Chapter III: Digital Love (Daft Punk)

I groaned as I slowly woke from my slumber, the immense comfort offered by the mattress nearly lulling me back to sleep. Sadly, for me, it was that simple fact that kept me from falling back to sleep. My mattress was never that comfortable. Except for when I got home drunk. But that doesn’t really count. Regardless, as my awareness returned in full force I found myself looking at an unfamiliar room, with incredibly sparse decoration and furniture. The room was quite large, though, and the window afforded the sunlight a convenient way into the room. With a few pops of my joints I got myself into an upright position. As I rubbed my eyes I heard the soft sound of Umbra’s purring, and I quickly scratched her under her chin, prompting even louder purrs.

I climbed out of bed slowly, making my way over to the window so I could throw open the curtains and greet the morning. Just before I reached the window, though, the door to the room burst open, and an irritatingly chipper voice forced the rest of my grogginess out. “Glad you’re finally up, Orion. I was starting to wonder if you were going to sleep away the entire morning.”

“Ha.” I stepped closer to the curtains, but didn’t open them. “No, Selene. I was just stupidly tired. Anyway, how are you up already? Didn’t you have to do more guard duty stuff after you left me here?”

She offered a shrug when I looked over at her. “Yeah, and I took care of it. After I left you here I only had a short bit left to do. Turns out that some of the other guards that I patrol with at night knew what I was doing, and they approved. Sucks that I owe them now. Anyway, after a bout of paperwork, and a brief explanation of what I did with you, I got to leave and come back here.”

She motioned for me to follow her, and I did so, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “What time is it? I have an appointment to keep at three.”

“Half past eleven. I would’ve woken you earlier, but you looked so content asleep.”

I raised an eyebrow, even though she couldn’t see it. “You watched me sleep? Isn’t that kind of --”

“Nope.” I rolled my eyes as we entered the kitchen, and Selene quickly started rummaging through the fridge, gathering up some various ingredients. “So, I was thinking, how does 35 bits a month sound? That would, of course, include food and stuff. Y’know, water, heating, pleasant conversation. Oh, and you’d also help around the house some. Cleaning, maintenance, moving furniture, all that stuff.”

I didn’t even have to think about it before I responded. “Sounds fantastic to me. Hell, I’m just glad to be out of that old shit hole I called a home. Anywhere is better than my old place.” Selene just chuckled as she started scrambling some eggs in a pan. I stood in place for a moment as she worked, suddenly finding my lack of familiarity with the room, and the house, to be a greater inhibitor to my helping than I thought it would be. “I was hoping I could do something to help with breakfast, but... I don’t know where anything is.”

She just laughed as she started instructing me on where she kept everything, and as I got some plates and silverware we just started sharing some of the more enjoyable parts of our youth. We had known each other since elementary school, having gone to the same school. Despite my status as a nobleman of a rather influential house in Canterlot my parents insisted on both my brother and I getting a regular education with as little pampering as possible. She didn’t want either of us to wind up as being stuck up assholes. It worked for me, at least. Our conversation continued well into the actual meal, and long after we finished with what we had on our plates.

“And then, man, Orion, if you had seen your face. That look of utter shock, I swear, funniest thing you ever did.”

“I don’t think that it was really all that funny. I mean, really, why would Keeper ever trust you, you, of all people, to take care of a manticore.”

Selene pouted a bit. “He was tame. Come on, Orion, give me some credit. I’m not incompetent.” She rolled her eyes at my look. “Okay, not completely incompetent.” Several moments passed. “Geoffrey the Gerbil didn’t die!”

I just shook my head as I stood, quickly grabbing all the dishes in my magical aura. “He didn’t die because he was the class pet, and we all secretly helped when you weren’t looking.” As I moved them over towards the sink I felt a sharp pain in my forehead, radiating from my horn. I repressed the gasp I was about to let escape, but Selene was paying enough attention to see me falter. “Still, Orion? I thought you had that taken care of?”

I remained silent as I moved the dishes into the sink. Once I finally released the magic I felt more drained than I should have. “There’s not much that can be done, Selene. Short of regular therapy, and a channeling ring, I’m stuck with an inefficient horn.”

“Didn’t your parents get you one? The ring, I mean.”

“Yeah, they did. A few years ago. Too bad they need to be replaced once a year in order to keep working. After a year the crystalline form of the ring starts to degrade. More than a year and a half and the ring starts to drain more than it helps.”

Selene looked away for a moment. “Maybe I could get you one from the guard? We have some that we use for making training with spells harder, or easier. Maybe one of those would help?”

“Maybe. But I don’t really want you to just go out of your way, like that, to get me something. How are you going to explain it to your officers, or whatever?” She just shrugged. “Well, that inspires confidence.”

“Don’t worry about it, Orion. I’ve got a good bit of pull with some of my coworkers, and I’ll see if I can’t get you a ring.” She fell silent for a moment, and she stood and came to my side. “Who did you even get it from? Your mom wasn’t a unicorn, so that’s out. And your dad came from a long line of pretty influential unicorns.”

“My dad was good at posturing, but never any magic. His whole line’s had it, as far as I know. My horn, just like dad’s never fully formed during pregnancy, and so it’s lined with several internal fractures that refuse to heal.” I brought a hand up to my horn, grimacing at it’s roughness and poor condition. “Still, I do need to take better care of it, since even surface conditions affect proper magical manipulation.”

“No way!” I grimaced at Selene, but her smile only grew, undeterred. “You got hornicures back in the day?” Her smile grew, once more, and I just sighed before nodding. “Man, Orion, that’s priceless! And you always acted like such a tough guy when it came up, but I never even... I can’t wait to tell Silent.”

“She’s still around? I thought she moved out to that suddenly famous small town? Ponyville, or something.”

“She did, for a while. Came back just before the return. Joined Celestia’s guard, er, Princess Celestia’s guard, and now she’s dying to beat me to Captaincy of her division before I get it in mine.”

I finished with the dishes before I responded, helping Selene to get everything back into it’s proper place, memorizing where everything goes. “Well, I certainly hope you get it. What would it entail for you, anyway? I thought that there was next to no way to ascend once you’re in Luna’s personal guard.”

“Technically true. The highest post in the personal detail is permanently filled, but I can take the captaincy, and be done with that.” She hesitated for a moment, looking away from me as she busied herself with a few knick knacks that sat upon a cupboard. “I’d have to travel more, though. As the captain, I’d be directly responsible for overseeing her Royal Darkness’ safety.” She looked over at me. “I’d be going everywhere she goes. Every time.”

“I thought you liked to travel. You were always ranting about the great trips you took each summer.”

Her cheeks flushed for a moment, and she started striding from the room. “Whatever, it’s not that big of a deal. Not like I can’t get the position. I just don’t know if I really want all that extra responsibility.” She stopped just before she was out of sight. “Now, get yourself washed up, and then we’re going out on the town some. I’m in dire need of a shopping trip, and you’re the perfect pack mule.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but then I closed it, and shook my head. “So long as I don’t have to get a hornicure, I’m happy.”

“Running water, Selene!” She rolled her eyes as we walked through the streets, my ragged appearance having vastly improved with just a splash, or twelve, of shampoo and body wash. “Running water is the greatest gift we could have ever created. I mean, just a couple decades ago plumbing was the most basic thing ever, if a house even had it. Then this Daedalus guy comes along, and bam! We have all this fancy-ass heated water, and plumbing in every house.” Selene rolled her eyes as I continued. “Shame that he just disappeared a couple years ago. He was freaking awesome. Did I tell you I met him once?”

“Yes. You’ve told me.”

“Jeez, what a stick in the mud you are.”

Abruptly, she turned and stuck her finger into my chest, her entire demeanor shifting from relaxed to surprisingly tense in a flash. “You were gone from my life, from everyone’s lives, for a year, Orion. I had no idea where you were, and I was worried about you.” She pushed her finger into my chest a bit more forcefully. “Your parents were worried. You didn’t have to deal with the fallout. I did. I got to watch it all from the sidelines, powerless to stop any of it.”

“Look, Selene, I’m --”

“No. No, don’t say it. You’re not, and we both know it.”

Her finger fell from my chest, and for just a moment I could see an emotion in her eyes I’d never seen before. “You’re not the same girl I knew, are you?” She stopped for a moment, her mouth closing as I cut her off. “What happened while I was, er, gone?”

“I came to a few realizations.” Her gaze seemed to pass through me for a moment, but then it quickly focused back on me. “But now’s not the time. You need to pick up a few things, and then you’ve got a date.”

I attempted to protest as we started, once again, down the street, but Selene would not have any of it, ignoring me and simply insisting that I was taking out one of the finest unicorns in the city. Despite her apparent enthusiasm, I couldn’t miss the mildly upset glances she occasionally cast towards me. It didn’t take too long for Selene to bring us to the major shopping areas, and not long after that she was leading me through the various shops, often stopping to browse for her own interests. I was happy to be along with her, and after just three stops I was already reaching my limit for carrying capacity.

“Um, Selene, I’m getting to the point where my knees are threatening to give out. Maybe, just maybe, we could call it quits soon? I mean, you’ve spent how much already?”

“Three hundred and sixty three bits. Why? It’s not your money, and I make a ton as a personal guard.” She picked up another garment as she spoke, holding it up to her body. “What do you think of this one?”

“Five minutes ago, you picked that up, and asked me. My opinion hasn’t changed; it’s still ugly.”

“Oh, who asked you?” She stuck out her tongue as she put it back down, and turned to leave the store, her purchases already made.

“I still want to know why we were in there after you payed.”

“Look, someone has to pick something out for you to wear, and I’m hoping to get some inspiration from something I see here as we walk... Isn’t that Vinyl?” I looked around the bags I was holding, and I realized that the pegasus was correct.

“Yeah, that’s her.” I glanced at Selene for a heartbeat, and felt a lead weight plummet into my gut. “No. Please, Selene. Not... Don’t.”

“Not don’t? Weren’t you always going on about double negatives?” Her smile grew. She turned to look towards Vinyl, and her hands rose about her mouth. “Hey! With the blue hair! Yeah, over here!” I felt the blood drain from my cheeks as the unicorn looked our way, and started coming over. “Fifth grade, Orion. I told you I’d never forget.”

I could only look at Selene with a mix of horror, and admiration. “I thought you’d forgotten about that one...”

She flashed me a quick smile before she turned to the approaching unicorn. “Hey, Miss Scratch?”

“I prefer Vinyl, but yeah. What’s up?”

“My name’s Selene, and I have to say it’s a privilege to finally meet you. My friend was just telling me all about you.”

She motioned towards me, and I gave my boss a very feeble wave. “Hey, Vinyl. We’re shopping, some.” I paused for a moment. “Oh, Vinyl, this is Selene. She’s a friend of mine from back in the day. Selene, this is Vinyl Scratch, my boss.”

Vinyl looked Selene over for several moments, several looks flashing across her face as she did so, and then she sheld out her hand. “Any friend of Orion’s is a friend of mine.” The two shook hands, and I let out a breath I had been unconsciously holding. “So, Selene, what’re you shopping for?”

The two of them swiftly dove into a conversation about clothing, and I quickly tuned the two of them out, only following as they visited several stores, and purchased several hundred bits worth of attire. I missed most of the conversation, but I did perk up a few times when I heard my name come up. Little of substance was covered, though, and about ten minutes later Vinyl walked off after giving Selene and myself her goodbyes. The pegasus looked after her for several moments before she turned and looked at me. I couldn’t pick out any one emotion behind her eyes, but I knew, somehow, that I was to blame for them.

Before I could say anything about it, though, she turned and started heading back to her home, and I followed a few steps behind her, suddenly less interested in my upcoming date.

“A bit on the minimalist side, isn’t it, Selene?”

“It’s not overdone. You’re not going for some fancy dinner, or something, it’s just a meeting between a couple friends. Or, at least, that’s the initial premise. It’s up to you if it turns into something more.” She walked a quick lap around me, and when she stopped in front of me, she had only a smile for me. “You clean up well, Orion.”

“Thanks.” I paused for a moment. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re not, Orion. I know you.”

“I’ll make it up to you.”

“I know you will.” I brought up a hand, but before I could do anything with it, Selene turned and headed for the door. “Now, you make sure you get back safe. I’ll detail some guards for the paths you’ll be walking along, but I doubt you’ll be out that late. And I’ve already pulled some favors with Silent, so you shouldn’t have any issues with the upper class.”

She stopped next to it, and pulled it open. I took a few steps towards it, and stopped just at the threshold. “Tomorrow night, Selene. You and me. Dinner. And this time I won’t skip out on it by running away from home.”

Selene gave me a sad smile. “You always had a way with words. Now, go and meet with Vinyl. I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Promise?”

“I do.” She started closing the door. “Go, Orion.”

I stared at the door for several moments before I turned to start for Vinyl’s place. I knew that I was wrong to leave, but I also knew that I would be coming back before too long. And, this time, I wouldn’t let my own fears and selfish wants get in the way.

As I walked the streets of Canterlot, my mind floated in a haze as I tried to figure out a way to pull together the pieces before me in a way that didn’t end in heartache, or tears. No practical solutions came to mind, and it felt like I’d only been walking for seconds when I found myself on the street where Vinyl lived. With an immense sigh, I walked up the stairs, and stopped before the door. I brought my hand to the door, and I made a fist to knock, but I didn’t hit the door with any force, simply resting my hand there for a moment.

“By Terra, why is this shit so hard?” Without thought, I pulled my hand back, and knocked several times in rapid succession, before taking a half step back away from the door. I only had to wait for a moment before a woman I didn’t recognize opened the door. Her black hair ran down her back, and she had the poise of a Canterlot noble. I felt my breath catch in my chest as I surreptitiously looked at the house number.

“Orion?”

“I am he...” I forced a rather loud cough. “Yeah, that’s me.”

She looked me up and down, quickly. “Vinyl told me you were a bit taller.”

I felt my cheeks flush. “Well, I’m not short, if that’s what you’re implying.”

She only nodded before looking over her shoulder. “Hey, Vinyl, Orion’s here.”

“Stall him! I’m not ready yet!”

The woman in front of me dropped her head into her open hand. “She’s the smoothest woman I know.” After a moment, she looked up at me. “I am now stalling you.”

I glanced past the woman for a moment, and then gave her a half smile. “And you’re doing an admirable job.”

“Give her a turntable, and she works miracles. Ask her to display some tact, or social awareness, and she’s liable to punch you in the face, and then offer you a drink.”

“Well, at least she has the order right.” The woman raised an eyebrow, and I let out a weak chuckle. “As, like, a reconciliatory gesture? Not funny, I know. Um, who are you, by the way?”

“Octavia. Vinyl’s never talked about me?”

“Oh, yeah, she has. But she never said that she lived with you. Or... You with her, depending on the ownership of the property. Also, I never got a physical description, only brief snippets about your taste in music.” I glanced past Octavia, again, before leaning in. “I like Beethoven more than some of the bands that Vinyl likes. Not that what she likes is bad, I just happen to prefer more classical music, most of the time.”

“Beethoven? Really? Could your taste in classical pieces be more obvious?”

“Well, I like Tchaikovsky, too, as well as Grieg, and Vivaldi. To name a few.”

The woman’s jaw dropped a bit, but before she could say a word Vinyl bounded down the stairs, and she inelegantly shoved aside Octavia. “Hey, Orion. Sorry about the short wait, I had to finish up a few things.” She turned to look at Octavia, and she mouthed something I couldn’t make out before turning back to look at me. “So, shall we?”

I hesitated for a moment, and then gave Vinyl a smile. “Sure thing. Oh, and Octavia, it was a pleasure meeting you. I’m a bit of a fan, so, perhaps, we can catch up some at a later date?” She just gave me a slow nod, and I gave her a thumbs up. “Great. Now, Vinyl, let’s go.” The DJ rushed past me, and she took my hand in hers, leading me down the road, and away from her home. I was all too happy to follow, though, and we quickly lost ourselves in the myriad distractions made available in the capital.

Not a moment of the day was dull, and words flew between us fast and funny, quick witted and full of biting, yet amusing, observations about each other and the events around us. Our travels took us from one end of the city to the other, and back again. We stopped at countless different stores, never purchasing anything, but enjoying the time no less. A visit to the Canterlot Royal Museum was oddly amusing, the various posh noblemen scoffing loudly at the childish behavior that Vinyl and I tried not at all to hide. As we made to leave, Vinyl dragged me into the small gift shop, and it was there that the first purchase of the day was made.

Vinyl and I shared bouts of laughter as she paraded about wearing her replica of Princess Celestia’s crown. She’d tried to convince me to get a copy of Luna’s own regalia, but I’d talked her out of it, instead opting for a simple amulet of ancient nobility.

“I’ve never had that much fun at a museum. And the looks those other people were shooting us? Priceless!” Vinyl concluded her statement with yet more laughter, nearly doubling over with the intensity of it all. I joined her, and after a few minutes we were finally controlled enough to continue our walk. Vinyl still chuckled softly every few minutes, and we just stood side by side outside the museum as we looked out across the square. I was about to suggest where we head next when I felt Vinyl’s hand take my own. I felt my cheeks blaze, but I managed to avoid looking at her. “So, Orion, how about we go for some dinner? It’s getting a bit late, now, and I could go for some noms.”

I let out a snort, and I turned to look at the DJ, unconcerned with the blush on my face. “Noms? What are you, five?” Her own face was as red as mine, but I could tell it wasn’t just from the laughter. “We are smart and phosisticated. We don’t get noms, we get om noms.” I kept up a straight face for several seconds before it crumbled, and we both started laughing once again. As I calmed down, I fought back my persistent giggles. “Know anywhere nearby that’s good to eat at? I don’t know if it’s obvious, but I’m not quite up to speed on what there is to do around here.”

Vinyl straightened up beside me, and gave me a warm smile. “It’s fine, Orion. I know a great place not too far from here. Not the fanciest, but they’ve got decent food, and they know me there, so maybe we’ll get a table, even if it’s packed.”

“Preferential treatment at a restaurant? No wonder you got famous. With perks like that, who wouldn’t want it?”

Vinyl gave me a quick shove, her expression telling me what she thought of my humor. Still, she took my hand, again, after a moment, and we started walking towards the restaurant, wherever it was. We didn’t speak, for some time, after the museum, but there was no need for it, as we were both comfortable with the lack of words. Eventually, though, we arrived at a small hole in the wall, where Vinyl took us. I had only a moment to look at the entrance before Vinyl brought us inside.

We walked straight through the main room, filled as it was with several tables, all full. When we reached the kitchen, Vinyl walked straight up to one of the chefs, and stared him in the face. “Get a load of this breeding stud.” I felt my jaw drop, but the chef only smiled and motioned for Vinyl and I to follow. We walked into the fridge, and the chef reached to a shelf covered in raw fish, and what looked like spoiled cabbages. There was a loud clunking sound, and then the back of the fridge opened up, revealing a totally new, and well furnished, dining area. Vinyl pulled me along, and the chef gave me a wink before the door closed behind me. Vinyl continued leading me, and after just a moment we stopped.

“Ah, Miss Scratch. Table for... Two? If you’ll come this way?” I finally caught up, mentally, and gawked at the maître d' as he began leading Vinyl and I. We walked past several tables filled with people whom I recognized, and some with people I never knew. Finally, though, we stopped at a secluded booth, the maître d' putting down our menus, and stepping back. Vinyl and I each took our seats, and then the man pointed to our menus. “The special for today is a slow cooked filet mignon, with finely whipped potatoes. The wine list has been updated with our current stock. I will leave you to your meals, and bon appétit.” Without a sound, he turned and left, quickly making his way across the room.

I dragged my gaze back from where the man stood, to Vinyl. Her cheeks were brilliant crimson, and she buried her face in her menu. “You know a place, do you?”

“I didn’t lie.” She refused to come out from behind her menu, so I reached out and pushed it down to the table. “What? I said I know a place. And I do!”

“You also said that it wasn’t fancy.”

“Page four, five, and seven of the menu. They make the meanest burger outside of Manehattan. And they get their baked goods on express delivery from Sugarcube Corner.” I raised an eyebrow, and Vinyl sighed. “I keep telling the Cakes they need to do a bit of advertising. It’s a small town bakery in Ponyville. The best bakery I’ve ever been to. And, get this, the Element of Laughter works there.”

“The town sounded familiar. Now I know why.” I looked at the menu again, and frowned. “There are no prices listed.” I looked at a couple more pages. “There aren’t prices for anything.”

Vinyl nodded as she raised her menu again. “Yeah, the food is all free. There’s a weekly fee to come here, though. The fee buys the passcode into the place. That way, if you decide, or know, that you won’t visit for a while, you just don’t pay the fee. Or, at least, not the eating fee. I always pay the member fee, so I get the option to pay the eating fee should I come by. It’s a bit more expensive, but worth it for times like this.”

“What’s this place even called?”

“It has no name. On purpose.”

I waved my hands in the air. “Ooh, how mysterious.”

“Keeps the paparazzi away, and that’s worth it. Now, quit talking, and find something to eat. I’m famished.”

I was about to comment, but I let it drop, instead bringing my gaze back to the menu. I browsed for several moments before I settled on something to have. Vinyl was done before I was, and when I put down my menu she gave me a smile. A waiter came by moments later, and after we placed our orders, I looked around for a moment, and then looked back at the DJ. “So... Totally stupid question time. Why me?”

Vinyl raised an eyebrow, and took off her sunglasses, tossing them on the table. “What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I asked. Why did you want to go out with me?”

“Well, for one thing, it’s not that stupid of a question. You’re just insecure. Nothing new there. But, for you, it was the way you carry yourself. That, and the fact that you flipped the bird to the entire noble society, rather than play their games. Shit like that takes balls of steel.”

“You know about that?”

“Not at first. I did some digging after I hired you, and I came back with results. I don’t know the whole story, though. I didn’t want to find it out that way, either. I’d rather hear it from the source.”

“Well, not tonight. I’d rather not spoil the evening with that story. It’s the kind best told with liquor, and nowhere important to go.” I hesitated for a moment. “And you’re not the only one who wants to know. I have some explaining to do to several people.”

“Selene?”

“Among others, yeah.” I trailed off. “Really, though, I’d rather not talk about this.”

“That’s fine, there’s plenty of other stuff we could talk about.”

And so we did, but the fun never quite returned for the evening. We talked about work, and the kinds of people who go to the club, and some of the less savory parts of both the nobility and Canterlot. We swapped some jokes, and some amusing stories of days gone past, but none of it was quite enough to revitalize the fun. The meal was amazing, one of the best I’ve ever eaten, and dessert was an event all of its own, beating out the dinner for tastiest food I’ve ever eaten. After that, we each had a few more drinks, and then we left, in the same way we entered, and we started back for Vinyl’s place. She, again, took my hand in hers, but it felt different than it had before.

When we, at last, turned onto Vinyl’s street, I broke the lingering silence that had been in place since we’d left the eatery. “I’m sorry, Vinyl. I’m just not ready to tell you about it, yet. I mean, I’ve only known you for such a short time.”

“It’s okay, Orion. I understand. I just wish that I hadn’t brought it up, since it seems to have murdered the evening.”

I chuckled, and gave Vinyl’s hand a gentle squeeze. “No. It wasn’t murdered. Just gagged, bound, and tossed in the back of a carriage. It’ll bounce back, and come back with a vengeance soon.”

“Was that you asking me out for a second date.”

My cheeks flushed, but I didn’t let it show in my voice. “Was it a clever way of doing it?”

“I suppose it was.”

“Great, because it was.”

We stopped in front of Vinyl’s home, and I turned to face her, suddenly feeling nervous. “Sure, Orion. I’d like that.” She pushed herself up onto her toes, and she gave my cheek a quick kiss, before she started up the steps to her door. “A few days, maybe? Lunch, the day after work?”

“Yeah. That’s good. We’ll go with that.” The DJ gave me another quick smile before she opened the door to her home, and slipped inside. I turned in place after that, and brought a hand up to the cheek that she had kissed. I didn’t say a word as I started back to Selene’s place, and I was barely aware of the passing time as I walked. I finally returned to full awareness when I grabbed the handle to Selene’s door, and found it locked. I rooted around in my pocket for several moments before I realized that I didn’t have keys.

“I didn’t lose them, since she didn’t give me any...”

The door opened, and Selene was standing before me, a pleased expression on her face. “So, given how late it is, I take it things went well?”

“Well, we’ve already agreed to set up another date, so, yeah, I’d say things went pretty well.” I almost missed it, but there was a flash of sadness in Selene’s eyes. And it was right at that moment that I realized why.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, readers. But I don't rush what I write, and it might also have to do with the fact that I was in school, and working on other writing projects.

As per usual, let me know what you think, and if there are any glaring mistakes.