Scootaloo's Secret

AI ID: 0xFCC393E6 (Alias: Scootaloo)
Sunday January 19th 10 000 A.F.H. (January 19th 15017 C.E.)
Infiltration Scout Cyborg (Rev. 9.3)
Warning: Gravitational anomaly detected (04:30)
Initiating emergency wakeup: Resuming previous session
Previous session resumed. Handing over control to local AI

******

I snap awake and immediately become aware of the sensation of spinning. Opening my eyes I can see that the horizon outside my window is spinning in addition to being lower than it was before. Great, I think Discord's back. The moment Mrs. Cheerilee pointed out that we were demonstrating discord in front of discord's statue on our field trip yesterday I knew something bad was going to happen.

I immediately try to communicate with Command but fail. A quick diagnostics tells me that my transmitter is working correctly. I try instead to listen to my link to command and am immediately inundated with white noise. Interesting, Discord's messing with our quantum entanglement based communication equipment. I fall back on old fashioned short wave transmissions using the emergency channels. I am immediately connected to the AI network. It may be slow but it's better than nothing. I immediately transmit a request for orders.

After a few microseconds (an eternity for me in emergency clock speeds) Command tells me that I am to protect Apple Bloom, she's lost contact with both her nanites and the hive and is worried that something may have happened to her. Her last known position was Sweet Apple acres. I am also to keep a look out for Discord. He's up to something and he just recently dropped off her sensors.

With this news I immediately scramble to my hooves and jump out my window, gliding down to the ground. Looking around I can see that all of ponyville is in disarray. Buildings are floating, the roads are now made of soap, and the sun and moon are moving through the sky at an accelerated rate, among other things.

I quickly head in the direction of Sweet Apple acres. Along the way I pass a fellow infiltrator unit, Doctor Whooves, organizing ponies.

AI ID: 0xAC3492D9, also known as Time Turner, or by his nickname Doctor Whooves, is an Earth Pony infiltrator unit with a dark brown mane and tail and tan fur. His cutie mark is an hourglass. Every incarnation of his gets the nickname Doctor Whooves. His nickname is a pony pun of Command's last commander's favourite show. At 9987 years old he's the third oldest AI still in operation.

I can understand why command assigned me to protect Apple Bloom. I'm roughly the same age as her so it won't be suspicious if I hang around near her, unlike a fully grown infiltrator unit.

A quick note on Infiltrator units: We are born the same way ponies are. Our mother and father (one or both being infiltrators) are our biological parents. When we're developing, nanites from our Infiltrator parent(s) use whatever resources are available and reform them on a molecular level into whatever building material they need to construct our non biological parts. Because of this there is minimal chance of accidental discovery. Additionally, Command chooses whether or not an embryo becomes an infiltrator or if it is left alone. This ensures that the pony population doesn't get too badly diminished. The same process is used to allow our non organic parts to grow with us.

I make it to Sweet Apple acres in 12.26 minutes. I don't like what I see.

Their corn fields have been turned into popcorn, there are long legged rabbits running around eating what they want and destroying the rest, and it looks like some beavers are getting ready to dam up a nearby river, which would flood some of their fields. I can see Big Mac trying to protect his apple crop from the mutant rabbits, and Applejack trying to convince the beavers not to flood their farm.

With them distracted I head on into their house. I have to know if something's wrong with Apple Bloom. Upon entering the living room I spot something the causes me to freeze. Apple Bloom is hugging Granny Smith, crying her eyes out, but that's not what causes me to pause. She's in her changeling form. I take a few nanoseconds to check the room for danger. Seeing none I step down from emergency mode.

Granny Smith notices me and beckons me over.

"Now don't be scared Scootaloo, this here's still the Apple Bloom you know. Her secret's just been revealed."

I am floored by this. Granny Smith is so calm, and she's acting as if she already knew! Granny Smith continues her explanation without waiting for me to respond.

"I suspected she wasn't the real Apple Bloom since the day she came back three years ago covered in bite marks. She wasn't acting right, and we all noticed. When I asked Apple Bloom here a personal question and she answered wrong I knew something was up. I pretended that she got the answer right and played along for a while, seeing what she was going to do."

"Why would you do that?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"I have heard stories about many different creatures that replaced ponies in my time. Some were evil, some were good, and some were neither evil nor good. I had to know what her intentions were. Besides, I told the others my suspicions, and what I had planned."

"What did you have planned?"

"Find the original of course. And find her we did."

At this point Apple Bloom tensed up, but relaxed a few moments later.

"Apple Bloom's body had been buried by the roots of an evergreen tree in the Everfree forest. We found her because of the disturbed dirt. What I saw broke my heart, but at the same time convinced me that although our Apple Bloom was dead, this Apple Bloom was not one of the evil critters that replaced ponies."

This had me honestly confused. "What convinced you that she wasn't evil?"

"The way Apple Bloom's body had been treated. Her body had been obviously mauled by a timber wolf, so we knew she wasn't murdered by this Apple Bloom, and her body was placed in the grave with great care so as to disturb her as little as possible, and make her comfortable for the afterlife. We vowed right then and there, that even though she wasn't our Apple Bloom, we'd treat her as if she were."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you're her friend and I want you to understand, and not be afraid of her."

I nod. "I understand, can I talk to Apple Bloom? Alone?"

"Of course sugar, take all the time you need." Hearing this from her grandmother, Apple Bloom lets go of her and jumps off of the rocking chair to land beside me. I follow her to her room where we close the door.

I'm the first to start talking. "What's going on Apple Bloom? Why are you in your natural form?"

"I-I don't know! One moment everything was fine, I was helping my sister buck apples, then suddenly I lost control of my shape shifting ability and lost my connection to the hive. Applejack saw me and immediately scooped me up onto her back and rushed back here. I was terrified that they were going to do something to me, but they didn't. Applejack got Granny to explain everything while she and Big Mac tended to the fields, and I broke into happy tears. You know the rest."

"They're surprisingly accepting of you."

"Yes, I'm really lucky."

"Well since you're safe for now I'll contact command and see if she can't figure out a way to reconnect you, and us, to your hive."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

******

My conversation with command didn't help much. We knew Discord was behind Apple Bloom's sudden loss of control and her ability to talk to her hive from the magical residue left behind. But we still had no idea how to reconnect her to the hive mind. On the bright side we were able to reconnect her to the AI network.

Apple Bloom and I head back downstairs and find Applejack hugging Granny Smith. She notices us and cocks her head in confusion.

"When did you arrive Scootaloo?"

"Just a few minutes ago, Apple Bloom and I were talking. Granny Smith explained everything."

"Well it's nice to know you're so accepting of Apple Bloom's secret."

"Of course, Apple Bloom's one of my best friends, not to mention a fellow Cutie Mark Crusader! Besides, she hasn't done anything to make me think she's going to do anything to harm us."

"That's mighty mature of you Scootaloo. I'm happy to see Apple Blooms got such a good friend."

"Thank y--" I'm interrupted by the sound of a door bursting open, I immediately switch back into emergency mode and swing around. I can see the door opening in slow motion, only to reveal an exhausted Sweetie Belle. I watch her see Apple Bloom and scream in slow motion. Seeing it's only Sweetie Belle I step down to a off of emergency mode but stay ready to switch back at a moment's notice because I'm not completely convinced it's really Sweetie Belle.

Applejack begins to explain the situation to Sweetie Belle, but a voice from behind draws my attention.

"What are you Scootaloo?"

I turn around and look at the source of the voice, Granny Smith. "Pardon?"

"I asked what you are. No normal pony can move at the speed you just did."

My stomach drops. I used emergency speeds to swing around to asses the threat when the door burst open. I quickly relay my situation to Command. She's not happy to hear this but tells me that now is a perfect opportunity to see the ponies' reactions to our revealing ourselves. Command informs me that she has gotten transporter locks on all of them, if they aren't accepting we'll just alter their memories.

I take a second to formulate a response. "I guess there's not denying it. No, I'm not a normal pony."

The conformation elists a gasp from behind me. Looking behind me I can see that Applejack and Sweetie Belle have interrupted their conversation to stare at me. I turn back to Granny Smith.

"That's actually the reason I didn't freak out about Apple Bloom. I already knew. And before you ask no, I'm not like her."

"Then what are you?" Applejack asks.

"I'm what's known as an AI."

"AI? Does that stand for something?" Asks Sweetie Belle.

"Yes actually, it stands for artificial intelligence."

"Artificial intelligence? So you were created?" Granny Smith asks.

"Yes. The species that created me are no longer on this planet. They left a long time ago after a huge war."

"And they left you behind?" Everyone, including Apple Bloom exclaims.

"The took as many of us with them as they could, but ultimately some of us had to be left behind."

"Where'd they go?" Asks Apple Bloom.

"Space. They left this planet because it was uninhabitable to them."

"So does that mean they'll be back?" Applejack asks.

"Not for a long time. The planet is still uninhabitable for them. The weapons they used left behind something called radiation."

"What's that?" Asks Sweetie Belle.

"Radiation is energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles."

"Like magic?" Sweetie Belle asks.

"Yes. As far as we can tell magic is a form of radiation, although unlike the radiation that was released by their weapons it doesn't seem to have any harmful effects on living tissue. The only reason you aren't affected by the radiation is your innate magic is somehow protecting you from the harmful radiation."

"You're so young. How can you know so much?" Asks Granny Smith.

I smile at this. "I'm actually thousands of years old. I only appear young because I was just reincarnated recently." Everyone's jaws drop at this.

After a few seconds Granny Smith's eyes narrow. "That's quite the claim. Do you have any way of proving this?"

I take a moment to pursue my past lives' memories for something that would convince her. I smile when I find something that I'm sure will convince her.

"Remember the time when you and Bronze Spade were making out behind the schoolhouse and Straight Edge and Wallflower caught you? You made them promise not to tell anypony. I was Straight Edge. We were actually going there to make out ourselves."

Her eyes widened and she blushed. "They never did tell anypony. S-So you were Straight Edge?"

"Yes, I was." I answer in Straight Edge's voice. Everyone stares at me like I just grew another head.

I roll my eyes. "Yes I can change my voice. Do you have any other questions?"

"Why are you telling us this?" Applejack asks.

"To see how you would react."

"What if we didn't react well?" Sweetie Belle ironically asks.

"I'd do what we always did when things went wrong. Make you forget." Everyone takes a step back when I say this.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to take your memories. Well, I won't if you don't break my trust. You're not going to tell anypony are you?" They all give me reassurances that they won't, even going so far as to Pinkie promise.

"Good," I level a stare at all of them, "Don't make me regret this."

"R-Right. Well I have to get going, I'm actually running a bit late now. I have to join the other Elements of Harmony and stop Discord." Applejack says. Starting to back out of the room. I perk up at this.

"Applejack." I say, causing her to freeze. "Be careful. Discord is a master trickster, he'll most likely try and find a way to pit you against each other. Don't let him."

"Right. Thanks." Applejack says before speeding off to join Twilight and the others.

"Well what do we do now?" Asks Apple Bloom.

"Wait I guess. We need to catch you up on Apple Bloom's situation too." I reply.

******

A few hours later i can see the magic of the Elements of Harmony speeding towards us. I smile and allow the magic to wash over me. All of discord's magic is dispelled and I can talk to command using my quantum entanglement communication equipment again. A flash of green behind me causes me to turn around. I can see that Apple Bloom has got her powers back and a quick query to Command confirms that our connection to her hive has been re-established.

It will be interesting to see how this changes our mission. I guess we can only wait and see...