//------------------------------// // Act I, Chapter IV // Story: My Little Clony // by therealfeedback //------------------------------// MY LITTLE CLONY Chapter IV, Act I Escape “So,” Trixie said. “Now what?” “Now,” I answered. “We need an escape route. As said, one of my doppelgangers is out there, which is…bad.” “Leave that to me.” This time it was Vinyl who chimed in. “I’ll give them a light show, nobody’ll notice one pony moving in the background.” I nodded in agreement. “Alright, we’ll meet at my home in three hours to discuss moving forward. Derpy, Doc, you both know where it is, each of you show one of our entertainers the way.” They nodded, Derpy a little more energetically than the Doctor. ----------------------------------------------- “The DJ’s been out a long time for just getting something new to play.” The comment came from one of the ponies sitting at one of the tables in the nightclub. There were three in total at the table, a filly with caramel-coloured hair and a yellow mane, a white Pegasus colt with a blue mane, and a particular tophat-adorned pony. “Relax Brolly,” The tophat-wearing pony said. “It’s not that big a deal; if it’s for a good bit of music, I don’t mind waiting. Besides, it’s nice to hear something mellow once in a while.” As he finished speaking, the DJ walked back out onstage, carrying a small stack of records with her. “See? I told you that it wasn’t any big deal.” “Alright, hope you all enjoyed that break.” The DJ spoke into the microphone, right as the calm, ambient track faded out. “We’re back now though, so lets get something with some energy!” At that, she lifted one of the vinyl discs off the turntable, placing one from the stack on it. The beat hit as the needle fell, the multi-coloured lights moving in time in a grand, rhythmic show. All eyes were drawn towards the stage, as it should be in a good show. ----------------------------------------------- “Alright, now’s your cue.” I nodded as Whoof spoke. I had my tophat and monocle back, and Trixie had her cloak again, so if I was spotted by the other Caesar, there was little doubt he’d recognize me. I had to hope he wouldn’t though…no, I had to know he wouldn’t. The results if he did could be disastrous. There wasn’t room to screw up. “Alright, I’m off. Remember, three hours.” The three with me nodded, and I took one last, deep breath of air. It was time to run. ----------------------------------------------- With multiple lights swinging every which way in different colours, and ponies dancing all about, it was easy enough to move undetected. Not hitting anything was the tricky part. Still, occasionally bumping into somepony on the dance floor wasn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence, so most wouldn’t bat an eye as Caesar ran through the crowd, hooves flying as fast as his heart was beating, a remarkable feat given its pace. Vinyl kept a steady, goggle-hidden eye on his escape from the stage, doing as much to avoid the lights shining conspicuously on him as possible. “Come on,” She muttered under her breath. “Not too much farther…” The steady, heady light of the street lamps above shined from the stairway to the door into Caesar’s eyes as he neared it, the proximity of escape only causing his nerves to heighten. ----------------------------------------------- “So close…” The words echoed in my thoughts, nothing else accompanying them - My mind was bare, save for these simple thoughts. I was running on adrenaline, not thinking, just running as fast as I could for the door. For once, there wasn’t any planning, any theories about the Game Master, anything other than the simple thought to keep running, and a few words echoing. It was pleasant, in a way. “Almost….this whole affair of getting caught is almost just a nerve-wracking memo—“ I never did finish that thought. So focused at escape, I slammed headfirst, full-speed into the club’s bouncer, who was none too happy about it. ----------------------------------------------- “Can I help you?” The irritation on the bouncer’s voice was clear, as was the fact he was holding back a strong urge to hit a certain pony in the face. Hard. “I-I’m just…on my way out. Nothing more, nothing less.” Caesar answered. “Uh-huh.” He spoke with suspicion. “Because ponies who’re just leaving run like that. Yer’ lucky I’m a big guy, punk – if I were a tiny thing like you, someone would’ve been hurt.” As the words came from his mouth, he lifted the pony in the hat, pulling the smaller colt to an eye-to-eye level with him. “And someone’s gonna’ get hurt if you keep lyin’. Now why were you runnin’ like a convict?” There was a moment of silence, the music filling it. Caesar took a breath in, nodding in defeat. “Alright, fine.” He said. “I was running be…” The expression of defeat on his face turned to one of confusion. “…The hell is that?” He gestured behind the bouncer as he spoke. The larger colt turned his head, at which point, regret and annoyance on his face, the colt in the tophat bit down on the bouncer’s arm. He cried out in pain, dropping his “friend” as he did so. Now free of his grip, Caesar took off once more, again going as fast as he could, up the stairs and out the door. “Son of a…” The guard stammered as he watched, well-aware that with the headstart, a larger colt like himself wouldn’t be able to catch the smaller, more agile runner. “Good riddance, I signed up to keep that out, not in.” ----------------------------------------------- I finally felt my body calming down as I ran got out of the club. I was away from the other Caesar, without being noticed, away from being caught, away from being Removed. I felt safe in the night air, the open streets. I could finally relax for a few hours. None of my friends had doppelgangers in the club tonight, they were safe. For now, everything was back on-course. I began heading back to my house, to prepare for the others, to show them what I’d found, and preparing it all in an understandable manner to seal their confidence. Three hours time was plenty for my needs. As I walked the emptying streets, I spat, the blood of the bouncer still on my tongue. The only other time I’d ever tasted blood was when I’d bitten my own tongue, yet for some reason this was worse. So much so, it was all I could do to keep a straight face. It was fitting in a way though, as it served as a metaphorical and literally bitter reminder that the path we were venturing down was not pleasant, not easy, and above all, not safe by any standards. I didn’t care though. This was something that had to be stopped, and we were the only ones who could do it. The dangers simply needed to be dealt with, then once safe, the remnants removed, as I did now. My mouth now clean, I breathed in the cool night air. It was a chilly night, the dark, damp cold of the silent, empty, grey cobblestone streets a stark contrast to the packed club, filled with lights, ponies, smoke, and rhythm. The echo of my hooves on the ground was almost calming, in a way. A familiar, natural, relaxed feeling instead of the racing pulse of the music. ----------------------------------------------- “Caesar, you okay?” The voice came from a concerned Brolly, whose friend had been transfixed on the exit for the past few minutes. “Caesar?” The one in-question shook his head, as if to clear a fog inside it, then turned back to his friends. “Sorry, I…I think I’ve had too much to drink. I could’ve sworn I saw…me over there.” The comment was greeted with cheery laughter, both of the other two at the table raising their drinks in toast. “It may be a good idea to slow down then,” Carrot Top, the other at the table, replied. “We don’t want you having too much, now. Remember what happened last time?” The three erupted into another round of laughter. “That’s a morning I don’t want to remember again…” The Caesar said, a smile now on his face. “My head still hurts from it.” “Mine too.” Carrot Top shot back. “Alright, well, I’m going to get going then.” He said, finishing his drink before continuing. “If I get that bad, I want to do it safe back home. Night guys.” The two nodded, waving as he walked away from the table, across the dance floor and towards the exit. As he did though, the bouncer stopped him. “You!” He snapped. “Why you…wait…didn’t you leave?” The look of anger was replaced with one of confusion. “I…did?” The look of confusion spread. “What kinda’ mind game you playin’ here, pal? …Actually, you know what, I don’t want to know. Just get the hell out of here. I don’t want to see you again tonight, or I’ll be the one biting your legs.” The look of indignation on Caesar’s face turned to one of disgust. “You’re threatening to bite me now?! Pray you’re not here next time I come in, or I’m having a word with the manager!” At that, he stormed out, disgruntled, to put it mildly. As he walked though, the anger faded, replaced by more confusion and concern. The bouncer seemed to have indeed been dealing with another one of him. Just like he had seen when he looked over there. It was absurd, but it seemed like there was a second Caesar. “It can’t be though.” He reasoned. “That…that’s just silly. I need to lie down…” As he walked through the deserted streets, the emptiness and the silence echoing the sounds of his hooves against the bare cobblestone only served to feed his paranoia. A stark contrast to the relief it gave a similar colt.