Match-Maker

by 23 KM To Nerdiness

Compatible

A menacing, bloody red light bathes the dark, wide room as Marc steps nervously towards the futuristic recycling tube. Soon, while thinking long and hard about his decision. Sunset steps into the room behind him.

"Hey." she utters clearing her throat.

"Oh, hey, Sunset." Marc chimes, not taking his eyes away from the tube. "You gonna stab me in the neck again?"

"Are you seriously gonna kill yourself?"

"I guess I am, Sunny."

"L-Look, how about a farewell toast, huh?" she says, pulling out two mugs of cider. "Come on, last meal?"

The scent of apples tears his attention away from the tube and he finally caves.

"Hey, to the best fake roommate I've ever had." Sunset toasts. "Sorry you're a clone."

"It's fine, I guess." Marc shrugs, sipping his drink.

"Heh, the new Marc only drinks scotch. What a douche, right?"

Finishing his beverage, Marc takes a long, deep sigh without cracking a smile.

"I keep telling myself to forget her, Sunny." he says. "But I wasmade for her. So what the hell am I without her? Whooves was right. I have to do this."

Marc flips a switch, opening the door of the glass tube. As he prepares to seal his fate, Sunset sneaks up behind him and once again zaps him in the neck.

"Damn it, Sun..." he sighs, passing out in her arms.

"Ugh, what the buck am I doing?" Sunset winces, lowering his body down and taking a huge swig of cider.

---

"Wake up."

SLAP!!!

"OW!" Marc exclaims, waking from another mini coma. "Sunset, what the buck?!"

"Shut up." she grunts, typing on a keyboard in front of him. "You're gonna get me fired."

Through his blurred vision, Marc finds himself back in the restricted room watching Sunset quickly pulling up Twilight's profile under "CUSTOMER VIDEOS".

"I've already been here, Sunny, alright, I've seen all this."

"Not this."

Eventually, a video of Twilight appears onscreen.

"What is this?" Marc asks.

"Just watch, dude." Sunset shushes him.

"Okay, so, um....my last relationship ended in a pretty painful place." Twilight states. "We were together for four years, and.......I thought he was the one. And then he cheated on me, and then he left..."

"I don't want to watch this, alright?" Marc groans. "Just turn it off, Sunny."

"Just watch, trust me." she nods.

"I was a mess." Twilight continued. "My grades ranked and I almost lost my scholarship. So, I-I can't let that happen again. I have to stay focused. I just.....I'm really lonely."

"You've come to the right place, Twilight." a woman's voice stated. "Let Make-A-Match help you create your ideal companion."

"I still can't believe I'm doing this." Twilight sniffles.

"Lots of first-timers feel that way, but Make-A-Match guarantees we'll make the perfect companion for your needs, everything from personality, type, occupation, looks-"

"Could he.......look like Chris Cross?"

"We'll get to that, but let's start with the basics. Describe the qualities you want in your ideal companion."

"I-I don't know, I guess.....I just want someone who's loyal.....and honest. Kind."

For the first time in WEEKS, a teary eyed Marc gives a small smile as Sunset pauses the footage.

"You know who you are without her?" she asks. "You're loyal, you're honest, and your kind. It's gotta be worth something."

Marc stares at the paused clip of Twilight, tears streaming down his cheek.

---

Later that day, during lunchtime, Marc picks at his bowl with the the other Marcs in complete silence. Eventually, on the radio in the cafeteria, it played...

"Would somebody please turn that shit OFF?" Marc 1 grunts.

"She even took this song from me." Marc 4 sighs.

"No." Marc shook his head. "This song still rules. Just listen."

"Bro, everything this song means to us is a lie." Marc 2 states.

"Who cares? It's still a really great song. I mean, 'Sailing' is beautiful on its own. God damn it, so are we."

Guards scattered around in the room all notice Marc as he stands boldly from his seat and attracts every other clone's attention.

"What are we even doing here, you guys?" Marc continues. "Just gorging on self pity and.......whatever the hell that pink stuff is. We can't let one relationship define our whole lives. We're more than that, and we deserve more than that."

"Marc 5, resume your gruel eating." a guard growls.

"We are who we are, not who they made us to be." Marc says louder. "We may have been built to order, but we were born to be free-"

WHACK! the guard knocks Marc down with his baton, shocking everyone.

"Marc 5 is wrong." the guard snorted. "Companions are legal property of Make-"

POW! Marc 4 knocks the guard out cold with a lunch tray.

"LET'S BURN THIS MOTHER DOWN!!!" he yells in triumph.

Every clone in the room cheer in uproarious applause, high fives all around.

"And so it begins." Marc coughs as Marc 4 helps him up.

Elsewhere, Whooves watches the whole entire commotion through a security camera. "Can I get a containment unit to sector 4 now, please?" he winces.

Guards heavily equip themselves and flood the hallways toward the cafeteria as every clone line up, awaiting trouble while armed with kitchen utensils and trays. Soon, a group of guards burst through the lunchroom doors and form a wall with their shields in front of the only exit in the room.

"Attention, companions." Whooves says on the intercom. "You are in violation of employee guidelines. Please lower your.....weapons, lie on the floor and the punishment squad will-"

CHARRRRRRRRRRRGE!!!" Marc roars.

And so, the clone war began. Cries of triumph filled the room and the thirst for freedom never ceased. Guards went flying and clones kept charging.

"Hey!" Whooves yells. "Stop fighting the punishment squad! Code Sapphire, Code Sapphire, damn it! Exterminate on sight!"

Some clones force feed guards pink gruel, others held them in chokeholds, others scratch them up with plastic spoons.

"Article 3, Section 7: Expressions of free will and independent thought are strictly prohibited!" Whooves continues. "You were built to love and obey, that is your purpose. Adhere, do your purpose!"

Guards beaten and thrown into piles, the clone army take their battle facility wide. Whooves watches in horror as the clones shut off the security cameras one by one, getting closer towards his location.

"Someone get up here and save me!" he pants into a walkie talkie.

In one of the remaining cameras, Whooves spots Marc sprinting down the hallway.

"There is nothing out there for you, Marc. This is where you belong. I am your father, and you will do what Daddy demands!"

On the spot, clones break the door down and drag the pleading founder out of the room and down the hallways. While struggling to escape his captors's grasp, Whooves spots Bon Bon crouching under a table on the phone.

"Hi, yes, I'm calling about the job posting." she says through all the noise. "Why did I leave my last job? Uh.......there was a change in management."

Soon, Whooves is forced into the recycling tube by the other clones. "You can't do this!" he whines. "I designed you! Marc, your girlfriend never loved you and never will!"

Marc waves with a sly smirk as the machine activates until-

POOF! Whooves pops into a cloud of sparkles.

The battle finally over and the tyranny finally vanquished, every clone celebrates their victory over Make-A-Match, Inc., never to be held in captivity again.

---

Two months later...

It was a normal, sunny day in Pennsylvania. Marc wakes up from a sound sleep in his new apartment. Later on in the day, he looks through a box of records at a yard sale. There, he looks at a record case with Chris Cross's face on it and chuckles to himself until a woman's hand bumps into his.

"Oh, sorry." she winces.

"It's-" Marc pauses as he finds himself looking at a familiar face. "H-Hey, Twilight."

"Hi, Marc." she utters. "S-So, do you live around here now?"

"No, I'm just actually coming back from band practice."

"Oh, you're in a band now? That's pretty cool."

"Yeah, I mean, we kinda suck, but we have fun.....h-how are you doing? What are you up to?"

"Everything's good." Twilight nods. "My residency's good, you know, just taking it slow."

"Yeah...."

"It's.....it's really good to see you. We should, I don't know, get together sometime."

"Yeah, definitely. It's great seeing you too."

The two share a quick hug and Marc slyly slips a folded up flyer in her pocket before she takes her leave. As soon as she's far enough, Twilight opens it and reads it with a smile:

ADAM and the ADAMS
At Plymouth Rock
TONIGHT

THE END

---

Author's Note:

Comments

[TheHardie-Boy]

Honestly, as far as your stories go, this one’s...not quite as good. Still an enjoyable read though

[Marcthelightspark2004]

The other guy is right. It's not that good. But I like it. I feel like I would've quoted Descartes in this situation as a reply to him making me.

"I think, there for, I am!"

[Marcthelightspark2004]

Can I make my own version?

[23 KM To Nerdiness]

9980606
Whatever you want I guess. Now I just feel like this was probably a waste of time given the responses...

[Kody The Ultimate Brony]

I LOVED THIS STORY!!!

[23 KM To Nerdiness]

9983665
At least I got some comment like that, thank you.

[Kody The Ultimate Brony]

9983668
of course my friend

[My Little Epona]

This is really good! I like it.

[23 KM To Nerdiness]

9984528
Glad you liked it 🙂

[flutterJackdash]

Your story has been reviewed

[Starlight Nova]

Why isn't there a human tag?

[23 KM To Nerdiness]

9985994
There

[Commander Joe]

9986055
It's an interesting little story. It almost feels like it was meant to be longer but got condensed down for some reason. Either way the writing is solid. Good work :)

[diablo4000]

Should had Bon Bon throw off the building.