Time After Time, Part 8: The Real Beginning.

~
>Lightning strikes.
>It strikes again within the same minute.
>Two pairs of sprinting footsteps splash across the concrete of the sidewalk, then the asphalt of the street.
>Dense sheets of raindrops speckle the beams of light that sweep the surroundings.
>The decreasingly distant hums of jeeps are temporarily drowned out by the deafening thunder.
>Chain link fences are heard being scaled.
>Scrambling boots follow in pursuit, run slower and slower as they draw near the rising ramp that separates the officers and the departing cruise ship.
>They don't know if the splashing footsteps could be hiding in between the parked cars, but it's going to take them too long to figure out which ship this is before it gets too far.
>August is coming to a close, it's either the 30th or the 31st, depending on whether it's before or after midnight.
>But what happened earlier on this day led to the events happening now; Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap stumbling around on the cruise ship, dripping water everywhere on the carpets from getting soaked in the rain, soon jumping up and down when they see the murky city lights get further and further away.
>They did it, they saved Summer.
>Laughing as people are watching, most of them not caring in the slightest who they are or where they came from.
>"I told you it would work!" Indy leans on her knees, out of breath. "I think I'mma pass out."
>Zest is busy checking to see if her headphones are okay.
>She takes the saran wrap off of them and tests them out; they're working just fine. She defeats Indy in the "collapse and pass out" race.
>On a public lounge couch.
>Thank goodness this ship was somehow still allowed to embark on its route in the middle of such an epic thunderstorm.
>Neither girl questions it, and simply enjoys the freedom they both just earned.
>Summer is over in Canterlot City. Summer is over in Manehattan. Summer is never over in Brothens.
>They'll arrive into eternal Summer in about a week from now.
~
>September 7th.
>Autumn is definitely beginning for many around the top half of the world.
>Many of the bottom half are dying for Spring to begin already.
>Brothens is just letting Summer continue as usual.
>...
>The sun rose this morning with an oracle seeing something very important within it.
>She leapt out of bed and told all of the people around her that their dreams were about to be visited by the same being.
>All of these people, the people of Brothens, silently stared in question of the oracle, not even knowing that she's an oracle at all.
>They go back to their usual relaxing.
>Lying back in their chairs, watching the clouds go by as they consider napping.
>And the oracle repeated her warning of a musical angel coming to visit Brothens, one who would enter their dreams as it contacts the underworld.
>They all casually go along with what the oracle says, not even bothered by this, but not believing it for a second either.
>The day goes on, and the oracle hears glorious music approaching at the speed of a large ship sailing.
>She seems to be feeling all sorts of emotions over this.
>At least a few hours later, but much less than two days later, two sets of footsteps head down the boat ramp as the destination is finally reached.
>One of them stomping and ambitious, and the other one energetically stepping to the rhythm of music only she can hear.
>Miles away, the oracle can feel the footsteps in her bones.
>"Alright, first thing's first..." Indy starts off. "We need a place to crash."
>"What?" Zest says loudly, lifting a side of her headphones off to hear.
>"Just follow me."
~
>September 10th.
>It's getting close to 9 at night.
>Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap have found a room to crash in together for a comfortably low price.
>Which is convenient, because they're going to run out of the last of the couple hundred dollars they had soon, even though pennies here are like dollars.
>Didn't really think out how they were going to stay here and stay afloat. Just assumed everything would be alright because of the difference in currency value.
>What a dumb thing to assume, and neither girl thought to consider it or saw it coming; their minds were only obsessed with escape.
>But at least they're relaxing now... they'll come up with a plan in due time. It'll make things interesting anyway.
>The window is open, letting the warm night breeze into the room, and the two girls rest on separate beds watching some game show on the TV.
>Zest is jamming to her music in her headphones, of course, imagining it as a soundtrack to the show.
>Indy is eating a box of Froot Loops straight out of the box. "Oh come on! How could you get that one wrong?!" She complains to the now losing team on the TV.
>She gets invested into this a little too quickly, as though she herself were competing.
>Zest yawns, having been pretty much dancing all day.
>"Yo, I gotta get another box of these." Indy just ran out of cereal. "Gonna go get some milk too. You want anything?"
>She taps Zest on the shoulder and asks again.
>"Nah." Zest shakes her head and continues listening to her music.
>Indy makes her way all the way down to the first floor of the hotel, shoes clacking against the marble floors.
>Something is telling her to look out the windows, and... maybe see more of what's out there.
>She goes on a detour and decides to step outside since it's warm anyway.
>The sounds of crashing waves meets her, and she starts to feel the need to have something else to do.
>Gets a feeling that anyone who comes here becomes either bored or boring.
>This could get pretty mundane for an action-crazed girl like Indy. She loves adventure, about as much as she loves relaxing.
Looks on her phone to see that it's only a couple minutes to 9 PM.
>She shrugs and walks along the shore of the beach after slipping out of her shoes.
>Listening to imaginary music in her head along with the ocean waves.
>Her bare feet sink into the wet sand, sometimes getting engulfed in water.
>She turns her head.
>Indy blankly stares into the absolute blackness of the sea at night.
>Woah... that's actually pretty scary...
>No wonder the ancient people Zest won't stop talking about were at least a little scared of going out to sea for long journeys and tended to stay close to the shore.
>They'd be lost forever if they got a little too brave.
>So they decided to stay smart and withhold their bravery, saving it for battles instead or something. Something they had more control over.
>Indy herself has to make sure she knows how far from the hotel she walked, lest she not return to the room any time tonight.
>It's a good thing she can memorize the light patterns, and that big old sign on the hotel helps too, along with the fact that she just has to turn around and walk in the opposite direction along the shoreline.
>Must have been about 15 minutes of walking by now, at least. Indy can still easily just find her way back by turning around and all that.
>With a similar amount of walking and relaxing boringness, but still relaxing.
>Indy runs into something - it's another person.
>"Ah!" Each of them almost fall to the ground below.
>Neither of them can see the other person, but Indy can tell it's another girl around her age.
>"Sorry." Indy apologizes loudly over the crashing waves. "It's super dark out here."
>"Trixie is fine." The voice's familiarity soon becomes apparent, with a familiar name and way of talking. "She didn't expect anyone else to be out here at this time."
>Indy's seen this girl before... she just can't see her now but she hears her and that's all she needs to recognize the CHS student.
>"...Trixie?" Indy starts. "Wait a minute... Trixie from Canterlot High, by any chance?"
>There's a pause.
>"Do we know eachother?" Questions Trixie.
>"Nah, nah, like... I've seen you before. We never really talked but I recognize your voice and stuff."
>"You go to Canterlot High? Why aren't you there? Didn't school start?"
>"Well, I never went to Canterlot High. I did just leave high school though."
>Trixie stares into the blackness and can barely make out the silhouette of the other girl.
>But it's way too dark to see any details; it's hard enough being able to tell that there's someone standing there at all.
>"Where... did you go?"
>"...Crystal Prep?" Indy starts the instantly adds: "But I ran away. Me and another student, we uh... kind of... sorta ditched 'cause we don't wanna go to school anymore. It's a long story."
>"What's your name?" Asks Trixie.
>"Indigo. Indigo Zap. Ya know me from anywhere?"
>"...Not really, no. But it's nice to meet you, Trixie supposes."
>"Same."
>Over the next several minutes, the two talk to eachother in the dark.
>Letting the water rush past their feet as they stand there conversing.
>"So you and your friend got a hotel room?" Asks Trixie.
>"Yeah."
>"Same here. Trixie is here with her best friend."
>"Cool." Indigo is already convinced that this girl is a bit... out of it.
>She's be a pretty good companion for Zest.
>Trixie continues to talk. "Her name's Starlight. And she told Trixie not to go wandering around at night, but Trixie heard music, and she wanted to follow it."
>"How... far did you walk?"
>"No idea." Reveals Trixie. "Must have been about an hour. Did you hear music too?"
>"Not really, I just wanted to take a walk." Indy feels it dawn on her. "You've been walking around for an hour?!"
>"Trixie may have just realized this, yes."
>There's a long moment of just the waves crashing.
>"Do you know how to get back to your friend?"
>Trixie hesitates to answer.
>"Trixie?"
>"Yeah uh... Trixie actually might not know how to get back to where she came from. Been going in different directions a lot."
>...
>One thing leads to another, and Trixie ends up following Indy back to the hotel.
>Low and behold, it's getting close to 11 by the time Indy gets back.
>How did time slip by that fast?
>It's at this moment when Trixie realizes that she might have been walking around for more than just 1 hour.
>By the time they all get back in, Zest is already asleep and dreaming.
>But Trixie can't stop staring at her as she lies in the bed, lime green hair peeking out just a little bit.
>The music Trixie can sense is louder than ever now.
>Indy notices the way Trixie is looking at Zest sleeping.
>Wonders if she has some explaining to do.
>But for the time being, she lets Trixie get into the bed with her so long as she stays on her own side.
>...Aaaaaaaand she completely forgot about getting more cereal.
>Of course she wouldn't remember anything about it until she was back inside the room with the door locked.
>Whatever, too tired now.
~
>September 12th, early morning...
>Nothing notable happened, but Indigo Zap and Lemon Zest got to know Trixie Lulamoon, who didn't really seem to act all that strange besides the talking thing until they started noticing it all.
>But when they finally ran into Starlight Glimmer after Trixie contacted her, she seemed considerably happier. Starlight had been losing sleep worrying about Trixie's disappearance.
>It's not long before the four become fast friends, and the more they hang out with and talk to eachother, the more they learn about how they can help eachother out. It all becomes apparent over a matter of days.
~
>October 1st.
>All has been settled but all is about to unsettle.
>Only in the background noise will the unsettle begin, the waves still calmly crash onto the sandy shores.
>The four girls have known eachother for some number of days now, relaxing and visiting eachother.
>Just hanging out in the vacation spot, losing track of the number of days that have gone by.
>But the enjoyment is not hindered, and the spirit of the moments that go by never fades or withers or dwindles.
>It stays constant in a calm state of bliss, just like the four girls who develop connections and enlightenment over the days as the environment transforms their world views and perspectives of the way the world works.
>Life as we know it should not be as we know it.
>In so many  different ways, but it is made this way because it is to stay a different way for different people.
>People with power.
>But these people cannot hide as well when the Brothenian October air refuses to cool down the masses.
>It is always summer, and the wake of wakefulness is abundant, calm and relaxing or not.
>One can be stressed, but still feel the energy charging through their veins.
>It is like an unspoken language that all feel and understand but cannot speak or use to communicate other than subtleness in actions or concepts.
>Too abstract to describe, which is unfortunate, it does not deserve such a term.
>These islands are glorious with increasingly little history.
>Grab onto the power, because it's about to be grabbed by someone no matter what, and one will have to fight for their mind and well being to survive.
>Fight peacefully, spiritually.
>On another plane where they cannot be reached as easily.
>Where revolution is more possible to start. But only start.
>The rest must happen in the waking world, the living life.
>Tie all loose ends, keep the happiness alive.
>Keep life alive and keep death astray.
>Dare to walk the line, or the line will dare to walk on you.
>The choice is there, whether it's yours is up to you.
>This is what is understood. This is why everything is the way it is here.
>But it is worth it.
>Light and darkness call upon one another for balance, so they alone can thrive and beat the other.
>A pointless battle, but like all battles, it happens no matter how pointless.
>Pointlessness can be used for so many things.
>And now it is up to the four girls to discover the real world.
>To sleep, but wake up at the same time.
>All is worth it.
~
>October 3rd and 4th.
>Day 0 and Day 1.
>An oracle of Brothens raises her hand to the sky, pointing her fingertips at the passing clouds with a cold gaze.
>The dreams shall darken, but will become more noble in nature.
>Nothing can stop fate from unfolding no matter what one does, and the music will continue to play and empower even if there is silence outside of the heart.
>What is to be done has already been done in the future.
>LTZIGZLS.
>The LIST.
~
???????
~
>Early November.
>It's still warm in Brothens, but elsewhere in the world has become cold, cloudy and windy.
>The upper hemisphere is experiencing the dawn of the cold months, which will last for hundreds of days.
>In Brothens, the situation is unknown, but the sky glows majestically.
~