After The Fall

Note: I will be keeping Vinyl’s eyes red even though they are now apparently plum.

Just thought I’d through that out there.

Dax awoke in pain. His sides were sore; probably from taking a blue haired DJ to the kidneys yesterday. He pulled himself up and pulled on a new outfit. He stopped at the med bay. Ajax appeared.

“What’s up kiddo? You slept like a rock,” she smiled.

“Hi Ajax. Can you do a medical scan?” Dax sighed.

“Sure. What happened?” she said as she began the scan.

“I think Vinyl would make a good linebacker. She doesn’t look like much but she really packs.”

“I’ll say,” Ajax frowned, “You have 3 bruised ribs and a fractured wrist. Here,” she said as a drone floated up with an instrument in its hands. It moved to the injured areas and a blue beam shot out. Dax looked at the scan and watched as his healing process was sped up.

“There. You should be fine now. Now get out there. Vinyl’s been waiting in the living room for nearly an hour now.”

“An hour? What time is it?”

“About 10:00. I shut the alarm off today since from the looks of things, you took a larger beating than I thought. Now go. Vinyl’s taking you to breakfast.”

“What’ll you be doing today?” Dax asked.

“I’ll be planting a vegetable garden and begin building a hardware store.”

“A hardware store?”

“Yeah! I’ve always wanted to see what owning a business would be like and we’ll need money while we’re here and I’ve noticed that this town doesn’t have one so I thought I’d build one. I can replicate the supplies and materials and get the drones to build it.”

“Alright. I think I’ll begin looking for a job too.”

“Ok,” Ajax smiled, “See ya later! Have fun.”

Dax met Vinyl in the living room. She was playing with a holographic view of the planet. She looked up when he entered.

“Hey!” she smiled, “You ready to go?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Dax and Vinyl walked to a local Café. They talked while they ate. Dax asked more about Equestrian history and learned about the elements of harmony and discord and Nightmare moon. The glass panels started to make more sense now.

“So…” Vinyl said, “Where are you from?”

Shit, Dax thought. He’d been hoping to avoid this subject if he could. He still could fortunately, “Oh uh, I’m from a world called Colombia.”

“Colombia? That’s a funny name. What’s it like?” she asked resting her head on her hands.

“Oh, um well it’s a nice mountainous place with large, deep tropical oceans. They we-are surprisingly clear and on a good day you could nearly see all the way to the bottom. But the deeper you get the darker the water gets. The oceans themselves are only two kilometers deep at their deepest point.”

“Cool.”

“Hey uh do you know anywhere where I could get a job?” Dax asked. He was happy to get off the subject of his home world.

“Well what are you good at?”

“Hmm,” Dax said. Well I’m good at killing but here I’m pretty sure that’s not a skill in much demand, he thought. He was good at a lot of other things, “I’m a pretty good artist, I can do engineering, architecture, vehicle design, computer programing, exploring, I can play the violin and piano, I’m pretty good with tech stuff, I can DJ and mix songs, I can-” Vinyl practically jumped across the table.

“You can DJ?!” she yelled.

Dax was pushed back in his seat, “Um yeah?” He never liked dancing at parties too much and after the Naomi and drugs incident he had to find a new excuse to get out of dancing. So he decided to DJ. It kept Naomi or anyone else from dragging him onto the floor.

“Oh buddy. After we get this boring stuff out of the way we’re gonna make up for lost time,” she smirked.

Fuck, Dax thought, these people will drive me to insanity. But, He thought, it was manageable.

Dax and Vinyl spent the morning going over more of the classics. More classic movies, plays, books, ect. Dax didn’t feel like reading all of the books so he recorded the titles for later. While watching another classic, Vinyl fell asleep again. Dax barely noticed until he felt a small white hand on his arm. He smiled; he didn’t mind and continued to watch the movie.

Later they went to lunch. As they ate, Vinyl spoke up, “So tonight my friend Octavia is having a recital with her orchestra group; I bought us two tickets to go.”

“Really? That’s cool. I don’t think I’ve met Octavia, who is she?”

“She’s a cellist in the band and my best friend. You’ll like her, she’s nice.”

“Alright. So what’s next on the list?” Dax said finishing off his sandwich.

“Let’s see,” Vinyl said, “We went over most of the classical music, plays, poems, history, and films. Hmm, I don’t think we have anything left to do until 5:00. Let’s see about getting you a job. You said you can DJ and do tech stuff?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty good at both as we do have DJs where I’m from.”

“Well let’s go to my house and you can show me what you can do,” Vinyl smirked. They paid and left. They walked to Vinyl’s house. She unlocked the door and strode in. Everything was repaired and back to normal. Dax felt a little tense. The last time he was here Vinyl was strapped to a chair and someone was shooting at him. Vinyl noticed his.

“Hey,” she said softly, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah I’m fine. Just a little uneasy,” he said.

“Hey, if you hadn’t showed up that night I don’t even want to know what would have happened,” she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “You saved me.” Her red eyes were digging into him. She seemed to feel safe around him. He began to relax.

“Alright Scratchy,” he smiled, “So whatcha got to work with here?”

“I have these,” she said as she led him into her second living room AKA her home studio. There were several speakers and two turntables. She led Dax up to them.

“Alright hero boy,” she smirked, “Show me whatcha got.”

Dax cracked his knuckles and stepped up.

***

Ajax surveyed her work. She’d carved out the ground for the garden and had planted a huge assortment of vegetables. Tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, cabbage, lettuce, everything in the book were there. She turned to the large plot of their used land to the left. It was perfect for a hardware store. She pulled up the blueprints for the building.

A large digger drone emerged from the ship. Ajax pointed to the land she selected and watched the drone dig a large rectangular hole in the ground. One other drone emerged and began setting the molds for the concrete. One with quick dry concrete floated over to the site and emptied a container into the molds. In a few minutes it hardened.

Ajax smiled. More drones, this time with wood, bolts, and other building materials emerged from the cargo bay. She watched as they began their work. She decided to take a break.

She ‘sat’ down and looked over Dax’s psychological file. She frowned. This wasn’t good. She pulled up another file. Everything she knew about one Vinyl Scratch.

***

Dax and Vinyl walked to the concert hall.

“That was so amazing!” she gushed, “I’ve never seen anyone DJ that well since…well…me!” she beamed.

“Oh please, I’m not that good,” Dax sighed.

“Yes you are! You know I think you might just make a good partner DJ. You’ve got it all.”

“Come one. I’m only as good as the next guy and-” he was cut off as Vinyl shoved him into a wall.

“I don’t get passionate about much but I mean this when I say ‘You are good at this.’” She smiled as she stared at him. Dax’s eyes darted back and forth. Finally Vinyl let go and fell to the ground laughing.

“Oh, ha ha, you should have seen your face!” she managed between giggles.

“Yeah hardy har har,” Dax said, “You almost done?”

“Yeah,” Vinyl giggled. She stared at Dax as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot. She finally composed herself and her and Dax continued on their way. They made it to the hall and bought their tickets. They entered the theater and sat in their seats. The orchestra was tuning their instruments. A girl with blackish grey hair jumped down from the stage and strode over to Vinyl.

“Hey Scratchy,” she said. Her voice was warm and carried a sense of importance but without sounding snobbish, “Who’s your friend?”

“Hey Tavi. This is Dax. He’s the alien who’s staying in town.”

Dax held out a friendly hand. Octavia took it and shook. She had a strong grip.

“Hi, I’m Dax,” Dax said. He smiled warmly.

“Hello, I’m Octavia. So you’re the guy who saved Vinyl’s life that night?” she asked.

“Well when you put it that way, I guess I am.”

“How else can I put it? If you hadn’t showed up…” Octavia shuddered, “Well I don’t wanna think about that. Next topic. So Vinyl’s been showing you around and such?”

“Yeah. She’s been showing me all the customs and culture of this place. And as part of that she took me here. I’m looking forward to the show.”

“Well we’ll try not to disappoint. I’ve got to get back now. It was nice meeting you,” Octavia said.

“You too.”

Vinyl turned to him, “She was my best friend at the music academy.” More people filed in and took their seats. Soon the orchestra finished tuning their instruments and the lights dimmed. The conductor stepped up.

A nice medium slow melody began to play.

Listen to this

The song was beautiful. Dax became lost in the sweet melodies of the song. It was a wonderful song; it conveyed a sense of love and beauty. Vinyl watched in fascination as Dax listened to the melody.

Soon the song ended. Dax and Vinyl watched as Octavia picked up another sheet. Soon the orchestra began again.

It began with a soft melody on the harp. Soon a horn joined it followed by Octavia on the cello. The song was amazing to Dax’s ears. It conveyed a sense of wonder and awe.

Listen to this

Dax became lost in the music. He’d never heard anything like this before. He was content to sit and let the melodies take him places he’d never thought he would ever visit in his entire life. He was blissfully unaware of a pair of ruby red eyes staring at him.

Vinyl smiled. Even she had to admit that even she, a DJ and electronica artist, was enjoying the show. Though she’d never met someone as passionate about music like this; well except her and Octavia of course. She sighed. For however long he was going to be here, she was going to enjoy her time with him.

***

Dax walked Vinyl home. She smiled as she said goodbye. Dax walked along the streets getting the occasional wave from someone who he didn’t know but apparently knew him. He walked along the road and came to the park he, Vinyl, and Rainbow Dash had played Speed ball. A small hill lay in the center of the park. The sun had gone down and the night sky was visible.

What the heck? Dax thought. He walked up the hill and lied down on the soft grass. The stars gleamed and moon shinned bright. It was a half moon. Dax sighed as he stared at the stars. They gleamed and drew him in with their promise of exploration all those years ago. But here he knew they weren’t the same stars he stared at when he was a kid but it didn’t hurt to dream. But beyond those stars lay something he hopped to never see again. He certainly hoped Ajax was right and the Earth fleets wouldn’t show their ugly faces here.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice said.

Dax jumped a little and turned to see the owner of the voice. Princess Luna lay on the grass next to him.

“Yes it is,” Dax said.

“I’m glad you appreciate my work,” the princess of the night smiled.

Dax smiled to, “I’ve learned of your connection to this place and the people in it. I must say I like what you’ve done here.”

“Thanks. You must have seen them up close though. Having been from far beyond those stars you must have seen what they are. I believe you would call them Neutron stars.”

“Yes,” Dax said surprised, “How’d you know that?”

“While my sister may be the elder, as the princess of the night I do know significantly more about the stars than her. I know our world lays in the center of a nebula and my stars border the edge of that center. I don’t know however what lies beyond that.”

Dax sighed, “I do unfortunately. It used to be a magical place but sadly the bad overthrew the good. Believe me when I say you’re a lot safer here. Your nebula is a magical thing. It keeps you protected from those who would do this place harm.”

“A soldier such as yourself would know. It’s good to meet one of the good guys as you put it.”

“So you know what I am then?”

“Yes…The conflict you were involved in is beyond my comprehension and understanding. But I also know what you are looking for. Even if you don’t.”

“What am I looking for, Princess?” Dax asked.

“You’ll have to figure that one out yourself. But when you find it, a word of advice, don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

There was a long pause. Dax stared into the sky.

“What do you mean by…” she was gone. Dax stared into the moon. There were small irregular blocks on it. Incredibly small but not beyond his sight. He guessed they were the lunar prisons that Princess Celestia mentioned. Dax looked at the time, 9:38. He got up and headed back to the ship.

When he returned his jaw dropped. Ajax had out done herself this time. A building with a sign that read ‘Ponyville Hardware’ stood fifty feet next to the ship. Ajax strode out followed by two drones with cans of paint, drills, screws, and saws.

“Well you certainly had a busy day today,” Dax said.

Ajax turned, “You like it? Tomorrow I’ll stock it up and open her up at 12:00. But I need you to post fliers tomorrow.”

“Why can’t you do it?”

“No hands? Unless you can make holograms solid I can’t do that. Nor will I have a bunch of construction drones run throughout the city posting them. So you will do it.”

“Fine,” Dax tapped a chip to his headset and downloaded everything he’d captured the chip. He walked onto the ship and transmitted the data to the holo-table. He was reviewing it all when Ajax walked up.

“Just finished closing up. You get anything good?” she asked.

“Oh yes. You should really look at that orchestra. That’s some of the best music I’ve ever heard. You’ll love it.”

“Alright then.”

Dax walked off to his room. Ajax looked at the table and decided to review it later. She stared out the bridge window surveying her work. For her first building, she’d done a great job. She would fill it with supplies and commodities tomorrow.

***

Dax sat at his desk. His computer activated and he pulled up his journal. He’d kept entries in it ever since the fall. He still kept his old one but stopped recording in it after his world was turned upside down.

He sat down and began recording.

“So today was interesting to say the least. I learned more about the classics with Vinyl. Heh heh, she fell asleep on my shoulder. Don’t know why that keeps happening. She took me to see an orchestra. And let me say it was magnificent. The songs I heard were beyond anything I could have ever conceived of. I couldn’t help but be reminded of them; all of the fallen. My friends long gone.

But for some reason, somehow, I’ve made friends here. And all it took was a twelve gauge to the chest,” Dax laughed, “But in all seriousness, Ajax is right. I feel safe here. It’s weird; I’ve never felt safe anywhere. The last year has been get up, survive, go back to bed, repeat. But here, maybe I can do more. We’ll see. Laters.”

Dax went to his bed and feel asleep. Again, his dreams weren’t haunted by the faces of his friends.

***

Vinyl Scratch finally flopped onto her bed. She stared at the ceiling before breaking out in laughter.

I wish for my loneliness to end and Luna has an alien fall out of the sky and save my life, she thought, well, this is certainly interesting. Dax is certainly a nice guy. I can’t wait for next month. This is gonna be good.

She fell fast asleep in her bed, patiently waiting for the coming time in June. She was right. It was gonna be oh so good…