Maestro stirred from the long journey, and looked around. The surrounding area was strange, and sparse. He had no idea where he was, except that it looked to be some sort of labyrinth. If his gut was right, Prism and Sarah were somewhere in here. He could also sense that Jet character nearby, so he would have to remain on high alert. He had no clue as to the full capability of that guy, except for the fact that he was roughly as powerful as himself, if not more so. But, he heard a snide comment from an unwelcome voice. Y’know… maybe we should side with him. He’s powerful, like us. We could use that to our advantage. Set aside the nuisances around us, and claim what should be ours!
Maestro grit his teeth. He didn’t want to deal with Cacophony at the moment, so he tried to use his magic… but then, alarm bells went off in his head. My magic?! I can’t access it! What’s going on here?
Snickering a little, Cacophony spoke up. Well now, looks like you’re stuck with me! It seems we’re surrounded by Antimagic. Well played, well played. Maestro could almost feel Cacophony’s grin. This certainly makes things… interesting.
Maestro sighed, and rolled his shoulders. Great. Now let’s get on with this already. We’re wasting time. Maestro looked around once more, trying to judge which direction he should go. Hmm. Can’t just cheap out and use my magic, so I’m gonna have to trust my gut on this one. He focused, clearing his mind. He then pointed to a path that was currently on his right (though it was hard to say if it was one he’d seen before when he first came to). He walked with a determined look on his face. Alright, Jet. let’s see what game you’re playing…
The path often diverged and twisted, but Maestro didn’t let that daunt him. At each intersection, Maestro paused to regain his bearings, and take the direction that felt most “right” to his gut. After many various turns, Maestro started to see the cell that those precious to him were being kept. He smiled. Not long now. I don’t know how long it took to get here, but it doesn’t matter. I’m almost there.
Before he could go much further, he heard a dark chuckle. “Well now. I didn’t think I’d have to interfere much, and just watch you get lost, but… Look at you! You’ve done astoundingly well so far! It seems that I underestimated you. Time to fix that.” the eerie air grew heavier as the maze started to rumble and shake. Maestro steadied himself, and glared into the darkness. Jet’s laughter echoed through the chasmous space. “Really, now. Did you think I’d just let you waltz on there without interference now? The fun is just beginning…”
A giant clock rose from the ground, displaying a time limit of two hours. Maestro shouted into the void. “What are you playing at, Jet? Explain yourself!”
Jet sighed deeply from the shadows. “Listen. Starlight wants something, and I intend to get it for her. You got in my way, so now your sanity is on the line.” Jet’s tone shifted to imply a bit of regret. “You have two hours to get out of here with your loved ones before the latent magic of the area starts to eat at your mind. You were a powerful foe, so it regrettable to see you fall this way. Your time starts…” Before Jet could finish, Maestro bolted off at top speed. Adrenaline coursed through him, putting his senses in overdrive. Jet sighed, and apparently shook his head. “Now.”
Time was of the essence, so Maestro couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. He instinctively weaved and bobbed through the maze, jumping over pits, ducking under lower ceilings, and climbing walls. Traps started to try and obstruct his path about 10 minutes in, but Maestro was so focused and aware that he adapted on the fly. He would not give in, not when he was so close! The traps complicated things, slightly adding to his time. He was getting closer to his goal, but from the corner of his eye he saw that it had been 30 minutes so far. He put in a burst of effort to go faster, respond quicker. He was uncertain how close he was, but he wasn’t taking any chances by slowing down. Sweat began to roll fiercely down his body. Yet, he refused to slow down. His breathing quickened as his stubbornness caused him to push harder. Faster. Faster! FASTER! He soon was almost too hard to follow, and he was making rather good time now. An hour in, and he was more than three quarters of the way there. He could do this!
Yet, he wasn’t quite in the clear just yet. A dark miasma descended, draining his energy. He started to slow down, even though he didn’t want to. Jet practically snarled. “Did you seriously think that I would let up when you were so close? Fool! No way in Cocytus will I just let you go further! You will break, whether you like it or not!”
Even as Maestro’s movements slowed, he refused to give in. He was too close to give in now. He pressed onward, with every fiber of his will fighting to move forward. But an unwelcome voice chimed up. Come on, Maestro. Give in already. It’s high time that you let me drive.
Maestro chose to ignore Cacophony, resolved on pressing onward. He wouldn’t give in, he couldn’t give in. Not now, not ever. His progress may have been hindered, but he was far from giving in now. He made some decent progress, despite all the things working against him. 30 minutes left on the clock, and he was almost there. Just… a little… Further! His nature kicked into overdrive, his focus unwavering. He started to pick up pace again, despite the strange miasma. He would not give in! Not when he was so close to his goal! He would do this! No matter what, I will succeed!
Time was ticking, and his goal was within sight. Just a little further, and he would have passed Jet’s little game. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake now. He went through the final exit, reaching the clearing with the cell. The timer showed 15 minutes, and it was still counting down. Maestro forced his way over to the cage, busting the bars apart with mighty strength. Prism and Sarah rushed over to him, the former speaking out. “Dad! Oh, I was so terrified!”
Maestro pulled back, and took them out of the cage. He looked towards the rope dangling from the black sky. “Alright. There’s only one thing for this.” He lifted Prism onto the rope, and she clung there. He spoke harshly. “Get going! We don’t have time to dawdle!” Prism took the cue, and climbed as quickly as she could. Once she was further up, Sarah started to climb after her as quickly as she could. 7 and a half minutes remained.
The two climbed further, and Maestro started to climb after them. But, they weren’t out of the clear just yet. The miasma grew in strength, slowing their movements further. Yet, Maestro called out to them. “Don’t give up now! Just keep going!” At that, Prism managed to muster enough strength of will to pull herself to the top and exit out. 3 minutes 45 seconds.
Sarah had barely managed to get three quarters the way up the rope, and Maestro was only halfway up himself. But he urged her onward. “Almost there! We can do this!” the two poured on more effort, and soon Sarah too managed to get out. 1 minute remains.
Maestro kept going. The nagging of Cacophony’s voice couldn’t stop him now. He was too close to give in now. He’d come too far to stop now. 45 seconds. He climbed further, determined to get out. He would see his friends again, and nothing would stop him! He could do this! He would do this! 30 seconds. He was three quarters the way up the rope, and he could almost make out the voices of Sarah and Prism giving him encouragement. He smiled at the thought that they would return the favor, so he put more effort out to get closer. He would not be deterred now! He could not be stopped now! 15 seconds. He’d almost made it out. He was so close now, he could almost taste freedom. He pulled himself to the exit, and just managed to peek out into the setting sun of the open air. He saw the smiling faces of Prism and Sarah, and they grabbed on to help pull him up and out. 0 seconds.
Something latched onto Mastro’s leg, threatening to drag him back in. He was halfway in, and halfway out. Prism and Sarah pulled with all their might, not willing to let go of him now. After a brief tug-of-war, Sarah and Prism managed to pull him completely free. After Maestro landed, Prism went over and shut the manhole. She welded the cover to the street so that the force couldn’t escape. Sarah looked at Maestro with concern. “Are you alright? That was too close for comfort…”
Maestro blinked for a moment. Something felt very wrong, but he wasn’t quite sure what. He felt his magic, activating it just fine. He could still access the syphoned magic from Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Sombra. He was going to answer that he was fine; but then his eyes widened. “Cacophony!” He panicked a little, trying to reach out to that annoying voice in his head… but there was no response. He turned to Sarah, his face a bit pale. “He took Cacophony!”
Sarah tilted her head slightly. “So? I mean, he’s just a Nightmare entity. You’re better off without him, right?”
Shaking his head, Maestro explained. “He’s more than that, Sarah. He may be insufferable at times, but he’s a part of me. He’s the part of me that stops at nothing to get what he wants- and now he’s captured by Starlight.” He turned to look Sarah in the eye. “This is far from a good thing, Sarah. The two of us keep the other in check, to some extent.” He sighed as he looked away. “I guess it just took losing him for me to truly understand that…”
Prism want over to Maestro and hugged him lightly. “It’ll be alright, dad. We’ll find a way to get him back if it means so much to you. Promise.”
Maestro smiled. “Thanks.” He turned to Sarah. “And you? Will you help?”
Sarah nodded. Once they were in agreement, they left together.