//------------------------------// // Metal Lotus // Story: Neo Somnambula: Desert Lotus // by Robipony //------------------------------// The young earth pony mare breathed quickly as she lay on the bed. Despite doing this so many times, she still felt so nervous. Sweat dripped down her tan coat while the lenses of her glasses upon her ocean-blue eyes started to fog.  Realizing what was going on, Snapshot took several deep breaths as she tried to slow her heart rate. It would do her no good if she fainted during her session with a client. “It's okay…” Snapshot reassured herself. After pushing a few stray strands of her short red mane from her vision, Snapshot focused her attention on the room around her. The room consisted of light panels, each emitting a deep red bathing the room in a reddish hue. The bed she lay upon had red satin bed sheets and pillows with matching pillowcases. While the room seemed bare, Snapshot knew that there were sensors behind the wall, recording everything going on inside.  On the upper right corner of Snapshot's HUD was a chatbox as various viewers talked, waiting for the show to start. As she waited for her client to arrive, Snapshot pulled up the file on her client.  The client's name was Screwy. He was an earth pony with some Grav-Tech implants and some Bouncy-Hoof cybernetics.  “That'll be a new experience,” Snapshot said. She had never done it with a customer who had Grav-Tech before. It was a prospect that was exciting, which helped settle her nerves a little. “I wonder if he bought it for sex or if maybe he has some other use for it?” She wondered.  He had also requested to use X-Stream's privacy settings to conceal his identity during their session, both his face and cutie mark would be digitally censored during the stream. Also, he had been checked for any diseases and had a clean bill of health, just the way that X-Stream liked it. Today would be his first session at X-Streams. As Snapshot looked over Screwy's information, she heard the door to her room open. Closing the file, Snapshot peered up at the stallion who had entered.  Screwy had a blue coat and a frazzled, silvery gray mane. As he stepped into the room, the young stallion's magenta eyes glanced around nervously.  “A-are you alright?” Snapshot asked.  “W-what? Ye-yes, I'm fine,” Screwy answered meekly.  Rising from the bed, Snapshot carefully walked over to him. Her HUD alerted her that in about a minute, the stream would start. “Is this your first time at X-Streams?” Snapshot already knew the answer, but she felt that it might make her client feel more comfortable. Swallowing hard, Screwy nodded.  “I hope you don't mind me asking,” Snapshot spoke softly, “but are you a virgin?”  Screwy scrunched his nose and shook his head. “N-no.” Well, that would certainly make things easier. Gently, Snapshot placed a hoof on Screwy's cheek. Now that she was closer, Snapshot could see the Grav-Tech implants that were small hoof-sized metal pads attached to the right and left side of Screwy's back, just above his hips.  “Then just pretend that nopony's watching,” Snapshot encouraged, “if anything needs to be adjusted, I'll whisper it in your ear and we'll do it at your pace.” Sometimes, viewers watching the stream could donate X-Bits, X-Stream's digital currency to maybe change positions, have their name called out, or something else within the confines of the agreed-upon terms of both the prostitute and the client.  Taking a deep breath, Screwy nodded. “Y-yeah, I suppose you're right.”  A message appeared on Snapshot's HUD, alerting her that the stream would start in ten seconds. The lights in the room, pulsing with the timer.  Gently, Snapshot directed Screwy to the bed. “It'll be okay. Let's just take it nice and slow, and go from there.”  “T-thank you,” Screwy said, “what should I call you?” Taking Screwy's forehoof, Snapshot gently placed it against her cheek. “You can call me whatever you want. I'm your Desert Lotus after all.” PronTast3sG00D: Wow. PronTast3sG00D: Did you guys see that? DazzleRazzle: Would love to be pounded like that. CornMaster69: I don't know you could use Grav-tech like that. OnlyFlanks: Yeah, now I want some.  DeviantDinkie: It's a shame that she didn't have any Grav-tech. C0mpletelyN0rmal: Yeah, would love some zero g bucking. H4mst3R: Is the sound coming through? T3ntacl3sRC00L: Sounds fine to me. Venusunev: But even then the mare's still hot. PronTast3sG00D: Oh, definitely. OnlyFlanks: Desert Lotus is so sexy. CornMaster69: Love a mare with glasses. Dankw3b: Cornmaster likes nerdy fillies. DeviantDinkie: Nothing wrong with that.  Dankw3b: Didn't say there was. Dankw3b: lol. Radstad: Nah. Nerdy fillies are hot. H4mst3R: Nvm. H4mst3R: Accidentally muted the stream on my HUD. DeviantDinkie: O_O H4mst3R: Oops. H4mst3R: lol. 30GrayPonies: I love her Sub-Dermal Light Implants.  Venusunev: Yeah, they are pretty awesome! OnlyFlanks: I especially like how it pulses when she climaxes.  PronTast3sG00D: Yeah, that's pretty sweet.  NetherFlame: Yes... More… “You’ve done well today Snapshot,” Cadence said, as she went over the numbers of the day, “you were able to satisfy four clients and managed to make over five thousand X-Points in donations.”  Snapshot blushed while she sat nervously on the couch. “T-thank you, ma’am.”  The two mares sat inside Cadence’s office. It had synthetic wooden panels on the walls, upon which were posters of some of X-stream’s most talented stars, a wooden desk, and the large leather couch that Snapshot sat on. Behind the desk was a leather chair, which Cadence sat in, and behind the pink pegasus, embedded in the wall was a fish tank containing a few exotic fish. Cadence was the main mistress who ran X-Streams. She made sure that her fillies were cared for and that the clients went home satisfied. On occasion, she would stream, using her body, her four cybernetic legs, and the robotic tentacles within to please both her clients and the viewers, all under the alias of Hathor.  It was because of Cadence that Snapshot was able to work in what was probably the safest brothel in Neo Somnambula’s Glowpulse district. Cadence had even been the one to come up with Snapshot's alias, Desert Lotus. Largely it was because she was from the desert and had been so shy when she started that she reminded Cadence of a delicate lotus.  “I have routed your earnings to your account,” Cadence continued, “as well as a bit of a bonus.”  “A bonus?” Snapshot blinked in confusion.  Some of Cadence's robotic tentacles were holding onto some papers that Cadence had been looking at. Rumor had it that she had lost her legs when some rogue sorcerers tried experimenting on her, altering Cadence with their foul magic. Cadence nodded. “It’s been three years since you started working with us. So, I thought you could use some extra Bit-Chiques. That it might help you with your little hobby.”  “Oh, uh, thank you,” Snapshot replied.  It was then that Cadence took on a serious almost motherly tone. “Snapshot are you sure you don’t want a room here? If it’s money you’re worried about I’m sure we can work something out.” “No, it’s fine,” Snapshot answered, “I like having my own place. It gives me a brief respite from my work.”  “I’m just worried about your safety,” Cadence explained, “gang activity has increased lately and I’m afraid that you might end up being hurt or… worse.” Snapshot couldn’t help but smile, her heart warmed by her employer’s compassionate words. Such emotions were rare in this dark corner of the lower city.  “Thank you, but I’ll be fine.”  Cadence looked Snapshot over and let out a tired sign. “Just… be careful alright.”  “Don’t worry, I will.”  With her work finished for the evening, Snapshot went to the locker room to clean herself off before heading home.  Walking past the lockers and the bathroom stalls, Snapshot made her way to the alcove that served as the shower room. It was a large room with white tiles with a drain in the center, inside there were nine shower faucets, three for each of the walls aside from the one with the entrance. At this hour, there was nopony else here, so Snapshot had the whole room to herself.  Stepping inside, Snapshot walked to the far right corner from the entrance and waved a hoof to activate the shower.  The water felt nice on her coat, Snapshot began cleaning herself with some liquid soap. While it was company protocol for the prostitutes to clean themselves between clients, Snapshot also enjoyed showering after work.  As Snapshot showered, she heard the sound of the door to the locker room opening.  Not before long, a unicorn mare stepped into the shower room. Her long pink mane with purple highlights was braided into a ponytail, before it was loosened by the mare's silver magic, causing the unsecured strands to drape over the mare's pale green coat.  It was Barb, one of the most popular prostitutes in X-Streams both for her beauty and her willingness to do just about anything that the clients and the viewers asked of her. While most of the other fillies seemed to get along with Barb, for some reason she would act distant around Snapshot.  Not wanting to cause any trouble, Snapshot focused on finishing her shower quickly.  Despite Snapshot’s concern, Barb didn't seem to be interested in her, her silver eyes focused on the wall as she waved a hoof and proceeded to clean herself. Water trickled down her form, the tattoos of purple flowers and thorn thistles seeming to crawl up her legs to taste the cascading moisture. Irritated, Barb closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. Once Snapshot had finished rinsing off, she quickly left to dry herself, before leaving the X-Streams brothel.  The street lights and neon signs were bright in the Glowpulse district, known by many as Neo Somnambula’s domain of sin and desire. Most of the buildings were made of concrete and sandstone with piping, tubing, wires, and metal support beams connecting them. Holographic advertisements were everywhere, promoting cybernetics that could enhance your love life, brothels with mares and stallions that could fulfill your wildest fantasies, arcades with the newest virtual reality pods and games, and drugs that could bring you such great ecstasy.  Whatever source of entertainment you wanted could be found. Any sensual desires your heart could lust for could be found in this dark place. The music generated by all the nearby clubs seemed to have a low bass that throbbed like a faint heartbeat.  With the upper city being built completely over this district, no sunlight reached these dismal streets, which made it a playground for gangsters, gamblers, and deviants alike. Even tourists would come here to partake in the debauchery and fulfill their wildest fantasies. Drugs and sex flowed through the streets like wine.  Yet even in a place like this pockets of peace and serenity could be found, and it was these pockets that Snapshot wanted to capture.  Wearing a black, hooded cloak, Snapshot walked through the streets, her eyes swaying from side to side, looking out both for her quarry and any trouble that could befall her.  The smell of stagnant water, perfume, and other substances that were either residual drug fumes or the scent of body fluids filled Snapshot’s nostrils.  As Snapshot walked past a brothel, known as the Breeding Pit, her eyes caught sight of something down one of the alleyways. It was a faint blue glow coming from further down the corridor.  Curious as to what this glow might be coming from, Snapshot ventured down the alleyway. Even as she walked, Snapshot kept herself alert in case a thug or drug addict was hiding nearby.  After wandering a little longer, Snapshot discovered the source of the glow. Somepony had taken scrap metal and had welded it together into the shape of a lotus blossom. After setting it up in a makeshift metal vase, they must have cast a light spell on it, allowing the metal petals to glow with bright blue light. Upon seeing this beautiful piece of artwork, Snapshot reached under her cloak and pulled out a digital camera, and started taking pictures of the metal lotus.  A smile graced Snapshot’s lips as she examined the photos on the small digital screen of her camera.  “Perfect.” Once she was satisfied with the images she had taken, Snapshot went back down the alleyway she had come from. Before leaving the alley, three stallions approached her.   “Well, well, well,” one of the thugs chuckled, “what do we have here?”  Two of the gangsters blocked her path. Each of them bore the symbol of a broken heart on their clothes, marking them as members of the Joy-ripper gang.  “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a cute mare with an antique camera,” another gangster chuckled.  Snapshot’s legs quivered and wobbled. This was really bad.  One of the Joy-rippers grabbed Snapshot by the shoulder and shoved her against the wall. “I say we have our way with her and then sell off her camera for a pretty bit. I call dibs on rutting her first!”  This was extremely bad. Fear gripped Snapshot as she looked up at the three thugs surrounding her. They were going to take everything she had left in this city and there was nothing she could do to stop them.  With all the gangs down here, law enforcement was nowhere to be found. No Horizon Knights would be coming to save her.  “Or… you could just let her go,” another voice said.  Snapshot and the three Joy-rippers turned their attention to a new pony that had entered the alleyway. Annoyed, one of the thugs approached the newcomer.  “Oh, and who do you think you are,” the gangster growled, “you little sh–” There was a crack as the newcomer’s hoof slammed into the lower jaw of the thug, sending a chipped tooth flying through the air.  One of the other gangsters growled. “How dare y–” Before the gangster could reach for his brace blaster, the newcomer’s rear hoof was propelled at high velocity into his chest, causing the thug to cough up blood.  With two of the Joy-rippers down for the count, the third was less interested in meeting the same fate.  “I think I’ll just… you know… leave.” The last gangster said as he turned around and walked away from his fallen comrades, whistling a quick anxious tune to himself.  As the two incapacitated thugs crawled away in defeat, the newcomer turned his attention to Snapshot. “Are you okay?”  “Y-yes,” Snapshot replied. “Here let me help you up,” the newcomer said as he walked over and courteously offered his hoof to Snapshot.  “Th-thank you.” Snapshot took his hoof.  Now that she was no longer slumped onto the ground, Snapshot could better view her rescuer.  Snapshot had met a few tall ponies in her life, yet most of them paled in comparison to the stature of this pegasus, his goliath size on par with many diamond dogs. His black leather jacket contrasted with his yellow coat. Yellow and black strands of his mane flowed down past his neck. With sincere, yellow eyes, the newcomer gazed down at Snapshot. “Those goons didn’t hurt you badly did they?”  Blinking a couple of times, Snapshot realized that she was blushing. “N-no, y-you stopped them in time.” If things had gone south, Snapshot would have had to endure numerous invasive tests and if she had received any sexually transmitted illnesses from those ruffians, she very well could have lost her job at X-Streams.  The newcomer smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.” As her rescuer turned to walk away, Snapshot couldn’t help but feel a little bit charmed by him.  “W-wait, what’s your name?” Snapshot asked.  Turning around, the stallion smiled. “I’m Thunderbolt Sentinel.”  “Uh, I’m Snapshot,” she said, “i-if you want I could get you a treat for saving me.”  Thunderbolt waved a hoof. “That’s not necessary.” “P-please, I insist.” After walking down the street a ways, they stopped by a food vending machine and bought some black velvet instant cupcakes, before walking to a nearby park.  The parks in the Glowpulse district were different for a couple of different reasons. For starters, most of the other districts didn’t have advertisements for brothels and sex toys outside of their parks. Also due to there being no sunlight down here, the only plants inside these parks were fungi and plants that were genetically modified to not need the sun.  After finding a park bench, both of them sat down and began to eat.  “So, what were you doing in that alleyway?” Thunderbolt asked as he opened the container of his instant cupcake. Immediately as the lid was peeled off, the top of the cupcake puffed up.  “I-I was taking some pictures,” Snapshot answered as she presented her camera. She turned on the screen and showed the pictures of the scrap metal lotus.  “This is really good,” Thunderbolt muffled in between bites. “So you're a photographer.”  “Uh, k-kind of,” Snapshot answered.  It wasn’t a lie but it wasn’t the complete truth either.  “You know there are ways to take pictures using your HUD,” Thunderbolt continued.  “Y-yeah, but it just doesn’t feel as authentic,” Snapshot explained.  “I suppose that’s fair.”  “So, uh, what do you do?” Snapshot asked as she opened her instant cupcake.  “Nothing terribly special,” Thunderbolt replied, “I’m a security guard.” Considering his effectiveness in the brawl earlier, that didn’t surprise Snapshot. Combined with his size there was no doubt that Thunderbolt Sentinel was a good security guard.  “It must be hard work,” Snapshot said. “Nah, it's mostly just sitting in front of a bunch of monitors all day and occasionally going for a walk.” This elicited a slight giggle from Snapshot and Thunderbolt smiled. Some sudden pulsating light caught Snapshot's attention as her Sub-Dermal Light Implants activated, causing blue lines resembling the circuits on a motherboard to pulse up and down her legs. “What's that?” Thunderbolt asked. Snapshot let out an annoyed sigh. “Just some faulty cybernetics.” They were something that Cadence had suggested might help increase her popularity at the brothel, which it did, but like with all tech from Flim Flam Industries, it would act up sometimes. Quickly Snapshot made some adjustments on her HUD and the lights faded.  “Would you like to exchange our Ba-Link information?” Thunderbolt asked, “I go through this district on my way to work and if you want I could accompany you to your place if you feel the need.” Ba-Links were the digital implants that allowed their users to access their HUD, the Canternet, and manipulate their cybernetics.  “Oh, uh, sure,” Snapshot said, “if you don't mind me taking a picture of you.” “Not at all.” Thunderbolt grinned.  Holding up her camera, Snapshot angled it so that it would be able to capture both Thunderbolt and her as they sat on the bench. “A-alright, smile!” Snapshot instructing.  Both of them gave a warm smile as Snapshot hit the button and took the picture.  “Thank you for escorting me to my apartment,” Snapshot said. “It's no trouble,” Thunderbolt Sentinel replied. Snapshot smiled as she unlocked the door to her apartment.  “You can come in if you want,” Snapshot said.  Thunderbolt shook his head. “No, I need to be heading home as well.” “O-okay, well take care then.” “You as well,” Sentinel replied, “have a great evening.”  After waving farewell, Snapshot stepped inside her apartment. The room was wide enough for one pony to walk inside with two alcoves one on each side. One held a small bed, while the other alcove served as storage space. On the far side of the room was a round window, through which the lights of the district could be seen.  In the storage area was a special printer that Snapshot used to print pictures off of her vintage camera. Sure, she could just save them into a digital archive, but Snapshot loved the feeling of a photograph in her hooves.  Pulling out her camera, Snapshot looked over her recent pictures. “What should I print off today?” After picking out some of the best pictures of the metal lotus, Snapshot realized that she had room to print out one more picture on the photo sheet. “Hmm…”  As she scrolled through the pictures again, she came across the photo that Thunderbolt and she had taken together. The fact was that if it wasn't for him, she might not be here right now.  “Guess you're the lucky winner,” Snapshot said, as she selected the image and clicked the print icon.  Minutes later, the printer finished its task, and using some scissors, Snapshot separated the different photographs. After taking the pictures of the lotus and putting them in her scrapbook, Snapshot held onto the last picture. “What should I do with you?” As she considered what to do with the photo she lay down on her bed. On the wall above the bed was a collection of various photographs attached with sticky tape, forming a collage. In the center of the pictures was the last photo that Snapshot had taken of her family. It showed her parents, her little brother, and her standing in front of their farmhouse.  After some more pondering, Snapshot put the photograph of Thunderbolt and her in the upper right corner of the collage. Smiling, Snapshot admired her collection, before she pulled over her bedsheets and went to sleep.  Sand crunched softly underneath Snapshot’s hooves as she walked around her family’s rock farm. There were all sorts of rocks here, big ones, short ones, some the size of a pony's head.  After the Daybreak, the once lush and beautiful land of Equestria was reduced to a vast, scorched desert. Outside of the walled cities like Neo Somnambula, there were few settlements due to roaming raiders, nomads, and the Tatzlwurms that lurked in the sands.  The sun was setting as Snapshot gazed out into the rock field. As per usual the rocks looked like, well… rocks.  “So, this is your family’s farm,” Thunderbolt said.  “Yeah.” While Snapshot felt excited about returning home, a part of her felt apprehensive.  As she looked around, Snapshot realized that something was off.  “Where is everypony?” Snapshot asked. “Maybe they're inside.” Thunderbolt pointed to the old trusty farmhouse.  “Uh, yeah, of course.”  Walking up to the cabin, Snapshot opened the door and stepped inside. It was just how she had left it.  The main room was divided into two sections, one being the living room and the other the kitchen and dining area. In the recreational area, there was a couch large enough for four ponies facing an old television. The dining area had a table with four chairs set around it. Yet her family was nowhere to be seen.  “Hello!” Snapshot called out, but nopony answered.  Looking around, she didn't see any sign of a struggle or that they had evacuated in haste. All the furniture and bobbles on the countertops were completely undisturbed.  “Maybe they went to buy some supplies,” Snapshot said, “I'm sure they'll be back soon…” Turning around, Snapshot realized that she was alone in the cabin. Where was Thunderbolt? Did he stay outside? She could have sworn that he had followed her inside.  Stepping outside, Snapshot was surprised to see that it was now night with the full moon overhead. Surrounding the cabin were thousands of ponies, their features completely obscured. Fear gripped Snapshot's heart as she heard the crowd chanting, their words completely garbled.  “W-what's going on?” Snapshot asked, her legs twitching nervously.  The figures continued talking, their unholy chant undisturbed by Snapshot's inquiry. Then the ground began to rumble underneath her. Before Snapshot could do anything, the giant Tatzlwurm engulfed both her and the farmhouse, as the figures watched on.   Snapshot’s eyes opened as she was woken up by the nightmare. Groaning, she rubbed her eyes.  “Stupid dream,” Snapshot mumbled as she tried to fall back to sleep.  The alarm clock app on her Ba-Link had other plans.