted murder of an Espy, murder of a Keeper, attempted murder of Hades. I’m not sure, but I think Paradisa is out for you.”
“Spare me your sarcasm, Hades and just send me to the Fields of Punishment.”
“Oh! How funny!” laughed Hades. “You think you’re going to the Fields of Punishment! No. You go to the Fields of Asphodel. But not just any part of the Fields of Asphodel, but Asphodel Meadows. You walk and walk until your hooves bleed, and when they bleed, you crawl until your knees give out. By that time, your hooves should be all better, so you get up and start walking. Only in the Meadows, you have nowhere to go, nothing to do. Just walk.”
“I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy! That’s hell!” said Vocal.
“Enjoy.”
Hades plunged Vocal’s head in the Styx River, submerging her in the purple liquid. She kicked and sputtered, gasping and gurgling for air, but to no avail. She struggled for a few moments, then fell completely still. Hades pushed the rest of her body into the river, watching with a smile as Vocal melted and evaporated into dense, golden fog.
“I love the smell of Spirit Smoke in the morning.” said Hades, headed for his castle. When he arrived, he was met with the shimmery, yellowish projection of Princess Celestia.
“Hello, Hades.” she said.
“Greetings, Princess Celestia.” said Hades. “What do you need?”
“How are you dealing with Vocal?”
“She is walking for all of eternity in Asphodel Meadows. I find it fitting.”
“That is excessive. Please release her from the Meadows. Just let her live in the castle, please.	 She deserves at least that.”
“Princess Celestia, you are a kind and caring soul, which is something I can respect. Unfortunately for you, Vocal has committed crimes. Granted, these crimes affected Equestria, but, as she never left Tartarus, she is a prisoner in Tartarus. That makes her my problem. If you give me instruction on how to punish her, you are getting involved with my problems. If you get involved with one of my problems, you get involved with all of my problems. Do you want all of Tartarus’ issues on your shoulders, in addition to your kingdom?”
“No, but-”
“Would you call yourself an expert on the sun?”
“I would like to think.”
“I don’t go to Equestria and tell you how to raise your sun, nor do I instruct Luna on how to raise her moon. Do I?”
“No, but-”
“That’s because I’m not an expert on the sun or on the moon. I am, however, an expert on punishing those who deserve punishment.” said Hades. “If I don’t tell you how to do your job, then is it fair that you tell me how to do mine?”
“No, but-”
“Then it’s settled. Vocal will stay in the Meadows until I see fit to release her. It has been wonderful chatting, Celestia, but I must disconnect.”
Celestia shook her head in disapprovement and surrounded her horn in yellow light. She disappeared from Hades’ eyes, leaving him alone to think about his prisoner.
“If I see fit to release her.” he laughed, closing his door and heading towards his chambers. Today had been a strain on him, and his hooves were beginning to ache.