//------------------------------// // Performance // Story: Timeless // by Hybrid-Dreamin //------------------------------// Soon after the moon had returned to normal, but before they could discuss just what they had seen, Vinyl and Octavia were engulfed in a blinding light. They both felt a strong force pull them backwards as they quickly shut their eyes in response to the light. When the light cleared and she opened her eyes, Vinyl found herself standing atop a large hill. Down and away from the hill a bit was what appeared to be a maze made out of excessively tall hedges with a road leading straight to it. Octavia was nowhere to be seen though. Before she could panic though, Vinyl noticed something in the distance past the maze. It was very far away but she knew what it was immediately upon noticing it. A faint ray of purple light pointing up into the sky. Vinyl focused on her magic and summoned up her own ray of light at her current position. A few seconds later, the purple light blinked before disappearing completely. She took this as a sign that Octavia had gotten the message and began galloping down the road towards the maze. As she focused on her destination at the end of the road, Vinyl couldn't help but notice that it seemed to get both closer and farther away at the same time. She wasn't sure if her eyes were just playing tricks on her or if the world was shifting itself again. Her irritation building, she quickened her pace. She knew that the highest priority was reuniting with Octavia. Even though she had her magic now too, she'd be at a disadvantage if she were attacked on her own. She hadn't yet really gotten used to controlling it. For some reason it was different than her normal unicorn magic. A thought popped into her head then. If she'd hadn't been able to get used to using her magic yet, then how did Octavia wield it as well as she did? Octavia had mentioned that she'd woken up with the bracelet in the first place, but she also said that she was attacked before she reached the town where they met. According to her story there was only the attack in between the two events, so how had she managed to survive the attack and come to control her magic at the same time? "Maybe she'd been on the road longer than I was." Vinyl tried to reason, not wanting to acknowledge the holes that were beginning to pop up in her companion's story as she continued to think. "Damn it, how far is this thing?" she said with a sort of growl, getting more and more annoyed as the road apparently got longer and longer. "Why are we even going there anyway? No doubt there's gonna be some creepy thing trying to kill us inside. Can't we just teleport back to each other?" Vinyl wondered aloud before looking down at her bracelet. She found that the accessory had lost it's glow, the magic taken out of it somehow. "Well I guess that answers that..." she muttered, not happy with her situation in the least. As she raced past a large rock on the side of the road, a crack on it's surface opened slightly. From the recess in the stone, an eye watched her progress further down the road and out of view before the crack closed on top of it. ---------------------- Octavia stood in front of the entrance to the hedge maze. She examined the hedges that made up the outer wall but couldn't find anything odd about them aside from their massive height. She'd had the brief thought of trying to going around the outside of the maze and meet up with Vinyl on the other side, but she quickly disregarded it. "The walls will just grow and I'll end up galloping on endlessly." It was with this in mind that she took a deep breath and took her first steps into the maze. As she continued on, she kept an eye out for any small detail that might provide any clue as to why they'd been brought here. It was about five minutes of walking before she reached the first fork and not once had she seen anything to indicate that she was doing anything aside from walking through a normal hedge maze. "We probably just have to reach the middle then..." She muttered to herself as she decided on the left path. The turns came quicker than before, the length of the paths getting shorter and shorter. She continued to stay left on the next two forks before she came to her first dead end. With a sigh she turned around, prepared to backtrack. When she turned however, she found herself facing another wall of hedges. Confused, she back up expecting to hit the wall behind her. When she didn't after a few steps, she turned around again. What greeted her was the place where she'd entered from. With one final turn around, she groaned in annoyance. "You can't be serious!" she exclaimed. She was back at the entrance after what seemed like twenty minutes of exploring. Looking up at the sky in scorn she shouted out "So that's how you want to play?! Well fine!". After taking another deep breath she walked inside once again, anger across her face. "Can't believe this. As soon as I figure out who's behind all of this I'm going put my hoof so far up..." she continued to mutter angrily to herself as she explored. Instead of coming to the fork like last time, she found herself in the middle of a four way intersection. With a few shakes of her head she continued straight. Eventually she came to another dead end. With a curse she turned around, fully expecting to be back at the entranceway. Instead she was back at the four way intersection. She sighed heavily. "I hope Vinyl is making better progress than I am." she said as she turned right and kept walking. As she walked down the pathway, a small hole in the hedge opened as she passed by. She didn't notice it or the eye that was watching her from inside it. After she made another turn and went out of view, the hole closed. ---------------------- Vinyl walked along dejectedly. She'd come to no less than five dead ends now. It seemed like no matter how many times she came to a fork, or which direction she took, she always ended having to backtrack and take the other way. It was costing her a considerable amount of time. "Just how big is this place?" she asked to nopony in particular. She'd been walking through the maze for what she thought seemed like an hour now, and yet she hadn't seen anything aside from the hedges and the grass beneath her hooves. "What's the point of sending us here? Is there another crystal thing in the middle that's gonna make us go crazy? ...Erm, scratch that thought. You didn't hear that, alright?!" she yelled up towards the sky. With a sigh she continued on, not seeing any other option. "I bet Octi is already at the center by now." she said. After a moment her head perked up. "Did I really just call her "Octi"?" she asked herself. While she did tend to assign nicknames to other ponies she knew, they were typically... unflattering ones that she only keep to herself in her head. "Hmm... Octi... nah... maybe... Tavia? Tavi?" she continued debating the new subject with herself, her mood quickly improving. She'd never really had the opportunity to come up with a nickname for a friend before, so she found the idea quite fun. She stopped in her tracks then. "Friend, huh?" she questioned, her fun quickly fading. "Is she... really a friend? I mean... she's not an enemy... I do like her... don't I? Then she'd be a friend. But... why does "friend" not sound right then... Partner in crime? Sidekick? Saving-the-world-buddy?" she debated with herself as she began walking again, confused at the idea. She'd never really had another pony who she considered to be a real friend, yet at the same time she knew what a friend was. For whatever reason, she simply couldn't consider Octavia as a friend. Perhaps it was because of the conditions under which they met, or the situations that they've found themselves in ever since. For whichever reason though, calling Octavia a friend just didn't feel right to Vinyl. She pictured the other mare in her head, smiling at her. She was stopped in her tracks yet again by this. The image of Octavia she imagined gave rise to another thought that caused her to blush intensely. She began viciously shaking her head, pushing the aforementioned thought out of her head. "No, no, no! No way! There's no way that's what it is! Definitely not! ABSOLUTELY not! Negative. Impossible." she told herself over and over, trying as hard as she could to think about something else. Her savior from her thoughts came in the form of a loud BANG somewhere in her leftmost direction. Hurrying down the road she was currently on, she found herself at another fork. Looking from one path to the other and back again, Vinyl groaned in frustration before galloping down the left one, praying that she picked correctly for once. The paths twisted and turned. She almost crashed into the wall a number of times because the distance between each turn was getting increasingly short. Eventually though, she found herself in a clearing. It was shaped in a perfect square and was large enough to fit a house. She would have investigated more, but her attention was stolen by what was in the center of the clearing. A large, black crystal, floating slightly above a small rock formation. A shadowy mist seemed to engulf the crystal with an occasional tendril like limb flicking out before being pulled back in. Looking upwards, Vinyl gasped in horror at what she saw. Floating slightly above the crystal, being held up by the shadows that poured fourth from it, was Octavia. Her body was limp, eyes shut and mouth slightly agape, apparently unconscious. Vinyl rushed over but was thrown back after a tendril appeared from the black mist and smacked her away. Ignoring the pain, Vinyl dashed in again only to be smacked away once more. Spitting a bit of blood to the ground beside her, Vinyl glared at the crystal. It felt like it was laughing at her. Mocking her. As if to say "there's nothing you can do to help her". Vinyl took that somewhat imaginary challenge and concentrated all of her power on her bracelet. She hadn't checked to see if it had recharged but she didn't care. She had to do something. Thankfully it apparently had indeed managed to recharge during her exploration as she was engulfed in a bright blue light and her blue themed outfit took form. Glaring at the crystal, she waited a moment before rushing toward it, her only thought being one of saving Octavia... Just like Octavia had saved her before. ---------------------- She thought she could hear a voice calling her name so she opened her eyes. What greeted her was both unexpected and yet familiar. She was in the backstage section of a theatre, her trusty cello close by. Examining it for a moment, she found it to be spotless, as if it were brand new. That couldn't be right though. She'd owned her cello for a number of years now. She always took extra special care of it of course, but even she knew it shouldn't look like it did now. The voice called her name again. Looking up, she saw a mare standing at the bottom of the steps leading up to the stage. The other pony looked at her nervously and motioned to a clock hanging on the wall. Looking at the clock, it came back to her. "That's right..." she mumbled. She remembered now. This was her big shot. Her chance to pick her life back up. It'd taken her so much effort to get this far, now all she had to do was prove she was ready to move on in her life. She blinked and found herself onstage, face to face with her audience. There must of been a few hundred or so ponies, all dressed up and ready to hear her music. She took a deep breath and gave the crowd a small smile before she began to play. She'd forgotten what it was like. The calmness it instilled in her. All her negativity seemed to wash away as the music soothed her mind and spirit. She'd been so agitated and angry ever since she was kicked out, yet any time she picked up her cello and began to play, it calmed her. She was able to let everything out of her mind and focus all her attention on the music. Her eyes were closed the entire time. Even when she was just listening to music and not playing it herself she would close her eyes. It helped her focus. That was all she needed. She didn't need any fancy decorations around her house, or overly expensive clothes she hardly ever wore. She didn't even need her so called family anymore. As long as she could lose herself in the melodies and rhythms then she didn't need anything else. As she continued playing, she noticed herself smiling. It was something she rarely did anymore. The only time she ever did was when she took up her instrument. To an outsider it might seem tragic or heartbreaking, but to her it was just the norm. She'd decided that she didn't need the support of family or parents or anything like that. Her parents probably thought that she'd go crying back to them not long after leaving, begging them to let her back. But she would show them. She would prove them all wrong. She'd pick herself up, dust herself off, and make something of her life. She would do this on her own. Her only support she needed was music, as long as she had that then she would be fine. Then it happened. First it was just a small tremor. The room shook, causing her to miss a note. Her eyes opened quickly but when she saw the audience looking back as if nothing happened she kept playing, flashing a small, apologetic smile. "What was that?" she wondered. She determined it must have just been her nerves. After all, any pony would be nervous performing solo in front of so many others. A few moments later, it happened again. It was more intense this time, as if the entire building shook. She stopped playing completely as she tried to steady herself. The audience looked on though, still acting as if nothing happened. Some of them were beginning to whisper and give her strange looks. Another apologetic smile, this time with a nervous laugh. She went to continue playing but a third tremor stopped her. This one didn't let up however. It felt like an earthquake and yet not a single audience member moved. She couldn't keep her balance any longer. She fell, losing her grip on her cello as it fell to the floor as well. She tried to grasp for it but everything was still shaking intensely. Before she could reach it, the cello slid off the stage, shattering upon impact with the floor below. Her eyes widened in horror... and then she heard it. The proverbially straw that would break her back, or more appropriately, her heart. Laughter. It started small, perhaps from a single pony, but it quickly grew louder. As the seconds passed by more and more ponies began to laugh until the whole theatre was in an uproar. Laughing at her misfortune, her pain, her failure. "No..." she whispered as she looked up. "Please..." she was beginning to cry, something she hadn't allowed herself to do anywhere but her bed before she fell asleep. "Please.... stop." but her request went unheard. The ponies kept laughing, as if it were the most hilarious thing they'd ever seen. "Stop it..." her voice was growing louder, but so too were the laughs. She began to tremble in anger before finally letting it all out. "STOP IT! STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!" she yelled fiercely. The laughter stopped instantly. The audience now just looked at her, all of them with angry stares. She responded with her own sort of death glare despite the tears falling down her cheeks. Her glare changed to a look of confusion when she saw one of the audience members in the front row become engulfed in shadows. After a moment, the shadows disappeared, along with the audience member. Looking up, she took a few steps back in shock as she saw pony after pony become engulfed in shadows before disappearing, never letting go of their angry stares or showing any sort of acknowledgement to what was going on. The pace increased. Quicker and quicker they disappeared until finally the theatre was empty aside from one pony standing on the stage. She fell back onto her hindquarters, mouth agape in disbelief. What had just happened? What was going on? Numerous questions bombarded her mind but she couldn't organize them. Putting her hooves to her head, her tears intensified. "Why is this happening?" she mumbled, trying with all her might not to break out into sobs. Just as she was about to, she heard a voice call out to her from the audience. She let go of her head and looked up, shock written clearly on her face. Sitting there in the middle of the theatre, was a mare looking up at her with a gentle smile. "Why did you stop?" the pony asked innocently. Her disbelief quickly turned to anger. "How can you ask that?! I screwed up and they all laughed... then... then they left... I... I failed..." her voice was shaky. "My... my cello..." she looked down, straining to hold back her tears. "You mean that cello? Looks fine to me." the other pony replied. She looked up suddenly, about to yell at the other mare, but she was stopped by what she saw. Laying on the stage not far in front of her, was her cello. Walking slowly towards it, she found it to be in one piece. Not only that, but it was back to its spotless state from before. The other pony spoke up again as she was trying to make sense of what was happening. "Well, aren't you going to play?" she asked. "But... but the audience, and the earthquake..." The pony tilted her head in confusion. "Audience? Earthquake? Well I don't know about any earthquakes, but I'm here so that counts as having an audience. Doesn't it?" She couldn't understand. What was happening? Who was this pony? The mare seemed familiar somehow but she still couldn't organize her thoughts and questions. She closed her eyes for a moment but quickly opened them when something seemed strange. She was now in position at the center of the stage, cello at the ready. Meanwhile, the other pony had moved up to the front row. "Well? You won't make your audience wait, will you?" the other pony smiled. "But... I can't... what's happening? My head... it's all too..." "All I need is music." the pony said, causing Octavia to look up. "That's what you told yourself right? Then why did you work so hard to get here?" she asked. "I... To get noticed..." "By who?" "A... a talent scout? No... an agent? No that's not right either... A band?" she grasped at an answer but none of them seemed right. The other pony looked on expectantly in silence. Then it dawned on her. The real answer. "...Anypony... I wanted to be noticed by anypony... it didn't matter who, I just wanted someone to see..." "See what?" "See that I could do it..." "That you could do what?" "That I could stand on my own!" she shouted. "That I didn't need anypony to support me. That as long as I had my music I could make it. That the only thing I needed to depend on was myself and my music!" The other pony tilted her head again. "But why?" "Why? Why? Because!" "Because...?" "Be-because... Because nopony needed me..." she looked down, tears welling up again. "But that's not true..." "OF COURSE IT IS!" she shouted. "My own parents kicked me out without a second thought! None of my other family would even bother talking to me, much less take me in! Nopony cared that I still existed!" she fumed. "But what about your band mates?" the other mare asked. Her head shot up, eyes wide. She felt a hoof on her shoulder, and when she turned to look she saw none other than Beauty Brass, her band mate and the one who'd invited her to the band in the first place. To her other side were her other band mates. She then looked back out towards the other pony who was still sitting in the front row, smiling. She wasn't alone however. The audience had returned, looking at the stage expectantly, many also with smiles. Looking back towards her band mates, she found them all at the ready to play. All they needed was her cue. With a deep breath, she wiped away the last of her tears. After a moment, she began to play, the rest of the band following suit. The music took over again, stealing away her focus from everything else. She was free again. Free from her anger, her pressures, her stress and her negativity. It was just her and the music. "No... that's not right. It's us and the music." she corrected herself with a small smile, feeling the presence of her band mates... her friends around her. The performance was flawless. Every note perfectly played. Every line perfectly delivered. Every band member perfectly in sync with each other. When it ended, she opened her eyes was greeted by thundering applause. Everypony in the audience had a smile on their face. This in turn caused her to smile openly, the first time she'd done so in a long time. She looked for the pony who'd spoken to her, but she couldn't see her. Her smile began to fade until her band mates stepped up beside her. Beauty gave her a nudge, smiling at her when she looked over. Understanding what she meant, she took a graceful bow. When she got back up though, everypony was gone. The audience, her band mates and their instruments, nopony was left. It was just her, alone on the stage yet again. She was about to look downwards in sadness until a familiar voice spoke up. "You see? There ARE ponies who care." She looked up to see none other than the pony from before, this time standing onstage with her. She was about to say something but she was caught off guard by the other mare quickly, yet gently, embracing her. "And I'm one of them." the other mare said before letting go and taking a step back. Yet again she was about to say something in response, and yet again she was cut off. A bright light began to envelop everything around her. It was too intense for her eyes. She squinted harshly, trying to keep view of the other pony. "It's time wake up now." she could hear the other pony say. The last thing she was able to see before she had to close her eyes completely, was once last glimpse of the other pony. She was smiling at her. A smile that felt familiar somehow.