//------------------------------// // Chapter 42: Electricity and Confessions // Story: Vocaloid in Equestria: beta session // by DerpyStarlet //------------------------------// I smirked, and focused on my gloves. I was able to manipulate, and create, electricity, and items that used it. I was struck with a twisted idea, one that made me giddy with joy. "Forget being another nobody...How about being somebody? But what all can I do with this?" As I asked myself that question, I looked over Ponyville, my seat on the tower giving me a brilliant view of the town. I wasn't sure how I had gotten up on top of the tower, but I didn't care at the moment. I could hear, and see, Rin and Luka downstairs, but I had taken the headphones off. I couldn't take them off completely, but it felt nice having them around my neck. The wind was gusting, so I was kept busy with preventing my skirt from flipping. I smiled, before standing up, popping my knuckles. The others didn't know where I was, which only aided my idea. I knew there was a cloud ready, because Dash had left her nap cloud at the bottom of the tower. If I was right, the sheer amount of electricity should keep me from passing through, but I wasn't certain. "Only one way to find out, Josh...Jump!" I tore through the air, arcs of electrical energy searing my body, but there were no marks. I flew past the balcony, waving at Rin, but I never saw her reaction. I shot towards the cloud, my life flashing before my eyes. I saw nothing, which was acceptable: I didn't want to be known back home. If I was going to be somebody, I was doing it my way. Which, I was beginning to regret. My vision blurred, and I slammed into the cloud, annihilating it. 'Cloud? What cloud?' I thought, before seeing a small swimming pool. A blur of pink, and the pool was empty. I crashed into the pool, and my mind went blank. When I came to, Rin, Len, Luka, and another person were looking down upon me. I could feel the sparks still running through me, and weakly said, "They weren't kidding when they said water was like stone at high enough speeds," while I put the headphones back over my ears. Rin was first to speak, but what she said was no surprise. "" She asked. Luka shrugged, and I smiled, before pushing myself to my feet. The water hadn't just broken my fall, it had soaked through me. The sparks must have dampened my fall(Pun intended), because the most damage I had suffered was a headache, and a bruised rear. I tapped my chin, before smiling. I took the microphone from my waist and repeated myself, before looking around. "No crater, that's good." I said with an approving nod. "What exactly did you do?" asked Luka, her eyes giving me a steely glare. "Jumped off the spire. It is called a spire, right? Or is it just tower?" I replied, waving my hand like it was an everyday thing. "" Rin nearly shrieked. She raised her hands, ready to strangle me, but I held up my own hand. "I prefer 'lack of standard sanity'." I said, with a cocky tone. Pinkie seemed to pop out of nowhere, and shouted, "" Everyone looked baffled, myself included. Rin opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, when Luka asked calmly, "What is that supposed to mean?" "" Pinkie replied mischievously. I shook my head, and sighed. After what felt like an eternity, Luka broke the silence with a question I was not willing to answer honestly, which would be difficult, as Applejack trotted up curiously. "What are you going to do, with whatever that was?" "" asked Applejack. I looked away, not wanting to answer. I knew I had to, but with Applejack's inconvenient timing, I didn't know if I could lie convincingly enough. "I plan on ensuring the protection of Ponyville, but I'll do it my way. This may make me seem like an ass, but I will do what must be done, no matter the collateral damage." I said confidently. Applejack studied me intently, and scowled. I scowled back, before turning around quickly. Luka grabbed me by the arm, and instantly, I knew; She hadn't bought it. "You're lying." Luka said. I shrugged, and turned around, arcs of electricity lancing out from my gloves. "You're right. I am lying. I won't be a protector of this town. I'll do as I please, but I'm willing to strike a deal." "That would be?" Luka asked, her grip tightening. It didn't bother me, as I could ignore pain. To an extent anyways. "I stay out of your way, you let me do what I need done." A three-dimensional grid formed, showing Equestria. A blue blip was faint in Manehatten, and an aquamarine blip was just outside Apploosa, and moving. Two gold blips, a pink blip, a purple blip, and a scarlet blip were clustered at the edge of Ponyville, and I was surprised. "That's...useful." I said, too stunned to move. "I thought for sure I was going to get a taser." Rin looked at the map, and seemed confused. "" She asked. Luka looked at me, and I looked back. "Every Vocaloid in Equestria," we guessed, as names started showing up. "Miku Hatsune, Rin and Len Kagamine, Megurine Luka-" I stopped suddenly, as my body glowed red. My vision went white, and when I could see again, I continued listing Vocaloids off, barely noticing my voice rose in pitch. What I did notice was my music was back, and the song I heard was Nothing Else Matters, by Metallica. "-Sakine Meiko, Kaito, and Kamui." Rin teared up at the mention of Kaito, and I looked confused, because of what Luka had explained. "So, he left Ponyville." "Why, hello dear Joshua! Finally found the map?" I whipped around, only to find that the map had morphed into Discord's face. Everyone changed their stance, and I tried to pull off the gloves. Sadly, it failed to work. "You must have realized by now this game won't end for quite some time, right?" I snarled something, but in my rage, I couldn't understand what I had said. Apparently, nobody else did either, but Discord apparently got the gist. "If I were a federal agent or a cop, I'd arrest you. Since I'm not, I'll have to settle for vigilantism!" I sneered, when the map(Or what was left of it) snapped shut, into a hexagonal platform three inches in length and width, and a quarter inch in height. "Uh...that's..." "" Rin exclaimed through tears. She smiled, and hugged Len tightly, which had me a little confused. "It would seem so. And this makes my overall goal a lot easier to achieve." "You were really pissed a moment ago. What happened to that?" Luka asked, letting go of my arm. "Quick to anger, quick to calm." I replied, poking and prodding the map. "How does this thing open back up?" After figuring out how it opened up again(Saying 'open' in Latin, which made little sense), I kept the map open at all times. The blip that was apparently Miku was getting no closer, and the cluster of blips that was everyone currently gathered was not shrinking. Eventually, I grew bored, and tossed the map on the ground, expecting it to return to the gloves, but what I expected was not what I got. All my emotions began to bubble to the surface, as everything I hated started to run through my head. People making fun of me for liking My Little Pony, getting accused of stealing money from my family, my GameBoy Advance being stolen, right up to the very root: Humanity itself. I curled my lips, and narrowed my gaze. I needed to vent, and screaming was not going to make the cut. I needed a punching bag. I bolted into the castle, a fist cocked back, ready to swing. The first person I saw, I decked. Or at least, tried to. She dodged out of the way, spinning like a dancer. I slid to a stop, and spun around, roundhouse style, except I missed again. I was so pissed off, I was seeing red, and the music pounding in my ears to the point I started to go with it, swinging in rhythm to Five Finger Death Punch. "Go! This ain't a test, fuck the rest! Time to set the record straight!" "I don't know why you want to fight, but you need to calm down, Meiko!" Luka said, blocking my punches. I couldn't stop myself from singing, so I kept swinging. When I finally cooled down, I fell to my knees, and screamed. "Why!? Why do I always take the blame, take the fall!? When does anyone even give a damn!?" The music stopped, and changed to a song that reflected how I felt. The Bleeding. I knew the song well, and it had helped me escape from pain before, but now, it only amplified my pain. "Who do you want to be, Meiko? What do you want to be? A monster, or a hero?" Luka asked, and I quivered. "I just want a second chance..." I said, and slowly stood up, my fists clenched. "I need a second chance. I need to find something to place my faith in again. I hate everything about myself, about others, and nobody has ever given a shit. I stopped giving a shit. I still don't give a shit!" I spun around, my fist crackling with electricity, but Luka still dodged effortlessly. "Than answer this, Meiko: Who are you, and what do you stand for?" I hesitated, and my anger and hate became calm again. "I am Joshua Grimm, and I stand for nothing." I said, my voice full of spite. "Than why can I understand you, when everyone else needs you to speak into the microphone?" Luka's face shimmered, and I doubled over, before passing out. My eyes shot open, and Rin was standing over me, looking worried. My body was covered in bandages, and the same map that I had seen when I was dreaming, was sitting on my lap. I was indeed Sakine Meiko again, instead of the original Meiko, yet something felt off. "" Rin asked. I groaned, and sat up. "I was bored...Mind filling me in on what all happened since I passed out?" The microphone was at my waist, so Rin only looked confused. Luka entered the room, and I grimaced. "Hey, Luka." "Meiko, why would you do such a crazy stunt?" Luka crossed her arms, and frowned. "I..." I couldn't bring myself to finish. But they needed to know. Who I was, why I was investigating, and what my plans were. If I wanted to get them on board, I'd have to confess everything. "" Rin asked. She looked worried, and leaned on the bed, her eyes showing confusion, clear as day. "I have a confession, but everyone needs to be here." I said after what felt like eternity. After Rin and Luka had gathered everyone, excluding the ponies, I stood from the bed, and looked around at the others, holding the microphone to my lips. "I'm not here against my will. I'm here of my own design." I stated, Len and Kamui looked confused. "" Kamui asked. I nodded. "I wanted a second chance at life, because of how badly I screwed things up at home. You haven't seen who I really am, and for that, I feel terrible." "And yet, here you are, spouting words that so far have no substance." Luka stated. "I was -am- a snake. A manipulative bastard who could twist the opinions of those who trusted me. I destroyed relationships that my friends were in, just for the hell of it. I hated, and still hate, everything humanity stands for." "" Rin asked, looking a little baffled. "I hacked your email accounts. I stole information from the police. I started my own investigation, but it was a ruse; I just wanted to get the hell away from people I could hurt. I wanted a second chance." No one was comfortable anymore. Not what I wanted, but the ball was rolling. "I couldn't bear seeing all the destruction anymore, so I steeled myself to take any measure necessary to grab the attention of GodofChaos. Despite my doubts, I had convinced others, and myself, that it was Discord behind it all. When I realized I was right, it was too late. He brought me here, and turned me into Sakine Meiko." "" Len asked. I shrugged. "It's not a game. Discord wants some sort of war, and I'm fighting for the light. For Harmony, no matter how much I am tempted to fight for the darkness, as my past suggests." "So, you want Discord beaten, is that what you mean?" Luka wondered. "And I want to be the one who beats him." I agreed, before promptly fainting.