Chapter 4: The Revelations of Magic and Music
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The last thing I remember was falling asleep in Luis’s car. Now all of a sudden I’m in an abandoned nightclub. As I was trying to understand how I got here, I began to hear a faint sound. It sounded like a slow rhythm, almost like the beginning of a dubstep track. It sounded very faint, for if I wasn’t paying attention, I could have easily missed the sound.
I looked around for the source of the music, though it wasn’t anywhere to be found. It was then that I heard the sound of a very familiar tune. Before I transformed into Vinyl, I always loved classical music. Needless to say, I was surprised when I heard the melody of a violin. Though it was soon mixed in with the bass and drops of a dubstep track.
The second the bass dropped, the entire nightclub lit up. It was as if the place suddenly came to life, and on the stage was a silhouette of DJ equipment and a figure I knew all too well. The music suddenly became so much louder to the point where it was deafening. I felt the vibrations of the bass throughout my body as the track shook the room. As I began to walk closer to the shadows, I noticed something. I was walking on two feet. I felt the individual digits of my fingers as I went to take a better look at my body. I brushed my hand through my short hair. I couldn’t believe it; I was human once more.
I was brought out of my trance by a sudden bass drop and continued to walk forward to the silhouette that played the music. As I approached the edge of the stage, the music began to die down and then I heard a voice.
“Well lookie here! I guess this is the first time you actually meet me, right?”
I was startled by the sudden voice. I knew that voice very well. It sounded just like the voice from that video Epic Wub Time.
I stood there, staring at the stage when I answered, “Vinyl?”
The stage lit up and the silhouette vanished, leaving only behind Vinyl Scratch herself.
“The one and only!” she said as she stepped forward to the edge of the stage, meeting me on eye-level.
She looked at me with one of the most serious expressions I ever saw and said, “Now, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Maybe I know the answer as to why you became me’, so I’ll give you the most thought out answer I can possibly give you... I have no freaking idea.”
I facepalmed at this statement, “Well, thanks for being such a big help.”
She laughed to herself for a little bit before saying, “Look, I’m just as confused as you are about this whole situation, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you out either!”
I looked at her with confusion before asking, “How can you possibly help me?”
“Simple. We can start with your magic abilities. You’re going about it the wrong way, and that’s why it tires you out so fast.” She stated in a matter-of-factly tone, “You focus way too hard on getting simple things done that you barely even have the energy to release it.”
“So this entire time I’ve been doing it wrong?” I asked in a surprised tone.
“Yeah! Now let me show you how magic’s really done!”
It felt like hours had passed when she showed me how to use magic properly. I learned that throughout the entire time I used magic, I used a lot of unnecessary focusing. Instead, all I had to do was simply channel the energy to use magic. Kind of like a bender from Avatar: The Last Airbender. She showed me how to levitate and use basic telekinesis, and as it turns out, I was still able to use magic in my human form.
After hours of training, I felt a strange rumble. Before I knew it, the entire building I was in dissolved around me and with it, Vinyl. As in dissolved, I mean that the walls, floor, ceiling, and everything turned into a gigantic flock of birds and flew away. The next thing I knew, I was standing on a stained glass pillar. When I looked down at the glass design, it made my jaw drop.
It was a Station of Awakening. I was standing over a gigantic mural of Vinyl and myself. Vinyl was on the right, in a similar position that Sora was on his in Kingdom Hearts. I saw myself on the left side of the mural, mirroring Vinyl’s pose. Both of our eyes were closed but her back hoof and my right leg crossed each other on the mural. Above us on the design were seven small circles, each with a portrait of a someone in them. I noticed three of them immediately. They were my friends Merille and Luis, with the third being Redheart. The other four confused me. I knew who each one was, yet I never met them. Why did the faces of Zecora, Trixie, Snips, and Snails appear on the Station as well?
It was a breathtaking, yet confusing sight. Many thoughts passed through my head...Why was I here? What does this mural stand for? What role do I play in all of this!? I had a gut feeling that only time would answer all of the questions that I had. As I began to think about everything that has happened just now, a stairset formed at the edge of the Station. One by one, each step appeared out of thin air, leading upwards towards a light. With no other way to go, I slowly took steps forward and onto the stairs. Each step I took towards the light, my vision began to fade, my sense of being alert vanishing with each step. Eventually, I made my way to the top, but I was soon blinded by the light.
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My eyes fluttered open to the sight of passing trees. I took a quick look around to see what everyone was doing. Merille and Luis were debating over video games. That was pretty typical of them. Then again, that was typical for all three of us. Serah was still fast asleep. All of that stress of waking up as a pony, then all of that walking, and then galloping for her life must have really taken a toll on her. I can’t blame her either. Anyone would be exhausted after all of that. I then checked out of the window to see where we were headed. I couldn’t see any road signs, so I asked Luis as to where we were headed.
“Hey Luis... What city are we headed to next?”
“Well, the closest city is Gulfport, Mississippi. We’re going to take a quick stop there to fill up on gas.”
It was then that Serah woke up as well. She looked outside the window with wonder. Before she even had a chance to ask where we were headed to, I spoke up.
“We’re going to Gulfport, Mississippi. The car’s running low on gas.”
Serah just nodded before relaxing back on the seat, looking out of the window. Seeing how we would probably still be a little while before we actually arrived at the city, I decided I would take out my laptop and play video games until we reached the Gulfport. The second I started up Skyrim, time seemed to fly by.
We stopped at a nearby gas station to fill up the Prius. When we all stepped out of the car, Merille, Serah, and I decided to get a few things for the road while Luis filled the car with gas. We spread out within the small store. Walking through the different aisles, my eyes laid upon a bag of beef jerky. When I was human, that was my favorite thing to snack on. I started to levitate the bag to myself, but then I remembered the incident with the Subway sandwich. So, feeling down about how I can’t eat meat anymore, I put it back on the shelf. Instead, I went to the drinks and grabbed me the vanilla flavored Starbucks Coffee drink.
As I walked to the counter, I took notice of the song the radio was playing. The clerk had it on a radio station that played classics from the seventies and eighties. As Merille, Serah, and I were ready to pay for everything, I suddenly realized I forgot the Cheetos. I trotted back to the aisle where the chips were, but before I could bring the bag to the counter, I heard screaming and yelling from one guy. I turned the corner to see a man in a black hoodie wearing a Batman mask pointing a gun at the clerk and demanding money.
I saw the faces of Serah and Merille. They were terrified, and it looked like I was the only one that could help them out. They were forced on the ground, and the gunman told the clerk to open the register. It was then that I remembered the magic lessons given to me by Vinyl from that dream. I channeled my energy and turned the volume of the radio up to its max setting. As the split-second silence happened, I hoped that my crazy idea would work.
YEEEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!
The jig is up, the news is out,
They finally found me.
The renegade, who had it made
Retrieved for a bounty.
Never more to go astray,
This’ll be the end today,
Of the wanted man!
This startled the robber and he tried to shoot the radio that was blaring the Styx song. Thankfully, the gun jammed and he couldn’t fire a shot at all. Merille and Serah then used that chance to extend his arm and her hoof to cause the gunman to trip and fall. He fell over and faceplanted on the counter. When he went to get up and run out, Luis was standing at the doorway. What then followed was something straight out of a fighting game as Luis judo flipped the robber onto the ground.
When the gunman was on the ground in pain, the clerk used some duct tape to restrain the man until police arrived. When the police took the Batman mask off, it fell to the ground. I saw where it landed and levitated it towards me.
As I looked in the direction of the robber, I called him out before putting on the mask myself and saying in my best Batman impression, “Don’t ever let me find you out here again.”
Though, after I said that, the police took the mask away to use for evidence. They then asked us to travel with them to the station to give our witness statements. We all got back in the Prius and travelled straight to the station. The station itself was pretty big, about two stories high. Though we didn’t have time to get a good look at it as we were quickly escorted to the inside of the building.
We were led by a police officer who wore the basic street cop gear, though he wore aviator-style sunglasses. He led us past a few office rooms before we had to take a left into a bigger office. The room was adorned with many certificates and medals adorning the walls. The desk itself was mahogany with simple office supplies on it. In front of the desk were two leather chairs, each one mirroring the other’s position. Against the wall were two simpler chairs, both of them your basic office chair.
“Please, take a seat,” said the officer as he sat down in his chair behind the desk.
Merille and Luis took a seat on the leather chairs, while Serah and I each took a seat on the simple chairs. We sat there in silence for about five minutes while the cop searched through the drawers of his desk.
Once he found what he needed, he spoke up again, “Now, I know you don’t want to be here longer than you need to be, but I need to have you write down your witness testimony. Once you write down what you’ve seen, you’ll be free to go.”
We were handed the papers and pencils and asked to be as detailed as possible when writing about the robbery. I saw Merille and Luis begin to write down what they witnessed. I levitated the pencil up to the paper and began to write down on how I saw the robber demanded money, followed by when I blared the volume on the radio and startled him, then finally how he was tripped and flipped by Merille, Luis, and Serah.
When I looked up again, I noticed that Serah had serious trouble trying to hold the pencil. She tried using her hooves and then tried using her mouth, but that ended in failure. I could tell by the look on her face that she was getting frustrated trying to write the statement herself. It was then that the officer lended a hand to help her write down the statement.
After we finished, we had begun to walk out of the station. We started to talk amongst ourselves on what to do now, since all of that was seriously unexpected. When we reached the exit, we decided that now would be a good time to just go and find a place to relax, as Luis and Merille would be a bit too shaken up for either of them to drive. Luckily, within walking distance, we saw an arcade named Final Frontier. It was a big place, as it included both an arcade and a laser tag arena. We saw a sign twirler spinning a sign about a laser tag tournament going on, and that sign-ups were still available. We concluded that we really needed something fun to do to get our minds off of the robbery. Though we wondered if we should just play games or enter in the tournament.
“Hey, how much money do we have on us?” I asked, digging in my pocket and pulling out my wallet, which had about twenty dollars left.
Luis pulled out his wallet and said, “Not much. I only got thirty.”
Merille pulled out his and said, “Flat broke...”
While Luis, Merille, and I were talking amongst each other, we noticed that Serah had trotted over to the arcade.
“What’s she up to?” asked Merille as we walked over there ourselves.
By the time we got to the front door of the arcade, Serah emerged through the doors before saying, “The prize for winning the laser tag is a thousand bucks. Get ready, for we have a tournament to enter.”