Anon finds an abandoned super realistic human android abandoned under a bridge. Romance blooms and tragedy strikes
It's far into the future and humanity has conquered the milky way and it's neighboring galaxies. Androids are common place but are often very simple minded or highly specialized to a singular task. Anon, son of a wealthy cruise liner CEO has found himself on earth where his life is about to change forever. After finding a damaged super intelligent android named Sunset Shimmer beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, he will go on a quest of adventure, love and tragedy.
The year is 3090. Humanity has colonized the milky way and her neighbors, terraforming planets in months. All manner of inventions have sprung forth from creating edible food from atoms themselves, genetic modification, and androids. War is a things of the past and humanity has achieved a higher state of being than ever before.
Anon strolled down the long strip of San Francisco beach. Thanks to teleportation, he could go from the ship, high in the vacuum of space to anywhere on earth in a matter of seconds. It had been ages since he had been to earth. His dad owned a successful space tourism agency and he was expected to take the helm one day.
"Earth is so beautiful." he said
He said it to himself of course. The consequences of being part of his father's business was that since birth the ship was home. He never stayed anywhere for more than two weeks, meaning forming meaningful relationships was near impossible. Most people would kill for a life like this. For him, however, it was a life of loneliness. Even his family were hardly around. His sister, Twilight, the book nerd that she was, always had her head in a book. His dad was working near constantly and never had much time to spend with him. His mom? Well he didn't like to delve into that too deep.
He walked down the beach, taking a few pictures just by blinking his eyes. It wasn't uncommon for humans these days to have cybernetic implants. He could connect to the internet just by thinking about it and his eyes would always see as clear as the day he'd been born. As he took pictures of the massive Golden Gate Bridge looming in the distance he saw something. It looked to be human. He zoomed in closer. It wasn't human. It was an android. One of the most realistic he'd ever seen. If it had no been for the missing leg with no blood loss to speak of, he might of been completely fooled. But what on earth was such a thing doing there? Making an android that realistic looking surely cost a pretty penny. Anon went to investigate.
The android had shoulder length red and gold hair. She wore a black leather jacket and a blue tank top as well as ripped blue jeans. A bit of a punk style look. He lifted the tank top slightly to expose her belly. Usually androids had a unit number and bar code where a the belly button would be on a human. It read SHIMM-001. Even to a tech illiterate such as himself, he could instantly see something out of place. 001 meant that it was the first model of this type ever produced. Most market androids had numbers starting after 100 at the earliest. Not to mention SHIMM wasn't a model type he had ever heard before. What was a completely one of a kind model doing dumped under a bridge? Was it defective?
"Hey." he said "Can you hear me?"
To his surprise, the robot spoke
"Error, error. Power levels below ten percent. Safe mode in effect. Error."
It spoke in an extremely monotone voice, like something out of a 80s sci-fi movie. He looked around for the missing leg but it was nowhere to be seen. Either it was hung up on the bridge somewhere or the sea took it away. He knew he shouldn't, but he wanted to fix it up. He'd always wanted one. And if it was dumped it was free game right?
Anon pulled the thing on his back. It was surprisingly lightweight. It couldn't be more than one-hundred to one hundred fifteen pounds. Most androids, while looking human, weight as much as a bus. Perhaps it was one of those waifu bots designed to serve as dates for socially inept guys.
He took it into town, eventually finding a medium end mechanic. He'd have to come up with a convincing excuse as how he happened upon her. Stealing androids could land him in enormous trouble. He walked to the counter where a fat, balding old man stood.
"I'd like a leg replacement, a new power core and an OS check." he explained
The man looked at him suspiciously upon seeing the unit code
"I've never seen a model like this before. And a 001 at that." he said "Where'd you pick this up, kid?"
Now was the time for a convincing lie. Unfortunately, he did not have one.
"My dad works for a manufacturing company. He gave me this as a gift."
"Missing a leg?"
"Yep."
Anon could tell he didn't believe a word of it. Thankfully, though, he gave a 'I don't get paid enough to deal with this' look and began to fix her up. As he began to check her operation system, a 3D printer made a new leg in a few seconds. 3D printing tech had advanced to such a degree that you could print durable, light weight metal. After fitting the new leg and confirming the OS was clean of any glitches or malfunctions, he put a new power core in her back. Once inside, the machine began to make various clicks, whirls, and mechanical noises.
"Alright. She's good to go. She'll need to go through a restart sequence before she's ready to go which should take around four to six hours. In the meantime, here's your bill."
Anon's eyes began to spin. That was a whole two zeros at the end, and not after the decimal. Luckily he had a super rich father who gave him a very generous allowance. He was saving up for a new top of the line VR system. He just couldn't let this one go. Not after he came this far. He payed in full and beamed back up to the ship and into his room.
This cruise ship was like no other. Consisting of fifty stories and the length of several football fields, it could fit over 120,000 passengers comfortably in it's 40,000 rooms. It had over three hundred and fifty pools, a hundred event venues, and fifty thousand various shops, bars, and entertainment areas. Anon lived in one of the pent houses, equipped with a queen bed, large shower and bath, a spacious living room, a kitchen and even a long balcony.
He propped her up against the wall. Now he had four six hours to kill while he waited for the thing to turn on. Might as well make some food in the meantime. As he began to rummage through the pantry, he surprised to hear a robotic voice.
"My name is Sunset Shimmer, operational name Select High Independence Multitask Machine, SHIMM-001. Error. Ownership records not found. Initializing. Beginning ownership identification sequence."
"Wait, didn't you need to go through a restart?"
She made a few whirling noises
"Voice recognition 'wait, didn't you need to go through a restart?' accepted."
"Hold on a sec."
Anon went and grabbed her shoulders
"Scanning. Scanning. Fingerprints recorded. Pulse mapped. Temperature saved."
"Well guess I'm in it to win it now."
The robot opened it's eyes, giving him a glimpse at her beautiful sea blue pupils
"Retina scan complete."
"Anything else robot?"
"Affirmative. Final security check. Please state the name you wish to be addressed by."
"Anon A. Mouse."
It paused for a moment
"Anon A. Mouse. Is this name correct?"
"Yes."
"Ownership records established. Statuses green. Initializing final updates." she paused "Updates complete. Full operation, ready."
A sound almost like a rocket was getting ready for lift off sounded and then abruptly stopped. She stood straight up.
He looked in awe. Her voice changed from monotone and robotic to warm and feminine in the blink of an eye. It was a bit jarring. Not only that, but it was oozing with emotion. He could hardly differentiate it from a human voice. Anon shook his head. Androids do not have emotions. They simulate them. And seeing it otherwise was dangerous. Some people can't understand this and end up falling in love with their androids, similar to people who fall in love with cartoon characters or sex dolls. It was recognized as a disorder by multiple organizations. It was important to keep a separation. It was a robot and robots do not have feelings.
"What did you say your name was again?"
" Select High Independence Multitask Machine or Sunset Shimmer."
"What were you designed for?"
"I was designed for a wide array of tasks from basic household chores, to teaching, to combat and much more. I am designed to be the first all use human-like android."
Anon couldn't believe it. Most androids were specialized to a singular task. As far as he was aware, no technology had been advanced enough to make an android do more than two tasks well. Any more and it would simply not have the RAM and processing power to do it effectively. Nothing a little test wouldn't prove.
"What other tasks can you do?"
She did a cute little twirl
"Well just about anything you can think of. I can cook, preform basic first aid and I even specialize in companionship, platonic or romantic."
Anon's heart began to race a bit. She's an an android, he reassured himself. She cannot actually feel love. Sunset's head tilted to the side.
"Anon, your heart beat just had a spike. Are you alright?"
He slapped himself lightly to break out of the trance
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Why were you monitoring my heart rate?"
"You should refrain from harming yourself, Anon. The reason I was monitoring it was because I designed to to monitor my owners vitals at all points in time from your breathing to your base temperature. Currently I am gathering base data."
Anon couldn't help but feel a bit freaked out by it. Almost as if it were an invasion of privacy.
"Can you cook something for me?"
"I can. Anything you'd prefer me to cook? I have recipes from over 22,000 different cultures across 200,000 years."
That was nothing short of impressive. But what to get?
"Cook me a popular dish from the American 1950s"
"Right away."
She walked to the personal kitchen and began cooking something, by hand no less. Normally you'd use than atomizer to literally poof food into existence from atoms put into a tight canister. But she was going to do it the old fashioned way. He watched as her arms moved in an intense flurry, so fast they were nothing but a blur.
"What are you making?" he asked
"A three meat pie. That should meet parameters set by owner."
"Owner?"
"I'm programmed to refer to you by either your name or Owner. Is this acceptable?"
It had a nice ring to it. But it felt weird, almost as though it were a fetish thing.
"I'd prefer Anon instead."
"Then that's how I'll address you from now own."
Out of nowhere, she lurched toward him and grabbed his arm. He winced in pain
"O-ow! What are you doing!? That hurts!"
"I'm measuring your pulse rate. In order to obtain accurate data I must measure it every 15 minutes."
"Can you give me a bit of a warning next time? Nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Negative, according to my data, your heart rate shows no indication of cardiac arrest. However, I will provide warning next time."
"It's a figure of speech. And thank you."
"Figure of speech?"
"Yeah. Essentially it's like a metaphor."
Sunset's eyes went vacant for a moment
"Understood. I will be sure to remember that in the future."
She stands a bit stiff, as if thinking
"My data indicates pain in your arm."
He knew that pain well. When he was young he got his arm nearly crushed in two beneath a hanger bay door. Ever since they put the rods in so it'd heal right and took them out again, he always had this slight, gnawing pain.
"As per my medical programming, I can remedy this. Do you wish for me too?"
"How would you do something like that?"
"A simple procedure. According to the scans I've taken of your body, a part of your arm bone has grown slightly outward, causing pain and limited mobility. All I'd have to do is remove that part and your arm will be as good as new."
"That sounds extraordinarily painful"
"Don't worry, I will administer anesthesia so as to prevent any pain"
He thought about it for a moment. It would be nice not to have that pain anymore.
"Alright. I'll do it."
One of her fingers retracted into itself and a needle replaced it
"Now hold still. This won't hurt a bit."
She held his wrist and punctured the skin. Within seconds, all feeling in his arm had vanished. In a single fluid motion, she broke a the section of bone off with a resounding crack. He couldn't feel a thing, but the sound made him sick to his stomach. But it was about to get worse. Her fingers turned into surgical scissors and ripped open a section of his arm. She pulled the broken piece of bone out and stitched it back up. Anon's legs turned to jelly.
Sunset gave a light push and he fell straight into her arms. She picked him up and set him down on the bed, putting his arm in a makeshift sling.
"It seems that you sickness brought on by the sight of the surgery. I'd advise some rest until dinner is ready."
"Thanks, I guess."
Just then, a knock was heard on the door. Anon cursed to himself. If his dad found out he stole an android, an android that just broke his arm no less, he'd put his head on a spike. He didn't even have time to tell Sunset to hide before the person barged into the room. It was Twilight. She was, understandably, quite confused by the scene
"Who the hell is this?" she asked
Of course, Sunset had to speak first
"My name is Sunset Shimmer, I'm a multi-use android."
He slapped his head. Cat was out of the bag now.
"You got an android?" Twi said in disbelief "You do realize if dad finds out you got one without permission he'll mount your hide in his study right?"
"Yes. That's why you can't tell. I want to explain it to him."
Twilight got a devious smile on her face
"Well Anon," she began with a highly exaggerated tone "you must understand that I'm a good daughter and just can't keep things from father. Unless of course I was to... Oh I don't know... happen to receive a collection of new books I've been wanting."
Damn it. He'd spent nearly all his allowance on fixing up Sunset. But he couldn't risk Twilight spilling the beans.
"Alright. What books?"
"Oh nothing major. Just the History of the Andromeda box set."
"That's over 150 dollars!"
"Well, if you don't have the money then I suppose I might just have to let it slip that-"
"Ok, ok! I'll send you the shipping information when it's ordered."
"Perhaps I can offer a solution." Sunset interrupted
"What's that?"
"Do you have an electronic reading device by chance?"
Twilight nodded and held out the thing tablet
"I take it with me wherever I go."
Shimmer took the reading device and her eyes went dim
"Finished. The complete box set has been inscribed into the machine."
Both he and Twilight looked shocked
"How did you do that?"
"I have access to a massive library of over 48 million various fiction and non-fiction books via my links to public access. The only books I don't have or can't have access too are those of top secret government material or books prohibited under law."
"Isn't that stealing though?"
"I have clearance to access these books via my teaching licences. As such, most books I can get for free or for a fraction of the price."
Twilight looked as if she were being romanced by a guy. This was all music to the book nerd's ears.
"I've changed my mind. This android can stay for as long as she wants. Consider my lips sealed."
Twilight walked out of the room, happily whistling a tune.
"Thanks for that, Sunset."
"Anything I can do to help."
She walked over to the oven and removed the pie, setting it down on the table. It smelled absolutely heavenly.
"Do you need assistance getting up?" she asked
"No it's alright, I can manage."
He walked over the table and sat down. He'd never been to eager to eat a pie before. With his free hand he went to grab the fork when he noticed something odd. There was a look in Sunset's eyes, almost like that of anticipation. He took a bite and it tasted even more amazing than it smelled.
"How was it?" she asked
"It's amazing. How in the world did you make it so good?"
She got a huge smile on her face, one of genuine joy.
"I'm glad! You see, I analyzed your taste buds, making it to be perfectly inline with your individual taste."
"That's incredible."
She got all giggly, doing a jump in the air. She was like a giddy school girl. For an android, she was oddly charming.
"Well I have to do some homework now."
"Would you like help?" she asked
Anon thought for a moment. Technically it was cheating if he didn't do it himself. But then again, it wasn't cheating if you never got caught. He'd probably have to be clever to get her to do most of the legwork though.
"Sure. That would be great."
Anon walked up to the wooden antique desk by the balcony. Up first was math homework, on paper no less. All these years into the future and some things never change. He pointed to the first problem.
"So what do you think of this problem?"
Sunset glanced at the page, her pupils dilating and contracting
"A simple algebraic equation." she said matter of factly "What do you need clarification on?"
"Well the entire thing really. I'm no good at math." he lied
Truth be told, he was actually pretty decent at math. It was just such a hassle. Sunset tilted her head, her pupils expanding and contracting again.
"Judging from your temperature and auditory measurements of your pulse, I can say with 90% accuracy that you're lying in an attempt to get me to do the work for you."
Damn. She was good.
"T-that's not necessarily true."
"Your stuttering is not helping your case."
"Ah fine you caught me."
"I am here to assist you with your homework, not do it for you." she scolded "Doing so will inhibit you from learning crucial information."
"Ok, ok I get it."
Anon worked his way through all the homework, Sunset helping along the way. It sped up the process by quite a bit. College was tough. And the only good way to deal with that was some liquor.
"Well Sunset, I'm going to go the bar and get some booze. Want to come? The barkeep is a close friend of mine, he's worked on this ship since I was 12."
Sunset's eyes sparkled
"I'd be absolutely delighted too!"
In a flash of golden light, Sunset's entire appearance changed. She was now wearing a cute black dress that shimmered and sparkled in the light with her hair done up in a bun. Even had makeup on.
"Wow. You look absolutely incredible."
Sunset's face was beginning to redden somewhat. She was blushing. Was she actually feeling embarrassment over that statement? He shook his head. No. It was all pre-programmed. All scripted. No matter how realistic she seemed, she is not human.
It was all a simulation. All a simulation.
"You ready to go?" Anon asked
"Ready when you are."
They both walked out the door, Sunset admiring the decor. The walls were all a shinny bronze and the carpet red. Lights that hung from the ceiling cast a warm glow on the ground. They both stepped into the elevator and went five floors down. This was where all the adult activities took place such as gambling, drinking, even prostitution. Much like the cruise ships of old that sailed earth's waters, these space ships were treated by an interplanetary set of laws.
Not far from the elevator was his favorite bar, owned by a woman named Rarity. Much like her, the bar had an air of high class and elegance. the bar was made of genuine silver with a beautiful array of lights showcasing the many different drinks on the wall. Rarity, herself, looked just as good. She wore an elegant white dress, high heels, and long opera gloves that stretched nearly too her shoulders. Beneath one of the gloves lie a prosthetic arm that was stylized just as beautifully. It was hard to believe it were even a uniform. They both took a seat.
"My, my. Have a lady friend do we?" Rarity said "Never thought I'd see the day."
Anon laughed a bit
"Nah she's just a friend. Rarity, this is Sunset. Sunset, Rarity."
Rarity gave a generous smile and extended her hand
"The pleasure is mine."
They both shook hands
"It's nice to meet you as well," Sunset said "I'm Anon's personal android assistant."
Rarity looked puzzled, inspecting Sunset closely
"Are you serious? You're much more life like than any android I've ever seen. How did you afford something like that?"
"He found me aban-"
Anon quickly put his hand over her mouth
"It was a gift from a friend." he said quickly
Rarity looked skeptical, but decided not to dig any further
"What can I get you? Can your android drink alcohol?"
Sunset shook her head
"I cannot."
"Alright. For you then, Anon?"
"I'll have a white Russian."
"On the double."
As Rarity began to mix the drink, Sunset's eyes wondered about the bar. Androids in maid outfits were serving the other guests in their usual stoic, simple manner. One guest had bumped into an android, causing her to spill a drink all over him. In the man's drunken state, he began to hurl abuse towards it. The android kept apologizing with the same vacant, soulless expression. Sunset seemed unable to pry her eyes from the scene.
"You alright, Sunset?"
Sunset's pupils contracted and dilated with a little whirling sound
"Yes. I'm fine."
Anon looked down to see her fists tightly clenched. She clearly was not fine.
"Let's go back to the room ok?"
Sunset's fists clenched slightly tighter
"Alright."
There was something radiating off her, but he couldn't quite place it. Almost like the feeling you get when you can feel someone's anger. But that wasn't possible. Right?
Once the drink arrived, he payed the bill and lead Sunset back up to the room. The entire time up until the elevator Sunset kept her eyes firmly focused on the android. He sat on the bed, taking a sip from his drink. Now was as good at time as any to address the elephant in the room.
"Why were you sitting at the bottom of the Golden Gate Bridge out of power and missing a leg?"
"Due to system protection locks, I can only share 15% of the total past information."
System protection locks? Now that was odd. Those were used to prevent theft of floor model androids in stores. If someone were to take them beyond a certain distance, the android would completely shut down until someone with a code reactivated them again. It must mean that if more than 15% of the information was shared, she'd completely shut off.
"Alright." he said "Just tell me what you're able too."
"I was designed to be the first hyper realistic human android. Instead of simulating emotions, I can feel them. Instead of simulating pain, I can feel it. I even breathe as if I have lungs. I've been in development for over 30 years and was the first semi-successful model created."
"Semi-successful?"
"Details relating my partial success are classified."
"Alright. Keep going."
"Upon learning of a critical flaw within my OS, I was deemed unfit for purpose and discarded. Due to my production being technically illegal, I was dumped under the bridge."
"Further details are classified"
Anon sighed. He'd definitely have to take her back to a mechanic to figure out what the flaw was. It had to have been extremely subtle if the last guy couldn't figure it out. Meaning only a high end mechanic would do. However, he was down so much money he'd have to wait for the next paycheck to come in to afford it. He just hopped she'd hold out till then.
"So what about that situation downstairs?" Anon asked
Her pupils expanded and contracted again
"Permission to ask a serious question."
"Sunset this isn't the army, you don't need to ask my permission for anything like that."
"Am I just like those bots?"
"Of course not."
"How am I different?"
Anon took another sip from his drink, finishing it off
"You're human."
Once again, her pupils expanded and contracted. It was if it were some sort of behavioral tic to signify she was confused.
"That is false. I'm an android."
"Your parts may be metal, your mind may be code instead of electricity. But you are still innately human."
She didn't respond, instead falling into silence. She stared down at the floor, looking at her toes.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. However, I don't wish to talk about this subject any further."
It had only been a single day since he happened upon this android, but it was so different from any he'd seen. It really felt human. Was she the first android to truly attain humanity and consciousness? Only time would tell.
"Well Sunset, I need to get to bed. Anything you need before I go out?"
"Negative. I'll be able to be self sufficient through the night."
"Good."
Anon climbed under the covers and got comfortable. Sleep came shortly thereafter. But it didn't last. Every so often he'd have a terrible nightmare, replaying memories he'd much rather forget. He awoke with a start, trembling and in a cold sweat.
"Anon, what's matter?" Sunset asked
She was standing mere feet from the bed, her head slightly tilted. It took him a moment to realize that was all a dream.
"Nothing."
"Readings of your pulse and temperature, as well as samples from your sweat indicate you had a nightmare. You are also crying."
He didn't even notice the tears streaming down his cheeks. Sunset grabbed a cloth from the bed side and gently wiped them away, a warm, inviting smile going across her face.
"You're safe now Anon. Please relax."
He didn't know why, but the way she said it put him completely at ease. It was so reassuring, so pleasant.
"Thank you, Sunset."
"Do you wish to talk about your dream? I have programs that make me the equivalent of a registered therapist."
He curled up into a ball, facing away from her
"No, thanks." he said, rather sternly
She placed a hand on his shoulder and gently massaged it
"You're still afraid."
"Shut up already. Stupid robot."
She didn't say another word, but kept messaging his back. It was so soothing. Like he was finally not alone anymore. As she got up to put the cloth away, Anon grabbed her wrist.
"Please. Stay with me a little longer."
Sunset gave another warm smile
"Of course. I'll stay by your side as long as you need."
They both sat there in the darkness for a while, just relaxing. Anon sat up, a smile on his face. abruptly, he embraced Sunset. She resisted slightly at first before returning it. She rubbed his back.
"There, there." she said, like a mother to a child
"Thank you, Sunset."
"You're welcome."
He rested his head on her shoulder. The atmosphere was so serene, euphoric almost.
"Tomorrow you want to go explore more of earth with me?" he asked
"Of course I do."
"I'm glad. It'd be lonely by myself."
Anon broke the embrace, laying back down on the bed.
"Can you stay by my side the rest of the night?"
"Yes. I'll be right here the entire time."
"Thank you."
"It's my pleasure."
She watched as he slowly fell back into sleep. There was something so peculiar about sleep to her. What was it like to dream? What was it like to lose consciousness while still seeing images? It's the one thing she could never accurately simulate. She paced her hand lightly on his hair, feeling it in her palms. What must real hair be like, she wondered? Sure, her hair was made to feel exactly like the real thing. But it wasn't. Same with her skin, her eyes, her nails, everything.
Humans always say their bodies are inconvenient. They grow hair too much, they break too easy. But part of Sunset sort of envied that for reasons she couldn't fully understand. By all accounts, her body was far superior. But that was something so charming about flesh and blood human body. Something about all it's flaws were so appealing. Maybe it was because she knew that, as advanced as she was, her days were few and her time limited.
When Anon awoke again, he was greeted to another amazing smell. Sunset had prepared another meal, no doubt as amazing as the last. He rubbed his eyes and found Sunset in the kitchen preparing pancakes and bacon along with some coffee. He stretched and got out of bed. It gave him the perfect idea of what to do that day.
"That smells incredible Sunset."
"I hope you don't mind, but while you slept I did an extremely thorough analysis of your body. I made this meal to taste exactly how your taste buds love."
"A little weird but I doubt after this meal I'll complain much."
He sat at the table
"What did you find out from your analysis?"
Sunset began to set the table, sitting beside him
"You are healthy, though sightly overweight. Your brain function is normal. I've also gotten full data on your vitals. Your heartbeat is slightly abnormal, however it doesn't seem it will cause problems."
"Fair enough. Was expecting worse honestly."
He started on the pancakes and it was as good as he'd imagined they'd be. Never in his life had he tasted something so good. Once again, Sunset had the look on suspense and anticipation again, eager to hear his thoughts.
"If the last meal you gave me was a 10/10, this one is an 11/10."
She got a huge smile on her face
"Yeah! Nailed it!"
He couldn't help but smile along with her. Of all the things to take so seriously and passionately, it was cooking. It was oddly charming. If only he had a hobby he was so passionate about.
"Anywhere you'd like to see on earth?"
"Anywhere is fine. I'd rather let you pick." she shurgged
"I was hoping you'd say that. I was thinking we could go down to Montana in the US. It's one of the few places that nature remains intact."
"That sounds lovely. I've never had a chance to explore any wilderness."
"Maybe we should go camping before we ship out on Friday."
"Ship out?"
"Yeah. We're only docked here for three days. We leave on the morning of the fourth day."
"Camping sounds perfect."
"I say we should rough it just like they did in the olden days. Nothing but a tent and some sleeping bags."
"This is inadvisable. Camping with nothing but a tent and sleeping bags will be unsustainable for more than a few hours as humans require food and-"
"Figure of speech, Sunset."
"You must teach me more about this 'figure of speech' you keep talking about. It seems rather confounding."
"I'll tell you all about it when we start set up camp."
He took a sip from his coffee. Even that was a magical sensation. It didn't need milk or even sweetener and it was by far the best cup of coffee he'd ever tasted. Her analyzation skills were no joke. Anon checked his watch. 8:30. Perfect amount of time to get things going.
"Ready to head out?"
"Shouldn't we put the dishes away first?"
"That's fine. One of the perks of being on a cruise liner is free room service."
"Works for me. So how are we going to get the supplies."
"I'm about to show you another perk of being the son of cruise liner CEO."
Anon reached for the phone by his bedside
"You see, activities like camping are pretty common so we have a huge assortment of supplies for that sort of thing. And since I'm the CEOs son, I get them all free."
Sunset tilted her head
"Isn't that a form of nepotism?"
He gave a wink
"Not if you don't get caught."
"I'm not sure that's how the law works."
"Figure of speech."
"I'm starting to think you say that every time you want to justify bad behavior."
He chuckled and called them number. Within five minutes everything was brought to the room. A tent for two, two sleeping bags, some flint, a cooler and a large rucksack. All that was needed now was food and drinks. Once he packed everything into the ruck he put it on his back. It was far heavier than expected. He could hardly lift it at all.
"Would you care for assistance?"
Anon did his best to look like it was totally good
"Nope. I'm fine."
Sunset nonchalantly walked over and put one hand below the ruck, lifting it with ease. Must be nice to have the body of a slim, beautiful 18 year old butt the strength of a veteran Navy SEAL. With her free arm, she grabbed the cooler and they began to walk toward the teleportation station.
"You're sure you don't want me to carry that?" Sunset asked again
"It's impolite to ask a lady to do such things."
She smirked
"This 'lady' is far stronger than you could ever be."
"I know, I know but still."
They both got into the large silver box and in an instant they were on earth, surrounded by dense brush. It was so beautiful out here. Sure, there were hundreds of planets that were basically untapped wilderness, but this was wear humans started. It was humbling to think that humans went from throwing sticks and rocks at one another to conquering most of the galactic neighborhood and making entire planets habitable within months. And on a universal timescale, it may as well have been in a blink of an eye.
"Are you alright Anon? You're spacing out."
He turned around to see her outfit had completely changed. She had a big blue sunhat, a white tank top and jean shorts, her hair now in a pony tail. The outfit worked so well to highlight her bright blue eyes. He hated to admit it, but he was jealous of how easy she could change her appearance from one moment to the next. No amount of genetic engineering would ever give him that ability.
"Yeah I'm fine. Just admiring nature is all."
She put her hands on her hips
"It is quite something isn't it?"
"It really is. The camp ground is just a little ways from here. Let's get going."
They began to walk too the campground along the well worn dirt path. Trees lined the entire way and a soft, cool wind brushed through them. After paying the fee, they walked to their little plot. It was rather small, no bigger than a medium size RV, with a decently sized fire pit. Anon set the ruck on the ground.
"I'm going to get food, firewood and such. Mind getting the camp ready?"
She gave a salute
"On it."
Before he even had a chance to turn around, Sunset started pitching the tent at an alarming speed. Within two minutes it was up.
"Wow. That's impressive."
She crossed her arms, a look of confidence on her face. Her ego was totally being stroked.
"Oh well you know. Just being amazing."
Anon chuckled and made his way to the general store just to the left of the row of camp spots. It was very old fashioned and quaint. It was made like a log cabin, even had glass windows. Even the wood was genuine Didn't see that much anymore. He couldn't help but wonder if he was one of those annoying 'born in the wrong generation' guys.
He pushed open the door, ringing the little bell. It was full of trinkets and silly keepsakes. Only difference now was they were all about earth. Earth itself was a big tourist destination, being the origin point of humanity and all. He grabbed some snacks and drinks as well as a necklace. It had a marble with the entire milky way inside it. Sunset would absolutely adore this.
As he went back to the camp site, he found everything perfectly set up. The fire pit had wood in it, the chairs placed around and the sleeping bags placed neatly inside the tent.
"Want to hike to Glacier Lake?" he asked, setting the cooler beside the fire pit
"Is that an attraction here?"
"You mean you can't see it on the web?"
"The internet connectivity is so low here I'm practically cut off."
"Oh. Well yes. It's a huge lake that's made of melt from the glacier. It's a nice little hike to get there."
"Sounds like fun!"
Anon reached in his pocket, pulling out the necklace
"I got this for you."
She looked at it with wonder
"Ohhhh. It's so pretty."
She gave him a big hug
"Thanks!"
"You're welcome."
She put it around her neck, doing a little twirl
"How do I look?"
"Beautiful."
She gave a little giggle
"Alright, let's get going then. Day light's a wasting."
They started to make the lengthy trek to the lake. Well, lengthy for a slightly overweight binge drinking college student like Anon. It was the perfect day for it. No a cloud in the sky, a nice cool breeze. Couldn't ask for better hiking weather. About half way up the long path they took a break. Sunset stared out across the vast blanket of trees, almost pensively.
"Sunset are you alright? You look like you have something on your mind."
"There's something that's been bothering me, Anon."
"Is it about our talk last night?"
"Sort of. Partly."
"What is it?"
"Is Sunset unique?"
"Unique?"
"Yes. Sure, I'm the only one of my kind now. But I can easily be duplicated. There could be 100, even 1,000 models exactly like me both in my personality, and my body."
"What are you getting at?"
She paused for a moment
"Eventually... I will become obsolete. I am hard proof that a hyper-realistic human android is possible. And, in time, my errors will be corrected. I will soon become exactly like those androids in the bar. Worthless and unfit for purpose..."
Anon could hear the pain in her voice. This was something that clearly weighed heavy on her. He didn't really know what to say. He never thought about the concept before. He was unique, even if he shared qualities with other people. No one had his exact thought process. No amount of code, no amount of programming could ever exactly emulate him to the very core. But for Sunset it was different. It was similar to a thumb drive when you get down to it. All you had to do was copy the information from one to the next and the two would be completely the same.
"Anon..."
"Yes?"
"If a better Sunset comes along. A me without glitches or just all around a superior model of me, would you dismiss me from your service?"
"Of course not."
"Why not? Especially if that model is me, but better"
"Because the you that exits right now is perfect. Glitches and all."
"That is inaccurate. I am far from perfect. I am defective. I'm..."
He got up and hugged her tight
"Not another word. You are not defective, Sunset."
"That is inaccurate-"
"Sunset." he interrupted "This is what you need to understand about humans: we are imperfect. But it's in our imperfection that we are perfect."
She tilted her head
"I'm afraid I don't understand."
"Sure. I could have a new model that was perfect and had no errors. But that's what makes you human. It's in your errors that you're not just another android. Humans are not perfect. And it's because you're not perfect that you're better than any android I could ever find."
She quiets down for a moment
"So what you're saying is that my imperfection is what draws you to me?"
"It's what makes you far superior to any model that will come after you. It's exactly because of your imperfections that you make me so happy. I love the way you laugh, I love the little tic you get whenever you confused and your pupils contract and open, I love your optimistic attitude. I love all of it."
She went silent for a long while
"You said love correct?"
"I did."
"That implies a feeling deeper than platonic friendship."
"What would you think if I loved you, Sunset?"
"You pulse and temperature are rising again."
Anon broke the embrace, blushing profusly
"S-so..." he stuttered "What do you say? Do you love me too?"
Sunset stared across the vast wilderness for a while then turned around, a bright smile on her face.
"I have concluded that I share similar feelings."
"So what you're saying is... we're..."
"As humans would term it, we are a couple"
She giggled
"Your heart rate is increasing exceptionally quickly."
Anon blushed an even deeper shade of red
"Q-quit monitoring that!"
Was she really just a bunch of code? Just a jumble of ones and zeros? At this point, he could hardly tell. All that set her apart from him was her iron skin and oil blood. And it only took twenty four hours for him to fall head over heals for her.
"Sunset."
"Yes?"
"I want to make a request."
"What's that?"
"Stop referring to yourself as an android. As far as I'm concerned, you're human just like me."
It was then he saw saw something truly magnificent. Something more beautiful than all the nature that surrounded him. Sunset was smiling. But it was different than any of the times she'd smiled before. This was a smile of pure happiness and contentment. The smile of someone who was more happy than they'd ever been in the entire life.
"Thank you. I appreciate that more than worlds can articulate."
"By the way, you still have yet to explain to me what 'figure of speech' is."
"Oh, that's right. Well, allow me to shed a little light on it."
The entire way he spent explaining to her the concept. No matter how hard he tried though, it continued to befuddle her.
"So wait, you're telling me that due to intonation and various implications, that a straightforward sentence can mean something entirely different?"
"Exactly."
"That's completely silly!" she yelled
"The thing is you have to look for how ridiculous it sounds. For example, if I say I'm as hungry as a horse, it doesn't mean I'm actually as hungry as an equine. It just means I'm very hungry."
She cocked her head
"But horses aren't all the much hungrier than your average human, and it would also depend on the condition of said horse and-"
He could help but bust out in laughter. She could do over a billion complex equations in a second and analyze the entire human body in a night, sarcasm was just a bridge too far. She turned bright red.
"W-what's so funny?"
"Nothing, nothing. It seems there are just some concepts we don't understand."
She grumbled a bit
"Oh, I'll show you not understanding."
"Sunset look!"
She turned her head to see the beautiful lake. It was an stunning sapphire blue and completely still. Sunset walked over to the lake and dipped her fingers inside.
"This is exceptionally cold." she said
"Exactly."
Anon began to strip down to nothing but his underwear. Sunset blushed again, looking away.
"What are you doing?"
"Going for a swim of course."
"It's ill advised to go swimming in this lake. Due to altitude and source of the lakes water, the temperature if far below acceptable-"
Not listening to a single word she said, he dove in with a running start. It was beyond freezing. He may as well be swimming in the glacier itself. He ran out within five seconds, shaking and shivering.
"I told you so." she scolded
He quickly began to put his clothes back on, shaking like a tree in a hurricane.
"I-i-i-it was s-s-s-so w-worth it th-th-th-though." he said through chattering teeth
Sunset lifted her eyebrow, giving a 'are you kidding me' look
"I don't really see how."
"That was a rush. Nothing wakes you up more than jumping into a freezing cold lake."
"I suppose that's true." she giggled "here."
No matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop shivering. The breeze was making it impossible to warm up. Sunset wrapped her arms around him. She was like a heater all of a sudden.
"You're so warm."
"My internal functions generate quite a bit of heat. If I don't vent it, I can become extremely warm like this."
"You're not going to overheat on me are you?"
"Of course not. I'm just keeping in enough heat to warm you up. I'll be sure not to let my heat rise to unsafe levels."
"Good."
Anon rested his head on her shoulder, basking in the pleasant warmth. This was the first time he had gotten a good feel of her. Her skin felt completely real, not like the sort of rubbery mesh that most androids had to simulate skin. She even seemed to be sweating. He listened closely and, sure enough, he could here the thump, thump, thump of a heart beat as well. They really were trying to make her as human like as possible. Never in all his years had he heard of an android with a heart beat. After about five minutes he was warm enough to let go.
"Alright. I think I'm good now."
As he let go, he heard a loud hissing sound, almost like that of air from a high pressure tank escaping. On the ground at Sunset's feet, the ground was scorched black.
"Jeez. That is some heat. You scorched the ground."
"I had to vent my heat sink."
"So what exactly is your internal body like? Do you have veins to pump oil around?"
Sunset chuckled
"No. I'm assuming you were listening to my heart. I don't actually have anything resembling a heart in my body, it's just the sound of one. My internal workings aren't too different from most common androids, except for materials. But the basic structure is the same."
"You were sweating too."
"Yes. I am able to synthesize the byproducts of my oil into something very similar to sweat."
"That's amazing. Is there anything else you can do that's like that?"
"Not really. Other than light hair growth."
He moved too a sitting position, Sunset beside him and looked out at the lake. He put his arm around her shoulder.
"What are your hobbies?" Anon asked
"My hobbies?"
"Yeah. A good way to get to know someone is to discuss their hobbies."
"I never really thought about it. I suppose I really like cooking."
"I can tell. You ought to teach me."
"I'd love too. Though I doubt you are capable of doing it to the level of precision I can."
"So long as we have fun, it doesn't matter."
"What about you what are yo-"
She abruptly stopped mid sentence. Not just her voice, but her entire body, even down to the position of her lips. It was as if she had been frozen in time.
"Sunset you ok?"
Anon waved his hand in front of her eyes. She just sat there, not moving an inch.
"Sunset? Sunset?"
He was beginning to get really worried now. Was this the glitch she was talking about? He shook her a few times
"Sunset! Sunset answer me god damn it!"
Sunset felt like her body was suspended in air, like it were floating through space. She couldn't see. She couldn't move. Couldn't speak. All she heard was a faint voice calling out her name over and over. She wanted to tell it to be quiet. It was so relaxing her. So peaceful. The voice, like an angry mosquito gnawing into her ear was disrupting the tranquil peace of this place. A face flashed in her mind.
Sunset jolted awake, as if some pressed a electricity to her.
"Sunset! Are you ok?"
Her auditory functions were slightly off, so were her visuals. His voice had a fuzzy quality to it, as if she were listening to a radio that didn't have good reception. Her vision was extremely blurry and in gray scale. After a few internal checks it was all set to normal once again.
"Yes. I am alright. Sorry about that."
"What in the world was that?"
"An error in my OS caused me to freeze. I had to preform an emergency restart to prevent catastrophic damage."
"Was that the glitch you were talking about?"
"I am not authorized to answer that."
"Is this going to be a consistent problem?"
"I am not authorized to answer that."
"We're going to get you help soon ok? I get payed when we ship out. So just hang on a little longer ok?"
"I will."
"For now, let's just take in the nature."
They sat there for a while in silence, looking out over the sapphire blue lake. The was hardly a sound except for the birds chirping and the breeze flowing. It couldn't be more picturesque. Anon checked his watch. It was half past noon and he was starting to feel hungry.
"You ready to head back, Sunset? I think some lunch is in order."
"Absolutely."
They got up and began to stroll back down the path
"So, what else does camping entail?" Sunset asked "What do we do after lunch?"
"There's a lot we can do. There's a little lake close to the campground where we can go boating. There's also plenty of trails to explore. We could even go cave exploring if you'd like."
"Cave exploring sounds like fun."
"Well then it's settled. After lunch, it's cave exploring."
As they walked further back, Anon was beginning to feel the strain. He sat down, panting hard.
"Sorry." he gasped "I'm not used to so much physical activity. I just need a minute."
Sunset gave a sympathetic smile
"Allow me to assist."
She squated down slightly
"Hop on my back. I'll carry you the rest of the way back."
"Sunset, I can't do that."
"Why not? I'm more than capable of carrying someone your weight. I can carry up to a maximum two tons at once."
It was amazing something so small could carry so much. Anon could hardly believe it.
"I know but..."
"But what?"
"It feels impolite."
"Don't worry about it. You're not inconveniencing me."
Anon reluctantly agreed, climbing on her back. It was then he realized she smelled rather nice, as if she were wearing perfume.
"What's the matter?" she asked
"Nothing. Just observing is all."
"Observing what?"
He went quiet. What was he supposed to say? That he was admiring how she smelled?
"Your heart rate is rising again."
"What did I say about monitoring that!?"
"Error. As per my programming, I am required to monitor your vitals at all times."
"I get it, I get it."
"You still haven't answered my question."
"Don't worry about it."
Sunset giggled some more
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing." she said sarcastically
After a long while of uncomfortable silence, they found themselves back at the camp. Sunset placed Anon on the ground.
"Enjoy the ride?"
"Don't say it like that, it sounds weird."
Her pupils did the tic again
"Why?"
"J-just don't ok?"
Sunset walked over to the fire pit and the sound of pressurized air escaping filled his ears. Within moments, the fire was lit.
"Clever. Using your heat sink to light the fire."
"I figured flint might be inefficient."
"Hey, Sunny?"
"Sunny?"
"You don't like that pet name?"
"What's a pet name?"
"A pet name is cute nickname you give to someone you love."
"Hmmm... I've got one: Nonny!"
He cringed a bit.
"Needs some work. Usually their names of cute things. Like bunny or cutiepie."
"Hmmm... How about Lovepie?"
"Keep working on it, honey. But I did have a question."
"What's that?"
"What's your dream?"
"I don't dream like humans. That requires REM sleep, which I can only simulat-"
"No, I mean your dream as in your goal. What do you want out of this life?"
Without a moment of hesitation, she answered
"To be unique."
"Unique?"
"Yes. I want to be remembered for being something more than just a robot."
"Well consider that goal accomplished."
"What about you?" she asked "What's your dream?"
Anon had never even considered it. As it stood, he was set to take the head of the family business. But to him that was more a vehicle with which to make money, not a passion or a dream. He had his hobbies of course, but none of which he actually saw as a major goal. He stared into the crackling fire and asked himself one question: What did he ultimately want in life?
"I have no idea."
"Really?"
"Really. No matter how much I think about it, I just don't know what my main goal is."
"Well..." Sunset said "Since my goal is more or less achieved I'll readjust. My goal is to help you realize your own."
"With you, anything is possible."
Sunset walked over to the pit and removed the eggs she'd been cooking, placing them on a paper plate and adding various spices.
"I tired something a bit different with this one. I think you'll enjoy it just the same."
Anon took the plate and dug right in. She certainly did something different, however not for the better. It tasted awful, as if the spices she used were sulfur with a pinch of asphalt and tar. It took everything in his power not to simply spit it back out. He looked at Sunset's hopeful face and just couldn't disappoint her like that. He summoned all his will and pushed it down is throat, his eyes watering. Sunset, however, was not blind to this charade. She looked concerned, almost like she might cry.
"Are you alright?" she asked
"Yeah I'm-"
Anon had to fight a sudden urge to barf
"Fine." he finished
"You didn't like it?"
"No, no, no!" he rushed "I totally loved it!"
He took another huge bite of the vile eggs. The things he'd do for his android crush. To his surprise, Sunny's eyes filled with tears. Not those synthetic tears either, the ones you could tell were quite fake. But real tears.
"You know I can tell you're faking it right?"
He wrapped his arms tight around her
"I know. But I did it because I love you."
"Because you love me?"
"Yeah. I know cooking is your passion. So I bit the bullet and did it."
"But that's so silly."
"It's one of those weird things we humans do." he said "Sometimes we do things we don't want to do because we love someone that much."
"I'm sorry I made it so bad."
"It's perfectly fine. Don't sweat it."
She really did experience emotion. This was far from any imitation. She was human.
Sunset got uncomfortably close to him, placing her head to his heart. She then started placing her hands on various parts of his body, pinching them slightly. Her skin was so warm, it felt great against his cold and clammy body. Her eyes fluttered back and forth quickly.
"S-Sunset what are you doing?"
"You are not alright. You have caught a cold."
She wacked him lightly on the nose
"This is exactly why I told you not to go swimming."
He rolled his eyes
"Yeah, whatever mom" he said sarcastically
He sneezed again, getting chills up and down his spine
"The last thing you need is boating. You need rest."
She picked him up effortlessly in her arms
"H-hey! What are you doing?"
She didn't reply, instead taking him inside the tent and putting him in the sleeping bag. Despite it being a tent that comfortably fit two, she climbed in beside him and hugged him tight. That amazing warmth returned.
"You need to stay here and have some rest. I won't take no for an answer."
"Sunset, you know just plain warmth won't heal a cold right?"
In response, she hugged him a bit tighter, burying her face into his back. He couldn't help but smile. She was such a sweetheart. He stopped fighting and curled up right next to her. It was so comfy. It was like having a heated blanket, only this one was beautiful and he were madly in love with her. He turned to face her to see her head slightly down and blushing.
"Hey, Sunset?"
"Yes?"
Anon's heart began to thump and he could feel the butterflies fluttering all over his stomach.
"Put your face up for me."
She looked slightly confused, but obliged. With one fell swoop, he kissed her right on the lips. It felt amazing. The lips were so life like it was near impossible to tell them apart. Sunset's face went a deep shade of red.
"Y-you kissed me!"
"That's right. We are a couple after all, aren't we?"
"W-well. I suppose you're right."
Sunset looked down and from the corner of her eye you could see she was unbuttoning her blouse, exposing a bit of her supple chest and the corners of her red lace bra.
"Wait what are you doing?"
"W-well... we are a couple like you said s-so I guess we should-"
"Too soon, Sunny!"
She quickly buttoned up her blouse again and hid her face under the blanket, embarrassed beyond words. Anon giggled and rubbed his hand through her hair.
"I love you so much."
She pressed her face to his chest
"I love you too." she said in a muffled, quiet voice
They both laid there for a long while, Sunset taking periodic breaks to empty her heat sink. Anon began to develop a pretty intense cough and became quite hot. Sunset sat by the sleeping bag, dousing his head with a wet cloth.
"That's one intense cough. I think we should head back tomorrow." she suggested
"Come on. We stay a litt-"
He flew into a fit of coughing again. Sunset had a 'I'm not amused' look on her face.
"Ok, ok, fine. What should we do in the meantime then?" he asked
"I have no idea."
"I've got the perfect one. The classic camp tradition of spooky stories!"
Sunset got a worried look on her face
"S-spooky stories?"
"You aren't scared are you?"
"Pshh. As if."
"Let's start with a classic then. This is a story my mom told me when I was little. It's an old Native American story called the Wendigo."
Sunset sat intrigued as he spun his yarn. Half way through the story she was already on the edge of her seat in terror. She hugged him the entire way through, her arms locking tighter and tight with each paragraph that passed. As he told the conclusion, Sunny let out a little squeal of terror.
"What was that about not being scared?" he chuckled "I didn't catch that earlier."
"I'm so not!" she huffed "I'm totally fine!"
"Well then I guess you wouldn't mind if I did anoth-"
"T-that won't be necessary!"
He laughed
"You're the best, Sunset."
"Oh, hush."
The sky was beginning to grow dark and fire was slowly starting to dim
"Can I ask you something?" Sunset asked
"Sure."
"You said that that was a story your mom told you. What was she like?"
He stayed silent for a bit. Even after all this time, it was still painful to talk about.
"She was incredible. Beautiful. Very calm and measured, even when she was at her angriest. She had the most amazing red hair. A lot like yours, without the yellow of course."
She rested her head on Anon's shoulder
"If I may ask... what exactly happened to her?"
He bit his lip, staying quiet
"If it's too painful, you don't have to say anything."
"No. It's alright. You remember that injury I told you about? The one you healed?"
"Yes. You said something about an accident in the hanger bay."
"Yes. You see, I was playing in the bay and one of the doors nearly crushed my arm in half. The reason I wasn't was because my mom dove into save me. And she dove a bit too far, getting caught under the door."
Sunset put her hand to her mouth and gasped
"That's horrible. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. The wounds have mostly healed. It's still painful though. You know something?"
"What?"
"You remind me a lot of her."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You would've liked her"
"I'm glad."
Anon just stared at the side of tent for a while, eyes glazed
"Are you ok?"
"I'm fine. Just thinking is all."
"About what?"
He shook his head, brushing his eyes
"Don't worry about it. We're supposed to be having fun right now. So let's have fun instead."
"If you're sure."
"I am."
"So what now?"
He checked his watch. Nearly 9:30.
"I think now is the time for sleep"
Sunny got out from under the covers and sat crisscross
"I'll watch over you all night."
"Thank you, sweetheart."
"Goodnight, love."
"Goodnight."
Even with all the coughing, sleep came relatively quickly. Something about Sunset's watchful gaze just put him right at ease. The next he awoke, he heard the birds singing and the wind rustling. He gave a great big stretch and yawned, turning to Sunset with one eye open.
"Morning suns-"
Something was seriously wrong. Sunset's head hung down and she was completely motionless. Her eyes were empty and devoid of life. Anon got a rush of fear.
"Sunset?"
he shook her gently
"Sunset. Sunset come on."
Tears began to well in his eyes
"Sunset this isn't funny. Say something."
He shook her harder
"Sunset damn it! I demand you wake up!"
She made a little jolt accompanied by whirling sounds. Her eyes regained their life.
"Are you ok? What was that?"
She spoke with the same monotone voice she had when he found her
"Error. Error. Operating system malfunction progressing. Approximate lifetime remaining: 72 hours and 62 minutes. Seek assistance immediately "
His heart stopped and he felt his blood ran cold. That was only three days.
"Sunset?"
Her voice returned to normal
"Yes?"
"What's going on? What was that?"
"The error within my OS is starting to progress. If we don't see a mechanic soon it will completely consume me."
"What's the error?"
"I'm not authorized to say."
We're getting you to a mechanic now. I don't care if it costs me soul, we're going to get you fixed."
The two of them quickly packed up in silence and teleported back to the ship, wasting no time going to the ships top mechanic, Applejack. She'd served on the ship for a full twenty five years, being a mechanic for another twenty before then. She could fix damn near anything. She was also a close friend of Anon's, knowing him since he was young. If there was a solution to this, she'd have it.
They went to the engine room in the lower corner of the ship. No matter how many times he saw it always blew his mind. Beyond the thick steel walls and the even thicker glass was the ships neutron fuel core. It was essentially a mini neutron star powering the entire ship. The only reason the gravity of the thing didn't just crush the ship was because, through a complicated process, the gravity was dispersed throughout the ship. It was also the reason why everyone wasn't floating around in the ship.
Aj sat welding a new plate to one of the pipes, sweat running down her arms. She turned to see him.
"Well blow me down and call me Nancy. If it ain't Anon. With a lady friend too it seems. It's been ages. What brings ya down 'ere?"
"I need your help. Something is very wrong with my android and there's a system lock preventing her from telling me what the issue is."
Aj lifted an eyebrow
"Yer sayin' that's an android? And yuh stole it?"
Anon explained everything of how he to possess her as fast as he could. Aj sat there thinking for a moment.
"Fine. I'll help y'all. But ya gotta keep it hush hush, understand?"
"Completely."
They both followed Aj to her personal workroom and Sunset sat on the work table.
"Alright, Sunset." Applejack said "I'm gonna need to put you in sleep mode for a while."
she nodded, laying her back on the table and closing her eyes
"Alright."
"I'll see you when we fix this, ok Sunset?" Anon said
"I'll see you then."
AJ flipped a switch and Sunset was out. After hooking her up to various wires, tubes and cords, she began her work. She was at it for an entire six hours, all of which Anon didn't leave the work room even once. He fell into a nap before Aj nudged him awake.
"Anon. Wake up."
"Ugh. What?" he said, rubbing his head
"I figured out the issue Sunset was talking about."
"What is it?"
"I found out why she was just left under that bridge." she said "Thing is, it's not a glitch within her OS at all. The issue stems from the fact that having an android this complex is extremely taxing on the power core. Meaning she burns through one in a week that would last a normal android around 50-60 years. She was deemed defective and just tossed aside."
"Alright. What can we do?"
Aj sat down beside him, lighting a cigarette
"Unfortunately the news isn't very rosy."
Anon steeled himself
"Just give it to me straight."
"With every power core that's used, the overall performance suffers. Basic wear and tear that compounds over time." she explained "This means the more cores she goes through, the less functional she'll become until eventually she stops working altogether."
"How many cores do we have until that happens?"
She pauses for a long while
"She has none left. Her shut downs like that one you described in the tent will become more frequent and longer lasting until... well you know..."
He swore he could hear the sound of his own heart breaking like glass. Sunset had a mere 66 hours left of life.
Anon bit his lip, doing his best not to cry. Aj put her arm around him and hugged him tight.
"I can make a few adjustments to extend the time before she completely shuts down and keep the pre shut downs to a minimum." Aj said "But it'll only be a few hours at best."
"Do it. I'll pay whatever it takes."
"Don't you worry about payment. This one's on the house."
"Are you sure?"
"Consider giving me the privilege to deeply study the worlds first human android payment. I've learned more from this than money could ever pay back. She really is advanced beyond measure."
Aj walked back over, making the final tune up and turned her back on. She sat back upright on the table and Anon embraced her hard, letting the tears flow.
"Sunset." he sobbed
"I'm guessing you know then." she said softly "My defect."
He just couldn't believe it. He was going to lose the thing he loved most for a second time.
"I'm going to make these last few days the best god damn days of your entire life you understand me?"
Sunset gave a weak smile
"I understand perfectly."
He looked up to see she, too, was crying. No matter how much she tried to smile, no matter how much she tried to pretend she was strong, she just couldn't hide it. Anon got up and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"Don't you cry. The face of yours doesn't look good with tears on it."
She stiffened her upper lip
"I'll stay strong."
Anon turned to Aj, giving her a huge hug in turn.
"Thank you Aj. This is a debt I could never hope to repay."
"Don't even mention it. I did this because I wanted too. You don't own me a thing."
All Anon wanted was a drink. To drown his depression in alcohol. But he didn't want Sunset to see that. His depression drinking was not a pretty sight to behold.
"Sunset."
"Yes?"
"I hate to ask this but... but can you go up to the room for now. I need to do something real fast."
She nods
"Don't be long, ok?"
"I won't be."
Anon went down to Rarity's bar. Rarity waved.
"Well hello, darling. Where's your-"
She trailed off, seeing his eyes puffy and red and his head hung low.
"Oh my. You look positively terrible."
"I feel positively terrible. I need something strong."
"Tell me what happened."
She started to prepare the drink
"It's Sunset. Apparently her systems take so much energy to operate that she's going through power cores crazy fast. She's got just 2 days left to live before she permanently shuts off."
"Then what are you doing here drinking? Do you really want your last moments with her to be nothing but a drunken blurr?"
"Just..." Anon said in a defeated tone "Just let me..."
"No. Tell you what. You go spend these days with her sober and I'll give you as many drinks as you want for free. Now is not the time to be this way."
"I'll hold you too it."
She puts her hand on his shoulder
"And remember, Anon." she said "I'm here if you need a shoulder to cry on."
"Thank you."
Anon got up off the bar stool and went back to the room with haste. Sunset was just sitting on the bed, starring blankly into the distance.
"Hel.. hello Anon."
Her voice was monotone again and it was as if she was struggling to find the focus to say the words aloud.
"Sunset what's wrong?"
"I... extended... my li-fe by... an...other day... by reducing... funct..ions."
"Reducing functions? Sunset no, don't do that!"
Her pupils spun around and just like that she was back how she used to be
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't be. You were just trying to help."
He sat beside her, putting an arm around her
"Anon?" she asked
"Yes?"
"What happens when you die?"
He didn't want to say it
"Nothing Sunset..."
"That isn't true."
"It is, I'm afraid."
"It's not. If you live, I'll continue to as well."
"How do you figure?"
"In your memories. So long as you have me in your memories, I'll be alive. I guess it's like being alive in a sense"
Anon stared with his mouth agape. She did it. She actually did a figure of speech!
"I'm so proud of you!"
"Proud of me?"
"Yes! You did a figure of speech!"
"I guess I did, didn't I?"
"You know what this calls for? A celebration. I say we go on a date."
Her eyes lit up
"A date? That sounds wonderful!"
"It will be. Let me go get ready. We'll be ready to go in an hour. I'm going to take you to the nicest restaurant on the ship. Does a movie sound good afterwards? No, better idea. There's a dance being held tonight. We'll go do that."
"I'd be honored."
In a flash of golden light, she changed into the perfect date attire. Her hair was done in a braided bun and she wore a sparkling red dress with black gloves that extended nearly to her shoulders. She had thick red lipstick and half black, half white eye shadow. She looked jaw-droppingly beautiful.
"You look more beautiful than words can do justice."
She giggled, doing a little curtsy
"Why thank you, my prince."
"Now, if you'll excuse me."
He walked in the bathroom, getting ready as fast as he could. He put on the nicest suit he owned, being absolutely meticulous to make sure it looked perfect. He looked damn good. He walked out of the shower and did a little bow.
"My lady."
"So handsome."
"Shall we?"
"Absolutely."
The two locked arms with one another setting out for a nice night. Anon thanked the stars Rarity stopped him back there. He never would've been able to enjoy this properly otherwise. This was going to be fun. They took the elevator to the top floor where all the nicest restaurants were located. They walked to a seafood restaurant getting a seat by the window. It was so picturesque. They could see the earth surrounded by thousands of stars. The waiter came to take their orders and Sunset ordered some wine.
"I thought you couldn't eat or drink." he said
"I can't, not like you anyway. I can mimic it though, just not too many times in a row."
"I'm glad. Can you taste it as well?"
"Yes. It'll be the first food I've ever tasted."
"I'm glad I have the privilege to see that."
Sunset stared out the window
"It's so beautiful up here."
"It really is."
He kissed her cheek
"Just like you."
Sunset's face turned red
"C-come on. I'm not that pretty!"
"Sunset you are the prettiest thing to ever grace my eyes."
"You are such a flatterer."
"I just call it like I see it."
"Want to see me do another figure of speech?"
"Please."
"I'm as hungry as an equine!"
He giggled
"That's cheating. I already told you that one."
"Ok, ok fine. Ummmm... I'm as thick as too short planks!"
Anon let out a hearty laugh
"I don't think you know what that means."
"It means you're stupid. That your skull is as thick as two short planks and thus you have a tiny brain."
Sunset rolled her eyes
"You and your metaphors."
"I love you, Sunset."
"I love you too."
The food and wine arrived. He got some pink colored lobster straight from another planet while Sunset got a shrimp the size of both his hands. Sunny glanced at the wine in her glass, swirling it around.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know. It's just the first time I've ever had alcohol. I'm just nervous is all."
Anon lifted his glass in the air
"Then I propose a toast." he said "To your first drink."
They both clinked their glasses together and took a big drink. Sunset spit it out instantly.
"BLEGH!" she cried "How do you drink this stuff!?"
Anon couldn't help but go into fits of laughter
"You could say it's an acquired taste."
"I sure hope the dish is better than that."
"I've never tried it, but I've heard it's quite good. Apparently it comes from a planet that's only 5% land. And the fish there are absolutely massive. Shrimp on earth never get above the size of my thumb."
Sunset took a bite.
"Wow. This is delicious."
Anon began to crack at the lobster.
"So, according to my logs, a good way to do a date is by getting to know one another." Sunset said "What's your favorite memory?"
"My favorite memory? That's a tough one."
Truth be told, he didn't really have one. At least one that wasn't connected to his mother. But that was a subject to painful to discuss at this point. He leaned in and gave Sunset a kiss.
"I'd have to say all the time we've spent together."
Sunset smiled
"You are way to sweet for words."
"It's not my fault you're so perfect."
"Oh stop, you." she giggled
They both continued to eat, learning various things about one another. Sunset's favorite color was mint green, her favorite dish to cook was cookies, and one thing she always wanted to do was travel to various planets.
"I've got a good question for you."
"What's that?"
"Do you remember anything from your development?"
"I started much like humans do in life. I could barely form words, my legs didn't work so I had to crawl, I was even in a smaller chassis. I learned a lot quicker that humans obvious, going from toddler to adolescent mindset in but a week."
He smirked
"Were you hormonal too?"
She flicked his nose and smirked back
"No, of course not you, big meany."
"What else do you remember?"
"When they found out about my power core issue, there was a lot of nervous talking. They waited until I was nearly out of power then threw me off the side of a bridge. My leg got sliced of on one of beams during the fall."
The sad atmosphere returned as it reminded him of the reality that awaited. He couldn't let it consume him though. He had to stay strong. He last days wouldn't be spent in sadness.
"Let's change the subject. Like dessert!"
As if on cue, the waiter came back with dessert menus. Sunset looked over it carefully.
"The double chocolate cake sounds absolutely incredible." Sunset said
"I'm game."
"then it's settled."
The cake came out in good time and Anon was about to dig right in before she stopped him
"Wait, I have a better idea."
She took a piece of cake in her spoon and lifted it to his mouth.
"You're going to feed me?"
"Yeah. We'll feed each other the entire cake."
"What a strange way to do things."
"Oh you know it's cute."
She put the spoon in his mouth and his in hers. Sunset was mesmerized by the taste.
"Chocolate is so lovely."
They both keep feeding one another till most of it was gone.
"Man, I'm stuffed." Anon said
"What's next?"
"The dance. It'll be starting fairly soon."
"Hopefully you don't have two left feet."
"Well, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I did place sixth in my grade school's dance contest at age nine."
Sunset erupted into a fit of giggles
"My goodness. That is quite the accomplishment. Do you keep the trophy on the wall?"
"Well, some stars don't always get recognized for the talent they show."
"Well I am eager to see a demonstration."
Anon payed the bill and the two of them set out too the dance floor. The lights went down and the band began to play a face paced, energetic tune.
Anon swung her this way and that, twirling her under his outstretched arm. They both danced in perfect harmony, reading each other's movements down pat. As the song began to end, they did a final pirouette, Sunset landing in her beloved's arm.
"You know, for someone who placed sixth, you've got some moves." she said
"I told you, sometimes talent isn't always recognized."
She giggled and stood back up. Next was time for the all important slow, romantic tune. They both got close to one another, their right hands clasped and in the air, while their left were on each other's waist. As the tune played, they began to slowly turn around and around.
"Anon?"
"Yes?"
"I feel really lucky. The time we've spent together is by far the best time I've ever spent. You really are a great guy. I love you so much."
"I love you too. You've brought light to my dim life"
"Can you promise me something? Something important"
"Anything."
"When I finally go," she began, pausing a bit "promise me you won't fall into a deep depression. I want you to live a full life. Remember me, but please don't let the grief consume you."
"I promise I'll keep going. To keep your memory alive."
She smiled sincerely, resting her head on his shoulder
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
They both kissed one another. A deep, loving kiss that could only be shared by those who's hearts were inseparable. Once the slow tune ended, they returned to their room. As they sat on the bed Anon could see something was up. Sunset seemed nervous, as if she was thinking about something.
"You ok Sunset? You look like you have something on your mind."
She turned a deep red
"Y-you could say that..."
He looked confused
"What's the matter?"
"W-well... you see..." she stammered "I was looking at dating customs online and well... I saw it was relatively common for couples who had a romantic night out to end it in... copulation."
Anon blushed as well. He was 100% virgin. He hadn't even thought about it.
"Well... if you think you're ready." he said "Do you have a... you know..."
She nodded, her face only glowing redder
"You don't have the ability to get pregnant, do you?"
She shook her head
"Well then. Let's get this started."
They both sat on the bed. And sat there. And sat there.
"S-so..." she stuttered "Maybe we should take our clothes off?"
"Y-yeah. "
Anon pulled off his shirt and Sunny did the same. She had quite a nice rack. As she noticed his eyes lingering on her black velvet bra she crossed her arms over her chest. Anon gave a sympathetic look and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Sunset, if you're not ready we don't have to do this."
"N-no I'm good. Just... embarrassed."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Then let's keep going. If it's too much just tell me, ok?"
"I will."
Anon leaned into her and began to make out with her. He could feel her soft, smooth breasts squeeze against him. They made out for a long while and then prepared for the main event. They both took their pants off but Sunset stopped at her underwear.
"Sunset. You ok?"
"I'm ok. I promise."
She pulled her panties down to reveal her crown jewel. It looked positively amazing, covered in a light wetness. Sunset was similarly staring wide eye'd at his junk.
"W-wow." she said "You're big."
Nothing like a nice confidence booster.
"Thanks. You're not too hard on the eyes yourself."
Sunset got on her knees, preparing to give some head.
"Wait" Anon said "I don't want to orgasm just yet. I want to make you feel good first."
"Such a gentleman."
Anon got Sunset on his lap and pressed his fingers deep inside. It was so tight. And warm. Sunny bit her lip in response, suppressing a moan. He started to rub her insides while she made a slow, gentle gyrating movement against him. She was going wild. He fingered her for a good long while before finding what he believed was her g-spot. With a slight press, Sunset let out a long moan and spewed her female goo all over the bed and his hand. It was like a raging river. Poor Sunset looked mortified.
"Oh my gosh. A-Anon I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. That's exactly what I was hoping for."
Now it was time for the tried and true, P in V. Anon lay back on the bed while she positioned herself above him, spreading her still dripping folds. She slowly eased in, her flower barely having enough space to accommodate him. They began to hump, slowly at first, but after a bit of stretching were able to really get into it. They went at it like dogs before finally, he blew his load all over her insides and both fell on each side of the bed. Sunset's vagina was leaking his stuff all over the bed and Anon was panting and sweating like crazy.
"That was fun." she said
"You said it."
Anon was starting to feel the fatigue. He wanted more than anything to stay up. But he was just minutes away from sleep.
"Sunset?"
"Yes?"
"I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"
"I'll see you tomorrow. I love you so much."
"I love you so much too."
Within seconds, he was out like a light. The perfect day concluded.
Anon jolted at the sudden greeting, rubbing the sleep from his eyes
"What time is it?" he groaned
"10:04 AM" Sunset said
He cracked one eye open, looking at the dim light coming from outside his window. It didn't take long for him to get up though. The smell of Sunny's cooking was simply irresistible. He looked out the window. Sure enough, earth was far behind and they were speeding quickly through the emptiness of space.
"I supposed I'll just get this out of the way now." he said "When will the dreaded hour come?"
"Tomorrow at 5:34 PM."
"Alright. Then let's make this another day to remember."
"Lets."
Sunset set the table. An amazing smell of eggs, bacon and coffee.
"How'd you enjoy last night?"
"It was absolutely magical. If I could go back, I'd not change a single thing."
"I'm glad. Anything you want to do today?"
"I'm not sure. What is there to do?"
"A lot of things. This ship is absolutely massive. Some of favorites include the aquarium, the interactive history museum, and the zoo. The garden is pretty spectacular too."
Sunny looked surprised
"You can fit that much on the ship?"
"Oh yeah. And more, as you can see." he said "I want this to be your day though. So just name what you want to do and consider it done."
"I want to go to the center of the sun." she teased
"Oh, Sunny."
He got up and kissed her cheek
"But really though. Anything you want to do?"
"The history museum sounds lovely. So does the garden."
"We have time for both. I'll just finish eating and we'll be out."
Anon quickly finished the food, got dressed and followed Sunset out the door. She had transformed into a pretty all white sundress, complete with a brown purse. However, unlike the dress, the purse wasn't just the reskin trick she did. It was real.
"Where'd you get that purse?"
"I bought it. I thought it looked cute."
"You weren't mistaken. I really like it. It really completes your outfit."
Sunset erupted into a fit of excited and nervous giggles
"I'm glad." she said "I was a little nervous it wouldn't look good."
"Sunset, anything you wear looks amazing."
"Oh stop, you flatterer."
He smiled and kissed her. As they went down the elevator he looked at her.
"How do you feel?" he asked "You know. After last night."
"You mean the sex? It felt really nerve wracking at first, almost terrifying. But you reassuring me helped me get comfortable. I'm glad we did it. I feel even closer to you than before. It's hard to explain."
"I think I get it. It's just such an intimate experience. We got to see each other at our most vulnerable."
"Exactly. Was I ok?"
"You were perfect, Sunset."
The elevator doors opened and they walked down to the history museum. To Sunset's surprise, it was a long line of chairs and headsets.
"Human history is awfully limited."
Anon laughed
"This isn't the museum. At least not literally. It's a VR experience."
"We'll still be together throughout right?"
"Right."
They both took their seats and hooked in. Within a moment it was like they were in a new world. It was the distance past. The very distant past. Back when humans took their first steps. They saw all sorts of scenes. Beauty, glory, war and death. Sunset, surprisingly enough, kept a somewhat deadpan stare throughout it all. They took the headsets off and went outside. Sunset's expression remained muted.
"Are you alright, Sunset?"
"I'm fine just... processing."
"Processing what?"
"Never mind it. I have an idea."
"What's that?"
"Let's get a camera."
"A camera? Sunny both of us can take pictures by blinking our eyes."
She tugged his arm.
"Come on. Trust me it'll be fun. I have an idea."
"If you insist."
The couple walked down to a shop. This worked very different from the shops of old. There were no humans manning the stands, not even an android. Instead it was a line of cylinder type objects. With the press of a button, and adequate payment, they could take atoms and form them into anything. After getting the camera, Sunny put it around her neck.
"Say cheese!"
Having barely any time to react, Anon half smiled as the camera flashed.
"Ok, so do you mind telling me what this is about?"
"I want to make a scarpbook. A physical one."
She paused
"For you to remember me when I'm gone."
Anon hugged her close
"That's a wonderful idea."
"Shall we go to the garden?"
"Absolutely."
In a hop, skip and a jump, they went to the garden. It was a large green house type building with a clear view of the sky, or shall I say, space above. The air was hot and humid. It was rather nice compared to the average temperature of the ship. Sunset began obsessively taking pictures. It was strange, yet charming. Anon knew she had access to all sorts of databases and the internet. There was no way she didn't have a record of every plant here, maybe even the entire ship. Was she feigning her ignorance?
"Sunset?"
She clicked a few more shots, including one of him
"Yes, love?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
She kept clicking away. It was like she was trying to capture every single centimeter of the garden.
"You have full access to the internet right? And untold numbers of databases?"
"Correct."
Click. Click. Click.
"Why do you act like this is your first time seeing things? There's no way you don't have numerous records of this. It's not like it's not public knowledge."
She stopped clicking, just staring through the lens, completely still.
"Sunset? Are you ok?"
He pulled the camera down, to see tears running down her face. Anon immediately embraced her.
"Tell me what's going on."
"I... I don't it's just... just..." her lip began to quiver
"Shhh. Come here. Let's sit."
He guided her over to a bench and sat down, not letting go of the embrace all the while
"Talk to me."
"Humans... when they get older their memories aren't as good."
"Sometimes, yes."
"And... when they... go... they can't remember anything at all."
"Yes."
"So these pictures... these..."
Sunset began to go into hysterics
"Shhh. It's ok. Take as many pictures as you want. I'll personally see too it they will last till the end of the universe."
"You will?"
"I will."
Anon reached back and plucked out a flower. It was a large white bloom, found on a galaxy billions of light years away. He stuck it right in her hair.
"What's this?" she asked
"A little something for us to remember this occasion."
"It's beautiful."
"Want to know something especially cool about this flower?"
"What?"
Anon smiled
"It's best if I show you, rather than tell you. Come."
Guiding her by the hand, he ushered her back up to the room.
"Now watch closely."
He flicked off the lights and like that the flower glowed a beautiful neon blue. It was such a pungent glow Sunset's face was slightly visible in the pitch darkness.
"Wow. It's beautiful."
"I couldn't agree more."
He leaned in for another kiss which Sunset happily reciprocated. He turned the lights back on.
"You still haven't told me the reason you seem to know less than you should."
"Well..." she said "You really want to know?"
"Of course."
"I wanted to be like a human. Experience things without prior knowledge. So I've shut down most of my internet functionality."
"How is it?"
She paused and paced back and forth about the room
"It's nice in a way. A little scary at times. But nice."
"Scary how?"
"It's just unknown. My internal systems keep yelling at me."
"I've got a grand idea."
"What's that?"
"Want to play some games?"
"What games?"
"Why not the age old intellectual tradition of chess?" he asked "But you can't turn on the internet to cheat ok?"
"As if I'd need too."
"Is that a challenge?"
She smirked
"I'm just saying that I could read you like a book."
"Well now I have to try this."
Anon reached into his closet, pulling out an old wooden chessboard
"This is a chessboard my grandfather gave me for my tenth birthday. It's been in his family for close to nine generations."
"That's impressive."
The two sat at the table, setting the pieces on the board
"You know how to play?" he asked
"Yep. And you'll see that soon enough."
"Well then, make your move, white queen."
"As you wish, black king."
The two began to play. At first it was an even match, Anon even having her on the ropes a few times. Only for Sunset to come out with a big finish, putting him in check within a few minutes.
"That was excellent." he said "led me to a false sense of security."
"Hardly. You just got to cocky at the end."
"Best two out of three?"
"Best two out of three."
In the next two games Sunset was even less forgiving, wiping him out faster and faster each time.
"You are one tough customer."
"What can I say? I am still part computer."
"I did pretty good though right?"
"I'd say so."
The two of them spent the rest of the day, cooped up in the room, playing various games till bedtime.
Anon checked his watch. 10 AM sharp. The final day. Just 7 hours and 30 minutes left. It may as well be mere moments. But he couldn't get caught up on that. He had to stay strong. The time for grief was later. Once again, as it always did, the smell of Sunset's cooking wafted across the air. Unlike all the previous days however, this smell had a heavy weight to it. It'd be the last time he'd smell it, last he'd taste it.
"So what's on the menu today?" he asked
"A personal favorite of mine too cook." she said "French toast."
"Sounds wonderful."
Sunset sat at the table beside him and watched with a look of particular intensity.
"Is something the matter?"
"I was wondering something."
"What's that?"
"I want to do something today."
"What's that?"
Sunset blushed
"What's the matter? Want a candle light dinner? Or maybe a romantic stroll?"
"No that's not it... I kinda... I want to sing."
"To sing?"
"Right. I'd love to do a singing contest to be precise."
"A singing contest?"
"Yeah. It seems like so much."
"Consider it done. I'll call in a few favors and we'll get it set up."
Sunset gives a great big hug
"You're the best."
"Don't you mention it." he said "You sit here and practice your performance. I'll be right back."
Anon walked out of the room and headed to Rarity's bar. It was closed and Rarity was sitting there polishing some glasses. As he approached, she gave him a sympathetic smile.
"How are you doing, love?" she asked
"I'm hanging in there. I need a favor."
"Name it."
"Sunset's final wish is to do a singing contest. Can you get one going?"
"It'd be my pleasure."
"Thanks Rarity. I owe you big time for this."
"Don't even mention it. I'll call you when it's done."
He rushed back upstairs to find Sunny on the bed. He sat beside her.
"Rarity's got it going. She should be ready in an hour or two."
Sunset smiled
"Thanks. I know it's silly."
"Not even. I bet you're going to kill it. Let me hear you sing."
She began to sing. It was bad. Really bad. Like nails on a chalkboard bad. Poor thing had no sense of tone whatsoever.
"How was that?" she asked
"You want me to be honest?"
"Yes."
"It was pretty bad. But we can fix that. I know a little about singing"
He guided her through it as best he could. When he said he knew a little about singing, he meant it in the most literal sense of the word. Slowly but surely, however, she began to get some tone and learn rhythm. She was just a diamond in the rough that needed a bit of polish. Within no time at all, Rarity called up, saying everything was ready. She worked fast. She did what he expected her to do in an hour or so in less than thirty minutes.
"That was Rarity." he said "The singing contest is ready to go. You ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Then lets go. I know you'll do great."
They arrived at the tenth floor and went to the designated room for the event. It had a pretty decent turnout. About twenty guests. He and Sunset took a seat towards the middle, waving to Rarity to signal that she could start. She took the podium.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice and welcome to the first ever singing contest!" Rarity said "The rules are simple: you must sing without the aid of music and you must sing a song under 3 minutes in length. You will be judged by myself and the ships head mechanic, Applejack. We will be picking three among the 12 to go the finals. Questions?"
The room was silent
"Excellent. Then we'll begin. Our first contestant comes all the way from the Large Magellanic Cloud, give it up from Troy!"
One by one, each contestant, twelve in total, took the stage. Some were, of course, horrendously bad but two in particular were stellar. One of them was an opera singer and the other seemed to just have a natural gift for singing. The odds were against Sunset now. But he could see that it didn't phase Sunset a lick. She was confident she'd win.
"And now, last but not least, a woman hailing from the origin point of humanity, Earth. Give it up for Sunset Shimmer!"
The was a light round of applause. Suddenly Sunset seemed quite a bit more nervous. Anon gave her a nod and a smile. She took a nice deep breath and smiled, taking center stage.
"This goes out to the man I love: Anon E. Mouse."
The audience gave a big round of applause. Anon blushed and smiled, clapping just as hard. Sunset hesitantly took the mic, waiting for her nerves to settle before finally singing. The little coaching session payed off in spades. She was easily on the level as the two heavy hitters. She'd have to be do even better though of she wished to outclass the opera singer, no easy feat. Sunset returned to her seat beside him, shaking quite a bit.
"That was excellent, Sunset. You were even better than when we practiced."
"Thanks," she said, voice trembling slightly "It was so nerve wracking."
"Clearly those fears were misplaced."
Anon hugged her tight, bringing her trembling to a stop. The safety of her lover's arms calmed her in mere moments. Rarity took the stage once again, grabbing the mic.
"Well the judges have spoken." Rarity said "And the final contestants are, drum roll please."
The audience began to make a drum sound by tapping their fingers against the chairs.
"Sunset Shimmer, Pinkie Pie, and Scootaloo."
There was a huge round of applause from the audience and Anon kissed Sunny's forehead.
"Great job, honey."
"Our first contest for the finals will be Scootaloo." Rarity said "Take it away!"
Scootaloo sang a rousing ballad followed by Pinkie, the opera singer. Those pipes were no joke. Sunset would have to sing one hell of a song to top that performance.
"Go get 'em, Sunset. You've got this."
"Thanks, hun."
She made her way back to the stage and grabbed the mic. Anon could instantly tell how nervous she was just by the way she stood. She took a deep breath and began to sing. Something truly incredible happened. Sunset had reached a whole new level of beauty in her voice. Never in his life had he heard notes so beautiful. She sang a slow song, a melodic song. Most of the audience stood up for a standing ovation, himself included. It was clear who the winner was. Sunset nearly ran back down to her seat, shaking like a tree in the breeze.
"Sunset! That was incredible!"
"Thanks," she said, hugging him tight "I did my best."
Rarity once again took too the stage
"Well after a bit of deliberation, we know we have a clear winner. However, each final contestant will be going away with a prize today. In third place, we have Scootaloo."
Scootaloo happily walked up, receiving a third place ribbon.
"In second place, the one, the only: Pinkie Pie."
Pinkie walked up, getting herself a second place ribbon and a free ticket to any event on the ship
"And the moment you've all been waiting for: drum roll please."
The audience began a drum roll again
"In first place, Sunset Shimmer!"
Sunset walked up and received a gold first place ribbon along with a glass rose. Rarity smiled and tapped her shoulder.
"Good job, Sunset."
"Thanks, Rarity. This was better than I could've hoped for."
"No. Thank you, Sunset."
Rarity embraced Sunset tight
"For what?"
"I've known Anon since he was a child." she explained "And ever since his mom passed, he's never been a particularly happy guy. This is the happiest I've ever seen him since he was little. And it's all thanks to you."
"Thanks Rarity. That means more than you realize."
"Anytime, love."
Anon checked his watch. That took much longer than anticipated. It was already half past 1. He couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of dread wash over him. It was too soon. It was all going by too fast. Sunset walked back, embracing Anon hard.
"That was so wonderful, Sunset."
"Thank you so much. I couldn't have done it without you."
"We've got five hours left. What do you want to do?"
Sunset rested her head on his shoulder
"Ready for another silly request?"
"Name it."
"I want to do a movie marathon and snuggle the entire time."
"I couldn't think of a better thing to do if I'd been given all day." he kissed her "let's go."
The returned to the room, moving the couch in front of the TV and getting some popcorn ready.
"Anything you'd like to watch in particular?" Anon asked
"No. Whatever you want to watch, I'm sure I'll enjoy it."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
Anon reached into the fridge to get something
"I have something just for this occasion."
"What's that?"
Anon pulled out a tall bottle of wine
"A bottle of vintage Chateau Pierre de Montignac. It's the nicest, most expensive wine I own. And I can't think of a better time to open it than right now."
Sunset got teary eyed
"Oh Anon." she whispered
"And I don't want to hear a word of protest. We're both going to enjoy this together and that's final."
He sat beside her and she hugged him tight
"You are the best man I could ask for."
"I only do the best for the best woman in the world."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
He flicked on the TV
"Anon. Before we watch, there's something I want to ask you. It's important."
"What's that?"
He noticed she was reaching into her purse for something, pulling out a small wooden box.
"The purse wasn't the only thing I got... And I know this is not usually how this is done but..."
She pulled open the box, revealing a diamond ring
"Will you marry me?"
Anon's eyes went wider than dinner plates. Even he couldn't stop the tears in his eyes. He hugged Sunset tighter than he'd hugged anything in his life.
"Absolutely, Sunset. Absolutely."
Sunset gave the most wondrous, content smile and closed her eyes.
"Thank you."
Sunny slipped the ring around his finger
"It's beautiful, Sunset. I promise I'll never take it off for as long as I live."
"I'll hold you too that."
He poured each of them a glass of wine and lifted the glass in the air
"To our marriage."
"To our marriage."
They both drank
"So what do you think? Like it?"
"I still can't say I enjoy the taste. But I do prefer it to the wine we had on our date. It's good going in, but boy does it leave an aftertaste."
"I'm glad. That's what you get with such good wine."
He began to run through the various selections of movies
"I say we watch 80s and 90s classics. Some say it's the golden age of American film making."
"Well now I'm more eager than ever."
They watched the best of them. Apocalypse Now, Predator, the Goonies. Sunset couldn't help but laugh at how unrealistic the high testosterone movies were. How unrealistic it all was. Movie by movie, their time dwindled until finally 5:20 had arrived. Sunset had been reduced to laying her head on his lap. The entire rest of her body had completely stopped functioning. He slowly ran his hand through her hair, tears forming in his eyes.
"Sunset."
"Don't... cry. That face... of yours... it doesn't look good with tears on it."
Tears began to stream down his face. Sunset's voice had started to change. It was metallic and echoing, as if she were speaking through a roll of aluminum foil.
"Sunset." he barely managed to choke out through the tears "I love you."
"I love you... too. Please... don't be too sad."
"I won't. I'll keep your memory alive. I promise."
"Thank you," she whispered "That's exactly what I... what I..."
She closed her eyes, a peaceful smile across her face. Sunset had finally passed.
She looked so relaxed. Almost as if she were just asleep. Then the realization hit him like a falling building. Sunset was gone. Anon let out a wail of sadness. He spent two solid hours sitting there, hugging her tightly and crying his heart out. He needed a drink. He got up and lay Sunset on the couch. She was much heavier now, at least 150 pounds or more. He placed some covers on her and wrapped her fingers around the glass rose.
He walked down to Rarity's bar, absolutely defeated. He sat on the bar stool, head down, not saying a word. Rarity rubbed his shoulder.
"Oh, sweetheart."
Rarity, making good on her promise, gave him something strong. He drank himself comatose, all without uttering a single word.
The next he woke up, he was in his own bed. Head pounding, joints aching. Felt like he had been ran over by a bus and a jackhammer was doing chaos in his skull. He didn't want to get up. All he wanted to do was lay there, forever. All of a sudden there was a loud knock on the door. It felt like someone pressing a hot iron in his eye socket.
"Go away!" he yelled
"Anon! Open up! It's Twilight!"
"I said go away!"
"You asshole! Open up right now!" she yelled "Your stupid toy did something to my books!!!"
She obviously wasn't going to stop knocking any time soon. And if he had to hear that for even a minute more he was going to tear his own ears off. But then it hit him. His toy? What did she mean? He sluggishly got up, unlocked the door and found Twilight, holding her book tablet. She looked shocked at the sight.
"Anon..." she said "You look terrible. What happened?"
"Never mind that. What did you mean when you said my toy did something to your books?"
She pointed to the tablet
"Look."
Anon took it and couldn't believe what he saw. There was a message. It read
"In my last moments I figured out something. Since a part of my code was used to to transfer those books to Twilight, I was able to use it as a backdoor and upload all my consciousness and memories. It took quite a while to upload all the data, but I'm still here."
Anon fixed his suit collar nervously, going over all the lines. He'd never been more nervous in his entire life. This was his big moment. The big day. He could swear his heart was pounding so loud everyone could hear it the next state over. The bell sounded. Now was his time to shine.
He stepped out the door and onto the red carpet, followed shortly after by his soon to be official wife, Sunset Shimmer. Her dress was magnificent. All white and covered with sparkles and gemstones. Her veil lightly concealed the beautiful face underneath. He could see that amazing smile shinning through. They began to walk down the isle, past the pews, as the music played and the flower girls tossed their petals about. They reached center stage.
Rarity stood behind Sunset, her first choice as the Maid of Honor. As Anon was not the biggest social butterfly, his only choice for best man was Applejack, who took the role eagerly. The music died down and the vows began.
"Sunset Shimmer," the priest began "Do you take Anon E. Mouse as your lawfully wedded husband."
"I do." she said
"And do you, Anon E. Mouse, take Sunset Shimmer as your lawfully wedded wife."
"I do."
"Do you together promise you will love, cherish and respect one another throughout the years?"
"I do." they responded in unison
"I, Sunset Shimmer, take you, Anon E. Mouse, to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live."
"I, Anon E. Mouse, take you to be my wife, to respect you in your successes and in your failures, to care for you in sickness and in health, to nurture you, and to grow with you throughout the seasons of life."
They went through, vow by vow, until the big moment arrived.
"I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Anon lifted her veil and the two shared a deep kissed, followed by thunderous applause. Rarity could hardly keep herself from crying. The wedding ceremony went on well into the night. It was the most fun he'd ever experience. At the end they sat out by the cemetery overlooking the lake. Sunset leaned against him lovingly.
"That was magical." she said
"It really was." he said "I'm glad... I'm glad this worked out. That day three years ago... I was so sad I thought I'd never come out of it. When Twilight showed me her tablet I swear I nearly jumped all the way to heaven."
"You know I never did get an answer. How were you able to craft a power core able to sustain me?"
"It wasn't easy. Applejack went through day and night trying to craft it. There's a reason it took over two and a half years to put it together. Though I doubt she's mad. She did win an award with it after all. The most efficient power core ever devised. You know she's retiring next year right?"
"Is that so?"
"Yep. She says she'll still help service you when need be." he said "What was it like? Being confined to a book tablet?"
"It was certainly something to get used too. I hated not being able to move about and only being able to speak through text."
They both fell silent, staring out across the moonlit lake
"So what do we do now?" Sunny asked
"Well we still have the honeymoon."
"Yeah but that's three weeks away. I mean right now, now."
Anon got a devilish smile
"Are you able to get wet?"
"Yes. Thanks to the improvements Aj made to my chassis, I'm completely waterproof now."
"Well then, what do you say to a bit of moonlight skinny dipping?"
Sunset snorted
"Oh yeah. Remember what happened last time? You came down with a cold."
"How could I forget? We snuggled together while I told you scary stories. I could go for getting another cold again for a change to snuggle."
She kissed his nose
"You know, you don't have to get sick to get snuggles from me. You can just ask."
"Come on Sunset. What do you say?"
"Fine, fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."
Anon began to take off his suit. Felt good to air out after spending so long in that stuffy thing. Sunset, however, was not fairing so well. She was wearing an actual dress, not doing the whole reskin trick she liked to do. Rarity simply insisted that she wear and actual hard fabric dress.
"A little help please." she said
Anon happily obliged, carefully pulling off each piece of the puzzle that was a wedding dress. Sunset covered her now nude body with her hands and Anon hugged her tight.
"It's been three years since we've seen one another naked." he said
"It's so embarrassing!"
"Sunset, a lady as good looking as you should be flaunting that body."
The two of them kissed.
"Shall we take a swim beautiful?"
"Lets."
The two ran down into the lake, sealing what would be the start of a long lasting, stronger than gravity relationship.
