Kaiser

by MellowSoul

Brothers in Arms (Part 3)

Author's Note:

"WONDER NOT WHOSE HEAVEN CRUSHES YOU WHEN SIN AND SLAVERY IS ALL THAT IS OFFERED YOU!!!"

By the time Vanilla and the others woke up, Maple had already disappeared. Naturally, the adolescent was curious regarding her abrupt departure.

"She went out for a bit," Twilight fibbed, "We'll meet up with her before we leave."

"Now that you mention it, she's older than Spike right? How did they end up like this?"

"Tender moment."

"Ah."

"We'd stay for breakfast, but we shouldn't keep her waiting too long."

"Gotcha."

"Here," Spike cut in, "I brought a couple records to kill time, but you can borrow 'em. This one came out a few days before I left the first time."

The dragon held up Twilight's copy of Undying's release The Whispered Lies of Angels. It was the same one she'd purchased all those years prior.

"That the original copy?" Vanilla inquired.

"How'd you know?"

"The case. It's got some wear and tear on it."

"Back then I was still learning to be careful with my claws. Just glad I didn't fuck up the disc."

"Twilight told me last night she taught you how to build PCs. Maybe next time you can turn my laptop into a gaming rig."

"Desktops are generally better. The components are more compatible with upgrades, but if you play retro like me there are plenty of ways to boost performance."

"It's a start right?"

"Tell your parents we said thanks for letting us stay over." Twilight concluded.

"I will."

---

The siblings found Maple waiting outside. She'd hidden herself to avoid drawing suspicion.

"You guys ready to go?"

"Yep," Twilight confirmed, "We're heading to Crystal City."

"How long's it been since you've seen Shining and Cadence?"

"Longer than I'd like. Come on. We need to figure out what's up with Spike."

---

Back inside, Vanilla examined one of the cases. The design told her right away which one it was - Death's final release The Sound of Perseverance. The singer and guitarist Chuck passed away in 2001 when she was only six years old. She popped it in her CD Drive. While the riffs on the heavy songs were crushing and experimental for their time, by Voice of the Soul, she and her friends had been swept away by an ocean of emotion. Chuck's words opened their minds to a world beyond their own. They understood clearly. The universe was so much greater than they could ever comprehend. They would never see life the same way again...