Darkness
Darkness
It was dark below stage. Darker than the velvet black curtains that hid the back stage world. Time Turner was slowly beginning to regret his decision to fetch this silly spinning wheel that no one until now had thought to retrieve. After all, it wasn't his job, he should have made one of those stage hooves come with him. But a stallion's pride could also be the bane of his existence, and Time Turner knew that he had let his foolish stubborn pride bring him to this dark netherworld. If Fluttershy knew what he was doing and why…oh he would never hear the end of it.
"I should have brought a light," Time Turner muttered, his hooves reaching out to touch…anything really. "So this is what it's like to be blind…" he whispered to himself, not liking it one bit. He continued a few more steps before sighing and stopping himself. This was foolish, damn foolish, and he had a job to do as a violinist. Wasting his time below stage seeking something that he couldn't even see, let alone having no clue where to find the spinning wheel, was a horrible idea. Best that he turn around and head back–
"Ow!" Time Turner stumbled backwards after hitting the hard surface. Did he just walk into a wall? But…how could that be? He had just come from that direction, all he had done was turn around…
"Strange," he muttered, rubbing his forehead and attempting to side step the wall or hard object he had hit. The problem was…there was no where to side step. "How?" He kept trying to go around the wall, but it was as if the wall just kept on going! "What's going on?" he asked, his voice rising with panic as he attempted to move again, but kept coming in contact with a hard unseen barrier.
Time Turner turned a different direction, hoping somehow he could find his way back…but it too was blocked off. "What the devil…?" he was completely stunned. He knew there wasn't a wall there before, but somehow…it had appeared! It was like…he was slowly being boxed in…
"HELLO?" he cried. "CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?"
Silence.
"HELLO? I NEED HELP! I'M TRAPPED DOWN HERE-"
Hoofsteps. He heard hoofsteps slowly approaching. "Oh thank goodness," he muttered, his hoof patting his chest gently to ease his heart. "Hello? I'm afraid I'm stuck, can you-"
The hoofsteps paused. Time Turner listened closely, but not a sound was being made. "Hello?" Faintly at first, but growing ever so slowly, was the sound of heavy breathing. Time Turner swallowed a rather large lump in his throat, his hoof trembling as it patted his chest. "H-h-hello?"
The breathing continued, and it was different now. It was as if there were several ponies breathing. And it seemed to be coming from all around him. Time Turner attempted to remain calm, but found it extremely difficult. "N-n-now s-s-see here…" he said while mustering up some courage. "If you're n-n-not going to help me…t-t-then you best leave…"
There was a long silence…until a voice, low, gruff, and deep, muttered, "You shouldn't be down here…"
Time Turner gasped and found himself backing up against the mysterious wall. "W-w-who are you?" he demanded.
"You're a trespasser," the gruff voice accused. "We don't like trespassers…"
Time Turner clutched his heart. "W-w-w-we?"
"L-l-l-leave h-h-him alone, R-r-rainbow Dash!"
"Stay out of this Derpy! You know the Master's rules about trespassers! Or do you want to return to the carnival?"
The other voice began wailing in fear. Time Turner couldn't see a thing, but the studdering voice sounded like a young female, strange indeed. He flattened himself as much as he could against the wall.
"There was no need for that, Rainbow Dash," a new voice warned. This voice was also gruff, yet not nearly as frightening as the last. The new voice then began to speak tenderly to the wailing figure.
"Don't lecture me, Shortround! I'll speak to her as I please! Besides, she's always like this whenever somepony-"
"She's a child, Rainbow Dash! Or very much like one…she doesn't understand."
Time Turner heard a scoffing sound, and assumed it came from the voice named "Rainbow Dash". "She should know better! And if she thinks I'm frightening, wait till the Master discovers she allowed a trespasser to go-"
The wailing grew ever louder. Through the wailing, Time Turner could hear both comforting and swearing. He felt along the wall, hoping to find something that would set him free from this dark frightening prison, but it was all in vain.
"All of you, stop this at once!" A new voice emerged, calm, older, another female?
"Rarity-"
"No Rainbow Dash, you listen to me…" she icily snapped. "I'm tired of all this bloodshed; I'm tired of this whole mess. What is this stallion's crime?"
There was a gasping sound, almost as if someone was shocked by the mere question. "What has he done? He's trespassing! You know the Master's rules!"
Before Time Turner knew what was happening, he found himself speaking to the darkness. "I…I d-d-didn't mean to trespass. I swear, I came down to find a prop for tonight's opera. A spinning wheel…please, I didn't mean to offend."
There was a pause, before the mare's voice spoke again. "Put on your shrouds," she ordered.
"WHAT?" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"Put…on…your…shrouds!" she hissed, her words clipped and even.
There was a shuffling sound, as if someone were moving quickly. The sound was interrupted by Rainbow Dash's protest. "Am I the only one who cares about what happens to us? Am I the only one who share's the master's feelings on this matter? Have you all so easily forgotten what the carnival was like?"
The wailing began to start again, but the mare's voice quickly silenced both. "Go then Rainbow Dash, go and be gone. I will take responsibility."
Time Turner listened as the hoofsteps vanished somewhere in the darkness, and the wailing came to a series of sniffles. Without warning, a light flickered, and an oil lamp appeared, illuminating the small space.
The light hurt his eyes, and Time Turner peered through the shadows, attempting to see who held the light. He gasped when he saw two shrouded creatures before him, a Pegasus with a severe hunch who only had a face cover, and the other he could not say, for the body was completely covered, but certainly smaller than the other.. "Come monsieur, we will show you what you are looking for…and a different way out."
Time Turner was almost too shocked by what had happened and was taking place before him. The smaller shrouded figure gestured for him to follow. "You can't go back that way monsieur, believe me. And if you wish to escape, you had best follow Derpy and me."
"I…I…" he was stumbling over his words, trying to find his voice but to no avail. Who were these ponies? What was going on? And…who was this mysterious "master" they kept referring to?
The smaller shrouded figure gave an exasperated sigh, then came forward and grasped his arm tightly. "Monsieur, you must follow us." The words were clipped, and it suddenly occurred to Time Turner that the voice of the smaller figure was the mare's voice he had heard earlier. "My name is Rarity, and we shall lead you out of here." He didn't say anything, simply nodded his head and allowed the mare to pull him by the arm.
The larger bent over figure grunted, and began to follow from behind. Time Turner swallowed the growing lump in his throat, unsure what to think or believe, and wondering if he was truly safe.
As if reading his thoughts, the small mare said, "Have no fear monsieur, Derpy is quite harmless."
The bent over figure who was following started to laugh at the words, but it was a filly's laugh, one full of merriment and excitement. "D-do you know g-g-gypsies?"
Time Turner was thrown back by the question that Derpy had asked. "W-w-what?" he asked, still being dragged by the small mare, but attempting to turn and face the bent over pony.
"Gypsies! I…I k-know a s-s-story…with a b-beautiful g-g-gypsy mare!" she stammered happily.
Rarity sighed. "Ever since I told Derpy the story about the hunchback and the gypsy girl, she dreams of meeting gypsies."
Time Turner nodded his head, but he was at a loss for words. It was as if…as if these ponies led normal lives and discussed normal things…yet lived below the Opera House!
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something scraping along the hard earthen floor. "W-w-w-what was that?" Time Turner asked, trying to calm his voice.
"Shortround," Rarity said simply.
It was so matter of fact that Time Turner felt foolish for asking. "W-w-why can't I s-s-see him?"
Derpy was quick to answer. "Shortround i-is a dwarf! He-"
"Derpy!" Rarity barked. Derpy instantly shrank back. They continued on, although Time Turner found himself in deeper confusion with horrific images flying through his mind. A dwarf? And these two in shrouds? What sort of place was this!
"Here we are!" Rarity announced, after what seemed like a short eternity through twisting tunnels and dark caverns. The shuffling sound that the small mare had identified as "Shortround" moved quickly to a ladder behind them. "You would never have found the spinning wheel without our help I'm afraid," the mare announced. "I've been using it to make clothes," she explained. "I often forget that I must share the props with the actual Opera House," she chuckled, to which Derpy joined her.
Time Turner gasped when he saw the spinning wheel being lowered by a rope from overhead. "Ah! Thank you Shortround!" the mare said brightly. "I'm not very good at climbing, but he's wonderful," she quickly explained.
Time Turner simply nodded his head, the lump in his throat never allowing speech to come through. "Derpy, I want you to hold this, and mind the spindle," Rarity instructed, handing the large creature the prop Time Turner had come to find.
"If I'm n-not c-c-careful, I m-may fall asleep for h-h-hundreds of years! J-just like t-the s-story!"
Rarity nodded her shrouded head to Derpy's words. "Exactly, so be very careful." She then turned back to Time Turner. "Now monsieur, we shall find you a way out-"
A great gust of cold wind blew through the tunnel, knocking the oil lamp Rarity had been holding out of her hoof, the flame disappearing into the shadows. Darkness enveloped the cavern, and Derpy gave a cry of anguish, before dropping the spinning wheel and rushing past Time Turner, her large body causing the old stallion to lose his balance and fall to the ground.
"Master!" Rarity cried. "Please, allow us to explain, this stallion simply came to retrieve-"
Her words were cut short by a roar of rage. "TRESPASSER!"
Time Turner gasped at the sound. He had never heard anything like it! It…it barely sounded pony!
"You did this Rainbow Dash!" accused the voice of Shortround, who was speaking overhead.
Rainbow Dash's voice filled the cavern, responding to Shortround's accusation. "He would have learned sooner or later! And you know the rules! See, master? I was against it all alo-"
"SILENCE!"
Both Rainbow Dash and Shortround shrank away, and the only sounds Time Turner could hear were heavy steps, and his own heartbeat, ringing loudly in his ears.
He was trembling, clutching his chest again, attempting to back away, yet still the steps approached closer, louder, each sound more ominous than the last. He wanted to plead for his life, beg forgiveness, anything that would wake him from this nightmare!
There was a menacing pause, and then, with hot breath hitting his face, Time Turner heard the most frightening voice that had ever filled his ears. "Who are you..." the voice was a hiss. A hiss that would shame a snake and make anypony plea for his life. "…and what are you doing here?"
"I…I…I j-j-just w-w-w-wanted…"
"Do you know what I do with trespassers?" the voice asked, in a menacing tone.
"I…I d-d-didn't mean to t-t-t-trespass! I…I j-j-just w-w-wanted…p-please!"
"Master!" Rarity's voice interceded. "He did not know the rules, he is new, I've never seen-"
"I KNOW WHO HE IS!" the dark voice snapped. "And I know that he knows my rules."
Time Turner had no idea who this pony, or maybe not even that, more like a monster was…but a horrifying feeling was filling him and causing his whole body to convulse and tremble with the cold knowledge. "P-p-please…"
"You know the rules…" the voice hissed. "And yet you disobeyed. You just wanted to come and see the Phantom…didn't you?" the sound of sinister glee rose with each word. Time Turner attempted to shake his head, but he was scared stiff. A sudden flicker of light illuminated the cavern floor. "Well…I wouldn't want to disappoint…" The light rose off the floor, higher and higher, until Time Turner's eyes widened with horror at the sight illuminated before him.
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Despite the noise of the crowded foyer and auditorium, those that worked back stage jumped at the sound of the old stallion's screams.
"I swear! I could KILL that stallion!" Flam shouted in frustration.
Flim paled at the words of his colleague, quickly signaling for Flam to lower his voice. "Quiet! The last thing we need is for Fleur…or the Prince for that matter, to learn that something is amiss!"
Flam threw a hoof up in the air in exasperation. "How could he do this to us Flim? After allowing both him and his mouse of a daughter jobs in our theater! How could he do this to us?"
"Calm yourself Flam," Flim attempted.
Flam however was going to be anything but calm. "What are we going to do? We need that violin! Fleur de Lis sings with a violin solo during Act II! No one else knows that solo but Time Turner!" Flam began pacing. "It's just like Caramel! He's disappeared! He's taken our money and he's left, without a word, without a reason, without-"
Flim marched up to the stallion and slapped him hard across the face. "Get a hold of yourself!" he hissed, before glancing to the side to see if anyone saw them. The two managers were back stage after being called by Madam Octavia, the orchestra conductor. Octavia filled the mangers' ears with a litany of complaints, all centering around the fact that Time Turner was nowhere to be seen, no one could find him or knew where he was, and the opera had been delayed for ten minutes!
Fleur de Lis was pacing angrily, wondering what the trouble was, and indeed, out in the auditorium, the patrons were beginning to grow restless. After learning the news, Flam and Flim found themselves panicking, wondering what should be done--besides firing Time Turner, once he was found.
Madame Luna had already been sent to fetch Fluttershy, who was hard at work with preparing a frustrated Fleur de Lis. "I'm sure the mare knows what's become of the stallion," Flim attempted to reassure his business partner.
Flam was less convinced. "And if not? Then what? We still need to start the opera! These ponies paid good money! We can't lose that money! This is the first performance of the season! We'll be ruined if-"
Flim slapped Flam again. "Shut up!" he hissed. The two suddenly realized they were being watched and turned to see a bewildered and somewhat pale Fluttershy standing beside the dance mistress.
"I was told you wanted to speak with me?" she asked, her voice timid for she feared something was wrong.
Flim cleared his throat and nodded his head, his eyes holding hers. "When did you last see your father, mademoiselle?"
Fluttershy's already pale face turned even whiter. "My father?" her tone was high and full of worry. Madame Luna placed a reassuring hoof on the mare's shoulders to calm her. Fluttershy looked back and forth between the two managers. "What's happened? Is he alright? What's wrong?"
"Mademoiselle, please remain calm," Flim whispered, attempting to remain calm himself. "Madam Octavia has not seen him since earlier this evening, before any patrons were seated. And…well, as you very well know, we need him to play that violin piece, and no can find him-"
"He's missing?" Fluttershy practically shrieked. Flim placed a hoof to her lips to silence her.
"Hush! We can not have a scene! We-"
But it was too late. Fleur de Lis, looking more exasperated than ever, waltzed over to the managers with Fancypants close behind. "WELL?" she screeched. "What are we waiting for?"
"Senora, please, you must keep your voice down-"
"I WILL DO AS I PLEASE WHEN I PLEASE, AND I WILL SPEAK AS I PLEASE!" she barked. "Now tell me…what is going on?"
Mustering up as much calmness as he could, Flam stepped forward to explain. "It appears Monsieur Time Turner is missing, and we are-"
"MISSING?" she shrieked. Wincing with pain from the sharpness of her voice, both the managers nodded their heads. Fleur de Lis eyed them coldly, before turning on her heel. "Then fire him! And start the overture!"
"What?" Fluttershy shouted, staring at Fleur de Lis in horror. "You can't fire him! Something is wrong! He would never miss a performance! We must find him! Please! He…oh no, he could be hurt! Lying somewhere and no one can hear him!" hot tears of fear and worry were streaming down Fluttershy's cheeks.
"Who gives a damn!" Fleur de Lis spat.
Silence filled the small space. Silence…and then the sound of Fluttershy walking up to Fleur de Lis and without warning, throwing her hoof directly into the mare's eye. "YOU DESPICABLE UNTALENTED HEARTLESS TOAD!" Fluttershy shouted, her hoof wailing at the screaming prima donna who was pleading for Fancypants to save her. Everyone was frozen in shock at the scene before them, and it took a blood curdling scream from Fleur de Lis before anypony responded by pulling the angry costume mare off the sobbing soprano.
"Mademoiselle! Control yourself!" Flim shouted. Madame Luna pulled Fluttershy away from the managers and wrapped her arms around the mare who was trembling and sobbing with anger and worry for her father.
Fancypants helped Fleur de Lis up, cooing over her, to which she pushed him away. "That little BITCH better be gone by the time the first act is finished!" she spat. "Ugh! My make-up is ruined! My hair!" she wailed as she stalked off. Flim and Flam stared at the retreating figure of their beloved star, unsure what to say or do, but any thoughts on that matter were quickly gone when an usher appeared.
"Pardon me, but…the Prince is here and is growing impatient and says the opera should start, or he will demand…his money back," the stallion whispered in horror.
Both managers paled at those words of doom. "Tell Madam Octavia to start the overture RIGHT NOW!" Flam ordered.
Flim turned to the sobbing costume mare who was still being held closely by the dance mistress. He sighed and locked eyes with the older mare. "Madame Luna, if…you would please escort Mademoiselle Fluttershy out," he whispered. Madame Luna simply returned Flim's words with a cold stare. The managers turned and left, leaving the two mares behind.
"There, there, child, it will be alright…" the dance mistress soothed.
Fluttershy pushed away from the mare. "Alright? I…I just hit Fleur de Lis! I've lost my job! My father is missing! And…and I just cost him his opportunity at achieving his dream!"
Madame Luna knew that no amount of reassuring words would help Fluttershy. She sighed and found herself glaring into the shadows. She knew Discord was to blame for the stallion's disappearance, she only prayed that the Phantom showed some small amount of compassion and had let the old stallion live. Yet she highly doubted it.
The notes of the overture rose into the air, and the lights dimmed and the sound of applause filled the auditorium as the curtains slowly opened. Madame Luna took hold of Fluttershy's shoulders and forced the mare to look at her. "I will help you, but you must listen carefully to what I say," she whispered. "Right now, I have to help with the performance of this opera. If I don't, more disaster may occur. But as soon as it is over, I will…make inquiries…"
Fluttershy's brow furrowed at the mare's words. Inquiries? What did she mean? Yet before she could open her mouth to ask, the dance mistress continued. "You must trust me Fluttershy, I will learn what has happened and find him, I promise you. In the meantime, it would be best if you went home."
"But-"
"Please, I know this must sound confusing, but you must trust me on this. You should go home before Fleur de Lis has another fit."
Fluttershy felt numb. Was this really happening? She nodded her head to the mare's words, who smiled warmly at her, with a dash of sympathy, before turning and leaving the costume mare alone in the shadows of the back stage.
Fleur de Lis's harpy-like voice filled the auditorium, and Fluttershy found herself seething with anger. She had never met anyone in her whole life that she wished more ill will upon. And the louder Fleur de Lis sang, the more the anger boiled within Fluttershy. No, she would find her father, she would find him right now! And…she had an odd feeling…
The smell of tobacco filled her nostrils and she turned her head to see three stagehooves chuckling amongst themselves. The odd feeling grew more and more…
"You!" she hissed, approaching them without a thought or care that they could snap her in two if she angered them enough. "You know something about my father, when did you last see him!"
They stared at her, amazed at her boldness to approach them with such a tone, and found themselves somewhat intimidated. "W-w-what?" one of them asked.
"Monsieur Time Turner! My father! The violinist! Have you seen him at all?" she demanded.
They glanced back and forth between themselves and looked back at her, their faces contorting with worry. "What? Tell me!" she demanded, knowing they knew something.
One of them sighed and shook his head. "We tried to warn him, but he wouldn't listen. He was too stubborn."
Fluttershy grabbed the stallion by his shoulders and shook him hard, despite her much smaller frame. The stallion found himself amazed by the mare's strength. "TELL ME!"
The stallion shook Fluttershy's hooves off him. "He went below!" he grunted. "Down…down there…" he pointed to a door just a few feet away. "I'm sorry mademoiselle, but…he's gone."
"G-g-gone?" Fluttershy asked, her voice trembling, not wanting to hear what she knew they were going to tell her.
"No one is allowed down there without the Phantom's permission. Everypony knows that. We warned him, over and over…but he wouldn't listen."
Fluttershy stared at the door while the stallions spoke. "I'm sorry mademoiselle, but…you'll never see your father again."
"NO!" Fluttershy shouted, stalking over to the door and gripping the handle with both hooves before pulling it open. "I'll find him and I'll bring him back," she swore.
The stallions stared at her. "Mademoiselle, you can't be serious? The Phantom! He'll…he'll kill you if you go down there-"
"TO HELL WITH THE PHANTOM!" Fluttershy cried out angrily. "I don't care…I'm going to find my father." She grabbed one of the lit oil lamps that was back stage and disappeared into the darkness, closing the door behind her.
The stage hooves stared in shock at the closed door. The costume mare was surely doomed, just like her violinist father. The Phantom never showed mercy, everypony knew that. The stage hooves began to pray for the soul of the brave mare who had just entered the mouth of hell.
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Tad bit confused of the roles with Derpy, Rainbow Dash and Rarity, but then again, I'm always clueless like that and I often end up smacking myself for it later.
"Derpy!" Suzette barked.
Um. who is Suzette?
Man I want to kill Celestia right now.
4262355 that's rarity
Now all I can think about is: if Fleur Dis Lee is now the starlet...where is Celestia? Where? *searches*
OMG.. A-Am I the o-o-only one that feels l-like c-crying..
Man, I really hate Fleur.
For anyone one who does not know that Fleur De Lis translates into Lily, it does in French. I have a bigger nousin named Lily and she is very sweet. Fleur is not at all. I REALLY despise Fleur.
Wow, everyone writes Fleur-de-lis as a mean pony. Even though she's not actually mean in the show.
2126579
While none of them have a role in "Phantom of the Opera" I kind of see them fitting more into the Beauty and the Beast aspect. Like Rarity being Mrs. Potts and Rainbow being Coggsworth.
I find this story similar to Beauty and the Beast :)