A Different Maestro Spectrum

by The REAL Mister Pkmn

Chapter The Twenty-Third: Escalation

In the sacred bunker under Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash was pacing back and forth. She looked over to Celestia and Twilight, who had let themselves in. She had explained to them what had occurred, and was about to ask them to pull him out when a bubbling sound was heard. They all turned to see the mana pool rumbling like something was coming out. They all stepped back as a dark teal blur shot out and caused the pool to slash outwards. The blur stopped suddenly, and the three of them stood with shock at the sight before them.

It was Maestro Spectrum, but he looked taller with a bit of a bulkier frame. The most surprising thing though, were the thestral wings on his back. Celestia recovered first. “A male Alicorn… I never thought I’d see the day. I presume that… Aetheria… ascended you?”

Maestro lightly glided down and landed in front of the trio. He Looked at Celestia and Twilight for a moment before giving a nod. "Yes, she did. However! This doesn’t make me a Prince or whatnot. I may be like you now, but I refuse to have a Royal Title. It's not my style."

As Twilight was about to refute, but she was stopped by Celestia. “It's his choice, Twilight. You and I have certain obligations to uphold, he doesn't. He made his own destiny, and he chose this path. It may not have been meant to happen, but it happened all the same. This, and your early ascension, proves that destiny is not set in stone. We must respect his wishes, Twilight.”

After processing that for a moment, Twilight let out an irritated sigh. “ I suppose that’s true. But what happens now? He’s ignited all the mana pools, right?”

Maestro looked away. “It’s not quite that simple, Twilight. That was only the first step. My father is coming, and he is bringing war upon Equestria. We need to prepare for it as best we can.”

Tilting her head in confusion, Rainbow asked the inevitable question. “Your dad? But I thought that Tempered Steel was dead?”

A deep sigh escaped Maestro’s lips. “I’m adopted, Dash. My real dad is going to declare war the instant he arrives. Also, just so you know… He’s not a pony, and neither am I, really.” Maestro paused. “Though I suppose with the ascension I might now be one permanently, which isn’t really so bad.”

A light smile graced Celestia’s face. “Well, I think your acceptance of that possibility is understandable. You’ve lived most of your life as a pony, so it makes a lot of sense. Though what of your father? Pardon my rudeness, but what is he?”

Looking Celestia dead in the eye, Maestro replied. “Human. I don’t suppose you’ve ever seen one, correct?” Seeing that the three of them shook their heads, he chuckled lightly. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Humans come from another world far from Mytharia. I’d be more surprised if you had seen one before.”

It was at that moment that Trixie and Prism came into the room. “Sweetheart, I came as soon as I felt the shift in the local mana.” Trixie paused to take in Maestro’s new appearance. She then smiled. “Well, I guess this gives us the leg up that we need. Might take some getting used to…”

In a split second, Maestro appeared at Trixie’s side, grabbing her and Prism in a big hug. “Oh, how I missed you two!” He paused as he looked up at Prism. She had grown bigger than he last saw her. Not only that, but wings stretched out from her back. “I guess you’re not so little anymore…” He let out a chuckle as he reached up to ruffle her back spines. “Though, you’ll always be my little gem, no matter what.”

As Prism pouted a little, Twilight cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “Sorry to break up the happy reunion, but why is your father’s war such a threat that you had to kick start an industrial revolution? Isn’t that a bit much?”

With a shake of his head, Maestro explained. “I’m afraid that it’s quite necessary, Twilight. My people are far more advanced than any race on Mytharia. Magic will not be enough on its own to defeat them, even at its peak power. So in order to stand a chance against his army, we need every advantage that we can get.”

Before Twilight could try and think up a counter-argument, Celestia spoke up. “He’s your father, so I suppose you would have an instinct about it. I’ll send some diplomats to our allies to see if they will support us when the time comes.” She looked at Twilight and Rainbow. “You and your friends should keep the morale high across Equestria. Look for friendship problems, too. Tirek is out there, and we need you to use the Tree of Harmony’s magic to stop him so he doesn’t complicate things further.” She then turned her attention to Maestro and Trixie. “As for you, I think you deserve a little break. “You two have done the most to get us ready for this, so a little time off is in order.”

At that, relief washed over Maestro’s face. “You have no idea how much I appreciate that.” He turned to face Trixie and Prism , and lit up his horn. “Are you ready to get out of here?” The two nodded, and braced themselves. The light from Maestro’s horn expanded to encompass the trio, and with a loud pop, they all teleported away from the scene.

Twilight stared at the singe mark on the floor with a bit of amazement. She’d never teleported more than just herself before… She looked at Rainbow, and Rainbow backed away. “Nuh-uh, no way! I don’t think so! I’m not doing that until you practice teleporting more than one object first!” Disappointed, Twilight let out a sigh as she lit up her horn. She teleported away soon after.

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Location: Manehattan

With a loud pop of magic Maestro, Trixie and Prism found themselves in the middle of Manehattan. With little hesitation, the three of them found their way to an empty lot. Maestro teleported his portfolio to him, and set it down. With a channel of his magic, the portfolio expanded into the form of his house. He then realized something. The doors were a bit small for Prism to be able to fit through. So, Maestro channeled his magic once more. He took the time to not only expand all the doors, but also the space inside to accommodate Prism’s new size. After he let the spell go, he let out a bit of a sigh. “Well, there we go. The enchantment’s been adjusted so that this is the default look of the house now.” He walked up to the door and opened it, holding it with a smile. “After you, my lovely Bag of Tricks.”

A deep blush adorned Trixie’s face, causing her to stammer a bit. It had been a while since she first heard him call her that, so it made her heart flutter just to hear it again. She let herself smile as she walked up to him. She gave him a kiss on the lips as she passed, and smirked. “Thanks, my Picturesque Stud. I hope we get to spend a little more quality time together now.”

As Trixie went into the house, Maestro stood there, stunned. He’d never seen her be so forward. His heart was beating quite a bit faster than normal, to say the least. He tried to calm down. After all, they had only had a few dates. It was unthinkable for her to want something more this soon… right? As he thought that, He noticed Prism standing near him. She gave him a strong embrace. “Don’t worry about it, dad. I think she’d make a great mom for me.” Maestro’s face went crimson, and Prism giggled. “Oh don’t be like that! I won’t rush you. Just go at your own pace, dad.”

After she left, Maestro let out a deep sigh. “What have I gotten myself into now? Am I really ready for something like this?” He paused at the door as he thought about something. He had the ring pretty much ready, sure. But he wasn’t quite ready to take that plunge just yet. He shook his head. He steeled himself, and was about to head inside when he heard a familiar voice. “So you’ve gone and betrayed us. To think that you would give up your place in the Empire for this…”

Maestro turned, and glared. Standing before him was a projected form of his father. He was taller than Celestia, and he was wearing the same suit from the flashback. He had adorned his black hair with streaks of Platinum metal, giving off a more intimidating vibe than before. Maestro spoke with venom in his voice. “I remember your sick plan, father. You and I both know that your little ploy is only for selfish means. You sicken me.”

The hologram glared back, arms crossed. “You were destined for great things, my son. You were to be this backwater planet’s ruler if all went according to plan.” He sighed with agitation. “I see now the error of sending you as a child. You’ve grown far too attached to the natives. I should’ve ensured that you wer more thoroughly loyal to our cause before sending you through.” He shook his head. “Alas, one cannot change the past. My own son has decided to side against me, therefore I must do what is necessary. For the good of the Empire, I will bring you in to be tried by His Majesty himself.”

As the apparition was about to disappear, Maestro barked back. “I see now that you are far too gone. I thought that maybe, some light would still be in you. But when I look into your eyes, all I see are dark, soulless voids. You are not the father I knew anymore. When you come here, don’t expect me to hold back.”

Scoffing, Head Supervisor Platinum responded. “I suppose that we’ve both made up our minds, then. But, in the spirit of fairness, I will give you a little more time. One month from now, my army will storm this pathetic little planet. You have exactly 31 days, Percival. Make them count.”

The hologram disappeared, and Maestro scowled. 31 days was hardly enough time to get ready unless he did something drastic. Maestro telekinetically grabbed a nearby Sequoia tree and uprooted it in anger. He rarely let his anger get to him, but he was hard pressed this time. He had just gotten back, too. He let out a deep breath as he carefully replaced the tree and dirt. He knew that his anger wouldn’t help matters.

What he needed was a plan. He thought about something. Discord could give him a hand, he supposed. Just to speed things along, of course. He wasn’t sure if Discord was bound by a similar Ancient Promise to Aetheria, but he didn’t want to risk finding out that he was. Just asking him to help them prepare should be enough.

He pushed that aside for later. He at least wanted a break before going to find Discord, and taking Trixie out on a date seemed like the perfect thing to get his troubling thoughts off his mind. He went inside, and soon found Trixie getting ready. He quirked his eyebrow. “Can you read me that easily, despite us having been separated for a while?”

A smirk grew on Trixie’s face. “Of course I can. Don’t forget, we were friends for quite a while before we became a couple. I can read your face pretty well at this point.” After smoothing out her sleek purple dress, she linked her forehoof with his. “So, shall we?” Maestro let himself smile, and they set off into the night.

To be continued…

Author's Note:

Alright, here we are! Now the real trouble starts! Can Maestro prepare Everything in just 31 days? Will Head Supervisor Platinum keep his end of the deal? All this and more will be explored in the coming chapters, so hold on tight!