Musical Labyrinth

A group of five is a possible winning combo: Luna, Celestia, Octavia, Vinyl Scratch and Wes Argovich. It was a vital group as well, consisting of the two royal sister Alicorns. Sure there’s Shining Armour and Cadence, they only rule the Crystal Empire.

“This is amazing!” said Vinyl. “We’re with Princesses Luna and Celestia, up close and personal!”

“Vinyl! Keep it together,” Octavia exclaimed.

Luna and Celestia weren’t turned off, they were glad there was help. All they did was smile and giggled slightly.

“You guys rule Equestria? For a world this big, no wonder it needed two rulers,” said Wes.

They don’t know where they’re going. They were focusing on the conversation. None of them saw a real life human in their lives. Wes wasn’t the kind of person who wants to go back home just as he arrived. He had a positive vibe, he learned to appreciate than he did before.

Celestia felt like a filly in a new place. The other couldn’t see it on her face, she was curious in what humans do and how they live. “Is your world like ours?”

“Similar, only more advanced.” It wasn’t Wes' best choice of words.

“Are there any ponies in your world?” Luna wanted to know as well.

“Definitely, sadly no pegasi or unicorns.”

They’re amazed with Wes’ description. Celestia gazed at Wes’ guitar. She’s unfamiliar with this type of stringed instrument. “Is this your instrument?”

“It’s a Fender Jaguar,” Wes answered. “By the way, it’s a brand of guitar.”

“He’s in a band,” informed Vinyl.

Wes changed the topic, getting to the mystery. “So how did you end up in this place?”

Celestia couldn’t remove the painful experience from her mind. “My sister and I were discussing when something or someone broke in.”

She remembered entering her bedroom with her sister, the parties just started without them. It wasn’t because they didn’t want to join in, they wanted to address a serious matter. After closing the door, they sat near the fireplace.

“We don’t know what shall we do with all the disappearances,” worried Luna. “If this keeps going, we’ll cease to exist.”

Celestia know the dangers approaching. “With no leads or evidence, we’ll never know the truth. There’s one option.”

Celestia hesitated to answer. Luna wanted to know. “What is it? Tell me, I’m your sister.”

“I’m putting this in the hooves of Twilight and her friends.”

“What if they fail?”

“We need to have faith. Only they possess the magic of friendship.”

A gust of wind broke the window and shards of glass flew everywhere. Luna and Celestia shielded their eyes with their wings. They carefully removed the glass with their magic. A fog consumed the area. Luna and Celestia stood their ground. They can barely see who is approaching, the fog was so dense they couldn’t see. They lit their horns as the fog thickens. Celestia felt her mane being pulled. Luna noticed her tail being tugged as well. They zapped magic from their horns, breaking free of the grasp. They struggled around the room, numerous objects flew around. Celestia and Luna stayed with other and continued zapping at whatever’s doing this. Two glowing eyes emerged from the fog. The Alicorns were ready to attack, unfortunately they weren’t quick enough to react. A pair of screams emitted just as they disappeared.

It’s baffling for Vinyl and Octavia. They wondered who could break in, and kidnap them with no pony noticing. The royal guards would have noticed the loud noises, or saw the fog seeping out of the door.

“Did you see any pony else?” asked Octavia.

“Don’t think so,” answered Luna.

“We better find the others. It would be wrong to leave them behind,” said Vinyl.

Wes stepped on a loose portion of the floor, causing him to nearly fall over. He lifted rock, reached his hand in and grasped pulled a pouch. There were pieces of paper and cards. A message written inside pouch said: You found a pouch that can help you complete further tasks. He found it suspicious. “It’s like the rules just changed.”

Luna didn’t think so. “Actually the rules stated that there are hidden items everywhere.”

He placed the string around his wrist, after closing the pouch. They continued heading forward, taking a right and finding two doors. One door painted black, the other door painted white. Both Vinyl and Octavia were the first to place their hooves on the knob. Nobody tried to stop them, no warnings, no instructions, not even a prerecording from hidden speakers.

Once they opened the doors, they found their respective instruments. Octavia’s eyes gazed on the titanium cello, Vinyl’s mouth dropped while staring at a retro-style DJ deck turntables. Their amazement was clearly shown, they loved the new look and style. The others were scratching their heads in confusion.

“Are those your instruments?” Wes asked.

“They’re totally different,” Vinyl spoke in a dazed state.

“We don’t care who brought them here,” Octavia spoke in a hypnotic state.

Just as they trotted towards the instruments, the cello and turntables were immediately pushed forward. Octavia and Vinyl fell on their backs. It appears someone or something knew Vinyl and Octavia had arrived. More and more questions raised in their heads. They couldn’t find any answers without being interrupted by a task this Musical Labyrinth has in store.

Further down the doors was a room. No matter who enters one of the doors, they’ll come into the same room. Wes found a TV screen, microphones, and a jack for an instrument. He immediately raised his voice after peeking into the screen. “Hey! I found who you’re looking for.”

Celestia, Luna, Octavia and Vinyl hurried over to see Cadance, Fluttershy and Rarity. The Alicorn princesses were relieved and at the same time worried. They knew that both the Crystal Empire and the rest of Equestria will fall.

“Thank Celestia, they’re alive.” Octavia eyed on Celestia, she felt embarrassed of saying her name. “Sorry about that.”

Celestia giggled, she heard other ponies say it in numerous occasions when she’s around. “There’s no need to apologise.”

Vinyl found something of interest. She found what the jack is used for. She ran and pushed in the turntables. She’s used to carry equipment no matter how big or how heavy. She put it in the centre of the room. She ran and brought in the cello and bow. She carefully placed it near the wall. She hate to see Octavia freak out if her instrument was broken. She found something for the jack. “I found a cable.”

Wes knew what kind it was. “It’s for connecting the guitar into the amplifier; or in this case, that hole in the wall.”

Octavia saw a speaker with a switch. This might be a chance to communicate. She used her hoof to switch it on. She moved closer to the speaker and cleared her throat. “Princess Cadance?”

They searched around wondering where her voice came from. Fluttershy spotted the TV screen with the same speaker Octavia used. She flicked the switch and spoke. “Who’s there?”

“It’s Octavia.”

Luna found a scroll on the wall. She used her horn to untie the ribbon and unroll the paper. She read every single word. “In order to destroy the Wooden Wings both sides must be in sync. The objective is for both sides to be part of a song of your choice. If the two groups have two or more in their respective parties, they have the challenge of keeping the connection stable. If there’s a unicorn in the party, he/she must use their horns; if there’s a pegasus, he/she must use their wings. If there’s an Alicorn, this creature should use both wings and horn.”

There were two platforms connected to the walls. They collected energy and magic from whoever’s in them. Both rooms have the same platforms. There were no tubes, only vents and digital readers. It was more baffling for Wes, the Alicorn princesses, and the ponies. It’s a bigger hint that it could be anybody from Earth. No creature from Equestria could have their hooves on that technology. On Cadance’s side, a studio microphone with a pop filter, was fixed on a wall.

“Why do I get the feeling somebody not from your world, is responsible for this not-so-fun house?” wondered Wes.

Every time Celestia and Luna see something that’s not from their world, fear controls their minds despite their attempts to not show it. They were afraid to show their fears in front of everybody.

“We should have Luna and Celestia operating the platforms. Only Octavia and I can play instruments,” suggested Vinyl.

“This also means two of you should do the same,” Octavia addressed to the other side.

Wes selected a song from the screen. He connected the cable to his guitar. Vinyl and Octavia gathered their instruments, waiting for the cue.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, you take the platforms. Rarity and Fluttershy, you do the same.” Wes informed

Rarity spotted something encased in the wall. It was a pair of Wooden Wings, the second item to find. She didn’t attempt to snag it, unless it’s jewel encrusted. “This maybe off topic, but there are some wooden wings in the wall.”

“That’s the second item!” Octavia replied in excitement.

The TV screen where Cadance is standing, is a karaoke screen. The lyrics only appear when the song starts playing. Wes came to the speaker. He wanted to know what’s wrong with Cadance. She wasn’t feeling optimistic.

“Cadance?” Wes asked.

“Yes?” answered Cadance.

“Is there somebody out there that you love?” Wes can see through her eyes, she has a lover. He doesn’t know anything about her, but that didn’t stop him from completing the task. Instead of forcing her, he let her take her time to answer.

“My husband, Shining Armour.”

“Have experience something like this before?”

“Yes,” Cadance sighed, remembering the wedding “I almost lost him once, I fear I may lose him again.”

Wes can feel her emotions. “You have me and the others. As long as we’re around, we’ll help you escape this nightmare.”

Cadance wiped the tear from her eyes. Although she didn’t look at Wes’ face, she wanted to find Shining Armour more than anything else.

Wes told Cadance what they must do in the task. “OK listen, what we need to do is to combine both music and lyrics. While play the music, you provide the vocals. We must keep the connection stable.”

Cadance can see what the screen and microphone are used for. Celestia, Luna, Rarity and Fluttershy climbed on the platforms. Wes picked up his guitar, Vinyl turned on the turntables and Octavia placed the bow on the cello’s strings.

“Start when you’re ready,” said Wes.

"What happens if the connection fails or if one of us stops?" Octavia asked.

"We might have to start over or get penalized." Wes didn't know what happens if they fail.

Celestia and Luna flapped their wings and their horns glowed. Fluttershy levitated and Rarity made magic. Wes strummed the guitar, the song he chose was Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time”.

Celestia and Luna were exhausted two-thirds in the song. Rarity and Fluttershy can see them in pain and panting their lungs out. They did what ever they can to assist them. After the song ended, the Alicorn princesses fell on their knees. A giant whirling sound emitted from the wall. Circular saws sliced the Wooden Wings. They stopped once it was in pieces. A door from both rooms appeared on their right.

"Finally!" shouted Rarity. "One step closer to freedom!"

"Three actually," corrected Vinyl.

Rarity ran through door, Fluttershy followed her. Cadance thanked Wes before she left.

Wes unplugged his guitar. Two cabinets emerged from the wall, both were big enough to fit a large instrument. Octavia and Vinyl placed their cello and turntables in the cabinets before they disappeared.

"At least we don't have to carry them around all the time," said Vinyl Scratch.

They left with only six hours left.