Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

Music

Chapter Eighteen: Music
~BlackRoseRaven

Cadence yawned loudly as she dragged herself to the kitchen of her little apartment, blinking blearily as she fumbled through the process of putting on her blueberry tea. She mumbled under her breath to herself as she spilled water all over the kettle instead of into it, but couldn't be bothered to give it more than a cursory wipe before she put it on the stove and then laid herself half-over the counter.

She felt exhausted. Everything had caught up to her, and even if she had healed up almost completely in a ridiculously short amount of time, her muscles and brain sure as hell were both still making sure she knew they were unhappy with all the stress they had gone through.

Cadence fumbled at the kettle after a few minutes as she heard a whistling, dragging it off the stove and pouring the liquid into a mug before she picked this up and took a sip, then scowled and slowly spat the liquid back into the cup, staring down at it the cold water blankly. She looked stupidly at the kettle, then at the stove, which she... did not even turn it on. Dammit, Cadence.

What the hell was that whistling, though?

Cadence put down her mug of water as one of her ears twitched, the mare realizing it was coming from outside. She headed to the door and opened it, then sighed tiredly as the whistling became a roaring as a cleaning droid rumbled slowly by.

She slammed the door, turning around, before she swore angrily, jumping backwards as she saw La Croix now sitting in her kitchen, the Loa grinning as he held out a cup to her. “You lookin' for this, mademoiselle?”

“Goddammit it's too early for this!” Cadence shouted, and the zebra winced before Cadence stormed forwards, then narrowed her eyes as she caught the sweet scent of honey and raspberries. “Wait. Why are you giving me this? Why are you here?”

“No offense, Cygne, but y'always are a bit of a salope in the mornings. Or well, whatever counts as a morning here, still don't understand how this whole night-day thing works when there ain't no real night or day.” La Croix said mildly, and Cadence looked at him suspiciously even as she took the cup of tea and sipped at it. It was sweet, sharp, and loaded with sugar, just the way she liked it.

That actually did make her more suspicious, but it also was enough to calm her down a little even as she looked at La Croix, who looked back at her with an awkward grin. She noted that his cape and hat were back in place, and he was fidgeting, playing nervously with his amulet... great. We're going to get in trouble for something, aren't we? “What happened?”

“Nothing!” La Croix huffed loudly, and then he hesitated and said finally: “Okay, nothin' yet. But uh... I guess I wanted to ask you to come along and help me cheer Moony up.”

Cadence softened at this, and then she nodded before frowning a bit as she sipped at the raspberry tea, asking moodily: “Why did you think you needed to butter me up just to get me to do that? I was planning on making sure Moonflower doesn't do anything stupid today anyway.”

“Well, y'see, I don't want you tellin' the rein de la nuit that I be worried about him or that what we should do was my idea.” La Croix said mildly, and Cadence began to smile before she realized what the zebra was implying: wait. What idea? “Y'know that thing that Moony likes to do?”

“Cabaret.” Cadence said before she could stop herself, and the Loa snorted in amusement, then hurriedly cleared his throat and looked at her pointedly, and the ivory mare smiled lamely.

“Th'other thing.” La Croix said dryly, and Cadence frowned for a moment before La Croix hummed a few bars, looking pointedly at Cadence, and the ivory mare winced and shook her head violently as she realized what the Loa was talking about.

“No, no, hell no. You're going to have to do a lot better than a cup of raspberry tea if you want me to do that.” Cadence said immediately, and La Croix rolled his eyes before he gestured towards the kettle. The ivory mare looked at this moodily, and then she asked dryly: “So do you really think that's going to be enough to win me over?”

“We can stop by the bakery, too. I just want to give him a decent day out. Maybe get him to bring his boy 'round or whatever, too, if he ain't already been scared off.” La Croix wheedled, and Cadence looked at the Loa for a few moments before she softened a bit.

“You really are worried about him, huh?” the ivory mare asked quietly, and La Croix smiled briefly before he nodded a little. “Well... you shouldn't. Moonflower is a lot of things and he's certainly dumb, but... he's a funny sort of tough, too. I think he's going to be okay, one way or the other.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Cadence sighed before she said grudgingly: “But okay. We can... give him today, I guess, I've got nothing better to do and Daddy is in medical stasis right now. I guess there are worse ways to spend the day.”

“Bon!” La Croix said cheerfully, clapping his front hooves together. “Well, in that case, let's go and get Moony, shall we?”

Cadence grunted as she put her empty cup aside on the counter, and then, as La Croix trotted quickly past her towards the door, she asked curiously: “So hey, what happened to those Kirin spirits you brought back?”

“They all went for processing, of course. But do we really gotta talk about work, Cygne?” La Croix complained as the mare followed him outside and he headed for the stairs, and when the mare gave him a slight smile, he rolled his eyes and said wryly: “Course we do. I forgot who I was talking to.”

Cadence glared at him, then she bodychecked the Loa lightly, making him wince and nearly fall down the steps. He huffed loudly over his shoulder at her, then hesitated before asking: “What about you, Cygne? How are... your things holding up?”

Cadence quieted a bit at this, pausing on the landing to hesitantly touch her breast, tracing silently over the faint, bird-shaped outline on it. Her cutie mark was completely gone now, and her hooves were edged in gold, and her mane and tail seemed like they were growing back faster: even though she'd just gotten them both shaved down yesterday, her hair was already tickling her ears again today. “I think...”

She didn't really know what she thought, but after a moment, she smiled a little as she looked at La Croix and reassured: “I'm fine.”

“Yeah, that just means you ain't.” La Croix said pointedly, and then he shook his head as they stepped out onto the residence level where he and Moonflower had their apartments, the zebra leading the way down the hall as he said softly: “You know... you real strong, Cygne, and I admire that, and I admire your courage. But you can be real dumb too, y'know. And real fou. Moony and I may not be the best ponies around, since... well, I ain't no pony and he ain't much of a stallion, but still. We're here for you, cher.”

Cadence smiled a little at this as they came to a halt in front of Moonflower's door, and then the Loa winked before he reached up and hammered on it, saying cheerfully: “Just as you always be here for us, ready to accept the responsibilities of us dumb ol' poussins.”

“Right.” Cadence said dryly, and then she looked ahead as the door opened, Moonflower looking at them with surprise as she smiled and asked: “Hey, how're you doing?”

Moonflower awkwardly looked back over his shoulder at the bandage that covered the graft where his wing had once been, and then he cleared his throat before saying finally: “Better. It's... nice to see you two, but I have... company. So. It would be nicer if you left.”

Cadence scowled slightly, and La Croix huffed loudly as Moonflower looked at them pointedly, then blushed a little as Thorn strode up behind him, the stallion asking curiously: “Cadence? La Croix? Do you need anything?”

“Hey, Thorn! We was just comin' by to invite Moony out, indulge a silly hobby of his! Why don't you come with us too?” La Croix asked cheerfully, gesturing towards the sapphire stallion.

Moonflower glared at them, and Cadence shifted a bit, beginning to think up an excuse to drag La Croix off, but she was surprised when Thorn said, albeit reluctantly: “Maybe... that's a good idea. You can't hide here in forever, Moonflower.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” Moonflower retorted, holding his head up high even as he shifted back and forth, as if he was trying to cover up his bandaging somehow.

“I am talking about the fact that you're hiding in this room because you think everyone's going to stare at your missing wing and it somehow makes you less of a stallion.” Thorn replied bluntly, and Moonflower and Cadence both stared in disbelief as La Croix cleared his throat, looking both a little horrified and a little impressed. “Moonflower, do you think that the fact you're a faggot makes you less of a stallion?”

“No!” Moonflower squawked, looking further horrified as he clutched at his chest dramatically, and Cadence winced a bit at Thorn's matter-of-fact tone. “I... am a proud homosexual stallion! I am not... I mean... how could you-”

“That is correct. Being a faggot does not make you less of a stallion. Having one wing, or no wings, does not make you less of a stallion.” Thorn continued, unfettered as always, before he reached up and touched his own steel limb as he looked into Moonflower's eyes. “I understand what you're going through better than anyone else here. But being ashamed of who you are is stupid and a waste of time, and I will neither encourage it nor allow it.”

“I'm... I mean, I'm not...” Moonflower blushed, shifting back and forth lamely, before he blinked when Thorn reached up and gently grasped his shoulder.

The two looked at each other for a few moments, and then the sapphire stallion said softly: “I'm not ashamed of you. I like you. And I don't care who knows, or what they think about us. Getting a prosthetic wing won't make you feel better if you don't fix the fact that you think you need wings in the first place... just like how you loudly tell everyone you're gay won't fix the fact that you're ashamed of the fact you're attracted to stallions.”

Moonflower blushed deeply, lowering his head and trembling a bit before he mumbled: “Do we have to do this in front of them?”

“Yes. Because they're your friends and they care about you.” Thorn shrugged, looking at Cadence and La Croix, and the mare smiled a little as the zebra shrugged awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his head.

The ivory mare hesitated for a moment, and then she said softly: “Moonflower, I think you and him make a cute couple. But now that I think about it, I guess he's kind of right. You're so loud and you ogle stallions blatantly and you're a little, uh... stereotypical, for a lack of a better word... but you... emphasize it so much, it's like you're covering up the fact that you really... that it's more than some act, that it's more than just sexual attraction.”

“I ain't no good at this, so I ain't gonna say anything or be nice. Y'are a pédé, Moony.” La Croix hesitated, and then he smiled a bit and said finally: “But I wouldn't have y'any other way.”

Moonflower mumbled a little, rubbing at his face before he looked over at Thorn and said finally: “You're meaner than I thought.”

“You either face your problems or let them grow. You either take their power away, or you feed them.” Thorn shrugged a bit again, and then he said with a brief smile: “Hecate never let me run away from my problems. She always made me face them, often on the worst possible terms. And the funny thing I learned is that... when I actually faced them, no matter how much it hurt or how scared I was or how hard it was... it was never as bad as I feared.”

Moonflower smiled a little, and then he nodded, hesitantly looking back at his friends before he nervously, carefully leaned in to kiss Thorn on the cheek, and when Cadence only smiled and La Croix rolled his eyes, the one-winged stallion straightened and nodded firmly before he said: “But I still don't like that word, you know. I would never call anyone that.”

“Yeah. Y'just call me a stripehorse all the time, pédé.” La Croix said mildly, and Moonflower huffed loudly, glowering at the Loa. “But y'know why I put up with it? 'Cause I know you ain't mean. You just ignorant.”

“Words have no power by themselves, only the power we give them. Daddy always told me... guardatevi dai falsi profeti. It doesn't... translate very well, but it basically means that the worst people will get to you by using kind words and pretending to be nice. You have to look at what people do, not just what they say, no matter how nice it sounds, no matter how much they flatter you or what they promise.” Cadence smiled a little, nodding to Moonflower as the stallion looked back at her thoughtfully. “It's our actions that determine who we are, Moonflower, not our words, and... that's why I've always been happy to have you as part of the team, in spite of all the crap that comes out of your mouth.”

“What Cygne said.” La Croix added, gesturing to her with a grin, and Moonflower chuckled and shook his head slowly.

“My mother always said the same thing. I think we all know that on some level, though...” Thorn smiled briefly, absently tapping a hoof on the floor. “Decretum is founded on that concept, after all.”

“Alright, alright. I've... enough, I'm not a little colt, you know, even if you all insist on talking to me like I am.” Moonflower grumbled, waving his forelegs before he cleared his throat and asked finally: “Thorn, do you want to... go out?”

Thorn nodded, and Moonflower nodded quickly back before he said finally: “Well, let me just grab my cloak and fix my mane and I'll be right with you.”

The stallion hurried past Thorn, who looked mildly over his shoulder at him before he turned towards Cadence and La Croix. They looked back at him, and Cadence smiled a bit as she said softly: “I'm glad to see you opening up a little more. I wouldn't really have imagined you were all that good for him, to be honest, but... it seems like you actually kind of are.”

Thorn quirked an eyebrow at this comment, and then he shrugged a bit before saying finally: “Thank you, I suppose.”

La Croix only winked, saying easily: “You don't worry 'bout Cygne now, boss. She just a little overprotective. You know how them oiseau can be when it comes to lookin' after their little ones.”

Thorn only shrugged a bit, and then he glanced over his shoulder before saying finally: “It's not really my place to invite you in, but I think Moonflower might take a little while. He's a bit... fussy.”

La Croix grunted, then he brushed at himself before replying blandly: “Then perhaps Cygne and I'll just invite ourselves on in, what do you think?”

Cadence shrugged a bit, then she strode inside after the zebra. Thorn closed the door behind them, and the mare hesitated a moment before she asked impulsively: “So what is it that made you agree to going out on a date with Moonflower, anyway?”

“I didn't have much of a choice.” Thorn said dryly, and La Croix laughed loudly at this before Thorn explained, as Cadence looked at him awkwardly: “No, I don't mean that I don't find him unattractive. I like him, and it's...” He smiled a bit, shifting ever so slightly, maybe the faintest blush tinging his cheeks. “It's... a good use of my free time.”

“You're really a romantic at heart, huh?” Cadence said before she could stop herself, and when the stallion gave her a dry look, she cleared her throat and glanced awkwardly away. “Well, hey, you know I was the Princess of Love or something before I became the... uh...”

“Cygne du mort.” La Croix suggested from where he had sprawled in an armchair, and then he shrugged awkwardly when the mare glowered at him. “Uh. No offense meant or anything of course, just uh... you know. You ain't really a princess d'amour anymore.”

“Well, don't rub it in. I'm still a mare, you know, I still like... mare things.” Cadence half-defended in a lame voice, her gaze shifting to the side before she said quickly: “But uh, Thorn, I do hope that you're... you know. I mean, normally if someone hurt one of my friends I'd threaten to punch their face in but I'm not sure if I can really threaten you or not. It's. More of a warning, really, not a threat. I mean...”

Cadence halted, then she rubbed at the back of her head as Thorn looked at her mildly and La Croix covered his muzzle to hide his grin, before the ivory mare finally said: “Please don't hurt him, okay?”

“Okay.” Thorn said after a moment, and then he studied the mare for a moment before adding dryly: “And I hope you understand that I'm capable of understanding rhetorical devices and figurative language, Cadence. I'm not a machine.”

“I know!” Cadence held up a hoof, smiling lamely before she said finally: “I just... Moonflower is important to me, too. He and La Croix are like brothers to me. And you seem kind of... well, distant, Thorn, but I want to try and make a good impression on you, too.”

“You were impressive. You scored the highest of all our applicants on the aptitude test and you hold the second best time in the obstacle course records.” Thorn said mildly, and Cadence began to respond before she frowned suddenly at this.

“Wait, excuse me, second best? Who the hell did better than me? I cleared the par time by at least thirty seconds!” Cadence said almost indignantly, and Thorn simply smiled at her as La Croix rose his head curiously.

The stallion called up a holographic screen, and he tapped over this before he said meditatively: “You actually only cleared the par time by twelve seconds... extra latitude is granted on the obstacle course for new recruits, they aren't tested at the level that you would be now, for example.”

Cadence huffed, and then she leaned forwards and asked: “So who was it? Brightwing? Swifty? It had to be one of those two, they're the only people who can outrace me.”

Thorn shrugged at this, before he answered, while sounding strangely pleased about being able to do so, Cadence thought sourly: “I'm sorry, Cadence, but I can't discuss personnel information with you. You'll have to lodge an information request with Seneschal.”

The ivory mare looked moodily at Thorn for a few moments, and then she scraped a hoof moodily against the ground, asking dryly: “Is the obstacle course open? And can you at least tell me the time to beat?”

Thorn looked at her mildly, and La Croix grinned wryly as he remarked mildly: “Amazing, Cygne, how you be all invested in makin' sure your friends are okay, right up until you find out someone in the bayou be better than you at something.”

“I... I just take pride in my... shut up, La Croix.” Cadence grumbled, before she turned her eyes back to Thorn, asking: “So?”

Thorn shrugged, and then he answered: “One fifteen point two.”

Cadence blinked at this, then she mouthed wordlessly before saying disbelievingly: “That's... that's almost a full minute better than my scores! Okay, it has to be a demon, they're the only ones who can-”

“Demons aren't allowed to use etherform of any kind to traverse the obstacle course, you know that as well as I do. And it's not impossible: it's not purely about how fast you move, but about how fast you anticipate the changes in the course and adjust to the obstacles.” Thorn replied mildly, shaking his head briefly. “Theoretically, the course can be completed in less than a minute. The problem is that every obstacle requires a second or so of adjustment.”

Cadence scowled a bit at this, but she was stopped from probing any further by Moonflower returning with his mane coiffed and a cape and matching vest now covering his body, the stallion brushing nervously at himself before he asked: “Well? How do I look?”

The ivory mare softened a bit: on one side of the stallion's body, she could clearly make out the shape of his wing, while the other...

“You look fine.” Thorn said, surprising Cadence, before the sapphire stallion gestured towards the door and asked the ivory mare: “What did you have in mind?”

Cadence looked over at La Croix, but the zebra only pointedly looked back at her with badly-feigned curiosity, until the mare sighed and said grudgingly: “We were thinking of going to the arts district and checking out the... music library, or whatever it's called.”

Moonflower's eyes lit up and he clapped his front hooves together delightedly, before hurriedly clearing his throat and looking away awkwardly when Thorn gave him a curious look, Moonflower looking lamely back and forth before he said after a moment with a wide wave of one hoof: “Oh, well, you know, if... I don't mind if you think that's an alright use of our time, Thorn, I mean, I can certainly... bear through it, I think. That's all.”

“Right.” Thorn said slowly, and then he shrugged a bit. “Well, Cadence, if that's where you want to go, that's fine with me.”

Cadence forced herself to grin as she shot a glare at La Croix, who only innocently nodded and said cheerfully: “I suppose I ain't gonna complain too much myself today, Cygne. Good of you to be lookin' out for Moony like that, even if he don't really need it. I hear he likes it when you push him down, after all.”

“I'll push you down, La Croix. And get off my armchair, you're making it wrinkle.” grumbled Moonflower, and the zebra sniffed disdainfully even as he hopped up to his hooves.

“You wish, Moony. I don't swing the same way you do.” the Loa retorted, and then he glanced over at Cadence, adding: “And with everything Cygne's doin' for you, too, y'think you'd be a little more grateful to us.”

“Let's just go before I kill you both.” Cadence interrupted tiredly, and both La Croix and Moonflower winced as Thorn studied the three of them like they were curious animals at the zoo. Which, well, Cadence supposed wasn't exactly a terrible metaphor for them.

The odd group of four headed out of Moonflower's apartment, Moonflower shyly zigzagging beside Thorn while Cadence took the lead and La Croix followed along behind her. They made their way out to the streets of Imperia, and then deeper into the surprisingly-busy city, but then again, there was a lot of excitement right now, and apparently a lot of convoys were moving back and forth between Decretum and Endworld.

Still, she didn't see as many Dogmatists or Worker Drones as she did Orphans and civilians, but then again, a lot of normal ponies worked outside of the Orphanage, and Cadence rarely came to this more relaxed section of Decretum. It was interesting to look around and see normal ponies just going about their day, average people interacting with not-so-average things, in a city of glass and metal and chiseled stone.

Maybe this wasn't so weird. Maybe she just needed to get out more, actually see normal people instead of weirdos like her friends and the other Orphans, although Cadence couldn't help but smile as she glanced towards La Croix and Moonflower, who were arguing again as Thorn looked around with the same sort of surprise she felt. Not that any of us are bad people or anything, but... we aren't exactly what you'd call normal, either.

The arts district was busy too, which Cadence hadn't expected: this section of Decretum was marked by its sprawling architecture, from the gorgeous, cathedralesque library to the towering education center where anypony could pay for lessons on just about any subject imaginable.

They were heading to a building on one side of this, the little dome-roofed structure almost hidden in the shadow of the gigantic university, and Moonflower giggled a little as he hurried towards the glass doors leading inside before suddenly skidding to a halt and clearing his throat, awkwardly turning around to look at the others as they approached.

He twiddled his front hooves together, then said finally: “You know, it's perfectly fine if none of you want to do this, I'll understand. There's plenty to do here in Decretum, there's really no reason we have to do this...”

Cadence only shook her head, and then she said wryly: “Well, we're here now, and we might as well try and enjoy ourselves, right?”

Thorn smiled a bit, and he added: “I've never actually been here before, so-”

“Oh, well, you absolutely have to come inside and see, then! Come see, come and see!” Moonflower said enthusiastically, leaping forwards and grabbing Thorn to yank him forwards by one leg, the stallion wincing as he was dragged helplessly into the building.

“Well, that sure took some convincing.” Cadence said ironically, and then she frowned and looked over her shoulder as La Croix began to slowly step away. “Where the hell do you think you're going? This whole thing was your idea.”

“Uh, no. It was your idea, remember?” La Croix said mildly, nodding once before he gestured to the side, adding: “And uh, you know, Moony said we could go-”

“Nope.” Cadence reached out and grabbed La Croix by the back of the neck, making him yelp before she dragged him after her as she headed for the doors. “If I have to go through this, you sure as hell aren't abandoning me here to deal with it alone.”

“Y'ain't alone, Thorn's here!” La Croix complained as he was half-carried into the gorgeous interior of the building, and then he winced and staggered when Cadence almost flung him ahead of her, the zebra scowling at her. “Y'evil.”

Cadence only grunted in agreement, and then the two fell in step as they walked past the empty desk where the greeter usually sat, heading through a large archway at the end of the hall and into a wide showroom. Musical instruments of every shape and size, from grand pianos to cheap little recorders, sat on display in elaborate displays, and Moonflower was bouncing eagerly around these as an earth pony wearing a monocle rambled away to him.

Thorn was simply standing off to one side, looking a little lost, so Cadence headed towards him first as La Croix sauntered around the room, looking grumpily at the various instruments. The ivory mare smiled to the sapphire unicorn as he looked up, and he gave an awkward smile in return to her before he gestured at a polished bass sitting on display, the stallion asking finally: “So are we... here just to look at the instruments, or...”

“No, Moonflower really loves to play music. I think he likes to pretend we're a band or something.” Cadence said mildly, glancing towards the stallion in question, who was giddily bouncing around a polished saxophone in a stand on a pedestal. “I'm pretty sure you probably know more about the whole... necessities versus luxuries thing here in Decretum than I do, and how a lot of ponies will spend a lot of money in order to have some of those old comforts. A lot of ponies like music, so that's what this store sells: music. You can buy CDs or download things to your personal drive if you carry one, or even get instruments and lessons... or, as Moonflower likes to do, rent a 'jam room' and they'll provide whatever instruments or any other services you need and... play whatever you want. Then download the recording later or just hope that no one else ever learns of its existence.”

“You can buy other people's recordings?” Thorn asked curiously, and Cadence smiled wryly as she nodded, gesturing with her head towards the monocled pony.

“Rhapsody likes to keep 'samples' of all his customers' music. He says it's for the 'benefit of the arts' but I think he just wants to blackmail people.” Cadence sighed a bit as her eyes traveled to Moonflower, the mare adding: “But he really does seem to enjoy himself here, so... thanks for coming.”

Thorn shrugged a bit, and then he replied: “Thank you for doing the same. I can see that if you're willing to cover for La Croix, and you're both willing to go to such lengths for Moonflower, I suppose you must be closer than I first anticipated.”

Cadence blushed a bit at this, staring after Thorn before she blurted: “How did you know?”

The sapphire stallion gave her a mild look for a few moments, but he was spared having to answer as the stallion in the monocle approached, saying exuberantly: “Cadenza, what a wonderful thing to see you here today! Your father is doing well, I trust? And oh, it's so good that the baron is here as well and... you, sir, I don't think we've ever had the pleasure of meeting. My name is-”

“Rhapsody Verse, husband to Coral Seashine, commonly known as Seastorm. Your wife spent most of her fortune renting this space for you, which you have turned into a small and borderline-successful business.” Thorn stated, looking meditatively over the monocled stallion, who stared at him with disbelief. “You are... thirty-two, trained at Verstables Academy, and according to the records you spent a small amount of time in the military, but this was likely added in to pad out your residency application, correct?”

The stallion mouthed wordlessly as Cadence stared at Thorn, before the sapphire unicorn added calmly: “That information is all public record, however, accessible by anyone with basic data privileges. Although I note that your monocle is not, in fact, prescription, so your medical expenses shouldn't cover it, so I'll have to make a note for that adjustment on your insurance papers.”

Rhapsody gave a weak smile, reaching up and awkwardly pulling his monocle off as he said lamely: “It's a uh... I have to maintain a certain image, you know. It's very important for the business.”

“Image does not qualify as a medical expense unless it's requisite plastic surgery to treat more than aesthetic damage.” Thorn answered in a dry voice, and then he began to reach a hoof up, but Cadence grabbed him by the shoulder before she could stop herself.

She felt Thorn stiffen slightly under her touch, and the mare quickly let go of him before she cleared her throat and leaned down, saying awkwardly: “Uh... we're not here on business, right? So maybe you should let Rhapsody know what instrument you want to play. I'm sure that would make Moonflower very happy.”

She looked pointedly at Thorn, who looked back at her for a few moments with an inscrutable expression before he finally sighed and nodded almost grudgingly. Cadence was just relieved that he didn't turn his ire on her: she was trying her hardest to be nice to Thorn, but he was still a little... different, somehow, from the rest of them. And it was hard to know how to treat him when he was kind of her boss, and usually he and Hecate were extremely strict when it came to matters of respect and authority.

Still, the stallion drew his eyes around the store before he said finally: “The only instrument I have any training in is the piano.”

“That's perfectly fine! Right this way, we have plenty of different keyboards and pianos you can look at, see which one calls to you, sir!” Rhapsody said hurriedly, looking both relieved and horribly intimidated. The earth pony gestured almost wildly at the unicorn, but Thorn looked unfettered, only frowning a little as he strode after the stallion.

La Croix whistled a bit as he approached, saying wryly: “Boy, is that colt ever étrange. Y'sure he ain't no robot like everything else?”

“Pretty sure.” Cadence said after a moment, and before she could stop herself, she said: “Dogmatists are nicer, though.”

La Croix grunted in agreement, before a throat loudly cleared nearby, and both ponies looked up in surprise to see Moonflower scowling at them disapprovingly. They both looked at him for a few moments, and admittedly Cadence was both surprised and a little ashamed when he said in a voice that quavered only slightly: “You be nice to him. I like him and he is important to me, and... we all found each other a little difficult at first. But we're... we're friends now, right?”

He halted, then added almost meekly, shrinking his head a little between his shoulders: “Right?”

Cadence sighed a little... but then she gave a small smile and nodded, saying softly: “Right, we are. You're right, Moonflower. And he does seem like an interesting guy. I'll give him that.”

“Yeah. He ain't so bad, Moony, I guess. Sure a hell of a lot better than you deserve, anyway, but that ain't sayin' a whole lot.” La Croix added, and Moonflower glared at him before the Loa bowed his head and added in a quieter voice “But pardonnez-moi, mon ami. Y'know it's just weird, him bein' our boss and all, and so mystérieux. Which is weird, you know? Never knew a damn thing 'bout him until recently, even though we all see him damn near every day.”

Cadence looked thoughtful at this, and Moonflower huffed before he said proudly: “Well, I happen to know plenty about him! For example, he's wonderful and very polite and quite intense. He's very intelligent, and he's very good at taking charge.”

“Wow. Never would have guessed any of those things 'bout him. You just blew my mind, Moony.” La Croix said dryly, and Cadence snorted laughter before she quickly cleared her throat and looked away when Moonflower glared at them.

“Oh, neither of you know anything! Come on, pick your instruments, let's not leave Thorn waiting!” Moonflower huffed, waving at them grouchily with one hoof before he strode quickly off towards Rhapsody, and the mare and zebra traded wry smiles before following.

Rhapsody escorted them to the little private studio room in the back where they could do their recording, leaving them in the care of a technician and his capable assistants, who were able to fetch the instruments the group had chosen for themselves. Moonflower, of course, wanted a ridiculously complex stringed instrument called a keladica, which came from some ancient unicorn civilization or other, while La Croix had an accordion, and Cadence grudgingly took the only thing she couldn't really hurt anyone with: a tambourine.

Thorn sat down in front of a crescent keyboard: it had enlarged keys to make it easier to play by hoof, which Cadence was rather surprised by. But then again, La Croix could somehow play his stupid accordion with his stupid hooves, and she could barely shake the tambourine without breaking it... okay, and I guess I tend to punch it too hard, too.

But Moonflower was smiling brightly, and she guessed that was what really mattered. Even with the stupid harp-guitar floating around his body, he looked ridiculously happy as he declared: “How about we start with a warmup! Thorn, Thorn, don't you worry about trying to follow us too closely, just play what your heart feels, that's all!”

Thorn only shrugged awkwardly as Moonflower gazed at him brightly before he finally sighed and reached up to carefully press one of the keys, creating a ding that made Moonflower giggle and dance on his hooves delightedly. Cadence only smiled wryly, and La Croix snorted as he sat back, stretching the accordion out as he played a few easy chords. “Well, here's to us!”

The zebra began to play an easy, cheerful melody, and Moonflower glared at the Loa as he snapped: “Warm up! Warm up!”

But when La Croix only grinned at him and continued to play on, Moonflower glared before he grabbed the bridge of the stringed instrument and began to pluck along it, as his horn glowed to adjust the knobs over the top of the strange, curling guitar-like instrument.

Cadence only sighed at the two, then she shook her tambourine awkwardly before beginning to carefully beat a gentle rhythm on it. She hated that of all the things in the world she was bad at, it had to be music: her name was Cadenza, after all. Why the hell had her father chosen that of all names for her when she could barely hold a beat with a stupid hoof-drum with clicky things?

The mare grumbled under her breath, but as always – and as she would never, ever admit – she slowly began to pick up the rhythm that La Croix and Moonflower were dueling to, and she began to enjoy herself instead of just sulking like a foal over the fact that her friends were both surprisingly good at playing music and she could barely shake a noisemaker.

She was surprised when Thorn joined in after a few minutes: he was a little clumsy, occasionally hitting the wrong key or mauling a chord, but he seemed to understand the basics of following along with what the others were doing. As they played, he began to get better, maybe even relax a little, just as Moonflower and La Croix were grinning at each other now as they challenged each other to more and more complex chords, and Cadence and Thorn just provided a background hum.

They played together for almost an hour, interspersed with short breaks here and there where Cadence and Thorn would sit back, but La Croix and Moonflower were tireless, never needing to stop, never slowing down, always challenging each other further and further with every passing moment. Finally, however, La Croix slipped up, playing a hewed series of notes, and Moonflower laughed in triumph as he played a rapid scale across his keladica, “I did it! I won, take that, La Croix!”

“Yeah, yeah. You always such a pleasure to lose to, Moony, 'cause you so damn nice about it.” La Croix retorted, but he was smiling all the same as he shifted the accordion to one hoof, fanning himself with the other with a whoop. “Y'ain't all hot air, though, I'll give you that, you great ouaouaron.”

“I know I'm not.” Moonflower said pompously, lifting his keladica free with telekinesis as he polished his hoof against his chest proudly, and then he glanced towards the large window that led into the control room or... whatever it's called. I don't know. I just wish they didn't record us. “Alright, we're going to take a fifteen minute break now! You may all acquiesce!”

“I don't think you're using that word quite right.” Cadence said dryly, even as the assistants clapped politely and stoic mare at the controls excused herself immediately.

Moonflower only huffed loudly, turning towards Cadence as he declared: “It's perfectly fine if you don't understand me or my genius, Cadence. I know, after all, that I am a rare breed, a unique specimen, a prodigy. There is no need to doubt me.”

Cadence looked mildly at Moonflower, unsure of whether or not she was glad that the stallion was clearly back to being his old self. On the one hoof, it was reassuring to see that not even the loss of an appendage could keep Moonflower down for long. On the other...

“Moonflower, among the Orphans, you had the second most expansive vocabulary.” Thorn said mildly, and Moonflower looked ridiculously proud of himself, until the sapphire unicorn continued calmly: “Among the Orphans, you also had the second lowest score in written comprehension. You have a bad habit of putting unnecessary words everywhere, and usually in incorrect places. You have a particular issue with quasi-homophones: words that sound similar, but aren't entirely the same.”

Moonflower shifted lamely back and forth, reaching up to twiddle with his cheap necklace before he blurted: “But I'm smart, yes?”

Thorn looked at the stallion for a few moments, and then he gave maybe the slightest smile before he said softly: “You're smart, yes. But... eccentric, and you still have plenty to learn.”

“Well, learning is what smart people do best.” Moonflower said as puffed his chest back out, and Cadence and La Croix traded amused looks.

One of the assistants came in with a tray of glasses and a jug of water for them to refresh themselves, and after a few more minutes, Moonflower and La Croix started to argue about which song they should do first, until Cadence stepped in and said they should do the same song they always did first, since it was simple and Thorn could probably follow along.

It was some old Equestrian folk song: Cadence vaguely knew it and La Croix had no trouble picking up the rhythm, while Thorn had to create a holographic screen to display the notes in front of him. Cadence couldn't help but wonder just how expansive the data archives were if they even contained sheet music; but that just got her wondering further why precisely there was music at all in the vast data archives.

When the song ended, Cadence shuffled over to Thorn while La Croix and Moonflower distracted themselves by arguing who screwed up what and what song they should do next. Thorn glanced up as she approached, and after he realized what she was looking at, he gestured towards the recording booth and explained: “You mentioned they did digital recording for personal data drives before. That means they have a server uplink, and that means they have a network I can access.”

“So that's how you're getting the music.” Cadence couldn't help but feel both impressed and suddenly a little uneasy, wondering... “So uh... anything on the servers, you can access?”

“Anything on the servers or your personal storage, yes.” Thorn replied mildly, and Cadence winced a bit. “Not that I'd have any reason to go looking unless you gave me a reason to, of course. And Seneschal only checks for hostile programming and viruses every week or so. We respect your privacy to the point that we are obligated to.”

“Except when you want sheet music.” Cadence couldn't help but remark, and Thorn raised an eyebrow at her. The ivory mare cleared her throat after a moment, and then she turned away, laughing awkwardly and saying lamely: “I'll just uh... stay quiet and let you do your thing.”

Moonflower and La Croix eventually settled on another song, which Thorn quickly found the music for. This time, it was some rowdy folk tune that Thorn had a little bit of trouble keeping up with, but he seemed to be enjoying himself all the same. Cadence kept losing the beat herself, though, and she was taking it with much less composure, swearing under her breath every time she dropped the rhythm and hitting her tambourine too hard.

After another hour of music, the stoic operator in the booth, knocked on the glass to let them know their time had run out, and La Croix and Moonflower both finally stopped arguing with each other as Cadence sighed in relief and almost threw her tambourine at the assistant who came in to gather up their instruments. “Horses of Heaven, I hate music.”

“Oh, you do not. Everypony loves music!” Moonflower said cheerfully, as he carefully lifted his kelvadica free to pass it to another assistant with a smile to her. “I think this has gone wonderfully. I look forwards to when the recordings are converted so I can bring my little robot in to absorb it!”

“Mission Drive, and download. I'm already converting and copying the files for you.” Thorn said absently, and Moonflower blinked in surprise as Thorn's hoof moved quickly over the holographic screen, the sapphire unicorn glancing up at Moonflower before he asked: “Why aren't your files sorted on the device?”

“I can sort them? I didn't know that.” Moonflower said curiously, striding towards the holographic screen and attempting to read it before he awkwardly stumbled backwards when one of the other assistants quickly pushed the wheeled keyboard away.

Thorn only looked mildly up at Moonflower, before La Croix added grumpily: “I hate those damned things. Don't understand why we all got them evil machines. 'Cept maybe for Hecate to keep yet another eye on us, that is.”

“You know that as an Orphan, you're supposed to carry your Mission Drive at all times. And yes, I know that most ponies only carry them when they want to spend their credits, but that's not the point.” Thorn responded, and then he glanced up when Cadence looked over him awkwardly, seeming to sense her question. “My Mission Drive is built into my foreleg, if that's what you're looking for.”

“Oh, no, I just... uh...” Cadence cleared her throat, looking away for a moment before she nodded lamely a few times. “Just curious, that's all. I mean, I know it's useful, I just... don't like it.”

Thorn sighed a little, and then he asked after a moment: “Well, what would you like? Carrying around physical credits is even harder, and your Mission Drive's various functions let you actually talk to other people as well as download information, review mission plans, watch and record video-”

“It can do all those things?” Cadence asked disbelievingly, and Thorn frowned a little. “How can it do all those things? Why didn't I know it could do all those things?”

“Did you ever run the tutorial? There's a tutorial, when we pass out the Mission Drives and Personal Drives for civilians we specifically ask everyone to look at the tutorial.” Thorn replied with equal disbelief, and when Cadence gave him a lame smile, the stallion groaned and rolled his eyes. “Of course.”

Moonflower looked confused as well, but La Croix only laughed loudly before he said mildly: “Y'know, you and Nanny Hecate be great at a lot of things, Thorn, but neither of you really understand how to sell to a crowd. Intimidate, boss around, get us to do whatever the hell y'want, sure. We little têtards ain't gonna argue with no great cocodrils like yourselves. But you need a little flash, you need a little sizzle, you need a little o' that special je ne sais quois if you wanna get people interested in what you got to sell 'em instead of rule with.”

Thorn dismissed the holographic screen, looking curiously at La Croix before he remarked: “And you were a spirit who was responsible, in part, for popularizing simplified voodoo practices with the zebra people, yes? Helping Bondye establish his own religion, so to speak.”

“Please don't remind me. 'Bout the worst damn thing I ever did.” La Croix grumbled, rolling his eyes as he muttered: “Bondye ain't no god and that ain't no religion. Just a big-ass cocodril takin' advantage of a whole bunch of desperate poulet so he can fatten and fry 'em up for dinner when he feels like it.”

“Yes, very few people can handle the difficulties and responsibilities that come with being a god. I certainly was never harsh with my own subjects.” Moonflower said mildly, before he paused and added awkwardly: “Well, I did turn them into lawn ornaments on occasion, but... that was all part of my great plan to take over Equestria! Have I ever told you-”

“Yes.” La Croix and Cadence both said immediately, and Moonflower glared at them before he sniffed loudly and turned to head for the exit.

“What would you suggest we do to make people start using their Drives, La Croix?” Thorn asked, turning his eyes towards the zebra, and the Loa blinked in surprise before he hesitantly adjusted his hat. Thorn seemed to detect his unease, and the unicorn sighed before adding gently: “Off the record.”

“Well, in that case...” La Croix smiled slightly, tipping his hat towards the unicorn as he said carefully: “Off the record, I would very gently suggest that maybe y'all should give a presentation on how all those drive-whatsits are gonna get a big fancy upgrade, so people here can use 'em in all sorts of new ways.”

Thorn frowned at this, and La Croix added awkwardly: “Y'know, I don't mean y'actually have to-”

“I understand that we're not actually going to give them software updates, yes. We already do that on a regular basis anyway. Which you'd notice if any of you actually activated them.” Thorn said dryly, and La Croix held up his hooves in a gesture of surrender. “How am I supposed to give a presentation?”

“Y'have that giant assembly hall and all. I'm pretty sure you and Nanny Hecate be smart enough to put together something to make it look all flashy 'stead of just orderin' people to use 'em. Sell it with flash, not facts and figures.”

Thorn looked meditatively at La Croix for a moment, and then he chewed thoughtfully at his lip before he called up a holographic screen. He flicked to what looked like a calendar, the stallion studying this before he said meditatively: “Alright. The end of the month, you'll host a presentation on the 'new' Personal Drives. We'll familiarize you with all the aspects of it before then.”

La Croix's jaw dropped, the zebra beginning to splutter as Cadence cleared her throat loudly and put a hoof over her muzzle to hide a grin, before the Loa said almost desperately: “Now, you jus' wait now, boss, I ain't-”

“You're a natural salesperson. You're convincing and you're good at making your points. You're entertaining to listen to and you learn quickly.” Thorn said with a shrug, and La Croix smiled a little even as he shifted modestly. “Originally you were going to be given an administrative position anyway, but Hecate saw more use for you as part of a team, and... you've admittedly excelled far beyond our original estimates.”

“Uh... thanks, I guess.” La Croix said finally, and then he cleared his throat and adjusted his cloak before he smiled lamely again and waved as one of the assistants stuck her head curiously into the studio. “We holdin' up business here, though. You mind if I think about it?”

“Let me know your decision by the end of business today.” Thorn answered, before he added as he made the schedule vanish: “Although I hope you understand that as your superior officer, this is a little more than a request.”

“Yes boss. You got it, boss.” La Croix said awkwardly, giving a little salute as he stepped out of the studio, and Thorn sighed and shook his head, but Cadence thought he was smiling a little, all the same. And that admittedly made her smile, too.

Moonflower looked up as they approached from where he was talking with Rhapsody – the latter scuttling hurriedly off the moment he saw Thorn approaching – and the one-winged unicorn frowned as he tilted his head, asking: “What took you so long?”

“Just... being friendly, I suppose.” Thorn said after a moment, and La Croix laughed, but Cadence smiled a little more, nodding thoughtfully in agreement.

They were friends, in spite of everything. And she hoped that Thorn knew that.