Brother's Lament

Chapter 4: Red Letter Day

An hour had passed since Warsongs arrival, coffee had been made for them both and they sat idly at the kitchen table, a half full bottle of liquor next to Bass Rhythms cup.

After taking a sip from his obviously alcoholic coffee he decided to speak up “Let me get this straight then ‘Uncle’ this big war happened and it was never recorded in the history books? On top of that my great times ten grandfather, was banished to a different dimension by you, and he’ll return some day and try to take over equestria?”

Warsong frowned and sat forwards with his elbows resting on the table “In a short amount of words, yes.”

Bass leaned forwards slightly “The airships as well? What was it you also said about the rainbow factory?”

“The airships yes, I captained one once back in the day and the rainbow factory I shouldn’t have told you about that. I won’t repeat myself on that matter, Celestia assures me they are made differently today but I am not to say.” Warsong’s eyes darkened slightly but he remained impassive.

Taking another sip from his coffee Bass frowned at his great uncle “I see, and you wish to take me on as your student?”

“Again, yes…Will you become my student and learn the ancient arts of magic and combat?”

he asked the young stallion who simply shook his head

“I can’t…Something like this is beyond me, I’m no hero and I’m no soldier. I am a DJ, I make music, your name is Warsong, I’m Bass Rhythm, you see the difference here?”

Warsong sighed and sat forwards in his chair “Yes, but look at my cutie mark, it’s the symbol of both war and music, hence my name. But you understand it may not be in your cutie mark, but it’s in your blood, that’s something more deeper than a mark on your flank. Have you ever felt…A sort of twitch in your muscles when you see a fight or acts of violence?”

Bass’ eyes widened slowly, before he stood and pointed his hoof towards the door “I need you to leave, please.”

Warsong rose from his chair silently and nodded “I’ll be waiting in the park when you are ready” with that he left without another word leaving the blue stallion alone, removing his spectacles he began to rub a hoof to his forehead, running it over the horn.

“Now the hangover starts to kick in.”

he got up from the table and made his way into his bathroom to remove painkillers from his medicine cabinet, popping them in his mouth and drinking it down with some tap water.

His legs became weak as he stumbled down inside the bathroom and sat up against the wall, his green eyes reeling inside of his head, everything becoming blurry to him.

“He’s right you know, it’s in your blood.”

Spoke a voice inside of him, his conscience nagging at him while he got up from the floor shaking his head.

“You’ll always be low in your parent’s eyes, they forced you to find your cutie mark, and

when you finally did. You were still rejected, this is your chance to prove them wrong, that you’re not useless.”

Bass walked unsteadily downstairs and rubbed his head looking outside his window.

***

Warsong sat on the bench in the Ponyville park, watching a butter coloured Pegasus mare guiding a mother duck and her ducklings to the pond, he frowned watching this take place, his thoughts dwelling on his past as he looked over the land around him, certain marks becoming familiar to him.

“A battle was fought here…I can’t believe how much it’s changed…”

He muttered to himself as he looked in the direction of the Everfree forest in the long distance, in his memory a large castle once stood there instead of a forest.

“Hey…” spoke up a voice in front of him as he snapped out of his lapse to look upon Bass Rhythm standing in front of him “I’ll become your student…But I need to finish the album I started.” Warsong nodded and sat forwards “As you wish, today is your red letter day, come tomorrow, you and I will train.”

The blue unicorn held up a hoof “That is all good and well, but I need your help in finishing my album. The acoustics for the rest of my album would be perfect if they were recorded outside, it’s not a big deal for me to record it, it is only….I can’t carry the gear, my magic isn’t strong enough…”

Warsong nodded slowly and got off the bench as he made his way back towards Bass’ home along with the owner himself “This will be a good time right now to do some exercise then, your training will not only consist of magic. But it will also constitute physical, mental and emotional exercise. You will be stronger, faster, and smarter, even more in control with yourself than you probably have ever felt in your life time. You will study the arts of magic and the history of great ponies of the past and learn the lessons they have to teach. In time, you will become a powerful unicorn.”

***

When they had arrived back to Bass Rhythms home, his angered groan echoed out as he was carrying a loud speaker on his back out the front door while the second hovered behind him with his magic. Warsong sat outside wearing Bass’ spectacles over his eyes “Put your horn into it.” He called out as he was reading one of the magazines he found in his great nephews home. The blue unicorn struggled, his knees wobbling “I could’ve done this without becoming your student!”

he said in frustration.

“No you couldn’t, I cast a lighter load spell on those black boxes. I can’t believe now that they have these kinds of things, I mean we had brothels for this and on top of that what is the thing with socks on mares? I wore socks; I wore socks to keep my hooves warm.”

Said the ancient warrior as he tossed the magazine back inside Bass Rhythm made his way down the street while Warsong walked next to him “I think we still do, they’re only in Las Pegasus though and the socks thing is a fetish nowadays.”

The black spectacles floated onto Bass’ face with a red glow as Warsong trotted past “Is that so? I’ll need to look into it, the socks thing not Las Pegasus.” After much cursing and hauling, Bass finally made it to a good enough spot, a small plain on the outskirts of Ponyville a good enough out of the way place to finish the last few songs, after a crash course in setting up the equipment Warsong and Bass had finished setting up the sound equipment

Bass Rhythm finished plugging in the speakers before turning to Warsong “Alright what’s the time?” Warsong replied by looking up at the position of the sun “By Celestia’s sun I’d say it’s almost midday” Bass nodded and cracked his neck as green magic surrounded the dials on the turn table and they moved and changed to fit his previous settings before a record floated up and was placed on the table, the needle gently placing onto it “Alright just stand back and watch me work”

<(Only if you wish to) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf\_YWiqqv34>

He started the music and rose the volume as the recording began once more, after almost a minute into the song the speakers burst forth with sound, the grass lying flat as the sound waves shot over it the speakers themselves vibrating as the techno music played, he looked towards Warsong to spot him holding his ears, his eyes shut tight.

“What’s the matter?” He yelled out over the music.

The crimson stallion looked towards Bass “What is this sorcery? It feels like the drums of war on my brain!”

Bass laughed, though it was drowned out as he raised the volume sparks of red electricity moving over the speakers as if there was a hidden energy within. “It’s Wubstep! These are my old bass cannon speakers; I have a much better one back home in the basement. I still need to fix it!”