Cyberpony Y2K

The conversation was kept polite, business like, aside from the small talk that both Sirens kept striking up.

Octavia was quite certain that she did not like either Siren. However, they made for damn near passable company. Sonata was quirky, funny, and nice, while Aria was cool, calm, and brusk. She was definitely somewhat rude, yet kept herself politely restrained, though she seemed quick with jab if the occasion arose for insults. They were still kept polite, but Octavia was certain that Aria kept some foul insults on hand in case she needed them.

Seven was...reclusive. She was deathly afraid of the Dazzlings. The 'Number Ones'. Octavia almost wanted to ask what they did to her, but she was afraid she either already knew, or she'd find out.

"Glad we could get that all sorted out," Aria said, shuffling the stack of papers she'd pulled out. "Should have known that I couldn't leave the work to Sonata."

"Yup! So it's on you!" Sonata said.

"Bite me," Aria growled at her. Turning back to Octavia, she said, "You play very well, all things considered."

"Yes, well, I have been practicing for years," Octavia said. "I was bound to get good at it eventually."

"That's more than just 'good', Octavia," Aria said. "You're ridiculously talented. I'm struggling to find how you, a noblemare from Canterlot, didn't just set a new trend rather than succumbing to it."

"It was...an unfortunate scenario." Thanks to Mother. "I suppose it's just in the past now."

"Lots of things are in the past," Aria said, "doesn't stop me from thinking about them."

"Regrets?"

Aria cracked a smile. "A few. But also some...memorable evenings, shall we say?" She puffed her Salt lick.

"I really don't want to hear about it," Octavia replied, sipping her drink.

"She's a prude," Sonata informed Aria.

Octavia immediately felt the childish urge to deny the...'insult', but she thought better of it.

"I prefer to think about the future," Aria said. "Whether regrets or pleasant memories, they can't do much for me anymore. Something Adagio should have gotten through her thick skull by now."

"I think idle reflection is helpful now and then," Octavia said.

"Not Dagi's kind," Aria said.

"I thought she was just sulking because Octavia didn't come see our show," Sonata said.

"Obviously not," Aria scoffed. "It's not new, and she hasn't cared about any pony in the past four hundred years. Not since Foxtrot."

Seven made a throat clearing sound. It was a simple thing, but Sonata and Aria both quirked up at it, and shared a look. Sonata spoke up first.

"Why did you skip out on our song?" she asked.

"Warnings from the Boss, and a desperate urge to avoid you with my every effort," Octavia answered truthfully, sparing a glance at Seven. Seven had immediately gone back to her stoic, waiting posture.

Sonata dramatically clutched her chest, wincing. "Ah! My heart! My...feelings!"

Aria grinned. "Come on. Our stage music doesn't have anything...well, nothing physically harmful in it, though you might find yourself more tempted to gamble than you have in the past."

"These past few days," Octavia said, "have been building up to a confrontation where I have to pit my skills of deception against Inquisitors and hope to God that I can pull it off. Gambling? Never. Never again as long as I can help it."

"We do have something that could help with that, you know," Sonata said.

"Really? What?"

"Listen for just a moment, and you'll pretty much be a born liar," Sonata said, closing her eyes.

"Sonata—" Aria began, eyes narrowing.

Sonata started to hum. Octavia wasted not a single second shoving her ear plugs in, ears twitching as the song sounded and vibrated inside her. But then, mercifully, it faded.

After a second, Sonata opened her eyes, and then abruptly stopped humming. Octavia pulled out the plugs as Sonata snarled, fangs bared. And her face...changed. Instantaneously, as if it had never been any other way, Sonata's whole face was different. Her lips were gone, teeth much, much larger, so large she couldn't close her mouth. Her cheeks and nose had disappeared as well, and her eyes were much larger, the pupils gigantic. She snarled, fins rising on the back of her neck. Octavia felt her breath hitch and instinctively moved back, hand reaching for her gun.

Then Aria slapped her upside the head. Sonata's head jerked, and in that split second, her face was back, albeit much grumpier than before.

"Knock it off, stupid," Aria said. "Yeah, of course she brought ear plugs. Sunset wouldn't have had it any other way." Sonata pouted, and Aria turned back to Octavia. "Yeah, we should get on now," she said abruptly. "Other work and all that."

Octavia didn't reply. Aria pulled Sonata to her feet. Sonata, oblivious to how much trouble she was in, called out a cheery, "Later, Melody!" as Aria dragged her out.

Seven closed the door behind the two, and barely a second later, Octavia heard a loud slap and a cry of pain.

"Seven. What...what was that? With...her face?"

Seven sighed. "They don't like us talking about that," she muttered.

"They just told me I could ask anypony, anything."

"It's called a glamour," Seven explained. "A solid hologram. They could take it on or off faster than you could change clothes. It holds up to physical inspection, and it lets them pretend they aren't so different from ponies."

"What...what do they really look like?"

"I've never seen it. Before today, I'd only heard about it." She shivered. "I think they're...bigger. Bigger than they look."

"How is that possible?"

"Right now, they hold about the power of an Alicorn," Seven answered. "And then some." She took the bottle away, putting the cork back and returning it to the fridge. "With beings that powerful, 'impossible' is merely a subjective viewpoint."

"Fuck," Octavia groaned, head falling back on her couch.

"Need anything?" Seven asked.

"I need a shower," Octavia said.

"Please don't say you want me as a bathing attendant."

"I'd be insulted if I hadn't feared you would try and be my bathing attendant."

Seven laughed. "Alright. I'll kick back and relax. Call me if you need me."

Octavia cracked a smile. She was confident that Seven was a good person, even if she had little love for the Dazzlings or Adagio Five. The latter had made herself scarce, and Octavia had only seen her once since that first day.

A few had been by Discord's base before—Adagio Seven, a few of the Sonatas, and one of the Arias—but Octavia rarely talked to them.

She'd definitely have to take up Aria's offer. But first, she was do for a shower.

I do hope Vinyl's having an easier time of it than I am.

Vinyl stared at Sunset, holding the strange gemstone on the solid gold chain in front of her. "Um, I really don't know, all I was doing was playing music. I--"

Sunset took the gemstone, holding it up and looking at it with a critical eye. Vinyl chose to shut up, watching the Alicorn.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she whispered. Sunset turned, and, thankfully, glared at the tree instead of Vinyl. Vinyl immediately felt guilty for the feeling of relief, but chose to dwell on it later.

"Are you serious with this?" she shouted at the tree. "You dumb bitch!" She kicked the tree, then her horn lit up.

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't—"

Sunset teleported. Vinyl suddenly found herself in an office-like room with lots of lab equipment and what appeared to be a half-built gun of some sort.

Sunset pulled out a monocle with multiple lenses, switching through several of them before settling on one particular lens, which she focused on the gemstone.

"Um—"

Sunset finally returned her gaze to Vinyl, who had decided the only logical course of action was to stare at the floor and tap her fingers together. "Sorry. I didn't...mean to do anything."

"It's fine. I'm pissed at the tree, not you."

"Oh. Alright." She paused. "Wait a minute, are you just saying that to make me talk? Because you can just ask, I'm all-to-willing to talk."

Sunset actually smiled. "No. It's not your fault."

Vinyl quickly recounted her dream and the following events. Unlike in the infirmary, Sunset didn't smile or politely interrupt to ask a follow up question.

When she finished, Sunset returned her gaze to the gemstone.

"What—what is it?" Vinyl asked hesitantly.

Sunset said nothing.

"Oh, heh-heh...right. I'll...um...just go back to my room and not tell anyone about this then."

"It's one of the six most powerful weapons in the world," Sunset said slowly, "and the reason why I took an interest in you that day."

"What? When...you showed up on the balcony?"

"Yes. I sensed...it may not look like much, but I could sense the magic in this gemstone from all the way in here." She hefted it up lightly, then sighed. And handed it to Vinyl.

Vinyl didn't pick it up. "Um, if'it's a weapon, aren't you going to give it to Rainbow Dash or Rarity? Someone who's...y'know, more...capable?"

"If it was up to me, yes," Sunset answered simply and sourly. "But this gemstone isn't mine to give. The tree gave it to you."

Vinyl looked into Sunset's eyes. "What, exactly, is it?"

"It's an Element of Harmony. Element of...Laughter, specifically, I think."

"Um..." Vinyl stared at it. "Why me?"

"Not the foggiest. I thought...it was supposed to be...aggh!" She threw her hands into the air. "I don't know. I don't fucking know. Nothing about that stupid tree is working like it was supposed to, like I was told by..." She stopped, then slowly turned around.

"There are some things...I can't really talk about. No matter how much I want to. Secrets...that could shatter this world from top to bottom."

"Um...I can't...really be in the middle of that, can I?"

"That's the thing, isn't it?" Sunset spun, looming in and staring into Vinyl's visor, glaring. "Why you? Why some random android from some random clubhouse in some random city and not anypony more qualified?" She sighed, then put the Element in Vinyl's hand. "But...the stupid tree chose you. Not...not somepony else."

"You...already had somepony in mind?"

"Somepony the tree had in mind, too. I guess it just changed its mind." She shrugged. "Take this. Keep it safe, don't let anypony know you have it."

Vinyl put it back in Sunset's hand, wrapping the Alicorn's fingers around the gemstone. Sunset frowned.

"I don't even really have my own room," Vinyl explained. "So would you mind holding onto it for me? I'd greatly appreciate it."

Sunset chuckled. "Alright. I'll keep it hidden and safe." She turned, putting it into a drawer on her desk. "Blue and gold might clash with that silver and white necklace, anyway."

"Oh, right. This thing. Now, would you explain--"

"It's just a necklace," Sunset answered. "Nightmare Moon didn't create it, if that's what you were thinking. It's just a silver necklace. Very fine make, could probably go for...five hundred bits or so. Maybe a lot more if you found an eccentric collector."

"But...how did it get there?"

"Probably somepony put it in there while you were sleeping. I assume one of the thestrals—some of them wear identical ones."

Vinyl stared at her. "So, wait...you actually don't know what it means?"

"Vinyl...I am a very busy mare. And on top of that, I have nothing in the way of a social life. No, I never asked if it was important." She clapped a hand on Vinyl's shoulder. "I should be thankful that we have one Bearer, anyway. Five more to go, I suppose. And maybe it'll be more...consistent with previous data...now that it's chosen one."

"The Elements are alive?"

"No, but the tree is," Sunset said. "The tree is alive. Those vines were killing it, slowly. I had tried to get rid of them, but...couldn't. I simply didn't have the power."

"Well, you're welcome!" Vinyl put her hands on her hips, tilting her chin up.

Sunset stared at her. "Remember. Tell. No one. Not a soul, okay?"

"Alright, promise. Cross my heart." She crossed her heart, nodding resolutely.

"Good. Thank you. And...tell me what Nightmare Moon has to say."

"She'd be one hell of an ally, huh?"

"Assuming she's not turned as completely insane as her sister?" Sunset smiled. "In that case, only possibly."

"Got it. Good luck with your, uh..." She paused, examining the gun. From her recent stint into engineering, she actually recognized a lot of the pieces of the machine. "Sonic resonator." She gasped. "Bass cannon!"

Sunset chuckled. "Thanks. I should have it working soon. Want to give it a go?"

"Huh?"

"Test fire."

"Uh, sure! Sounds fun." She attempted to pick it up, then shook her head. "I can't lift it."

"It's two hundred pounds and only half-finished. You're not going to be able to. Just charge it with your magic, then pull the trigger. Oh, you charge it by--"

"I figured that out," Vinyl said. Her horn lit up, and she poured her magic into it. A meter lit up on the sound, glowing blue.

"You have?"

"I accidentally flashbanged myself trying to reinvent holograms," Vinyl said.

Sunset smiled. "You put in the effort and you could really good at this, Vinyl. But one thing at a time. Ready?"

"Just pull the trigger?"

"Yeah."

"Down range!"

She pulled the trigger. The gun immediately exploded.