Musical Labyrinth

After experiencing a taste of what’s to follow, Princess Luna couldn’t imagine how someone or something made this. She knew she couldn’t fly out of there, she saw the flashes of electric shocks from above. She pounded her hoof on the wall, a brick fell out revealing a TV screen. To her surprise, it was Princess Celestia. She felt relieved to see her sister again. She found a marking on the wall. If she was fast enough, she could find her.

The marking is a tiara. One half has Celestia’s Tiara and the other half is Luna’s. It’s like somebody took both of their tiaras, cut each of them into two and glued them together. Whoever is responsible knows about the Alicorn princesses.

Luna raced through every corner, unfortunately a musical task blocked her path. A panel with eight buttons; one blue, one green, one yellow, one red, one black, one white, one violet and one pink. In front is a gate each part has one of the eight colours. She had to press each of them to play a tune. The correct sequence will unlock the gate.

Luna wanted to find a way out just as her sister. This might be her only chance to reunite with Celestia. She had to start all over again. She tapped one of the buttons, it sounded a musical note. Unlike the last task, this one is about trial and error. She pressed two more buttons. Some parts of the gate retracted, then all of them appeared reforming the gate.

Luna continued to press buttons until she figured out the correct sequence. She had one shot, if she gets it wrong again, it all be for nothing. She hit the buttons producing the sound of the electric guitar. She was playing Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising”. The gate was successfully unlocked.

She didn’t have time to waste. Luna galloped off, calling Celestia’s name. She used her royal Canterlot voice so she can hear her. No pony, pegasus, or unicorn would be unable to hear that vocal range.

Celestia came across the marking, she was curious on why it’s there. It could be made the mastermind behind it all, or some unfortunate unicorn who knew the rulers of Equestria will be next. She was more curious than Luna. She found something near the top of the wall. It was black and shiny: a hidden camera. She knew nothing of Earth technology, just any other creature in Equestria.

She didn’t waste time staring. Her sister is what matters to her. Unlike older siblings who try to act like their parents, Celestia knew Luna can handle on her own. She notice something in the wall, she saw Luna on the TV screen.

Celestia ran at a fast rate. Just before she can take another turn, numerous lasers blocked her path. In her mind she’s thinking that she must avoid touching them. She found a plaque on the wall. It read:

You’re probably thinking you should avoid touching the lasers. You should think again. You must make contact with the lasers to create a sample of a song. Some are the correct musical notes, others are red herrings. If you touch a laser that’s a red herring, the path in front will be cut off. You have to wait fifteen minutes for it to restart.

Celestia passed through the first laser beam. It’s didn’t cause any injury, it was the kind of laser made by light. A musical note hit her ears. She couldn’t see which one is a red herring. Instead of risking it by touching all the lasers, she closed her eyes, relying more on her sense of hearing. Her body moved gracefully hitting every correct laser. The lasers emit the sound of a keyboard. The song being played is Planet Funk’s “Chase the Sun”.

Celestia made a graceful landing. She can see the barricade above, it was meant to come down if she made an error. She heard a familiar voice, it was the royal Canterlot voice. She knew there’s only one Alicorn who can speak in that voice. She followed the sound of Luna’s voice.

Celestia and Luna can hear each other’s hooves. Every single turn they make, they’re getting closer.
Luna jumped over a row of spikes. She thought she couldn’t make it across. It was easy pickings, unlike the pool of water she landed in.

“Water?!” remarked Luna.

She saw something emerge, they were electrical cables. Luna shot in the air before the cables emitted sparks. Luna landed on the other side, continuing on finding her older sister.

Celestia slid under circular saws that were popping out of the walls. Not a single blade touched her skin. None of her wings received any injuries, she folded them before performing the daring task.

“Simple,” Celestia smiled.

Her moment was short-lived, darts fired across in different directions. Celestia ducked and slid underneath, while avoiding the crossfire. She rushed out of the trap to continue searching.

The sisters can feel their hopes going high. Following the sounds of their hooves hitting the ground brought them closer. Once they caught a glimpse of each other, they raced into each other. They didn’t stop after seeing each other at a far distance. They only stopped just to be embraced. They were glad that they were alright. They appeared to be crying tears. They wrapped their forelegs around each other.

“I’m glad you’re still alive,” sighed Luna.

“As do I sister,” sobbed Celestia.

Going through thick and thin was just a sample of escaping this death trap. They had faith in each other and didn’t even think of surrendering to defeat. Even if it’s just a small problem they always find ways of solving it. They never thought it came down to this.

“Who would do this to us?” asked Celestia.

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” answered Luna.

“I just hope Twilight Sparkle and her friends are OK.”

“Just have faith and they’ll come for us.”

Wes found an instrument camouflaged in the wall. He was curious on why it was placed there. He was quickly to familiarise what type of instrument it was. “That’s my Fender Jaguar!”

He removed the camouflage, which was made of paper and cardboard. He found his guitar pick wedged in between the strings. He was curious on how did his instrument get there. Octavia and Vinyl Scratch were also confused. They knew he didn’t bring his guitar with him. He left it back in Ponyville.

“Why would it be here after you left it behind?” asked Octavia.

“This just gets weirder every time we continue on,” said Wes.

They heard the echo of a loud voice. It wasn’t a growl or whine. It was something calling a name. They knew somebody is inside with them.

“It came from over there.” Vinyl pointed to their right.

They raced to find where the voice came from. They didn’t split up, either of them might get lost and may not know how to find their way back. They knew it was Princess Luna. Octavia and Vinyl heard the Canterlot voice during Luna’s visit in Nightmare Night. Vinyl used her voice for a remix and inspired Octavia to make a solo piece.

They arrived to see Luna and Celestia hugging. The two princesses were surprised to see them. The two musicians they chose for the Grand Galloping Gala have come to rescue them. They weren’t mad, they were smiling. Wes found it weird that they were looking at him without being scared. The Alicorn princesses have respect for every creature, they treat them equally.

Vinyl and Octavia bowed down, showing their respects. Luna and Celestia walked closer. They gave their thanks to them.

“We couldn’t have been more thankful Octavia Philharmonica and Vinyl Scratch.” Celestia used her kind, gentle voice. Making the pony musicians feeling honoured. “Your bravery and skill can help us escape.”

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, meet rock star Wes Argovich.” Vinyl presented Wes to them. He had his guitar strapped around his shoulder. He gave them a friendly wave.

“You must be the rulers of Equestria I presume,” said Wes. “Twilight Sparkle sent me here to rescue you. Now she and her friends are lost in this place.”

“Twilight Sparkle?” Celestia smiled. Wes thought she was shocked about the Mane 6 being lost. “My most honourable student never fails.”

Luna gazed at Wes. She can see through him just as Celestia. “So you’re a musician. What instruments do you play?”

“The guitar, keyboard, drums, glockenspiel, autoharp, tin whistle, xylophone, bass and percussion. I play more than one instrument,” said Wes.

“So what happened to Twilight?”

“We were separated by this maze. A wall appeared out of nowhere. We had to split to find you and two more.”

“There’s more?” said Celestia.

“Definitely,” confirmed Wes. “It’s Twilight brother Shining Armour and his lover Cadance.”

Celestia and Luna gasped in horror. The Crystal Empire is now in danger when no pony is under direct rule. It’s not only Canterlot that’s in danger of an invasion or war.

“This is worse than we thought. It’s not just Canterlot, but also the Crystal Empire and the land of Equestria.” Celestia was now worried. She’s usually calm and finds a solution in the most sensible way possible.

“If we don’t find a way to escape we’ll be trapped here forever,” said Wes.

Luna saw a computer built into the wall. It features a list of tasks to complete. There were five in total. “I don’t remember this in the rules.”

“What rules?” Octavia asked.

“There were rules given to us when we woke up in this place.”

Celestia and Luna gazed at the computer screen. It read: The following items must be destroyed in order to leave the Musical Labyrinth. The Plastic Tree, the Wooden Wings, the Stone Crown, the Leather Link and the Crystal Heart.

“There is a way of escaping,” said Wes.

Vinyl Scratch looked at the clock. 7 hours left before they’re erased from existence. “We can’t waste time. We have to find one of the five items to destroy.”

The Alicorns, Wes, Octavia and Vinyl headed straight. They wondered how are they’re going to accomplish them.
“I think we should do the hard ones first,” suggested Wes.

“Why do say that?” asked Celestia.

“If we did the hard ones first, we’ll do the easy ones last with time to spare. Which ones that are easy and difficult is a task.” He learned that technique during freshman year in high school. His classmates learned of it as well. He was told about it from his English teacher.

They arrived at the first obstacle: the Plastic Tree. It was 6ft 8, in the shape of an elm tree. There was a drum set, electric guitar and a bass guitar. There were eight treadmills, four on each side. A scroll nailed to the wall the objective. It’s tied in a blue ribbon.

Celestia removed the nail, untied the ribbon, and unrolled scroll with her magic horn. She read aloud for Wes and the others to hear. “You’ve reached the Plastic Tree. One of you should play the supplied instruments, while the rest stand on the treadmills. Only four participants are required on the treadmills; no more no less. The participant who’s playing the instruments must play a section of the song. He/she can switch to another instrument once a portion of the song is played. The group of four should dance to the beat of the song, while the treadmills are in motion. If managed to succeed, the Plastic Tree will be crushed, allowing you to continue your quest.”

Wes remembered a music video, four people dancing on eight treadmills, while a rock song plays. It was one of the music revolutionary videos in the last decade. People couldn’t stop bashing about music from 2000-09. They were ranting about mainstream music rather than music in that decade. Wes wasn’t the kind to join the crowd. He watched numerous music channels, he knew that the music doesn’t suck. This was what society came to. Bantering without doing a bit of research.

He volunteered to play the instruments. He told them to go on the treadmills. “I’ll play the song, you four should handle the routine.”

“What kind of song will it be?” Celestia asked.

“The kind of music I play.”

Vinyl knew this will be a chance from the ruler of Canterlot to hear rock music. Octavia didn’t hesitate or object, introducing Celestia to a genre she doesn’t know might turn her on. They took positions, the Alicorn princesses followed. Luna and Celestia were nervous, they don’t know how they will cooperate with machines vastly different from what they know. Vinyl and Octavia told them to follow their lead.

A remote was placed on the seat near the drum set. Wes picked it up and pressed the button. The TV screen lowered from the ceiling. It showed four tracks aligned with each other. Each one represented drums, lead guitar, bass and rhythm guitar. There was no vocal track. This didn’t bother Wes at all. When he was with the band, on some occasions, he and the other band mates provide backup vocals.

A timer ticked down from five to one. Wes used his guitar and strummed to the notes on screen. He began playing OK Go’s “Here it Goes Again”. Once Wes completed a section of the song, the track disappeared. He switched to bass. Once that section was done he went to the drums.

Luna, Celestia, Octavia and Vinyl made a choreography which Wes could describe it as similar to the music video. Luna and Celestia were able to catch up. They were having a good time. They were passing each other, going in the opposite direction of the tracks and performing stunts. Celestia was the one enjoying the most. Her taste in this kind of music grew.

Once the song ended, they all stopped. Two walls squashed the Plastic Tree, then the ceiling pressed it, creating a box. Like a car crushed into a cube in the scrap yard.

Wes collapsed in exhaust, his arms and legs were aching in pain. He picked up the pick, sliding it in between the strings of his guitar. He placed the guitar strap over his shoulder.

The path behind them was cut off. The two walls closed in. The door on the other side opened on its own. They didn’t stand around to question. They left the area without opening their mouths. The clock had eight hours left.