//------------------------------// // Part 1: Lunchtime // Story: Beyond the Frame // by Sean Skyhawk //------------------------------// 10:30 AM, 11th day of the Third Month of Autumn, 1002 years since Nightmare Moon was banished. “Isn’t this exciting?!” squealed Pinkie Pie. “I’ve never been to a modern art museum before, especially in Canterlot! Ooh, I hope there are some super-duper fun activities once we get there! And then we can explore around Canterlot in the evening, and…” Pinkie Pie went on and on about how she was looking forward to that day’s events, earning curious glances from some of the other ponies in their compartment. Rarity turned to Twilight Sparkle, who was busy poring over the magazine advertisements and pamphlets she had received from Princess Celestia. Apparently, she and Spike had been notified of the grand opening of a special exhibition that day at the Canterlot Gallery of Modern Art featuring the late artist White Palette, and given that this was one of the more intriguing artists in modern Equestrian history that she had read about in her studies, she decided to take a research trip to learn more about the full scale of his life’s work. Since the opening fell on a Sunday, the one day of the week when admission to the gallery was free, she had decided to take all her friends along on this trip so that they could also enjoy Canterlot. “Say Twilight, I’ve seen many of White Palette’s artworks before and I must say they are particularly marvelous! Who knew that this pony had so much talent? I mean, the paintings, the sculptures, ingenious!” “I know, Rarity, some of Palette’s better-known pieces have been central to the main exhibits at the museum, but this will be the first time a whole compendium of his artwork will all be in one place! I can’t wait to check this out!” The train kept on rumbling over the mountain paths as the mares eagerly talked among themselves about what they would do once at Canterlot, sometimes passing around some of Twilight’s pamphlets to get an idea of what they were getting to see or just simply gazing out of the windows, watching the scenery whiz by. “Say Twilight, how’s Shining Armor and Princess Cadence doing up at the Crystal Empire?” Rarity asked. Twilight smiled as she looked upon her friends. “They’re doing very well! In fact they sent me a postcard the other day.” “That’s very nice,” replied Rarity. “And Spike, how’s luck on your new gem cake?” Spike, who hadn’t really been paying attention up to this point gave a startled yelp at this and stammered “oh, um… cake, uh, oh yeah! Heh heh, third time’s the charm I guess. Twilight gave me some great advice for this one!” “As in, looking over his shoulder to keep him from eating the jewels before mixing them into the batter,” Twilight said with a laugh, earning a blush from the baby dragon’s cheeks. It would take another half-hour for the train to finally arrive at the station, and fifteen minutes more for the group to navigate the streets to the Gallery itself. “You got everything, Twilight?” asked Spike as he rode upon her back. “Yup! Quills, parchment, notepad, bottled water, and the like. Hey pals, you want some water or some chocolate before we get inside?” “No thanks!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash as she zoomed up ahead of them, while her friends likewise said they could wait. “Hey Twilight, remember when we played I spy with my little eye last Hearth’s Warming Eve? You wanna try that, girls?” “Oh yes!” replied Fluttershy. “Um… who would like to go first?” “Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!” bubbled Pinkie Pie as she hopped along the path. Twilight sighed. “It’s alright, I’ll go first. I spy… oh! That’s Derpy Hooves!” she pointed out a grey blond-maned pegasus who seemed to be hovering around aimlessly. “And there’s Emmett too,” indicating her companion, the brown bow-tied earth stallion with an hourglass cutie mark. He turned and tapped Derpy on the haunches before they waved at the girls, who waved back as they headed towards the main gates of the art gallery. “Come to think of it, there are a lot of Ponyvillians today. Quick! Let’s get to the main exhibit before the crowds become too big.” Twilight Sparkle’s words would prove quite prudent soon. When they got inside, they stood around in awe at the sheer scale of the brightly-lit lobby, almost as if foreshadowing the sheer amount of White Palette’s artwork they would be seeing today. Her friends kept up the excited chatter of their game, occasionally pointing out other visitors to the exhibit. This compendium of White Palette’s artwork was unrivaled in its expanse and its eclectic selection of styles, and the herd of visitors somewhat reflected this diversity, as did the emotions sometimes felt by the crowd in response to the art. Mixed in along with the high-class Canterlot residents were a fair proportion of ponies from other towns: Applejack recognized some of her relatives from Manehattan, the Oranges, along with Babs Seed, while nearby were Cheerilee and her students on a field trip. As they proceeded, they met other, more exotic lot, including Crystal Ponies, a delegation of zebras surrounding a modern art sculpture, and even a few thestrals, so distinguishable by their slender frames, batlike wings, long dark cloaks and full-body makeup. It was quite interesting to see this artistic genius’ works draw so many different folk together. After the girls tired of their little game and decided to appreciate much of the artwork for its own sake, Fluttershy spoke up. “Um, Twilight? I just wonder… how come White Palette used red so much?” Indeed, almost every painting and/or sculpture had reddish tones somewhere in its colors. “Well, the story goes that White Palette suffered from a congenital blood disorder; maybe this is his way of expressing the burden that he had suffered throughout his lifetime.” “Well he can’t have been much of a happy pony then…” Rarity was looking away at some of the large stone sculptures lined up against the wall, an exception to the crimson-hued art seen thus far. Twilight and the others turned to look as well and inspected the group, which was attracting quite a number of interested ponies at their plinths. At least they seemed interested; half of them had expressions of unease, discomfort or sudden alienation. As Twilight looked around, some of the others were either nervously backing away or averting their eyes as they passed by this area, while many continued to stare in morbid curiosity. Near the doorway, Cheerilee was dragging some of her fillies away by the ear in embarrassment, and upon close inspection of the sculptures it became clear why. “Yeah… he had some problems, that’s for sure.” “Oh, but what are these sculptures? Why do they look like… eep…” Fluttershy had sunk to the floor as if afraid the sculptures would attack her at any moment, leading Twilight to reassure her that they were perfectly harmless. Twilight went on to relate the background behind these statues, so memorably featured in her art history research from ages past. Supposedly, much of the works at the Canterlot Sculpture Garden were commissioned by him (which would explain the style), but he then made some additional artworks that embodied less… innocent traits. Their titles aptly explored harsher, darker aspects of Equestrian culture: states of mind such as Guilt, Horror, Wrath; sinful acts such as Greed, Lust or Deceit; even representations of less-fortunate ponies such as The Orphan or The Unfaithful. Apparently, White Palette reasoned that if a sculpture of Discord was present in the gardens, it should be natural that other such disharmonious aspects be expressed; all the same, these were mostly rejected and eventually hidden away at the Canterlot Archives or sent off to museums or private collections worldwide, at least until they were all loaned back to the museum for the current exhibition. Whether or not he meant them to be unnerving, the sculptures certainly did their job well, though this did not detract from their macabre popularity. After much coaxing upon Fluttershy to move onwards, they wandered about the first floor corridors, pushing their way through throngs of visitors and trying not to get themselves separated. Spike would sometimes sneak off while Twilight excitedly explained about various bits of artwork and how they related to the overall artistic climate of the times, greatly annoying Twilight as he was the one writing and compiling notes about what they found. Once, Rarity caught him attempting to pry open a glass case containing various jeweled brooches, earning him reproachful looks from the others while Twilight apologized profusely to the guard on duty. Eventually, they looped back to the lobby; by this time the crowds were substantially thinner, and visitors were leaving the gallery en masse, some of them heading to the lower levels and others exiting through the main doors. “My, my, is it that time already?” Rarity glanced at the clock above the registration desk; sure enough, it was a quarter till noon. Applejack’s brow furrowed at this. “Hmmm… ah sure feel hungry. Wanna head out for lunch?” “Sure! How about we take a break and head down to the café? I hear there’s pizza,” replied Rainbow Dash. “Ooh! Pizza! I wonder what toppings I’ll put on my slice… so many choices!” “Um, how about you, Twilight? You want to have lunch with us before we head to the upper levels?” asked Fluttershy while Pinkie rambled on about what she would put on her pizza. “You go on ahead, Spike and I will look around a bit more and then we’ll join you for lunch.” “Aww, Twi! Can we go now?” complained Spike. Unlike Twilight, he hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast and he was not too happy about the prospect of being separated from Rarity (she took it upon herself to carry some gems on this trip). “Spike”—Twilight sighed in exasperation—“it’ll only be a minute. There’s this painting I’ve been really looking forward to. We’ll take a look and head downstairs right after.” “You’re still mad about the glass case, right?” “… well, catch you later, girls!” “Oh! Should we wait for you before we order our lunch?” asked Rarity. “That’s alright, you can order first. Besides, you know what I like on my pizzas.” “Well then, don’t take too long now!” Once her friends had left the area, Twilight Sparkle took a good look around throughout the lobby area. The sunlit rotunda, flanked by various columns and doorways, always seemed quite impressive, even to frequent visitors like Twilight. There were overhanging theater-like balconies from the third and fourth levels that held benches, desks, and the occasional student. Some of the upper-level visitors were looking down at the populace, admiring the spectacular view. Above her, the sky shone through a glass skylight; some of its panels had been propped open to encourage fresh air (and for the occasional pegasus to fly through). Twilight sighed. Looking at the grandeur of it all brought back memories of her earlier visits here throughout her education at Canterlot. She still remembered the feeling of serenity she felt whenever she set foot within these hallways, especially at the rotunda. Sometimes after a hard day’s studying, she would just come here to enjoy the openness of it all and take some time for herself, away from the hectic everyday life of school. No matter how many times she would come here, she always felt calmer and more at ease, and she would see something new and interesting with each trip. However, the tiled floor of the lobby was what intrigued Twilight the most today. A rectangular area had been cordoned off by velvet ropes, as well as a virtual wall of curious ponies. Everypony was bunched up at one side of the ropes, not bothering to examine the painting from any other angle, apparently. Puzzled at this behavior, Twilight Sparkle squeezed past this audience to see what merited this awkward view, only to be greeted by a very perplexing sight. Within this area, pieces of the floor had apparently collapsed into a jagged sinkhole, some of the tiles still falling into the cavity below; upon closer inspection of the artwork, it seemed as if a new subterranean space had been revealed underneath the lobby, a red-lined gallery. Of course it was all an illusion on canvas, rolled over the ground to give this impression. All the same, it was quite an impressive one, blending so seamlessly with the surrounding tile pattern. When Twilight went to the opposite side though, facing the transfixed ponies, the artwork seemed strangely distorted, the illusion broken. “Hmm… we saw this at the beginning of the trip. Spike, there are pamphlets over there, can you grab me one?” Grumbling as he took a brochure from one of the roped posts, he passed it on to Twilight, who levitated and unfolded it with her magic. On one side was a top-view photo of the painting in front of them, and on the other was a description: Labyrinth of the Mind (939) “The realm beneath our outward persona defines who we really are. Fascinated by this, I decided to realize this world within the canvas by metaphorically crumbling away the public façade, thereby revealing the subconscious worlds below.” –White Palette It continued on with the explanation and interpretation of the artwork and why he made this painting. It seemed that the Gallery had commissioned White Palette for some central Gallery-exclusive artworks, this being one of them. However, Twilight couldn’t really remember the last time she’d seen this work up close, but then again, this was the first time it had been returned to display after several years’ worth of restoration. Twilight folded up the brochure and stowed it away as she and Spike looked at the floor mural. “Okay”—Spike acknowledged—“this is rather cool… now can we please go to lunch?” “This wasn’t the painting I was talking about, Spike. That is up ahead through this hallway. Come on, Spike.” “I still can’t believe you’re insisting on roping me into this. Why can’t we wait until after pizza?” “Because that painting represents one of the pivotal turning points in his career, hay, even a whole art movement! This is the one time for us to examine it closely, before the crowds return and it will be far more difficult. The notes we get from this will prove invaluable in adding to the material on modern art back at Golden Oaks. And yes, I didn’t like what happened back with the case of jewels. Seriously, Spike?” With a groan, he trudged along as they entered through the entrance of an area titled “Foundations: White Palette’s early years”. This was not as crowded as the rest of the gallery, which was lucky for the two; it was a narrow white corridor lined with graphite drawings, unfinished paintings and the occasional explanatory plaque or brochure set lining the wall. Their objective, though, was at the end of the hallway, a landscape titled “The Red House”. According to the free maps they took, the area actually looped around itself; two adjacent corners had doorways leading to the rotunda and their destination was diagonally opposite to where they stood. As Twilight took a right at the end of her hallway, she suddenly jumped in excitement. Up ahead were the last two ponies she expected to be here in Canterlot, especially so soon after the postcard she received. “Shining Armor? Cadence?!” Shining Armor gave a start as he and his wife looked to their left. “Twily!” he exclaimed, as the siblings hugged one another. Cadence laughed as they let go. “Hey Twilight!” Facing one another now, they immediately started trotting in some synchronous rhythm. It was a little greeting they would do ever since they were fillies. “Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake, Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” The others smiled at this. “Well, at least the fate of Equestria isn't hanging in the balance today,” Shining Armor chuckled. “I know, but… I thought you were back at the Crystal Empire! How are things up there?” “Pretty well, actually.” “So you’re here for the new White Palette exhibition too, Cadence?” Cadence sighed and giggled. “Yes, but dear lords, have you seen the crowds today?” “Yeah, seems like this exhibit’s pretty popular, and not to mention the free public admission this time of the week. Guess it can’t be avoided. “By the way, I noticed a couple of Crystal Ponies in the exhibits. They must be surprised to see you here,” Twilight continued. “Um, not really,” Shining Armor replied. “We took them along to Canterlot.” “What do you mean?” asked Twilight. “Prospective exchange students, Twily,” chimed Cadence. “For most of them, this is their first time here and when word got out about the new exhibit and that we were interested in seeing it, they wanted to come along.” “Exchange students? That would be wonderful!” Spike cleared his throat impatiently, prompting looks from the others. “Can we get to the painting soon? Don’t want to keep the others waiting.” Cadence and Shining Armor turned to look at Twilight. “Ah, you brought your friends along?” “Yup, they’re ordering pizza at the café downstairs.” “That sounds lovely! Hey Cadence, maybe we can call it a morning and take our Crystal friends down to lunch. Give the others a pleasant surprise.” “I agree, Shining Armor. Well, we won’t delay you any longer, see you downstairs!” “Bye Cadence! Bye Shining Armor!” As the couple left, Twilight and Spike went swiftly to the painting in question. “Ah, here it is, Spike!” In front of them was a medium-sized canvas depicting a quaint oil painting of a red house on some Canterlot corner under azure skies. Spike took one look and frowned. “You took us all the way here for this?” “Spike, this isn’t just any painting. This was one of his most famous of his early works; through this, he pioneered a whole new genre of modern painting! Just look at the style of the brushstrokes, and…” Spike rolled his eyes at this. When she was looking at anything related to her research, whether it be invisibility spells or Canterlot history, she tended to get excited and go into detail about various aspects of it all. As he looked around, though, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. To his right, an unmarked doorway stood ajar. There was something off about it, if its apparent grubbiness compared to the rest of the hallway was any indication. He looked back at Twilight; she was too absorbed in the painting to really notice if he just snuck off, so he tiptoed towards the doorway. “Just a few more feet…” “and the way he used contrasting colors in his artwork, quite shocking compared to the orthodox harmony of traditional painting, was later adopted by greats such as Manet and van Hoof, who in turn–Spike, where are you going?” She turned to look and saw the baby dragon enter through the doorway. “Spike!” She ran to the doorway, hoping to catch him. “You’re not supposed to go in there!” she urgently whispered. “What if the guard sees you?” “There’s nopony watching. Besides, this looks really interesting!” “Spike, you can’t just go in areas like that! What if it’s restricted or under renovation?” Indeed, he’d crossed underneath yellow tape and moved aside the caution sign propped up against the door. “I’m only just… oh wow Twi, check this out! I think you’ll like this!” Twilight gritted her teeth in frustration. Still, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that wherever Spike was headed to deserved a closer look. Partly out of this nagging sensation and partly to just get Spike and move on, she stepped inside and closed the door quietly behind her. “Alright… we definitely shouldn’t be here.” The area was quite different from the hall they were just in. It appeared to be a dimly-lit hallway, though… Twilight felt that “storeroom” or even “attic” would describe the area better. Everywhere was covered in dust and cobwebs, including the wooden floor, the walls and the swinging flickering worklamps hanging from the ceiling. There were rags just thrown into corners or bins, and the whole environment just screamed neglect. Lining the walls were what appeared to be paintings, only these were just propped up against the sides and covered with canvas dropcloths. Spike had been looking under these one by one, until he found one that he liked in particular. “Twi, look at this!” “No! Spike!” Too late; with a small shower of dust, he pulled off one of the dropcloths to reveal the oil painting underneath. Twilight sighed in annoyance, but as she was about to magic the cloth back in place, she paused, examining what she was seeing. “Is that… the original? The original of Depths?” In front of her was a rather simple painting. Upon the white canvas, lines had been drawn in an unnerving shade of red, forming into an illusory spiral pattern that seemed to draw the viewer in. On the lower left corner was White Palette’s signature and the year it was painted. Twilight found her eyes drifting into the pattern before she shook her head quickly in confusion. “Now what would the original artwork be doing here? I thought it went missing soon before he died!” In her research before the trip, some particularly unusual points in the artist’s history stood out; for instance, it was known that soon after he had become famous, replicas were made by either White Palette or other artists and sold to museums or private collectors throughout Equestria. Though none of these had the original signature, they were appreciated as memorabilia of the artistic movements he inspired and there was some demand. However, it wasn’t before long that, in a fit of madness, he set about methodically destroying several of his own original artworks before his untimely death. Nopony knew why he snapped like this; also, this meant that some of his artworks are only known through copies and/or photos of the paintings. And, unless this was some very sophisticated forgery, here was one of the originals thought lost! Now more curious than ever, Twilight and Spike uncovered more paintings. Some were portraits, others landscapes, each with some recurring theme. “Spike, these are all lost originals. But then… why would the museum keep them here?” “Maybe they’re being restored, and they didn’t finish in time for the exhibit?” “That still doesn’t explain the dust covering the whole place,” Twilight said as she rubbed the grey film off a nearby stool. “It’s as if… these paintings have been sitting here for years and nopony bothered to check this area. Then again, how–” squish. They froze in place; the only sound that could be heard was the creaking of the worklamp up above. Apprehensively, Twilight turned her head to the source of the wet noise; somehow, she had placed her hoof right upon the canvas of one of the artworks. She drew it back to take a look – her left hoof was stained with red. In front of her, a perfect hoofprint was left upon the canvas she had just been touching seconds before. “GAAK!” She jumped back a few feet, landing on her haunches. Spike noticed this and rushed over to Twilight’s aid. “Twilight? Are you okay? What happened? Wait… your hoof’s all red.” “Oh no. Oh NonononononoNO! This is NOT good.” “How? You can just go to the mare’s room and wash up, it’s alright.” “Alright? ALRIGHT? Of course it's not!” Twilight was now hurriedly getting to her hooves, trying not to trail paint all over the floorboards. “Look at this mess here! You know what happens to ponies who vandalize the art gallery? How are we supposed to pay for all this?! Aw hay, we shouldn’t have come in here after all.” “Oh wow… but well… chill out Twilight! maybe if we put all the covers back, nopony’ll notice anything.” Twilight Sparkle considered this for a bit. On the one hand they would be in so much trouble if they were caught, but on the other hand, this place looked so dilapidated that by the time anypony figured out it had been broken into, which might not be for days… “Okay then; let’s just… let’s just straighten this place up, get out of here, and hope no one notices us. Hop on, Spike!” She levitated the covers back in order before wiping her hoof upon one of the haphazard rags and heading to the doorway. Gingerly she turned the doorknob with her magic, and after peeking out to check if the coast was clear, she and Spike left, closing the door behind them and propping up the CAUTION sign as before. She headed down the opposite corridor and out of the exhibit area, through other halls and into the main rotunda. “Phew, nopony saw us. Spike, what does that map say about the café?” He unfolded the map and examined the lobby floor plan. “Let’s see… well we just need to head past the registration desk, through the hallway behind, then make a right down those stairs. The café should be up ahead.” “Right!” They trotted swiftly through the entrance hall before Spike tapped her neck. “Hey Twi?” “What?” “There doesn’t seem to be anypony there.” Twilight stopped in her tracks as she passed the desk. She looked around; sure enough, it was devoid of ponies, and an “Out to Lunch” sign was propped upon its counters. “Maybe they also went off to lunch Twi? After all, it is Sunday; the one day anypony could come in as they wish and the clerks wouldn't care, well, as long as no one was making a ruckus.” “Maybe… come on, Spike, let’s get to the others quick!” They continued down the path to the café. “That is strange, though. When I would come here on Sundays I didn’t recall the guards or clerks just leaving their desk empty like this. Usually it would be just a change in shifts; has their policy changed recently?” Shaking away these thoughts, Twilight finally reached the doorway leading to the café. “…WHAT!?” The café door was locked, with a sign saying “CLOSED FOR TODAY” plastered to it. She looked through the windows, expecting to see her friends or some other ponies, but the chairs had been propped up on the empty tables, the stalls had been gated shut, and the only light was from the foggy windows outside. “…Spike? How long did we spend at that room?” “I don’t know, a couple of minutes perhaps?” “Yeah, it felt like it. Did we lose track of time? What if our friends are waiting upstairs for us? We have to check and see.” They returned to the lobby, expecting the other mares to be waiting there. Not seeing them, Twilight tried to open the main entrance… … “It’s locked?!” She pushed against the door, hammering the mahogany with her hooves when it didn’t give way. “Hey! Hey! Applejack? Rainbow Dash? Rarity?! Is anypony out there?” No response. “Stupid, stupid, stupid! Getting locked inside the museum, what will my friends think? They’re probably looking for me all over Canterlot right now!” “Um… maybe you could write to Princess Celestia? We can tell her where we are and she can let the officials know and get us out of here.” Twilight immediately calmed down at this suggestion. If all else failed… She levitated a quill and a parchment his way. “Okay Spike, take a letter.” They walked underneath the skylight, now revealing a grey, foggy sky. Spike finished his note, sealed it, and prepared to deliver it to the Princess with his fire breath. He took one breath and exhaled… only to incinerate the letter in the green fire. He and Twilight watched in shock as the ashes drifted down to the floor. “Impossible! You sure you sent it right?” “I swear I did! I just… this has never happened before.” “But how? Look, just… we’ll just find a way out of this place.” They wandered into a deserted hallway, attempting to find a backdoor or window out of the museum. “Twilight! Look!” There was a window up ahead of them, just as fogged up as the skylight. Twilight reared up, unlatched the strangely cold frame and attempted to push against it. She pushed with all her might, but it didn’t budge. “Alright, Plan B; Spike, stand back a bit.” They did so and Twilight focused on her magic, her horn glowing magenta. It seemed much more difficult, more taxing than usual, and she found herself sweating and gritting her teeth as she tried to budge the window glass. Still nothing. Then she tried bucking it like Applejack, but for her efforts, she only hurt her back legs while the window remained tauntingly shut. “WHAT IS GOING ON?!! It’s not locked but for some reason, it just won’t open! Spike, help me up here! HNNGG!!” They heaved and groaned as they tried to pull and push the window, trying out from different sides, prying at the frame, even throwing themselves at the glass. Just as Twilight felt as if her muscles were going to burst, though… THUD THUD THUD Twilight and Spike shrieked in shock and fell to the ground, scrambling away from the window. A hoof had just been banging on the glass from the other side and now it was sliding down with a squeak. “What… was… that?!” She then rushed up to the window, shouting onto the surface. “Hello? Somepony? Anypony?! Could you let us out please?” There was no response at first. But then, the hoof returned to that window with a soft tap, and started writing upon it with that same squeaking noise. It was now tracing an arrow pointing to the right before it disappeared. Twilight froze, trying to comprehend what she was seeing. Somewhere in a distant hallway, she could hear a door lock shut. They had suddenly realized just how alone they were in the big gallery.