Neon Dreams

by Bigwig6666

Eight

The journey to the delivery drop-off point was relatively quiet. Even in the skies around it, the Scrapheap was a busy place, as row after row of hovercars filled the sky, creating colossal traffic jams and bottlenecking parts of the skyway.

Neon examined the case in her hooves carefully, looking over it to see if she could see any identifying features. A part of her, that rebellious side she thought she had expunged after Sal’s accident, longed to take just the shortest peak inside. Another part of her, the professional yet apathetic delivery pony, simply wished to get the job done without any unnecessary drama.

Beside her, Bright Spark hummed a small tune as the radio continued to play Love Pulse’s latest album.

“Enjoying yourself?” she grunted at him.

He glanced at her and smiled, keeping his hooves firmly on the steering wheel. “I’m just glad to get out of Razor’s place with both my wings,” he told her cheerfully. “Besides, I love this song.”

“Hmph.” Neon snorted dismissively and turned away. She grimaced and sighed unhappily at the huge line of cars in front of them. “This is gonna take ages, might as well get comfortable,” she muttered. She leant back in her seat and puffed out her cheeks and stretched her legs.

The young pegasus rolled his eyes at her and began to form a small smile on his face. He pressed his hooves into the pedal and made the van shoot forwards, then pulled back sharply on the wheel. Their vehicle rocketed into the sky and rode in uncontrolled airspace in a brazen show of disregard for public obedience.

Neon’s legs splayed out as she made to grab something to keep herself steady. When they levelled out she relaxed herself and smoothed down her coat. She glared at the pegasus disapprovingly. “I suppose you think you’re clever for that?” she muttered.

He laughed apologetically. “Sorry, Neon. You looked too comfortable.” He stuck his tongue out at her and grinned from ear to ear.

She continued to glare at him, but found herself smiling all the same. Though she loathed to admit it for the mess he’d dropped her in, she liked the young pegasus. He wasn’t like her, not brash and headstrong. He was a worrier, a thinker--at least outside of his van. Inside his van, behind the wheel, he was a genius. She wondered if he would have rivalled her for employee of the month at Grey’s.

Her smile faded as she thought of her old boss Mr Dust. She clenched her teeth as her temper flared up again. They had both heard over the news about the ‘tragic’ death of Grey Dust, brought to ruin by a former employee, one Neon Dream to be exact, before she stole a van and sent a malfunctioning droid to slaughter the many brave security guards who were sent to apprehend her.

Again, they--the corporate overlords in charge of the city--had framed Neon for a crime she did not commit. She was beginning to feel like it was personal at this point. Mr Dust was a cantankerous old jerk at times, but he didn’t deserve to die.

She ran a hoof through her mane and scratched her ear as her thoughts turned to Twilight and Spike. She wondered how Twilight was doing meeting with the other Children. She hoped the princess was more successful speaking to a group of weird fanatics who practically worshipped her some kind of god more than she was floating through the city like a-

At that moment, interrupting her thoughts, Sparky cried out. “Aha! There it is!”

He pointed at the building in front of them. Neon’s eyebrows skyrocketed in surprise as she recognised it from various holovids and news reports. The Monarch Spire loomed before them, home to Monarch Solutions, the second largest corporation in the megacity and direct rival to the largest corporation: GlowCorp.

“Yeah. I know,” Sparky said as he saw her bewildered expression and pointed towards one of the hexagonal platforms jutting out at various levels all the way up the skyscraper. “I’ll set us down on one of those platforms--we can get in there.”

“Wait, wait, hold on,” Neon said and waved her hooves in the air, her mind suddenly abuzz with questions. “Razor said an associate of hers? What, is somepony up there in league with the Novos? Or COTS?”

Sparky grimaced as he guided the van downwards. “Lady Razor’s not the kind of hippogriff who you ask a lot of questions about. All I did was nod my head and do the job. There was usually a contact waiting on one of the platforms. Weird there’s nopony there now.”

Neon fell back in her seat. “I guess. Still.” She wrinkled her nose and peered up at the oddly pristine building. “What an eyesore. Doesn’t even fit the décor of the Scrapheap.” She snorted. “Typical corp.”

Sparky grimaced as he guided the van down and landed on one of the platforms. Neon gathered herself and lifted up the case with her magic. “Ready?” she asked her partner.

“Uh...” he swallowed nervously.

Neon looked at him. “What?”

“I have a bad feeling about this, Neon.” Bright Spark looked around the platform. Not a soul in sight. “There’s usually somepony here.” His eyes darted back forth and his teeth set on edge. Neon sighed at him and remembered what she thought earlier.

”He’s a worrier alright. That’s good.” She shook her head and chuckled softly to herself. “You wanna wait here in case we need to get the hell outta dodge?”

He turned to her quickly and stammered out a response. “W-well, it’s just that-” he started in an attempt to justify his actions. He fell silent as she patted his shoulder in a comforting way.

“That’s not a bad idea, actually you know.” She forced a smile onto her face. ”In the spirit of friendship, I guess I’ll give him this one,” she thought. “It might get hairy in there. It might not be a bad idea to leave quickly, if you know what I mean.” She winked at him. “Think you can handle that?”

Bright Spark let loose the breath he was holding and looked visibly happier and instantly more relaxed. “Oh yeah. Totally.” He placed his hooves on the wheel and looked ahead with a lopsided smile on his face as Neon retracted her hoof and hopped outside.

She glanced around quickly at bare and basic platform. The city both above and below her continued on as it always did, and she could hear the distant sounds of the street markets far below in the dregs of the Scrapheap.

The lack of anypony on the platform out to meet them unnerved her as it did the pegasus, and made her think that with a company like this, surely there’d be at least one creature who’d meet her. Unless they didn’t know they were coming... ”That must be it,” she told herself in relief, more in an effort to alleviate her own worries than anything. ”Razor mustn’t have said we were coming. Dumb bird.” She turned back into the van and grabbed the case, dragging it out with her magic.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Sparky,” she warned and placed a hoof on the door. They locked eyes for a minute and smiled at one another.

Bright Spark nodded. “I won’t.” His smile faded as he looked up towards the sky. “Storm’s coming. You’d better hurry, I’d prefer if we don’t get caught in it.” He shivered. “Storms in the Scrapheap are worse than in other parts of the city.”

Neon grunted in agreement and craned her neck upwards, scowling at the darkening sky. “Sure, I’ll just march up to them, dump this case at the first pony I see then meet you back here.” She looked down at him and winked. “Deal?”

He laughed hollowly. “Deal.”

Neon ran a hoof through her mane and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face. “Alright, well... Keep my seat warm, kid.”

A mischievous glint appeared in the young pony’s eye as she turned away. “You know...” he murmured quietly, making her pause and look back at him. “Since you’re technically a member of COTS now-”

Neon glared at him with an unamused expression. “Uh huh?”

“And I’ve been with them longer, I’m technically your superior.”

The mischievous in his eyes and the smirk on his lips wavered as the cold steely gaze of the unicorn made him quake in his seat.

“Or, you know... nev-never mind.”

After a few minutes more of silent glaring, Neon gave him a sarcastic salute, slammed the van door shut and turned around. She heard his muffled cries of protest and his declaration that he was only joking, to which she turned her head sideways and grinned at him. She saw him relax and make a rude gesture after her with his hooves, which elicited a laugh from her. He was definitely growing on her, like a little brother. Or a fungus.

As she walked towards the entrance of the Spire, the first few drops of rain began to bounce off the concrete platform. She glanced upwards and cursed the sky silently.

She picked up the pace, her hooves echoing around her as the clouds broke. As she grew closer to them, the metallic doors slid open, and the clean, sterile atmosphere of the Spire was revealed to her. She paused for a moment to glance back at Bright Spark as a familiar sense of dread washed over her. Shaking her head she sighed and pushed those thoughts away. “Focus on the job, Neon, this isn’t the first corporate shit you’ve dealt with.”

Upon entering the marble white and bare lobby her nostrils were immediately assaulted by the clinical smell of the corporate tower. “Ugh,” she grunted and lugged the case along beside her. She didn’t know much about Monarch, other than that they were one of the biggest competitors to GlowCorp, and apparently in cahoots with the Novos. “I wonder where that’s gotten them,” she muttered quietly. She inhaled another whiff of the surgical cleanliness of the building and grimaced.

Mr Dust’s office smelled like the same thing, she remembered, back when he had called her into his office to either berate her or praise her--both sides of the same coin with Grey Dust really. She bitterly thought about the cranky old bastard, and added his name to the list of ponies (and dragon) she was going to avenge by the time this was all over. It seemed like a lifetime ago she was dreaming about retiring to somewhere sunny with a strong drink and sunny skies.

Alongside one of the walls, a terminal flickered to life. An A.I. concierge appeared as a holographic image of a mare, and gave her a happy greeting.

“Hello, Neon Dream,” it said cheerfully. “You are expected.”

Neon frowned at it and set the case down for a moment. “Uh, hi?” she murmured warily. “What do you mean I’m expected?”

“You are expected,” the A.I. repeated cryptically. Across the room a pair of metal doors slid open to reveal an elevator. The hologram gestured towards it and smile. “Have a pleasant day.”

Neon held up a hoof in front of the holographic interface. Her frown stayed firmly put atop her brow. “Hold on a second, I have this case I’m supposed to deliver-”

“I’m sorry, Neon Dream, I have been instructed to inform you you are to move with urgency.” The concierge’s voice held a sinister undertone to it before the hologram smiled again. “You are expected. Have a pleasant day.”

And before Neon could protest or speak up anymore, the interface shut off, leaving her confused and irritated. The unicorn’s own breathing was the only sound as she shook her head. “Cool. Great. Alright. Corporate jackasses,” she muttered. “Whatever. Let’s get this over with.”

She picked up the case with her magic once again and shuffled into the elevator. Giving it a cursory glance, she determined it was nothing more than a typical elevator, although touch colder and more sterile than any she had been in before. The panel to the side of the door, where an elevator’s buttons would typically be, was bare, save for one large button that had a simple arrow pointing upwards. She shrugged and pressed it, and took a step back as the doors closed. Immediately she could feel the g-force of being rushed upwards press down onto her, and calm, cheery music began to play as she soared to her destination.

Neon rubbed her temple in frustration. ”At least it’s not more Love Pulse.” She glanced down at the case beside her and took a deep breath. She didn’t know what she hoped for at this point. That sensation of dread once again washed over her, and the feeling she was walking into a trap began to eat away at her.

Several things didn’t add up. This was a corporate building, security should be crawling all over them. If she was expected, why was there literally--besides her--not a soul in sight? Questions with confusing answers ran through her mind as she stared at the metal doors in front of her.

The elevator jolted to a sudden halt, making her stumble. She sucked in a deep breath of air and rubbed her eyes as the doors slid open once again and once again grabbed Razor’s case with her magic.

Her head craned outwards of the doors and looked around carefully. It was eerily quiet. No corporate suits strutting about like they owned the place, nothing and nopony at all, not even a cleaning droid scurrying along the--still oddly clean--floor.

The whole building looked abandoned yet kept in remarkably good condition.

“Hello?” she called out. “Anypony there?” Silence answered her, as she expected. She licked her lips and held the case up. She cleared her throat and spoke as loudly as she dared. “Package delivery, from Lady Razor.” When she finished, a door at the far end of the corridor creaked ajar. She waited a moment, but nopony came through, or opened it any more.

“Well I hate this,” she whispered to herself. Something about the eeriness and silence of it all was getting to her. She’d heard of ghosts in the machines--allegedly ponies who had died while plugged into the matrix, whose spirit had lingered in the system--and wondered if there were any legends and stories of these ghosts getting out of the matrix. Just as she was wondering if she could throw the case far enough to get through the door, she began to hear a horrid grinding metal sound from directly behind her. She jumped forwards and spun around. The wall of the elevator was moving towards her, pushing her, practically, towards the open door at the end of the corridor.

She groaned as the grinding stopped, and a cold metal wall greeted her and mustered up what courage she had left and turned around. “Alright. Good joke, play a prank on those less fortunate than you, har har. Now somepony come and take this case, I got a ton of other deliveries to do today.” She knew lying would probably not get her anywhere here, but figured she’d give it a try.

More silence. Neon was getting tired of this shtick now and took a deep breath. ”Alright, fine. Have it your way.” With nowhere left to go but forwards, she lifted up the case and marched forwards. Moving quickly and keeping her head high, she reached the open door and pushed it open, only to reveal a pitch black room. The pink glow of her magic around the case couldn’t even penetrate the darkness, it was as if the void itself existed solely within this room.

“Uh,” she said, taking a careful step forwards into the dark. “Hello?”

The room exploded into light and colour, making her eyes water.

“Agh!” she cried and made to cover her face. “Shit! My eyes!”

“Language, young Neon Dream,” said a voice, quietly and calmly in a manner similar to how the Princess of Friendship spoke. Yet unlike Twilight’s, whose voice was warm and kind, this mare’s voice ice cold and rang out with authority. “I have been waiting for you for some time now.”

The unicorn flinched. “I was expected, yeah, your system told me.” She snorted and blinked as her eyes still watered. She could see spots and felt like she had just looked into the sun itself. “What’s the big idea, anyway? Where is everypony? And who are you, anyway?” Her ears spun around atop her head and she bit her lip. “Actually, don’t tell me. I don’t care. Here.” She dropped the case on the floor and pushed it forwards. “Package delivery from Lady Razor. I’ll be on my way now.”

A chilling laughter reverberated throughout the room. The lights dimmed, and the unicorn could finally make something out in what appeared to be nothing more than a cold, extraordinarily clean white room, almost as long as the corridor she had just walked down.

A large desk, with an even larger chair facing away from her, looking out over the city. There was a pony in the chair, the speaker, she gathered, whose large, flowing and ethereal like mane spilled out down towards the ground in a similar vein to Twilight’s.

“Thank you for being so diligent with your delivery, Neon Dream, but I am afraid you cannot go just yet. Please, sit.”

A chair surrounded in light blue magic rushed towards Neon, making her flinch. The case was picked up in the same magic and zoomed towards the desk. Neon stared at it suspiciously and refused to budge.

“Listen,” she started. “I just-”

“Please,” the mare cut her off. “I insist.”

Neon felt compelled against her own will to take a seat. Her mouth moved wordlessly as she found her body moving of its own accord, and sat down in the chair brought before her. As soon as her hind quarters touched it, she was whisked towards the front of the desk in a flurry of movement.

“Whoa!” she cried in surprise. At least her mouth was her own, if not the rest of her body. “What gives?” The sensation of dread increased as she was brought closer to the mysterious mare.

“What gives, my dear Neon Dream, is we have a great many things to discuss.” The mare’s reflection stared back at Neon, who was now close enough to make out a few scarred features but nothing discernible.

“We do? Who are we?” the unicorn demanded. She felt her temper rise, despite the coldness of the room and the sense of dread she had. “I don’t have time for this-”

The reflection of the mare in the chair held up a hoof. “All will be explained in due time, Neon Dream, daughter of Loose Cannon.”

Neon froze. ”How does this corpo bitch know my dad? Did she have him bumped off?”

Another round of laughter from the chair made her shiver involuntarily. All her bravado, all her gusto that her dads, both pony and dragon, raised her with vanished in an instant, and she was reduced to feeling like a filly brought before the school principal again.

“I assure you, this ‘corpo bitch’, as you so eloquently put, Neon Dream, most definitely did not have your father bumped off. In fact-” A heavy sigh came from the chair. Neon saw the pony’s reflection shift and hang her head. “I would go so far as to say I was rather fond of him.”

Neon’s mind raced. “You... can read minds?” she murmured quietly.

“Indeed,” said the mare coolly. Her voice now sounded heavy and sorrowful.

A few moments of silenced passed between them. The tension hung thick in the room, which, to Neon, was beginning to feel more and more like a coffin, with walls closing down around her. “Who are you?” she asked quietly. She remained glued to the chair, despite leaning forwards so much.

The chair turned, and the reflection of the pony sitting in it vanished. Neon gaped at the dark blue mare sitting across from her, horn broken and chipped, coat matted and patched, face scarred and bruised, and, the things that made her eyes widen even further, the hints of torn and ragged wings behind the mare’s back. Atop her head sat a small metal object, a black as night crown with a small white jewel embedded into it.

“You’re an alicorn..?” Neon breathed. She felt her hooves begin to tremble. The sensation of dread overwhelmed her, and every fibre of her being screamed at her to run, to flee, to find somewhere warm and hide forever-always, yet her flank remained firmly glued to the seat. She couldn’t believe her eyes, she refused to believe it, yet knew it to be real and in front of her very eyes. If anypony had told her that she would be meeting not one, but two alicorns within the space of a week, she would have called them insane and retired then and there.

The mysterious alicorn nodded. “My name is Princess Luna of Equestria, Neon Dream. I have summoned you here to warn you of something terrible you have unwittingly unleashed upon the world.” The case from Lady Razor lifted up onto the table and clicked open, aided still by the light blue magic emanating from the mare’s horn “The greatest threat Equestria has and ever will face.”

She took a deep breath and lifted the case’s lid to reveal a cracked and damaged golden crown. On its crest was embedded a magenta jewel in the shape of Twilight’s cutie mark. The crown also radiated with magic that pulsed and beckoned temptingly.

Neon shifted her gaze away from the alicorn to the crown and stared at it in just as much horror as she did to the pony. “What?” she whispered, her voice no more than a croak.

The alicorn gave her a grave look. “Have you ever heard the story of the pony known as Midnight Sparkle?”

Neon shook her head slowly and strained her ears. “Midnight? I thought her name was Twilight?” she thought.

‘Luna’ smiled. “I thought not. It’s not a story one would commonly hear in civilized spaces...”

As she began to recite the tale burned inside her mind, outside high above the Scrapheap, and the rest of the megacity, the storm that had begun to brew finally broke. The light droplets of water turned into fat, heavy drops that crashed down onto anything underneath them. Lightning cracked the skies, and thunder echoed around the tall buildings.

Comments

[katarjin]

....feel like this my be a Cheeseleg trick...or could be legit

[Bigwig6666]

10411655
Cheeseleg...? Oh who can say?

[katarjin]

10412226
Look at this point trust is hard.

[Razzy]

Oh yeah, now we gonna find out how Twilight bucked it all up.

'the princess was more some success speaking' - the princess was more successful speaking of the princess was met with some success speaking

'you’re superior' - your