Octavia Melody tried her hardest to avoid grimacing at the Flight of Fancy's atmosphere. A loud, harsh techno beat pounded against her skull, as the Flight of Fancy's numerous patrons danced in various amounts of clothing. Manehattan was predominantly an Earth pony city, yet Octavia still saw a few pegasi couples performing their mid-air tangos that were oh-so-popular.
Octavia paused as a waiter slid past. An android—there were a few of those inside, but more of the employees Octavia saw were ponies. Quite the opposite of normal—androids tended to be cheaper in the long run, because, as legal property, they didn't have to be paid.
The waiter leaned his tray of glasses over to her, but she shook her head. "No, thank you."
If he particularly cared about one of the only ponies who stopped to thank androids, he didn't show it, instead moving off in a hurry to other patrons.
"This looks too tame to be a place Filthy's gonna come to," Applejack said quietly.
"I told you: Fancy's a good colt," Octavia said. Covering her ears, she added, "I just wish that this garish, techno-garbage wasn't 'in style'. Or that the stairs up to Fancy's office didn't go right past the DJ's booth."
Applejack looked up to the DJ in question. The unicorn android wore jeans and an open white jacket, showing off a polished, silvery torso. Her blue, shiny mane was short, falling just down to her neck, and her optics were a deep red color, though rather than the imitation pupils that were popular amongst most entertainment-focused ones, this one had a set of bars going up and down in accordance with her music. As they passed her, she gave them a wave as she used her other hand to manipulate the heavy electronic beeps.
Octavia refused to call it music, and hurried past with her ears covered.
Applejack looked back to the DJ, who gave a completely unapologetic shrug, before returning all her focus to her music.
"I see what you mean," Applejack chuckled.
"I know. If I remember correctly, his office is soundproofed, so--"
"If he weren't nice, then no android woulda shown that much sass," Applejack said, visor imitating eyes closed in a cartoonish, happy way.
"Har de har," Octavia said. "Eyes up, security's ahead."
The doorway leading to the second story—VIP rooms and office rooms, mostly—was blocked by a sentry android. Flash-point sentry, the most common model used. Previously it had been Wonderbolts, before Canterlot had declared them exclusively for government use.
Octavia almost felt gladdened by that, as the Flash-points had much nicer personalities. At least, if Rainbow Dash was anything to go by, anyway.
"Hello! Please show note of appointment or ticket to VIP access," the sentry said. His bronze plating was reflective enough to blind Octavia if she hadn't been wearing her violet goggles, and he had a fully simulated digital face that was grinning broadly, if somewhat cartoonishly.
It was almost cheery enough to distract from the minigun arm he held behind his back. His other arm was held forward, fingers outstretched.
Octavia slipped into her jacket pocket, before fishing out the note of appointment. She handed it to the sentry, who scanned the note's code with his faceplate.
"Please wait one moment," he said in the same cheery tone. His face briefly flickered, turning to an exclamation mark, before returning to its normal expression. "Ah, you're with Mr Fancy! Good luck!" He opened the door, then handed back the note before gesturing her through the door.
"Thank you," Octavia told him as she walked past.
"Just doin' my job," he said, though the cheer sounded slightly more authentic.
She was probably imagining that, as the Flash Points were only given one tone of voice.
Applejack had to duck down through the doorway, her plates making uncomfortable sounds against each other.
"Sorry," Octavia apologized as she lead the way forward. "I should have warned you."
"It's alright," Applejack said. "Workhorses ain't meant for indoor use, anyhow."
Octavia gave her tail an annoyed swish. "You're my friend, not a Workhorse," she said pointedly.
"You're friends with a Workhorse," Applejack argued. "Just because I'm a touch 'fancied up' from the rest of 'em don't mean I'm not a workhorse."
Octavia couldn't figure out how to answer that. Applejack was more to her than a Workhorse, or even a combat android.
But she was getting sidetracked, and she had a job to do.
Octavia looked around, tapping her chin briefly before finding the door helpfully labeled 'Fancy Pants' on the outside.
Octavia stepped up to the door, giving a nod to the Flash-point outside it before she rapped on it with her knuckles.
"Come in," Fancy Pants called out.
Octavia slipped in, leaving Applejack to squeeze in behind her. "Hello, Fancy," she said, letting her goggles fall around her neck. "It's been a while."
Fancy smiled pleasantly, straightening his monocle. As the name suggested, he wore a fine tuxedo and tie, though the top hat that would have completed the look sat on the table in front of him with a glass of wine. Cherry's Jubilee, if the logo on the bottle was anything to go by.
"Well, time flies, as they say," he said. "You at least remember Fleur, right?"
Octavia's eyes traveled to the other mare in the room, a unicorn reclining sideways on a chair, her mane trailing almost to the ground. Her horn was long and curved, majestic. The product of beauty care products that were in no way healthy, intended to make your horn longer and more curved despite how brittle it would be.
Fleur also, contrary to Octavia's memory, had a cybernetic chip on her temple. Fleur raised her glass of wine in greeting, smiling warmly at Octavia.
Fleur de Liss wasn't so bad, as far as the Canterlot nobility went. Though, what she was doing down from her mountain was beyond Octavia's guess.
"Yes, quite fondly," Octavia said, taking her seat. Applejack moved to stand behind her, but Octavia firmly pushed over a chair for her to sit in.
With a slightly complaining mechanical hum, Applejack took the hint and sat down.
"Oh, that's a big one," Fleur commented. "Custom model, I assume?"
"Yes," Octavia lied easily enough. "From a small, no-name company." Most people weren't aware that any android could hurt ponies, if you removed a single inhibitor chip from them, so it was best to let them continue thinking so.
For now, anyway.
"Is this some sort of personal business with Fancy? If so, I'll spare you the trouble of asking me and leave already," she said, adopting an apologetic face easily. Octavia felt slightly envious of how easily noblemares and colts could adopt fake expressions sometimes, but Fleur, at least, meant well.
"Nothing that need be discussed quite so quickly," Octavia said with a smile. "Perhaps we have a moment to catch up?"
"Ah, yes, of course," Fancy said with a smile. "Here, I take it you still don't like the expensive wines?"
"I never had enough money to learn to like them," Octavia said, letting a hint of moroseness through her voice.
"Jiffy!"
A pegasus blinked into view from a side entrance, wings outstretched. "Yessir?" he said quickly.
"Fetch a thing of...hmm, I'm not quite sure what all we have in stock."
"Anything from Sweet Apple Acres?" Octavia asked.
"Yes'm," Jiffy replied. "Be right back!" He zoomed off, a white blure trailing behind him.
"I should have figured you for a whiskey mare," Fleur commented drily. "You never did seem like you fit in with all the fakely sweet nobles and soirees. No, you were much to hard for that, my girl."
"Perhaps," Octavia replied with a shrug.
"Perhaps? Look at you! You're wearing jeans and a travel jacket. The very image of practicality. I daresay any other Canterlotter would die on the spot if they saw you," Fleur said, gesturing at Octavia.
"I'm back!" Jiffy said, suddenly reappearing. "Sorry for the wait, have to slow down while carrying this." He set down a container of Zap Apple hard cider, with a picture of a smiling Granny Smith on it.
"No worries," Octavia answered. "Thank you."
"'Twas a pleasure," Jiffy answered, zooming back to his corner of the room, where he sat with a wide smile and open, unblinking eyes.
Octavia had several concerns about the flighty colt, but said nothing. She let Fancy pour her a cup of the cider, the rainbow fizz rising to the glass's brim. She nodded her thanks, then took a sip.
As always, it hit like a bullet. She let out a contented sigh, reclining back in her seat. "It's been a while since I was able to sit down and relax like this," she acknowledged.
"I'm half surprised you actually drank it," Fancy commented. "I suppose Fleur always did have the proper guess of what you were doing, isn't that quite right?"
Fleur nodded. "Yes, I always was able to figure out what was going on in that pretty little head," she said. "I suppose it's because I saw a lot of myself in you."
"I find it hard to see you as a whiskey mare," Octavia commented, giving a smile and a raised eyebrow.
"True, I find myself impartial to Cherry's every time," Fleur replied, raising her glass demurely before taking a sip. She sipped it slowly, letting everyone's eyes remain on her drink before she gave an exaggerated sigh of contentment. "Though, your taste for classical music is one I happened to share. Such a pity that rock, dubstep, and pop have pushed it to the side, isn't it?"
"Perhaps, though tastes are subjective," Octavia answered. "My own drink being the case in point." She took a sip, eager to forget about her failed musical career.
"Ah, indeed. Though you might be happy to hear that classical seems to be making a comeback. At the Grand Galloping Gala a few months back, Princess Celestia set the music as classical."
"You might have an opportunity to step back into the limelight, Octavia," Fancy said. "Are you going to take it, or are you otherwise committed at this point?"
Octavia made a show of sighing theatrically. "I daresay I wish I could," she admitted. "But, as you put it, I am otherwise committed."
"To what, if I might be permitted to ask?"
"I'm working out of Ponyville these days," Octavia said.
Both Fleur and Fancy looked at her in surprise. "That backwater?" Fleur gasped. "My word. Well, I suppose it would suit your tastes, and they are...subjective, right?"
Octavia found herself gripping her glass unreasonably tightly, barely keeping her Earth pony strength from shattering it. "Yes, indeed," she said, somewhat stiffly.
"Now, Fleur! Look what you've done," Fancy chastised. "I find the ponies there quite charming, actually. Octavia, do you know Rarity Belle?"
"Closely," Octavia admitted. "She's the one who made this ensemble for me, actually."
"My, my," Fleur said. "I never did hear back from her on what a dress would cost, actually. How much was that set?"
"This is Rarity we're talking about," Octavia replied dryly. "She gave it for free and wouldn't let me pay. Though, I do know that some of her dresses go for upwards of a hundred bits, way more if it is a custom fitting. She has a Manehattan branch, actually."
"Yes, it's where I got my suit made," Fancy added. He brushed some imaginary dust off his shirt, adding, "I suggest you make your way there while in town, Fleurr. There's enough bad business in Manehattan to where we should support the better shops, I think."
"That is actually the regrettable reason I'm here," Octavia admitted, sitting forward. She folded her arms together. "A friend of mine heard that Filthy Rich was coming through town, looking to buy your place from you."
Fancy Pants reached over, took his hat, and made a show of brushing off more imaginary dust. Then, he threw back his head, mane shaking, and laughed. "Well, now, that's quite funny, you see. You're worried I'm actually going to sell to him, are you?"
"Not much, but my employers wanted to make sure."
"Well, Jiffy!"
"Yes?" Jiffy said, suddenly appearing again.
Applejack twitched, but thankfully, the pegasus didn't notice her reaction. Fleur de Liss, on the other hand, was giving Applejack a lazy look over, seemingly noting the clenched fist.
Octavia gave Applejack a discreet flick. The android moved to a more forcibly relaxed position. She was jittery, which Octavia could get—Applejack was acting as a bodyguard. Even Octavia's nerves were getting shaken by Jiffy's spontaneous movement.
Though, I shouldn't be, given that I know Rainbow Dash...and the Pie Sisters, anyway...
"Is Vinyl's show over?"
"Yessir," Jiffy answered, leaning forward and straightening his spectacles. "Want me to fetch her?"
"If you don't mind," Fancy answered.
Jiffy disappeared in a blink.
"That's quite the combat android," Fleur commented. "I've seen some so poorly designed they'd fly off and shoot anypony who moved too quickly. That one, though—she looks like quality. What company did you say made her, again?"
"They never had a name, and it 'company' is a bit of an exaggeration," Octavia said. "It was a couple of individuals, and they no longer make androids anymore."
"Ah, a shame," Fleur said casually. "They deserve some credit. Few ponies would think of using a workhorse as a model for a combat droid."
"I don't see why not," Fancy scoffed. "They can lift plows. Ever think about what one could do to a pony? Have you seen much action, miss?" He nodded to Applejack.
Applejack seemed surprised at being spoken to directly, so was somewhat hesitant in her reply. "Er, yeah, a bit," she drawled. "I've seen my share of tousles, Mister Fancy."
Fleur gave off a lilting, musical laugh. "My, the idea of using the rural accent for her tone was genius!" she cheered, lifting her glass into the sky. "Strange to think they went out of business, isn't it?"
Octavia was saved from ad-libing a response by Jiffy's abrupt return. "Vinyl Scratch is here."
Octavia almost winced at seeing the DJ from earlier stride into the room, with an easy, carefree gate.
Up close, Octavia realized that she really wasn't wearing a shirt under the jacket. She could even make out the lines between some of the plates.
Thankfully, this one wasn't one of the ones made by a pubescent colt who felt the need to design realistic breasts onto robots, and instead, just had two lumps to simulate them.
"Yo, wuzzup, Pants?" the android said in a raspy, nonchalant tone. She stopped abruptly, her red visor focusing on first Fleur, then settling on Octavia.
"Please, have a seat," Fancy said. "These are friends of mine. I've mentioned Fleur before, and this is Octavia Meldoy. A charming Manehattanite friend of mine who's been travelling."
"A pleasure to meet you," Vinyl said in a cheery tone.
"Please, dispense with the factory settings. I'd like to see the real you," Fleur said, attention finally leaving Octavia to focus one hundred percent of her will upon Vinyl. Octavia couldn't manage to enjoy it, however, because she was allowed an easy glance at how Fleur had changed over the years.
A look of greed and awe filled her face, as her eyes appraised Vinyl.
"O-kay. Nice to meetcha lovely ladies." She took the offered seat, between Fleur and Fancy, crossed one leg over the other, and let her arms hang over the back of the chair.
Jiffy appeared with an empty glass, and mimed the action of pouring something into it. Vinyl took the empty cup, then raised it to Jiffy in mock solute. "Thanks, m'dude," Vinyl said.
"You're welcome," Jiffy said, disappearing back to his corner.
"Now, Octavia and I were talking," Fancy said, tipping his glass to her. "And I wanted to ask you: are you happy in your workplace?"
"Uh...yeah," Vinyl said, thrusting her cup forward. "You're a good dude. I get free time. I get to make my own music. It's as good a life as I could ever have."
"I see. All that said, Octavia mentioned that Filthy Rich wants to buy this establishment. Would you be happy then?"
Vinyl stared at him for a long moment. "You could just...disassemble me now," she finally commented. "That would be preferable, actually."
Fancy laughed. "Don't worry, I have a response prepared for Rich already," he said. "And whomever these employers of yours are, Miss Melody, you can let them know."
"Who do you work for these days, anyway?" Fleur asked, but her gaze kept looking right at Vinyl in a way that Octavia absolutely didn't like.
"I work security for an AI rights activist group," Octavia said slowly.
Fleur managed to tear her gaze away from Vinyl to shoot her with a piercing look. Fancy didn't seem to notice, however.
"You? Working security?" he asked.
"Yes. It's good pay, and it feels good to be making some headway in this world," Octavia said.
"Which group?" Fleur asked casually.
"Everfree," Octavia answered.
"Everfree? Hmm. A respectable bunch," Fancy said with a nod, blissfully unaware of the miniature feud between his other two guests. "Though, I will say, I will not need any assistance to handle whatever goons Rich sends to coerce me into selling. I'm not some poor pony without the money or strength to tell him no, and I refuse to let this become another den of broodmares and Salt licks. I have resources of my own to keep him off."
"Fancy," Octavia said, in pleading tones. "He has a lot of money his way, and the people he sends will be more plentiful than you can replenish the Flash-points, or pony guards."
"Once he makes his offer, I shall inform the town guard of what I believe is coming," Fancy said. "They know I don't come to them without reason, and once thugs start showing up, our dear friend Mr. Rich shall find his lackeys contending against Wonderbolts. Any assistance you have to offer is rather moot, where that is concerned, Miss Melody."
If you only knew, Octavia thought. Aloud, she said, "Ever the believer in the monarchy, aren't you, Fancy?"
"It's not that I believe in it wholeheartedly," Fancy replied, in a chastising tone. "It's that I believe that I should not break the rules of the system I am trying to change. If I break the rules, then I show that I do not care about anything other than my own way. One cannot change a system if one also happens to be ignoring it."
"I agree wholeheartedly," Fleur said, nodding. "He's put in a lot of good work towards improving things for androids himself, Octavia. If, at this point, he went and hired some freelance bodyguards before the Town Guard, it would be a blow to his support. It would show a complete lack of trust in the system, and, as he said...that would demote his ability to change said system."
Perhaps, he would have been right, if he would ever have been able to change the system. Applejack stayed silent, and Octavia only nodded, saying, "Well, then I shall let the boss know that you shan't be needing any help, Mr. Fancy." She took a sip of her cider.
"With my sincerest respect, of course," Fancy said. "I respect Gloriosa's work greatly. I think she has the marks of a great figure of change, herself. Just compare the strides she's made to those that, hm, well..."
"Discord?" Fleur suggested innocently.
"A bit of an extreme example, but yes!" Fancy gave a nod. "Discord's penchant for violence first undermines their every action. Any action they take in the name of 'android equality' only means that Canterlot has to respond by saying they will not bow to the likes of gun-toting degenerates."
Octavia took a long sip of her cider.
"They cannot possibly win their war for freedom because no one wins a war. Bullets and bloodshed cannot make the world a better place."
Octavia's hand tightened around her glass.
"Everfree's continued committment to non-violent measures has my full backing," Fancy said. "Of course, I do recognize that sometimes, conflict is inevitable, as in the current scenario. Mr. Rich is not going to simply let me say no, and that, I think, is regrettable."
"You'd think someone'd have arrested him by now," Vinyl said.
"He's got money, meaning he can bribe off as many people as he needs to," Octavia muttered bitterly.
"I do hope you're not implying that everyone of wealth does such things," Fleur commented dryly, before sipping her drink.
Octavia winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean anything like that," she said. "I simply meant that that is how he is using his wealth."
"Indeed," Fancy grimaced. "Truly unfortunate that he has been so successful using such debased tactics. Well, this is it for him. He will find that the Flight of Fancy will not be sold to him now, nor ever." He raised his glass, and Fleur raised her own.
"I'll toast that!" she said. "To the Flight of Fancy!"
Octavia raised her own glass in toast, as well. Get a hold of yourself, she thought. You've always known his stance on violence. You should have been plenty ready for that.
If only Fancy didn't still believe that the system cared about his opinions. No matter how hard he tried, he would never succeed, because some ponies just wouldn't listen.
And the beloved Princess of Equestria happened to be one of them.
Octavia's eyes met Fleur's across the table, and she found Fleur smiling. "Now, on the topic of Discord..." the unicorn said with a grin.