Musical Labyrinth

Within a flash, Rainbow Dash is now on her own. One minute she’s with Applejack and Pinkie Pie, now she’s alone. To her, it’s a mind game just to torture ponies; both physically and mentally. She wondered around, looking for an exit.

“I can’t believe I got separated!” she exclaimed. “I don’t how long I can survive on my own.”

She tried to think. Unfortunately she scattered around in a panicky state. “What if no pony hears me? What if I can’t escape? I’ll be trapped forever.”

She was going to huddle on the floor, the sound of the clock annoyed her. Every noise it made won’t leave her head. Even when she’s talking it continues to bug her. “OK, better not stand around. I must find-”

She almost fell over after stepping on a loose slate. She lifted it and found a small chest. She thought some pony left it there. She opened the chest, inside is a gem. A Tanzanite cut into a sphere. It’s presented like a pearl in an oyster. She had to use her hooves to carry it.

She flew across while trying not to reach the ceiling. She sped fast like a bullet, it’s like she’s about to do a Sonic Rainboom. She immediately stopped, just before hitting the wall. It seemed all going well until she felt a collision. Something came from her right and pushed her near a wall.

“Sorry Rainbow Dash,” said a familiar voice.

Dash knew who it was. “Derpy Hooves?”

“That’s right. Best mail carrier of Equestria.”

Rainbow was glad some pony came to her aid. She jumped and hugged Derpy. They spun around, making them dizzy. They fell to the ground, their eyes kept rolling. It took some time to keep straight.

“And I thought I lost my mind,” Derpy said to herself.

“I’m so glad you came to help, and how did you come here anyway?”

“I found a secret door in Ponyville.”

“That’s where we came in.”

“I was going around the labyrinth, dodging spears, avoiding pitfalls and entering secret passages. Suddenly I met Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” Derpy began to speak, she couldn’t wait to tell Dash about her experience.

“You met the princesses? Are they OK?” Dash desperately needed to know.

Derpy smiled with her cross eyes. “Seeing them is the best experience ever!”

Seeing Derpy’s expression made her feel relieved. Derpy and Rainbow had some missteps in the past. It took a long time for them to become friends. They managed to help each other in any situation.

“Did you manage to find the other?” Dash asked.

“Definitely,” Derpy said in a kind voice. “There’s this tall, two-legged animal with clothes.”

Dash zapped to Derpy. “You met Wes?!”

“You should’ve seen it. They busted a tune, Pinkie was amazing on the saxophone. Also that DJ Pony and Canterlot Cellist were with them.”

“Nice to see Vinyl and Octavia cooperating.” Dash can remember the feud those ponies made. She couldn’t stand the endless arguments, same goes for Twilight and the rest.

They proceeded while flying in the air. Derpy can see the sphere in Dash’s hooves. “What’s that you’re holding?”

“Found it under a slate,” Rainbow Dash answered. “I think it might be useful.”

“Is it a clue?”

“It could be helpful in finishing a challenge we have to finish.”

Derpy a wall with a hole in it. There were bricks build around it. She peaked inside, it’s difficult to see. “I think this is where you put it.”

“Can’t see why not,” answered Dash.

She placed the sphere in the hole. Inside, it when down a pipe. It hit paddles connected to gears. Their turning started a mechanism. Rainbow and Derpy were uncertain on what’s happening. The sound of gears grew louder, then it surrounded them. The floor moved up, Rainbow and Derpy stayed close to avoid falling off. They didn’t fly away or swoop down. All they did is wait to see what’s in store.

They stopped near the ceiling. They were so high, they can see everybody. They can see that the labyrinth has no dead ends. They can see the others down below.

“Hey!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

They didn’t hear her voice. Derpy spotted twenty targets with images of different musical notes. Even though it’s a challenge, it’s not one of the five required for them to escape.

“What the Changeling…” wondered Rainbow Dash.

“Musical symbols?” Derpy responded.

Both pegasi scratched their heads. They have no idea what they’re supposed to do. A TV screen emerged from the far end of the labyrinth. It displayed a message, explaining what they must do. It read: Match the corresponding symbols with the words appearing on-screen.

The screen looked like it changed channel. It displayed the word “Sharp” in big letters. The targets started swinging back and forth, like pendulums on a clock. There’s no time limit, like the other challenges.

Both Derpy and Dash don’t know anything about musical symbols. They couldn’t concentrate on which target to hit. They were going at a fast rate.

“Do you know anything about music?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Only listening to it,” Derpy replied. “I know mail carrying and muffins.”

Dash chuckled after Derpy mentioned muffins. She quickly got back on track on how to complete the task. “If each of us focused on half of the targets, we have a 1/20th of getting one right. So each of us have a 1/10th chance of picking the right one.”

Derpy thought for a moment. “What happens if we picked the wrong one?”

“We just have to wait and see,” said Rainbow Dash.

They flapped their wings off the ground and each picked a random target. They charged at the same one, they bashed their heads after hitting dead centre. They hit the wrong one. They spun around, while floating in mid-air.
“Now we know what happens.” Dash felt the bump on her head.

“Luckily we didn’t hit each other.” Derpy Hooves can feel her eye balls spinning around.

They flew back to the platform. They did some warming up before starting again. They leaned down, kept their backs straight, and straight forward. They hit the correct symbol, the target shattered to pieces. Bits of woods crumbled to the ground below. Derpy and Dash “high-hoofed”.

The screen switched channel, and “Flat” displayed on-screen. They decided to let one them find the correct one. Rainbow Dash flapped her wings, came to a target and kicked a hole in it.

It’s now Derpy’s turn to try solo. The screen read “Natural” in large letters. She struggled to keep her eyes on the target. She bumped into a nearby swinging target and crashed into the correct one. She gave an embarrassing smile. Dash smiled back.

They decided to go every second turn. The other symbols were double-sharp, forte, whole note, quarter note, eight note, beamed eight notes, tuplet, slur, bass clef, dim chord, semibreve, longa, half note, bass clef fermata, and neutral clef.

After every fourth target is hit, they either changed directions or something bizarre happens. After four were down, they ascended and descended from the ceiling. After the eighth target, the appeared and disappeared, like in a magic trick. Then they switched places, and finally the symbols were randomly switching places, like images in a game show.
Rainbow and Derpy felt exhausted with two targets left. With a sudden surprise, Treble clef and eighth note suddenly displayed onscreen.

“Come on!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “My wings and hooves hurt.”

“Mine too,” agreed Derpy.

They panted and fell on their stomachs. They were close to giving up. Their wings and hooves continue to hurt when they try to stand up. They don’t know how much energy they have left.

“I’m not going to stop.” Derpy struggled to her hooves. “This isn’t something The Doctor would do. Even if I have to carry another pegasus with me, I’ll give up.”

Rainbow Dash found the strength to stand, while still feeling the injuries.“You’re right, and who’s The Doctor?”

“Oh, just a pony with an hourglass for a cutie mark. He’s a nice colt. He’s so adventurous, you should meet him.” Derpy remembered the adventures they had.

“So he’s like Doctor Whooves.”

Derpy shrugged, she couldn’t argue with that. They gave it all they got and broke through the targets. They covered their eyes. They were suddenly blown away from a loud noise. Speakers popped out of the wall. It play Cliff Richard's "Congratulations".

They landed back into the maze. They hit a wall, which spun around, and they ended up in a different location. They were glad to see Vinyl, Octavia, Wes, Luna and Celestia in the same place.