"Life has a Volume Knob"

by Vermilion and Sage

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Adventure
Length: 10814

OC fic featuring a few familiar names

Music. Audio Shock eats, sleeps, and breathes music. Often enough, he would lock himself in his studio for days, even weeks on end, in order to feed his near insatiable thirst as an artist and studio editor. His marefriend Cloudtamer, an up and coming name in weather science has known him since their days back in Flight School, and after being reunited several years later now enjoy a healthy, almost perfect relationship. But when hidden agendas are revealed to be at play, will their relationship get stronger, or fall apart at the seams?

Written by Vermillion

Published 2012-09-24 23:34:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-15 01:49:57 UTC

Chapter 1: Disturber of the Peace

Chapter One: Disturber of the Peace

The town of Ponyville was quiet. The birds were just beginning to wake up as the sun lazily crested the horizon, spilling its golden light over the countryside as Princess Celestia brought forth yet another day in the land of Equestria. Here and there rabbits and squirrels ran along the lush, green grass and the countless leaves littering the ground, as they chased each other, looking for food and giving their morning greetings after a good nights sleep. However, not every creature, or more accurately everypony, had enjoyed a restful night. This became apparent when a loud blast of white noise issued out of one particular house, startling the birds roosting in the nearby trees into flight, and causing them to squawk in discontent and move from the source of the offending sound, the home of the pegasus pony, Audio Shock. The sound ceased as quickly as it had started, and was replaced by a cry of despair.

“Oh, COME ON, NOT AGAIN!” Audio complained from his seat on the floor in front of his low sitting desk. He looked at the blown out speakers to his right and left. It had taken him forever to earn the bits needed to get his hooves on them, and not something he particularly liked to make a habit of breaking. Despite his best efforts, though, he had already managed to blowout one pair earlier that year. He groaned again, slightly dazed, and ears still ringing from the sudden and unexpected blast of volume. When the thin wisps of light gray smoke began emerging from the now lifeless speakers, Audio dropped his forehead down onto the desk in front of him with a resounding *thump!* and muttered an inaudible complaint once again, the sound muffled by the desk.

Audio sat like that for a few minutes, holding the back of his head in his hooves. Finally, he lifted his head, and ran a hoof through his black and electric blue mane and sighed exasperatedly.
Audio stood up and went to the closet on the other side of the semi-lit room and pulled a box containing a spare set of the quad speakers. Even though the speakers themselves were fairly expensive, he always bought extras in case something unfortunate, such as this, happened. It looked like his habit of erring on the side of caution in cases like this had served him well yet again. He stood back for a second, admiring his studio. The room was semi-lit, the light being muted by the dark walls, giving the room an overall relaxing feel . The desk itself was built in such a manner that it had ‘arms’ extending at 120 degree angles from the sides that were the same width as the main section. A triple set of mixing tables, one on the main section of the desk leaving the other two flanking it on either side.

About eight inches of desk space was available for the hundreds of notes strewn about the work area. Mostly about little tricks he’d learned or developed by himself, others about random little quips that he’d noticed while working, all organized in a clusterbomb that only Audio really understood, and that would probably cause Twilight Sparkle to have a seizure. A pair of monitors hooked up to his computer sat directly behind the center mixing table. Audio’s computer was rather impressive, and quite expensive. The entire system had been custom built, and cost a small fortune to obtain, but after busting his flank for a few years, he had earned enough to pay for it in full, and has since nearly regained its worth by fulfilling various contracts, and doing a few shows himself. Audio was quickly becoming a big name on the music scene in Equestria and his editing software was some of the best in the world. Thanks to the custom computer, Audio was able to run several versions of his music editing software, his music library, his personal database of sampled music and sounds continuously without compromising the speed of the system.

While he didn’t often produce his own music, he occasionally traveled around showing off his own work, but his primary focus was doing studio work for other artists, mixing their tracks, and sharpening up the quality. Boosting highs, and lows for killer bass lines, and vicious leads. Recently he had been contracted by Vinyl Scratch, quite possibly the most famous DJ in Equestria, to use his equipment and expertise to step up her game that much more, not that it really needed a step up. The several shows that he had been to in the past had always had the same results, Vinyl effortlessly controlling the crowds and assaulting them with an endless barrage of bass and wubs for hours on end. He could only ever hope to be as good a DJ as she was. Audio could still barely believe that she had personally asked him to do work on her music, the day that she had shown up on his doorstep while he was in the studio, mixing a few of his own tracks after just finishing up a previous contract had been a day when his heart had quite nearly stopped beating.

The reverse side of such work, though, was a general lack of sleep, which was the culprit of the recent speaker blowout. Over the course of the last couple days Audio hadn’t been sleeping at all. In his state of unnoticed mental fatigue, he had accidentally put the volume to the max output instead of moving the balance all the way right.

“Guess that’ll teach me…” Audio mumbled, sleepily tossing a glance at the clock. It had been 3 days since he’d slept last, no wonder he was so tired. He often lost track of time while he was working, immersing himself completely in the constant flow of music, electronic and otherwise. In fact he was surprised sometimes, that his neighbors didn’t get worried and check on him from time to time, as occasionally he’d disappear for weeks on end inside that studio of his, coming out only to eat and relieve himself. Though now that he was aware of how little sleep he had gotten recently, he was on the verge of passing out standing up, his vision blurring and then coming back into focus on several occasions.

The pegasus finished unhooking and removing the broken speakers from their current spots, and moved them into the closet to work on later, thinking he could perhaps salvage them somehow. Audio left it at that and left the functioning spares in the box. He planned on setting them up later, but for now his thoughts were dominated by climbing into his warm bed, and passing out. Walking over to the computer, he locked the system. Audio dragged his tired flank to the door that led out of the studio, and into his living room. As he left the studio, he looked out the large picture window at the town as it began to wake up. Audio laughed quietly to himself, as he was heading to bed, the outside world was just waking up.

Audio wearily walked through his living room, too exhausted to pay much attention to the large collection of colorful band posters and various other memorabilia. Nothing, not even the autographed Wonderbolt uniform, which hung in a glass case along the far wall, and had been a gift from the team’s captain after his marefriend, Cloudtamer, had taken him to see them the day he retired from the Royal Guard, had elicited even a cursory glance from him, until he passed the hoof-signed Vinyl Scratch record in a little frame of its own. Audio stopped for a moment and looked at the record. Ever since that performance last month, when he'd been elevated from fan to business partner, the giddy fanboy joy never quite left. Also ignored as he resumed slowly making his way through the room, was the coffee table covered in neatly stacked piles of CDs, and another clusterbomb of notes. Most of the discs were of the electronic variety, but there were also a few piles of classical cases that he's picked up after last year's Gala.

Attending the event dressed up in his old guard uniform, decorated with the silver veteran V’s and the dull silver wings of the Darkwatch had been interesting enough, but being around all the posh nonsense and frills that night must have made him prone to picking up something that he used to think was stuffy and boring. Since he had really started listening to it, he found himself strangely captivated by the genre, especially when it came to piano and strings. Yet more CDs filled the cabinet in the corner, its glass doors offering a view of the hundreds of multicolored cases that lay therein, all ready to be slotted into the stereo on top.

Audio walked around the corner and down the hall to his room, casting his vision into the kitchen as he did so, noting the dirty dishes in the sink that he’d neglected to attend to. Putting it on his mental list of things to do, he continued down the hallway to his bedroom. Audio’s room, like the living room, was decorated with brightly colored memorabilia of several bands, and highly organized, save for a few select sections that he never really bothered cleaning up because he was constantly using them for his other areas of interest. He pulled off his military style outfit and neatly folded it and set it on the dresser on the far side of the room. Next to the dresser was clothes hamper halfway full of previously worn outfits and workout clothes. Even though his time in the Guard was over, he saw no reason to not maintain his excellent physical condition. On the opposite side of the dresser, there was an empty space the he planned on filling with a small set of shelves, and then a desk that had several open books covering a wide selection of subject matter were scattered about its surface.

Music had always been his talent, but it wasn’t the only thing that he was interested in or looked over in his spare time. Topics such as history and writing also found themselves subject to Audio’s scrutiny, although he was never quite as good at writing much of anything else besides music. Audio surveyed the room again, nodding in sleepy content, happy with the way the room looked at the moment. His bed had never before looked quite so comfortable as it did when he approached its inviting warmth. Audio clambered clumsily onto the soft mattress, nearly losing control of his motor skills as his body began shutting down before he was even under the blanket. The tired pegasus slipped between the comforter and sheets, curling up while covering himself completely, leaving no part of himself exposed to the outside world. Within a few moments of closing his eyes, Audio was passed out cold, his breathing settling into a rhythmic cycle indicating a lapse directly into a deep sleep. All hope was lost, at this point, for anyone wishing to visit the pegasus, for there was nothing short of a sonic rainboom that would draw the pegasus out of his deep sleep.

Chapter 2: A Very Special Somepony

Chapter Two: A Very Special Somepony.

Audio had always been a heavy sleeper, especially when had spent more than a day locked up in his studio. This was a well known fact to the white pegasus mare who had been standing at the door, impatiently tapping a hoof idly against the paving stones while she waited in vain for him to answer the door. Audio wasn’t one to ignore guests, and even had an alarm set up on his computer to alert him to the presence of company while he was working. All of this pointed to him being passed out in bed, meaning that it would be no small task to wake him.

Cloudtamer shook her head, sending her light blue mane falling into her face, a light smile playing across her lips as she stood on the doorstep to Audio’s home. She had been out flying and decided to drop in on her coltfriend, in order to drag his flank out of bed and to Cloudsdale with her, only to find a seemingly empty house. Shaking her head again, she located his spare key that he kept under a false rock in his flowerbed under the picture window, and let herself inside the simple, yet luxurious house. There was an odd, smoky smell to the air, originating from the studio, and she surmised that he had indeed been working for a long time, and had somehow managed to destroy his speakers…again.

Quietly closing and locking the front door, she set the spare key on the end table to her left and took soft steps on the even softer carpet, making her way down the hall to Audio’s room. She quietly opened the door, and wasn’t surprised to see her very special somepony wrapped up in the coverings of his bed, almost completely hidden, aside from his black and blue tail that was hanging off the side. As she walked to the edge of the bed, she watched the gentle, and rhythmic rise and fall of the comforter as Audio breathed quietly. Cloud smiled again, and made her way around to the other side of the bed and gently lay down next to her hard working coltfriend.

Apparently Audio wasn’t sleeping as heavily today. As Cloud made herself comfortable, he began to stir, his head appearing from out of the folds of the blanket briefly. For a short moment she caught sight of his piercing ice-blue eyes, but they immediately snapped shut as he fell back asleep. Cloud reached over and nibbled on his ear, in an effort to wake him, and was rewarded when a muffled voice issued from under the blankets. Cloud withdrew, grinning, and ran a hoof through his messy mane.

“Mm Cloud…stop it...” Audio complained sleepily, pulling the covers over his head to ward off his marefriend’s attempts to rouse him from the plushy bed that he was so comfortable in.

“Morning sleepyfeathers.” she said, smiling and laying a hoof over his shoulder. Audio rolled over and smiled at his marefriend, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

“Morning beautiful.” Audio said, smiling, and running his own hoof through the shock of black and blue that covered his head.

Cloud moved her head close to his, gently biting his ear again and laughed quietly, making him smile and shudder. Cloud had been his marefriend for almost four years at this point. He’d met her at the Gala in Canterlot while he had still been a Royal Guard, after a several year separation. They had been in the same class at the Flight School’s Weather Corps several years prior, where they had been acquaintances more than friends, and rivals in the academic and sometimes even physical aspects of the class. Since being reunited though, she’d been nothing short of wonderful. Supportive during his last year in the Guard, and ever more so as he launched his musical career down the fast track. Audio, of course, had reciprocated and supported her in her work as well.
Cloud had done a quick job at figuring out his little nuances and personality quips that, which wasn’t at all surprising as she was also quickly becoming one of the most respected names in weather science. She was excellent at reading patterns and, by consequence, the tiniest of changes in demeanor and baseline behavior never escaped her attention, not even in the slightest. She had him dialed in within a few months of coming to be an intimate part his life, while it had taken him nearly a year’s time to understand how she ticked.

It worked out that Audio had the time to shut himself away without causing detriment to their relationship, because Cloud was often busy for days on end with being an instructor at the Flight School’s Weather Corps in Cloudsdale, teaching fliers experienced and inexperienced how to read the winds in order to avoid dangerous weather patterns while tending to their weather duties. She was good friends with Spitfire, the captain of the Wonderbolts, which subsequently was why Audio had been able to get the autographed flight suit. Occasionally they both attended the teams practices in order to analyze their flight patterns for overall efficiency. But that was neither here nor there at the moment, as her deep golden eyes reflected his caring stare.

“You my darling, are coming to Cloudsdale with me today.” Cloud said to him, looking directly into those ice blue eyes. Ever since he had met her, she had never shied from looking him directly in the eyes when they spoke. Audio had come to appreciate that.

“Mm, and what are we doing there?” he asked, stretching and then rolling onto his back. Cloud took this opportunity to lay her forelegs over his stomach, and rested her head on his chest.

“I promised my newest class that they could meet my ‘fabled coltfriend’ if they all passed their practical test on clearing thunderheads without dangerous discharges.” She said. “They are all under the assumption that you are some sort of myth, just like the last class, and the one before that. You’re quickly becoming the stuff of legend, love.” Cloud added after a moment.

“Oh, that one again.” He said, smiling, and putting his left foreleg around her. “I suppose I could fit that into my extremely busy schedule of nothing. I’m a couple days ahead right now, so I’m taking some time to unwind.” Audio mentioned, feeling the steady rise and fall of Cloud’s chest on his, her stark white coat contrasting with his own light gray. “Besides, I managed to…erm. Never mind, not important.” Audio cut himself off, embarrassed that he let his attention lapse to the point of wrecking another set of speakers. Among other details that he had failed to enlighten his marefriend to, is the little trip to Canterlot that he had planned for later, if his friends had been able to make the proper arrangements on their end. Audio really worry too much about though, as he knew he could count on his friends to have it taken care of.

Cloud rolled her head from the vertical position it was in to the right, looking back at him again, giving him a wink.

“Managed to cause a little ‘hiccup’ with the speakers?” She asked, knowingly.

“How’d you figure that one out? I know you’re good, but seriously…” Audio complained. He could hide nothing from this mare…but he didn’t mind in the least. She was perfect.

“I smelled the smoke in the air. You really should get some proper ventilation in there, Staticbrain.” she said, using her affectionate nickname for him.

“I’ll be sure to do that sometime soon then.” Audio said. It was something he had been meaning to do, and now that it was fresh in his head, relatively speaking, he would make the proper arrangements.

“Well then, I suppose we should get going soon. Cloudsdale may only be a short flight, but it’s been a few weeks since we’ve flown together, and I’d like to take our time getting there.” Cloud said, nuzzling his neck affectionately.

The two were quiet for a few minutes, enjoying each others company. Audio moved to get up, drawing a groan of discontent from Cloudtamer, who unwillingly sat up. Audio kissed her neck as he sat up, attempting to make amends for the disturbance, and clambered out of bed to get ready for the long day ahead. She watched him as he walked out of the room, and followed him out into the hallway. Cloud’s attention was drawn to his cutie mark, a static waveform with three white flagged eighth notes. He had the same mark magically stitched onto his outfits as well. The light gray pegasus had went into the bathroom, and Cloud heard the water start running, and so she decided to get something ready for him to snack on. She knew that he wouldn’t have bothered to do it himself, out of habit. She had noticed that Audio usually decided to forgo breakfast in favor of waiting for lunch and dinner, but Cloud had learned that if she were to throw something onto a plate for him, that he wouldn’t ignore it.

Cloudtamer often worried that Audio didn’t eat enough, but he seemed to maintain good health, and so she tried to avoid worrying too much. This time though, she got him out a couple slices of bread, hay and some honey, and put it together on a plate, leaving the sandwich on the table in the dining room. Hearing the water in the bathroom cease running, Cloud went and sat down on the couch in the living room and waited for Audio to finish getting ready.

Audio exited the bedroom, looking at the clock as he did so, realizing that he had let a full day go past while he was wrapped up in the warmth of his blankets, and made a turn into the bathroom and started the shower. After a moment, he tested the temperature and stepped into the running water. It felt good against his coat, and quickly soaked and matted down his mane and tail. He didn’t normally take long showers, but this one felt so good, that he spent an extra few minutes enjoying the feeling of the water falling onto his body. Eventually though, he stood up shutting the shower off and started drying off. Opening the door to the hallway, Audio went back into his room and put on a fresh set of clothes. He made his way down the hall and into the living room, where Cloudtamer was resting on the couch, intently looking over a clipping of the several hundred notes that were more or less organized on the coffee table. Smiling, Audio went into the kitchen, only to find that Cloud had thrown together a little something for him to eat, which he was more than happy to do. He cut the sandwich in half, and put the second piece on a plate for Cloud.

“Saved some for you.” He said, setting the plate down on the table. She was wrapped up in the notes for a second, but set them down, stood up and stretched her wings in a teasingly suggestive manner. Audio tried very hard, and failed equally as hard, to notice.

“I’ve already eaten sweetheart. Go ahead and finish it.” She said, picking the rest of the sandwich up in her mouth and giving it to him. Audio finished it in a single bite, while Cloud looked down at the papers again, as if trying to make sense of the notes.

“I don’t get it.” She finally admitted. “What is this all mean?”
Audio regarded the particular paper she was referring to, and laughed after he realized what it was.

“Oh. That. Don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense, love. Its meant to be a load of nonsense, pertaining to nothing.” The pegasus replied, still chuckling. “But enough of that. You, have a class to teach.” He reminded his marefriend, giving her a playful nip on the neck, eliciting a little squeal of surprise from her. In response Cloud gave Audio a gentle knock on the flank and chased after him. She was faster than most pegasus, aided by a thin build. Then again, Audio’s time spent on the Royal Guard had certainly not been wasted, making him equally, if not just slightly faster. So when he unlocked, opened, relocked, and dove out the front door, the gauntlet was thrown.

Audio took off into the sky, hovering a few feet off over the tops of the tree out front. Cloudtamer wasn’t the kind of mare to back down from a challenge, especially from Audio. She came half galloping, half flying out of the house, pulling the door closed behind her, and took off after him. Already being in excellent physical condition, and a strong flier to begin with, Audio quickly set the pace, each flap of his powerful wings moving him faster and higher. Feeling a bit cocky, even knowing that Cloudtamer was nearly as he was, he took the risk of looking back over his shoulder only to find Cloudtamer was nowhere to be seen. Audio stopped and looked around, trying to figure out what had happened to his partner.

Audio was always confident, and occasionally let it go to his head. It wasn’t something he made a habit of, but Cloudtamer quickly realized that he had done just that during their little game of chase. She pulled up and away and kept herself hidden by putting her flight path in between Audio’s line of sight and the sun, passing him up when he looked back and stopped. There were a few clouds here and there and one just so happened to be placed directly to the top left, and another to bottom of Audio’s current position. Cloudtamer took advantage of this opportunity to set down on the higher cloud, and stalk her special somepony in a game of cat and mouse, trying to contain her laughter as she watched his confused expression.

‘Where did she go?’ Audio thought to himself. He was perplexed; Cloud was an excellent flier, and always kept up with him. There was no reason for her to have fallen that far behind such that it was taking this long for her to catch up. He didn’t realize what was going on until it was far too late.

“Hey Audio-o!” Came the sing song voice. He turned around and looked up at the sound of his name being called - right as Cloud crashed into him and pinned him to the cloud on his back. She crossed her forelegs on his chest. He looked up at the mare he had come to love. Audio didn’t have anything to say at the moment, so he wrapped his hooves around her neck and drew her into a kiss. Cloud hummed happily and returned the kiss enthusiastically. After what seemed like hours the two broke and took back off into the sky towards Cloudsdale, conversing as they went, and as they neared the pegasus city, Audio drifted away as to not give the appearance that they were together, in case any of Cloudtamer’s students happened to be watching out for the two.

Chapter 3: A 'Shocking' Revelation

Chapter 3: A 'Shocking' Revelation

Audio gave Cloudtamer a ten minute head start, and then started making his way to the Flight School’s campus. His little trek passed without incident and soon enough he was at the door to the classroom that Cloudtamer taught in, which was filled with fifteen or so students being trained in general weather control. He made eye contact with her and she nodded to him from the other side of the glass. As soon as he got the signal, Audio ducked out of sight of the window in case any of her students caught the nod and looked back at him, ruining the surprise. Putting his ear to the door, he heard random chatter coming from within. After a moment Cloud cleared her throat and told them to hush.

“…Now, as you are all well aware, every last one of you passed the last prac-app test. True to my word, I’ve brought a very special guest with me today.” Cloudtamer said aloud, to a collective chatter of excitement which was brought to a halt when one of the students broke through the noise to make an inquiry of her own.

“Miss Cloudtamer? Is it your very special somepony?” The student, a filly by the sound of it, asked. Audio heard Cloudtamer laughing as the noise mounted yet again, into an excited chaos of conversation.

“Yes Windchaser, I’ve brought my very special somepony with me today. In fact…I think he’s just outside the door. Why don’t you go get him?” Cloudtamer said both sweetly, and innocently. Audio counted down the seconds until he heard the door handle catch, and a filly’s head appeared shortly afterward. Audio noted that she was older than she sounded. Windchaser’s eyes widened as she made eye contact with Audio and the young mare let out an excited squeal, bolting back into the classroom leaving the door wide open in her wake. The excited chatter reached a climax as the other pegasi pelted her with questions, only to be hushed once again as Audio stepped inside. A collective gasp ran through the room, but otherwise it was silent as he walked up to the front of the room, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Audio turned to look at the class, casting his gaze over the students. He corrected himself mentally; these were young stallions and mares in this class, not fillies and colts. Most of them looked to be middle adolescent age.

“Students, this is Audio Shock.” She said, giggling. “he is my very special somepony.”

“No…way…” one of the colts said disbelievingly. “DJ Arc? HE’S your coltfriend?”

“S’right kid. Not a myth, also not much of a DJ either. I mostly focus on other artists work helping them get better sound quality if they aren’t satisfied. But in between contracts I do occasionally throw together a few of my own tracks.” Audio said, his voice filling the room without much trouble. Just because he was generally soft spoken, didn’t mean he couldn’t speak loudly when he wanted. The same excited colt’s eyes brightened as questions began to form faster than he could ask.

“I’ve read all about you! Is it true that you were in the Princess’s Royal Guard?” he asked, speaking so quickly that Audio was having trouble distinguishing between words. The colt’s excitement radiated through the rest of the class, who seemed to be in just as much awe as he was. Understandably so, as a DJ was an unlikely match for a teacher like her.

“That was years ago kid. Back when I was Lieutenant Shock of the Darkwatch.” Audio said to a general murmur of approval. The Darkwatch was one of the most dangerous and sought after occupations, and one of the hardest to get into. Each member was in top physical condition and a quick thinker as well. They had to be. The purpose of the Darkwatch was keeping rogue storms and weather patterns from forming at night and disrupting the cycles that the weather pegasi worked so hard to keep on schedule.

“I thought that the Darkwatch was made up of weather pegasi like us, not the Royal Guard?” The student asked, clearly confused. It was a little known fact that while the Darkwatch was made up primarily of highly trained weather pegasi, that a trio of the Royal Guard were directly in charge of the Darkwatch. Audio went ahead and explained this to the young flier, after which he told a few of the stories he liked to share with Cloudtamer’s classes whenever he made an appearance. Cloudtamer walked out from behind her desk and took a place at his side, nuzzling his neck. The door latch clicked open again, and a familiar yellow pegasus with a windswept fiery orange mane walked into the classroom, drawing stares and another gasp of awe.

“Afternoon Cloudtamer.” Spitfire greeted her friend. “Hey Audio! I heard you were in the neighborhood. Thought I’d drop by and invite the two of you to dinner with Soarin’ and I tonight.” She added with a wink to Audio. He felt a near imperceptible stiffening in Cloudtamer as she noticed the gesture. She looked up at Audio, who met her eyes and simply smiled. Audio brought his attention to the classroom, laughing quietly to himself as he counted the dropped jaws and dumbstruck faces. Shifting his focus yet again, he looked back at Spitfire. He knew that he could count on her and Soarin’ to get everything in place, and was once again he had found his trust to be well placed.

“We’d love to.” Audio replied, smiling “Where at and when?”

“Soarin’ reserved a table at The Crystal Pony in Canterlot, so there around Nine-ish?” The yellow mare said, almost questioningly. Audio nodded, and started thinking of ways to placate Cloud’s insatiable curiosity.

“That sounds great, Spitfire! See you there.” Audio replied for the both of them. Spitfire nodded and exited the room, leaving him to the scrutiny of his marefriend. Knowing this, Audio jumped on the opportunity to cover his flank as quickly as possible. He wasn’t going to take the risk of his plans being exposed until the time was right.

“Why’d she wink at you?” He asked, turning to regard the mare next to him with a look of utter confusion plastered across his face.

“I thought she was winking at you!” Cloud replied. This was funny. Very funny indeed, for the second time in a single day, Cloudtamer was legitimately at a loss as to what was going on. The first time couldn’t really be counted though, since even Audio couldn’t quite remember what had possessed him to write down that page of notes that she’d been so interested in earlier this morning.

“Huh. Well maybe it was a twitch or something. You know she’s always flying around without those flight goggles on.” Audio mentioned, trying to shift the subject as much as possible. He turned his attention to the classroom full of colts and fillies. Though to be fair, most of them were nearly the same age that Audio had been when he was selected for the Darkwatch, so filly and colt were probably misnomers. While he wasn’t an instructor himself, Audio had learned quite a few tricks over the years, and always made a point to pass on a few tips to each class that he met.

“Alright, now how about you open your little ears and pay good attention to what I’ve got to teach you here.” He said, looking back and seeing that Cloudtamer was already drawing the diagram on the whiteboard. Audio knew without asking, that she was still going over the conversation with Spitfire in her head over and over again. He didn’t need to ask. Her writing was getting more compact as it always did whenever she was focusing hard on something. Despite her new distraction, Cloud was almost done etching out the diagrams that Audio would need for the first part of the lecture. This was much easier for her to guess, because he gave the same lecture each year. She was constantly one step ahead of him.

‘Or almost constantly.’ Audio thought, laughing internally. Focusing again on the task at hoof he brought his mental notes to bear. Audio started off by showing them a few small tricks for getting that extra little burst of speed needed for tackling particularly stubborn rainclouds. After a short break, and a couple questions, he continued on, teaching the class how to read the wind without using clouds for a reference, by looking at trees, grass, and the way that birds were reacting in flight. Just as usual, each student was drinking in his lesson, and taking detailed notes. Cloudtamer was a bit of a stickler for note taking, and would assign extra homework to those students who decided not to take anything down for a particular lesson.

He went on for about an hour and a half before saying his goodbyes, and signing a few pictures taken by the eager colt fan, whose name he had come to learn was Jetstream. Audio took an interest in this particular colt, because he was a virtual encyclopedia for everything weather, making Audio seriously doubt that the colt needed this particular class in the first place. Jetstream also appeared to be in peak physical condition. He made a mental note to talk to Shining Armor about keeping an eye on Jetstream as a potential Darkwatch candidate. While he was no longer a member of the Guard he still kept in relatively good contact with his old boss, though ultimately the decision of who was accepted into the ranks of the Darkwatch was up to Lieutenant Skyfire, the new commander. Apparently his word was still largely respected amongst the Darkwatch, so Audio figured that if he dropped Jetstream’s name to Skyfire, that the he’d drop in for a visit in the near future.

Jetstream handed Audio a photo to sign of the two of them high-hoofing in front of the whiteboard. Audio took the photo and signed it, leaving a quick message reading “Life has a volume knob, crank it to 11!–Audio Shock.

Shortly thereafter Audio took his leave of the classroom with Cloudtamer following closely behind. He was almost a little surprised that she had failed to bring up Jetstream in any of their conversations previous, though he didn’t really have time to bring it up as they stepped out into the hallway and Audio hugged her goodbye. Once again he tried to steer the subject of conversation in a favorable direction

“I’m going back to my place for a few hours, to finish replacing my speakers, and tidy up a bit. I’ll be back afterward though, to pick you up and then we can go to meet Spitfire and Soarin’ in Canterlot.” While he didn’t particularly want to leave, Cloud had a few more lessons to go through yet, and he had some things to take care of as well.

“I think you just made Jetstream’s day. I had to keep myself from laughing every time he mentioned your stagename in class.” Cloud said, tracing Audio’s jawline with the tip of an outstretched wing. Audio had come to realize this to be an extreme sign of affection, coming from her. “And please, please be careful flying back. Ponyville is scheduled to have a large storm today. I know you’re a good flier…but accidents happen.” Cloud said to her coltfriend, obviously worried. She always worried. Audio hugged her tight and reassuringly.

“I’ll be fine. The storm isn’t supposed to be starting until later tonight, when most everypony will be in for the night, and out of harm’s way. We’ll be in Canterlot by then, and afterward, just so you won’t have to worry, we’ll stay the night at your cloudhome.” Audio reassured her again. He hoped it would work, and was relieved when she relaxed a bit and smiled back at him.

"Well you better get at it then, Staticbrain.” Cloud teased him using her little nickname that she had tagged him with after realizing that he nearly ate, slept and breathed music. Rolling his eyes, Audio nipped her on the neck right underneath her ear, causing her to draw a sharp breath in. He looked back at Cloud, whose eyes glowed with a dangerously playful look. Audio could almost see his impish grin reflected off them. He knew how to get her going.

“Oh you’re such a tease!” Cloud complained her voice slightly whiny.

“I’ll make it up to you later, love.” Audio responded, giving roguish wink before turning around and making his way out of the school.

Cloud watched him walk down the hallway and disappear around the corner. He was hiding something, but she wasn’t sure what it possibly could be. She knew that they had been invited to dinner in Canterlot by her childhood friend Spitfire, but it lacked any kind of special occasion that she knew of. There were no holidays, minor or major, within several weeks. Cloud wished that she’d have had more time to ply Audio with questions regarding their evening plans, but the day was busy until they'd have to leave for dinner. Sighing, Cloud entered the classroom once more, and was immediately assaulted by a barrage of questions about how they’d met, where, and how long they'd been dating. Cloudtamer took the time to answer each of them.

“We met at the Grand Galloping Gala, about 4 years ago, but we've known each other since Flight School, in this class, in fact.” Cloudtamer started, recalling the night as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. “Audio was there overseeing the event, keeping the skies clear. He was mingling like all the others, when Spitfire pointed him out to me. I didn’t have a special somepony at the time, and I highly suspected that she would try to get me with somepony that night. He was easy to spot in the dark because his coat was died to the regulation white at the time, and I didnt recognize him right away. at least, not until he showed me his cutie mark. Anyway, Spitfire nudged me in his direction, even walking me over and then introducing us, after which she disappeared into the crowd. We talked a bit, and when another one of his Darkwatch showed up to take over for him, we went for a walk in the gardens, and things just kind of evolved from there.” Cloud finished. She just gave the basic rundown, like she did with everypony she had this conversation with.

“But no more questions for now, we’ve got another lesson to cover before the day is done, and this one is fun, so take good notes, and pay attention.” She said, turning her gaze to the whiteboard full of pictures and diagrams she had drawn up for Audio. She briefly went over the conversation with Spitfire again while she cleared the board and drew up a few more pictures and a table of wind speeds. Turning to the class she saw them already busy copying down the drawings. Cloud gave them all a few minutes to finish their notes before launching into one of her favorite lessons on how to break apart a tornado in its developing stages, right up to after it had made touchdown.

The rest of the day went by faster than Cloud had anticipated, and before she knew it the bell was ringing and she was on her way back home, cheerfully thinking of all the ways she could wring Audio’s little gray neck to wrest his secrets from him.

Chapter 4: Presently Past

Chapter Four: Presently Past

Audio walked out of the front double archway of the school and took in the surrounding sights. The same plain Cloudsdale greeted his eyes. each building, the sidewalk, the lamps, and every last piece of scenery made out of the same white cumulus clouds. Everything aside from the ugly gray mass of the weather factory that is.

He let his gaze linger on the factory for a moment, a place whose management he had gotten into several arguments with in the past for dangerous experimentation on local weather climes, one of which caused a seven day downpour that flooded much of the surrounding area, and had seen the Darkwatch teaming up with the day crew and busting flank together to get it cleared up, something that hadn’t happened before or since. After the storm was finally broken apart Audio had personally went to see the head staff, threatening to arrest them all for endangering those below and demanding that they cease their experiments, to which they quickly agreed to. Audio was a very persuasive pony when the occasion called for it.

Audio dragged himself out of his remenissions with a sigh and let his gaze wash over the scenery once more. He saw everything and nothing all at once, noting it all but not finding anything important. As soon as he trotted down the stairs to street level, somepony streaked past, and Audio instinctively dived prone. Getting back up, he rolled his eyes. Why would anypony be flying in such blatant violation of the speed regulations? The offender slowed enough for Audio to recognize.

Rainbow Dash. He should have known. Audio has always respected her fighting spirit and fierce loyalty, but her disregard for the rules had been a bone of contention betwixt the two in the past. She had tried to join the Darkwatch at one point, but Audio had turned her down. Too independent. Even as talented as she was, she wasn't able to work as a cohesive unit, which was a must for the Darkwatch teams to make it home in one piece.

Dash hurried over, an expression of concern hurriedly shoved onto her face. She hadn't appeared to recognize him, which he put down to his now-natural coat color. Audio ran an eye over himself, brushing himself off and pulling some of the fabric of his jumpsuit back into place.
“hey, are you alright?” Dash asked, setting down a few feet away.

“nothing’s broken or damaged, so yes. I am fine. Cloudsdale has rules on flight-speed in city limits for a reason, y’know.” He said dryly, running a practiced eye over Dash. She could still make an excellent Darkwatch candidate, but again, her personality just wasn’t built for it.

“Yeah...rules...uh, what are those again?” Dash asked, holding a straight face. Audio was almost impressed until he realized she was being completely serious, and he felt affirmed in his past judgment calls.

“Never one to care much about rules much, eh Rainbow Dash?” Came a familiar voice from above. Audio craned his neck to see Spitfire lazily gliding down to them. Peeking over at Dash, he could see that she was desperately trying to keep her cool.

“Uh, not really, no. Rules just hold me back!” replied Dash with a healthy measure of defiant confidence. She grinned, still trying to cover up the nervousness.

“Heh, ain’t that the truth. So Audio, you ready? Soarin' got everything ready, silver-tongued devil him.” Spitfire said to Audio with a half-smile. “To be honest though, it didn't take much more than him asking nicely for a reservation.”

Spitfire was truly an awesome friend, her and Soarin' both. Audio looked over at Dash, who was staring at him intently, as if trying to visualize him wearing something other than a black tracksuit. Her eyes suddenly brightened.

“...no..it can't be...Audio...Shock? As in Lieutenant Shock?” she gaped, to which Audio responded with a winning smile and a warm tone.

“Once upon a time Rainbow, but now I'm just Audio Shock. Now you'll have to forgive us, but we've got important business to attend to.” Audio propelled himself into the air. “Let's go Spitfire, time runs short.”

“That it does Audio, see you around Rainbow.” Spitfire said in parting, giving her number one fan a wink and a playful push on the shoulder before taking off after Audio. She caught up after a few moments.

“I can't thank you enough for this Spitfire. Without you and Soarin', I don't know how I would have gotten everything done.” Audio said sincerely as they flew over the streets.

“Hey, it's not a problem at all. I was wondering when you planned on doing this actually. Cloud has been one of my best friends for years. I'm glad she has somepony who loves her as much as you do.” Spitfire responded.

The two old friends traded banter as the city streets gave way to the city limits and then the open sky. About halfway to Ponyville, Spitfire challenged Audio to a race, to which he quickly declined. She was time and again faster than he was, and they both knew it. He could have accepted and been beaten badly, or decline and let it go. No shame in admitting he couldn't win this one.

Even without racing they soon arrived at Audio's place. Spitfire took an offhoof interest in Audio's decor from the moment she got inside.

“Nice place you got here Audio, I'm impressed.” Spitfire quipped as she looked at the flight suit she'd given him all those years ago. She regretted not having enough time to spend with him and Cloudtamer, but her own schedule was chock full year round with shows and other events, on top of managing the team.

“Thanks Spit. It's changed a bit since the last time you and Soarin' were over, but nothing extreme. A few new decorations here and there, but it's more or less the same.” Audio said over his shoulder as he walked to his room.

He entered his sanctuary and crossed over to the desk, covered in several stacks of books. He figured Cloudtamer had noticed the disarray and fixed it up before they left, but that was neither here nor there. He opened a small drawer and removed a long black case, stowing it in the flank pocket on his jump suit before closing the drawer.
Spitfire was patiently awaiting his return in the living room, gaze still captured by the walls. That gaze was stolen by the small case Audio was holding out for her inspection.

“Well? Don't keep me in suspense! Let me see!” She carefully took the case he offered. Opening it she let out a short whistle of appreciation, to which Audio grinned and blushed slightly. The bracelet inside was an exact replica of his cutie mark, the black being made of a glossy obsidian, and the white notes constructed out of diamonds, all fused by a thin gold chain.

“You think she'll like it? He asked, though he could already guess what Spitfire was going to say.

“I'd be more surprised if she didn't, Audio. This is...wow...” Spitfire said, closely studying the piece of jewelry. “It's beyond description, and your cutie mark makes it all the more personal.” She closed the case and tucked it away for safekeeping, as they had discussed earlier that week. Just another part of the plan to keep Cloud in the dark until the last minute. Audio had spent far too much time and effort to let this get ruined.

“Thanks Spitfire. I owe you one. Just let me know if you need anything ever, alright?” Audio said appreciatively. Asking for help without paying it back eventually just wasn’t how he did things. “So, 9 at the Crystal Pony?”

“Yep. And don’t bother thinking you owe me one. You’ve helped out the team enough in the past to call this one a freebie. “Spit responded, smiling.

“Alright...we've got a few hours then. I'm going to take some time and clean up around here before heading back to Cloudsdale to get Cloudtamer.” Audio said while eying the mess lurking in the kitchen.

“Sounds good, don't you dare be late though!” replied Spitfire with a chuckle. She knew Audio wouldn't miss this night if it killed him. Still smiling, she gave him a farewell and exited the homestead in the direction of Canterlot.

Audio waved a hoof goodbye and glared toward the dishes. He didn't want to look at them anymore. While he started to rinse off the plates and bowls before putting them in the dishwasher, his eyes wandered over to a framed picture residing on the windowsill above the sink. There he was at the Gala a few years ago, a wide smile on his face and a foreleg around Cloudtamer.

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3 Years Ago

Audio gazed over the perfectly clear sky, taking in the orange remnants of the sunset before turning to observe the ponies filling the Gala ball room. He loved leaving clear nights like this one for ponies to enjoy, and it was just a few hours ago that he and two of the Darkwatch had finished their work. They were now enjoying the festivities while he stood lookout. Or pretended to anyway, as he had found that the appearance of being busy was usually enough to keep him from having to socialize with the guests, keeping him away from their posh nonsense and frills. He could do well enough without those.

The moon rose to find the ballroom full of well-dressed nobles and fancily dressed attendees, but Audio liked how it reflected off his officer's dress uniform more than anything else he saw. It was black with blue trim, sporting silver buttons and clasps, and his dull silver Darkwatch wings that rested on his chest. All of which contrasted with his white coat well. He glanced back toward the crowd to see couples dancing and talking, but was content to keep to himself, his thoughts carried away by the ebb and flow of the music wafting up from the orchestra.

“Hey LT, what's up? Enjoying your night?” A smooth voice came from behind to knock him out of his reverie.

Turning to face the source of the voice, Audio saw Spitfire approaching him with another mare in tow. Audio almost did a double take at the sight of Cloudtamer. While he knew the two to be friends, he wasn't expecting her to be here tonight. She hadn't appeared to have recognized him either. The last time they had spoken was several years before, and his coat was gray back then.

“Reasonably quiet, all things considered. Overall yes, I am enjoying myself, thank you Spitfire.” He replied in a clipped military tone, causing Spitfire to roll her eyes and give a half grin.

“Alright there Lieutenant Shock. You’re among good company now. You can drop the stiff and regimented military tone.” She said laughing. “Cloudtamer, this is Lieutenant Shock, the pony in charge of the Darkwatch.”

“Oh wow! I've seen some of the stuff you get into. Quite impressive actually.”
While she spoke, Audio watched her eyes. She was telling the truth alright, but seemed to be awfully interested in him, as if searching for something. Just as he was about to speak, her eyes lit up and recognition played across her features.

“Spitfire...did you say Lieutenant Shock? As in Audio Shock?”

Her inquiry was greeted with nothing more than a sly wink from Spitfire, who said nothing more before leaving the two and blending into the crowd. Cloudtamer blinked a few times in confusion and turned back to Audio.

“It has been a while, hasn't it?” Audio said. His heart was pounding so hard he was certain that she could hear it too. That tricky mare Spitfire. He was going to kill her for this. Before he could say any more, Sergeant Skyfire sidled up to Audio, and began making conversation.

“Evening Shock. I'll take over from here. Go enjoy your night.” Skyfire gave a quick shove to Audio to get him going, and winked at him. Audio made a mental note to get him back the next time he had a chance to spend a couple hours alone at the office with some power tools and high quality bolts.

“Let’s go for a walk in the gardens…catch up a bit?” Audio suggested, his voice as confident and smooth as ever.

“I…think that would be wonderful Lieutenant Shock.” Cloud said, addressing him by his rank. She giggled inside as she did so. She wasn’t sure why it made her so giddy, but it did and she liked it.

“Miss Cloudtamer…I know it’s been a long time…but it feels strange to have you address me like that. Audio will do fine, if you please.” Audio said, airing a professional tone

“And you Staticbrain, can just call me ‘Cloud’. Just like old times.” She said, smiling up at him.

“Indeed…just like old times…” He replied, eyes glassing over for a second before they walked out into the cool night air that filled the gardens.

Cloudtamer stood next to Spitfire, taking in the sights of the Gala.Spitfire had gotten her hooves on an extra ticket this year, and decided that Cloud should come along for the ride. What Cloud hadn't been expecting was just how many ponies would be there. Hundreds, and the was just those still milling around outside, let alone all those already in the main ballroom. They were all dressed as posh as equines came, making her feel more than little self-conscious.

In addition to the guests, a few dozen members of the royal guard were present, wearing the golden plate armor of their service. They stood stoic at the portals and passageways, save for one who milled about a balcony on the far side of the room. He was wearing a uniform of blacks and blues, and if it were possible, he might have been standing up straighter than the rest of the guards.

“Who is that?” Cloudtamer asked, gesturing the the darkly dressed Guard with a hoof.

“The the commander of the Darkwatch. Tough fellows them.” Spitfire motioned for Cloudtamer to follow her as she took off toward the balcony. “C'mon, let’s go talk to him. He's a real nice stallion once you get past the rough and tumble attitude. I think you'd like him.”

Cloudtamer hesitantly followed Spitfire to alight next to the strange guard. He didn't turn to face them or even acknowledge that they were there.

“Hey LT, what's up? Enjoying your night?” Spitfire asked casually as she sauntered up to the stallion. As he turned around to face them, Cloudtamer felt a shiver run down her spine. Spitfire was introducing them, but she wasn't paying enough attention to do more than mindlessly exchange hellos. He looked so familiar up close, and she just couldn't place it until she looked into his eyes. Something clicked. That cutie mark...those piercing blue eyes, it was Audio Shock! The colt that she bickered with so much back in school, and wound up falling for so hard that she didn't dare speak of it.

A moment later Spitfire ran off the join the other Wonderbolts, leaving her to fend for herself with Audio. Hey! She was supposed to help me say hi and...

They were not given much time to enjoy the peace as another pony dressed in the same palette as Audio trotted up. He started talking to Audio, and then gave him a gentle shove in order to take his place. Audio looked briefly exasperated, but then looked at Cloud and smiled. He beckoned to her with a forehoof, and she happily trotted over to his side. He'd grown since the last time she seen him, and now the top of her head was almost level with his chin

“Let’s go for a walk in the gardens...catch up a bit?” Audio suggested, his voice as confident and smooth as ever.

“I...think that would be wonderful Lieutenant Shock.” Cloudtamer couldn't help but giggle. He looked so uncomfortable being addressed by rank.

“Miss Cloudtamer...I know it's been a long time...but it feels weird to have address me like that. “Audio will do just fine, if you please.”

“And you Staticbrain, can just call me 'Cloud'. Just like old times.” She smiled again, he sounded so formal. It was such a farcry from the pony she'd known all those years ago, but somehow...he hadn't changed a bit.

“Indeed...just like old time...” replied Audio, his eyes glassing over for a second before they walked out into the cool night air of the gardens.

The walk to the gardens passed in a quick blur for Audio as he listened eagerly to Cloudtamer relate the events of her last two years to him. Before he knew it, she was asking him the same questions, and he desperately tried to get his mind back into gear. Back in flight school she was a pretty filly, but as a mare she was attractive enough that Audio had to actively work to keep himself from staring. Tearing his gaze away yet again, he scanned the heavens for any clouds that could have formed, but it seemed that Skyfire was taking good care of it. Inevitably, Audio felt his eyes wandering back over to Cloudtamer.

After about half an hour of this, the couple sat down on a bench, and an amiable silence reigned. Audio was enjoying Cloudtamer's company with every fiber of his being, and sincerely hoped she was doing the same. Judging by the fact that each time he went to look at her, Audio caught her staring back, she might very well have been. To vent some of his tension, Audio shuffled his wings around a little bit. Ever since he'd been little, it had worked just fine, to the point of becoming a nervous habit, and unfortunately it drew Cloudtamer's attention.

“Nervous about something?” Cloudtamer asked lightly.

“No.” lied Audio.

“Your wing twitched. You only do that when you're restless or nervous.”

“You still remember that? I recall you mentioning it once in school, but I didn't think you'd remember something so small now.” Audio replied, astounded by her observation.

“I remember a lot about you Audio. You're a hard pony to forget. Always walking around...lost in your music...paying no heed to the rules and throwing all caution to the wind, rising to even the stupidest of challenges.”

“And I remember you never letting me off the hook for any of it.” Audio returned with a grin.

“Oh don't act like you didn't like the attention.” teased Cloudtamer, giving his shoulder a push with her wing.

“Alright, alright. You got me. I did like it.” Following those swift words, Audio extended a wing and wrapped it around Cloudtamer, pulling her close. She yelped in surprise, but didn't pull away.

Hours later found the moon high in the sky, and the young couple still trading stories of their lost years. Doubtless they would have done so until morning had not Skyfire found Audio to tell him that the event was about to close up. Audio and Cloudtamer waited for a few minutes before following suit.

It was noticeably less crowded in the ballroom than it had been a few hours before, which suited Audio just fine. Aside from concerts, he'd never like large crowds much. Pausing by the gate, he began to give Cloudtamer his farewells.

“I apologize Cloud, but I have duties to attend to here...perhaps we could spend some more time together soon?” suggested Audio.

“I would love to Audio. Classes are out this week and I got my grading done ahead of time, so whenever works for you.” replied Cloudtamer as she looked up to him, smile on her face.

“Alright, I don't get on duty until the evenings, so I will have most of the day off.” Audio spoke hopefully, his face starting to mirror hers.

“Then it's settled. It was wonderful to see you again Audio...” she said, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek before making her way down the path that lead up to the castle. Audio watched her for a few moments, still reveling in the enchantment of young love.

Audio was snapped back to the present as the bowl he was cleaning slipped out of his grasp and landed in the sink with a clang. The smile was still on his face as he retrieved the bowel and placed it in the washer. That night was one of his very favorite memories. Even better than his promotion to Lieutenant and commander of the Darkwatch. Tonight however, was going to be one of the fondest memories he would ever have.

About an hour later, Audio found himself standing in front of the mirror hanging from his bedroom door. Staring back at him was a pegasus clad in an officer's dress uniform, the veterans 'V''s on the collar now perfectly straight. It sure beat the hell out of a regular suit, and saved him the expense of renting a tux. Tonight was going to be perfect...absolutely perfect. Satisfied with his appearance, Audio left his room and tidied up the rest of the house. Once that was also in order, Audio set out for Cloudsdale.

The trip was uneventful, though the wind was picking up as the weather teams pieced together a large storm. Audio picked up some altitude to get above the storm, just in time to see a pegasus shove the last clouds into place. Below him a maelstrom raged, making up for the dry spell for the week prior. Ahead and above, Cloudsdale awaited.

Audio gently landed on the cloudwalk outside Cloudtamer's home, and rapped a few times on the door before entering. The house was unusually dark for the time of day. Usually Cloudtamer would have a few lights on at the least, but it was very gloomy and Audio had to strain his eyes to make out the room.

“Cloud, sweetie? Where are you?” asked Audio nervously as he hoof-tipped his way further into the cloudhome. As he walked into the living room, a muffled slithering noise, like a tail over carpet caught his ears. He tried to turn around, but couldn't turn to face his attacker in time before he was knocked to the floor.