Digitized Jockey

Vinyl blinked. The library was gone and so was Octavia. The computer screen she was looking at before was replaced with a dark grey wall and a gentle breeze drifted through the air around her, suggesting she was outside.

"Uh... Octy?" Vinyl turned and saw herself facing another wall, this time with words in bright neon white lights built into it. It seemed to be in another language that Vinyl didn't recognize.

The DJ turned and saw a way out of the alleyway she was in, and walked caustiously over. When she stepped out, she blinked in surprise at the sudden brightness. But when her eyes adjusted, they widened in surprise and awe. She was in the middle of a huge city, each towering skyscraper covered in neon white lights that shone the area all around it.

"Holy Luna..." She definitely wasn't in Ponyville anymore. She wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't in Equestria, Vinyl had travelled across most of Equestria and had never even heard of a city like this.

She looked ahead and saw two ponies leaning against a wall chattting about something. Realizing she needed to get her bearings, she trotted over to the two, who didn't seem to take notice of her. The was when Vinyl noticed the neon circuitry lights dotting the black suits they wore, one of the pony's lights was a bright orange, the other's white. At first impressed with their clothing, she realized they weren't paying attention to her. This wouldn't do. Vinyl took a few steps closer and cleared her throat.

"Fellas!" She called out. The two stallions stopped their conversation and turned to face her.

"Yeah, what do you..." The orange one's voice trailed off when he saw Vinyl.

"Hey," the DJ greeted. "Name's Vinyl Scratch, maybe you've heard of me..."

The stallions shook their heads slowly, not blinking or taking their eyes off of her, Vinyl pretended not to notice and put on a disappointed look.

"Darn, guess I've still got a ways to go..." Before being interdimensionally famous, she added silently.

"Sorry but..." The stallion with the white circuits spoke up, his voice sounded like it was coming through a metal tube. "What is your function, program?"

Vinyl glanced at the stallion with a raised eyebrow.

"You might wanna do something about your voice pal, maybe see a doctor." The white stallion stared, showing utter confusion, Vinyl continued.

"And that's a weird way of asking what my job is, but I'm a DJ, the very best in all of Equestria. By the way, am I still in Equestria, you will not believe the day I've been having..."

The ponies glanced at each other and back at Vinyl, then the orange took a step toward her.

"Program, I think you should come with me."

Vinyl noticed the orange one's attitude and demeaner changed from confusion to... authoritive?

"Why should I? Where would we go?" She asked warily, then added. "And don't call me program."

The orange stallion lifted his left forehoof behind his neck and pulled out a circular object, black save for the bright orange circuit running around the inner circle. The white stallion backed away.

"Because I'm a security program and you will follow my instructions." He twitched his hoof and a second orange circuit appeared on the outside of the ring he carried, glowing brighter and humming dangerously. The white stallion flinched at its activation.

Vinyl didn't need to be an expert to know that was a weapon of some kind and she didn't like being threatened.

"Is the tough guy attitude really neccessary?" She asked, taking a defiant step toward the orange stallion and staring him down. He didn't look intimidated. Suddenly, a pitch black helmet formed around his head, covering his face completely.

"Don't challenge me!" He snarled.

"Don't threaten me!" Vinyl retorted, her horn glowing brightly. The DJ quickly glanced at the white stallion, who seemed to be staring in fear at something past Vinyl. Her ears flicked behind, and caught a sound of something fast approaching her, Vinyl reflexively rolled to the side, barely avoiding an orange object zooming by. The object bounced off a wall next to the unflinching orange stallion, and Vinyl saw it fly back into the hooves of another black suited and helmeted pony with orange circuitry across its suit.

"Give it up, program!" The orange stallion said calmly, "you can't fight us. Just surrender and-"

"Buck you!" Vinyl wasn't one to be bullied. She had gone through too much threatening and bullying as a filly to back down from anypony as an adult. She fired a sonic blast from her horn that knocked the stallion hard into the wall, then turned to see the other orange pony throw the ring at her again.

The DJ was prepared, and magically caught the ring mid-air and swung it back to the pony who simply caught it while walking towards her.

"Oh buck... Well, it was worth a try." Her horn began to glow again as she prepared her shockwave spell again, when something tackled her from behind. She was caught off guard and brought to the ground hard, her spell discharging in an empty direction. Vinyl glanced up and saw the white stallion pull out a ring of his own and bring it to her neck. His white circuit flickered, died, then lighted back up as a bright orange colour, he stared down angrily at her.

The orange stallion behind him got up and walked towards the downed unicorn.

"Normally, I'd derezz you for what you did." He said. "But I think that, in this case, the commander should decide your fate..."

His helmet disappeared back into his suit and he leaned in close to her ear. "...User..."

He stood up, turning away from the perplexed but angry DJ, and glanced toward the previously white stallion.

"Nice to see a new convert... I knew you were on the right track."

He turned to the other orange guard.

"Call in a transport and extra guards, I want us to get to Command without any problems."

What happened next was a blur for Vinyl, a large ship with two leg-like structures protruding down it with orange circuitry running all across it hovered over her. Then the DJ soon found herself aboard the ship, flying high above the city towards one of the tall skyscrapers. She then found herself being shoved about in an unfamiliar but impressively large room, a hangar of sorts. She also heard the stallion's voice as she was pushed away.

"Send her into one of the cells, I need to talk to the Commander..."

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The stallion watched Vinyl be escorted away briefly before turning away. After passing a few halls, he found himself in a room overlooking the entire city, where another program was looking out admiring the view. The stallion cleared his throat and the unicorn before him moved her long white from her face, but did not turn aorund to face him.

"Crom..." She said. "The Great and Powerful Trixie did not summon you."

"I-I know Commander Trixie." Crom said. "But we found a rather... strange rogue program..."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie should care about this because...?"

"Well, she spoke very strangely and had even told me not to call her a program and there's... something about her that I can't really explain. I think she might be a user."

Trixie turned and faced Crom.

"There are no such thing as users, Crom, you must be glitching."

"I am not, Commander, but whether this... pony is a user or not, there is still something odd about her. I had her brought here so you could examine her yourself."

Trixie turned around and stared down at the city she was tasked to protect.

"Very well, have the program placed in the Initiation phase, we'll train her for the games and see where things go from there."

"Yes, Commander." Crom nodded, then hesitated. "Do you think we should inform the... Interface of this?"

Trixie spun around, a raging fire in her eyes as well as, Crom horrifyingly realized, terrible fear.

"The Great and..." She hesitated. "...and Powerful Trixie decides what news is worthy of the Interface and what news isn't. Is that clear?"

"Yes, of course, Commander, forgive me."

Trixie relaxed and turned. "You have work to do, Commander. Trixie suggests you get to it."

Crom bowed and left without a moment's hesitation. Leaving Trixie the private opportunity to shudder in fear. How could she let things come to this? Ever since she was humiliated by... her, her whole life spiralled further and further down. Until she was forced to take this job, and be sent to this Celestia-forsaken place with her breathing down her neck. She shook her head, driving away her nightmares. It was useless to dwell on them.