The Caretaker

The Caretaker

“Find her, machine. Find her, no matter the cost.”

These were Luna’s last words before she turned away from him and sat down, her stare going straight out the room’s window and into the sunset, which happened to be mostly obscured by the many towers outside. Mac’s eyes glowed as he took in what the princess had just said.

The room had been turned into a mess. Random items were strewn about, making it difficult for one to walk by without stepping on either a book or a piece of furniture. The air still contained some strange fumes—an unnatural odor of ozone. Mac looked down to his feet, where a discarded object lay spent and smoking. His servos whirred as he leaned down, wrapping his metallic hands around it and lifting it up. The letters “E.M.P.” were etched into it.

He broke his eyes away from the used grenade and looked over to Luna, who still sat there brooding to herself, her mechanical implants glowing. Standing up, Mac placed the shell near his waist, engaging a few magnetic locks to keep it in place. He slowly turned to the door, about to exit the room, but looked to his princess once more.

“I will find her. I promise,” he stated as he walked out, though the words must have sounded empty to Luna’s ears.

He closed the doors behind him, one of the hinges falling onto the marble floor with a dull clang. To his left lay the hallway he had just come from, which contained a few random sculptures and busts that had been damaged. On the right section of the hallway, however, a rather large scorch stain had been burned into the floor.

Mac stepped past the mark and continued along the hall. Every so often, he would come across scorch marks, smashed furniture, and broken windows, leading him ever further on the trail of his objective. Surprisingly enough, no bodies were found despite the obvious signs of struggle.

The shards of glass cracking under his feet echoed through the corridor as he continued, the light of the sunset fading away as he stepped out into a grassy garden. Leaves lay spread about, forming a circle in the middle of the garden. Mac stepped up and looked at the sky just as the sun started to go down, unsure as to where he should go.

A faint glimmer drew his gaze down to the grass before him; Celestia’s crown lay, glowing gently, upon a pile of leaves.

“Damnit,” Sharpy muttered, shivering and watching as a group of the old guard’s field medics stuffed the bodies of her two companions into separate bags. A few other ponies stood around, wiping the blood that had splattered on the floor of the security station. She wobbled over to one of the screens, grabbing a nearby rag, and wiped the keyboard with it.

“So what happened here?” a rather short stallion asked.

“No clue, but we received word from Princess Luna,” a mare replied. “Under the code of the guard, this is to be kept secret. Hell, I’m not even supposed to be talking to you about this."

“Eh,” the stallion muttered. “What gives…”

The door slid open, catching the attention of all those inside the hub. In the silhouette of the doorway, a tall figure with two glowing eyes stood.

“All but Sharpy,” Mac commanded, “vacate the room.”

The ponies inside looked up at him, then at each other. They quickly scuttled, grabbing the two body bags and walking past the android, closing the door behind them. He then approached Sharpy.

“S-so,” she began, “did you find anything? How are the Princesses?” She lifted an eyebrow. “We got word from Luna that—”

“Celestia is gone,” Mac said bluntly.

Sharpy stared blankly at him for a couple seconds. “W-what?” she asked in disbelief, watching as the machine tossed an object on a nearby table. She stepped up to it, the smell of ozone creeping up her nostrils.

“Electro-magnetic pulse grenade,” he stated. “It was used to disable Luna as they took Celestia.”

The unicorn mare huffed, getting the noxious gas out of her system. “O-oh no…” She walked up to the security hub. “We surely have footage, I-I mean..” She swiped a bunch of documents off of the keyboard and began frantically tapping her hooves into it. “The world is gonna fall apart! Without her to raise the sun! Every pony citizen is gonna freak out and…” She looked up at Mac, breathing rapidly.

“Luna will take care of the sun,” Mac said. “And we must ensure this information never leaves the castle.”

“A-are you broken!?” Sharpy exclaimed. “We can’t just let this happen!”

“We won’t,” the machine stated as Sharpy stared up at him, her body shivering with fear. “I will find her, and you will help me.” He took another item from his waist, and placed it on the table, along with the grenade. “This… This is all I could find.”

Sharpy sighed, walking over to it. “Celestia’s crown? Where did…” Her eyes narrowed, looking intently at it, noticing a dim glow. She picked it up with her magic, then looked up at Mac. “It’s… an incantation. Like writing a message on a scroll, but… you get the idea.”

“What does it contain?” Mac asked.

“I have no idea…” Her horn glowed with magic, and so did the crown. After a few seconds, the piece of regalia lit up, sparkly, golden dust rising out of it and into the air, forming words as it danced in place.

“Club Damnation… Arthur…”

They both watched as the dust faded away. Sharpy reeled back in surprise.

Mac set his eyes on her. “Club Damnation?”

“It’s a nightclub in lower Canterlot,” Sharpy said, placing the crown back on the table. “Multi-species bar, lots of alcohol and drugs…” Sharpy walked over to the hub. “So… she either left us a message to go on with, or we just stumbled on a personal reminder for a date…”

She sat down on a nearby chair, taking off her helmet and rubbing her temples with both hooves. “What now?”

Mac looked over his shoulder. “I will follow the trail,” he stated, then looked back at Sharpy. “You will monitor me. We must stay in contact.”

“You’re going alone?” she asked.

“You must stay here and make sure the world does not know about this.” Mac turned to the door and began to walk.

“Alright, I’ll upload the coordinates for the bar, and… Mac?” Sharpy asked, watching the door slide open, yet Mac stood still, looking over his shoulder.

“Good luck.”

The sun had faded, giving way to dusk. Now, only the dim light from the moon and the buildings themselves were there to cooperatively illuminate Old Canterlot. Towers rose to the sky with lights of their own, shining down upon the ground level. Mac’s steps were dull and lonely, as the streets were nearly empty.

As he walked down one of the roads of the old city, he noticed several eyes staring at him from within the many antique houses. A hover car filled with young ponies, changelings and gryphons drifted past him as they laughed and chugged down cans of alcoholic beverages before nonchalantly tossing them onto the ground.

He walked past the same water fountain from earlier, just as a little sentry bot flew by his side and continued on towards the city beyond. The changeling “Love” cafeteria was still open, Mac noticed. Strangely enough, he could see a few ponies sitting among the changelings, talking.

As he neared the augmentation clinic, whose neon signs were dark and the doors closed, Mac took a sharp left towards a small, glass elevator. The door opened to reveal a group of gryphons inside, who looked up at him curiously for a moment, but promptly exited to make way. As he entered, the elevator lowered itself a bit as it took in his weight. Nevertheless, the glass doors closed themselves and, with a low hum, the elevator began to descend.

The android looked on as the elevator went down the shaft, eventually revealing the vista of Lower Canterlot through the glass.

He was greeted by the sight of a vast, underground complex. Metallic towers rose from the very bottom, up into the rocky ceiling and even further beyond into the surface. The streets themselves were held up like bridges, maintaining a rather large gap between the bottom from which the structures rose. Crowds of beings walked to and fro upon the metallic streets. Flying vehicles soared through the air, darting between the towers, which illuminated the entire cave system with a dim, orange light.

Slowly, the elevator touched bottom with a resounding clunk, the doors sliding open, allowing both Mac to get out as a crowd of changelings ushered in. He looked up at the towering structures as a little mare bumped into him, grumbling to herself as she adjusted her path.

Mac mentally reviewed the coordinates for the so-called “Club Damnation” and began walking again, his metallic feet pressing against the floor. With his destination just a few seconds ahead, he took some time to observe the scenery. Bars lined the streets, and where filled to the brim with people of all species. The sound of loud music caught his attention as he neared a bar with a bright, holographic sign reading “Damnation!”.

A sizeable line of people stood outside the club, which in itself was formed by one of the largest buildings around. Mac took his place at the end of the line, which began to move at a fast pace. As expected, the females were let in more often than the males. Eventually, Mac found himself staring into the eyes of a human of the same height. The man looked up and down at him, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow in mild curiosity

“What’s a tin can like you doing here?” he asked, his voice gruff and deep.

“I wish to enter,” Mac stated.

“And?” the man inquired. “Are you some sort of cop machine? Hell, you won't dance, drink or really do much of anything.”

Mac adjusted his stance. “And if I pay to enter?”

The bouncer let his arms hang down and lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe…” He reached into his pocket and produced a small machine with a tiny screen on it. “Got any credit chips on you?”

Mac waved his hand over the device as his eyes glowed stronger for just a second. The man looked down at the screen and raised both eyebrows in surprise.

“Fine,” he said, stepping to the side. “Just no funny business, alright?”

Mac nodded, entering the building and allowing the next in line to walk up. Shortly, he found himself in a long hallway tapered in red velvet, lights shining from every direction. Most importantly, though, were the holographic pole dancers that lined the velvety hall, one for each species: pony, human, gryphon, and more.

Although he was yet to enter the actual club, the music happened to be already quite loud, even for Mac. He neared a set of metallic doors and pushed them open, entering a massive room. Music blasted from every corner, lasers and blue lights strobed and illuminated the dance floor, and the pungent smell of sweat and alcohol pervaded the air.

Mac began to make his way through the crowd, pushing them aside as he walked towards the center. Real pole dancers were set in several platforms around the club. People gathered around them, throwing credit chips as they laughed and drank.

Reaching the center, where a circular bar was placed, Mac sat down in one of the chairs, letting one arm rest on the bar itself. Soon, the large figure of a man approached him, holding a shot glass with his left arm, a cybernetic prosthesis, and cleaning it with his right one. He looked at the android with two glowing, mechanical eyes.

“Name’s Bryan,” he said, then looked at the android up and down again, his eyes locking themselves on Mac’s. “What can I get you? Oil? Batteries? Or do I show you to the nearest power outlet?"

“I am…” Mac looked over to his side, “admiring the scenery.”

Bryan shrugged. “What are you doing here, anyways?” He set the glass behind the bar and placed both hands on top. “Lost? Rampant? Trying to understand organic life?”

“No, no, and already have,” Mac stated. “I am looking for someone.”

The bartender raised an eyebrow. “And who might that be?”

“Arthur.”

Bryan rubbed his face with one arm. “Really?” Mac nodded as the bartender continued. “You must be the fourth person who’s looking for him. Asshole’s been hogging the VIP backroom ever since he got here. Spending lots of credits, too.”

“Where is this room?” Mac inquired. “I must see him.”

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small PDA. “You.. Wouldn’t happen to be Adrian, right?”

Mac stalled for a second. “Yes.”

Bryan burst out in laughter. “That’s the biggest pile of bullshit I’ve heard all day!” he exclaimed. “Anyways, buddy, you’re not on his list, and you’re not getting in.”

Mac stood up. “I need to. It is important.”

The man leaned over the bar. “I know how much you payed the bouncer to let you in…” He winked. “Do the same for me, and I’ll let you in, easy peezy.”

Without question, Mac waved his hand by the bartender's PDA, causing it to light up. Bryan then looked down and chuckled. “Smooth,” he said before looking over Mac’s shoulder. “Steely! Come over here for a sec!"

Mac looked behind him to see a female minotaur stand up from a booth and walk over to them, a ring on her nose, half of her face covered with hair hanging down from her head. “Mmh, yes baby?” she asked, looking at Bryan, then at Mac, scanning him up and down. “Special customer?” She folded her arms, smiling.

“You could say so,” Bryan said.

“Mhm…” Steely placed a finger on her lips. “Never fucked a robot before…”

Bryan chuckled and facepalmed. “No, he wants in on the VIP room, so…” He leaned closer to her. “Maybe you can lose your keycard for a bit, aight?”

Steely folded her arms. “Maybe a drink, first?” They both looked at Mac.

“I already gave you a sizeable sum.” Mac turned to Bryan.

“Fair enough,” he said, crouching behind the bar and quickly producing a bottle of liquor, which he then set on the bar.

Steely’s eyes widened. “A whole bottle, hmm?” She took it with one hand, reached into her cleavage with the other, and set a small keycard on the bar before turning away and looking over her shoulder at Mac. “Oops! Lost my keys!” she chuckled. “And if you want a good time, mister android… You know where to find me.” She blew him a kiss and continued on.

Mac looked over at Bryan, who shrugged. “This never happened, by the way.” He then pointed towards the back of the club. Mac nodded and began walking away, paying no further attention to the bartender.

Pushing through the crowd of people once again, Mac quickly located the door to the backroom, but soon found himself face-to-face with two gryphon bouncers, who regarded him curiously. He showed them the keycard and they both stepped to the side whilst the door slid open. The android then walked through, finding himself in a dull, metallic hallway.

He looked over his shoulder as the door slammed shut, but continued walking. He waved the keycard over a panel on the side of the next door, and it slid open.

Mac walked into the room, and everything went silent. The personal bartender looked over to him, along with a group of three changelings. A few dancers covered themselves up and scuttled away as the music stopped.

Mac stepped further inside, one of the changelings lashing at him. He crossed his arms, catching it and pushing it back. A quick beeping sound caught his attention. He looked down at his arm to see a small device stuck to it, just in time for it to activate and lock him in position for a few seconds.

Two panels, one on the floor and another on the ceiling, opened up. They quickly lit up, producing a kinetic energy field around Mac as the device on his arms sparked and died. He banged on the shield with his hands, managing to push them through a little bit before the shield strengthened even more.

“They told us you might make your way to us,” the changeling in the middle said, walking past the one that had assaulted the android, kicking it a bit to prompt it to get up. “Stand up, Lars.” The only difference between them was the color of their eyes, and an assortment of jewelry such as dog tags, ear piercings and more.

“A M.A.C. unit…” the changeling mused. “You’re the only one left, right? Glad that little stunner they gave us held up for more than a millisecond.”

“Who are you?” Mac exclaimed, banging on the shield once more. “Where is Arthur?”

The middle changeling, one with purple eyes, stepped up. “Looking right at him, tin can,” he scoffed. “Human name, I know.”

“Where is Celestia?” Mac let his hands hang down normally. “Why did you take her?”

“No fucking clue where she’s at,” Arthur said, walking over to the shield, looking up at Mac with a vicious grin. “It was surprisingly easy, though…”

Mac’s eyes began to glow strongly. “Why?”

“They paid us a good chunk of credits,” Arthur began, pacing around Mac. “We’re mercenaries, if you hadn’t already guessed.” He looked over to the changeling on the left. “Shut him down, stuff him in a box and send him to the fighting pit… Might as well get some credits outta him.”

“Mac!” Sharpy’s voice sounded inside Mac’s head. “Oh no, oh nonono…”

“Will do, boss,” the changeling with green eyes said, stepping over to a panel on the wall next to Mac and punching in an array of buttons.

The shield began to glow even stronger, sending electrical currents through Mac’s body. He twitched, rattled for a good couple of minutes. The bartender looked on with wide eyes, and the dancers ran out the door.

His vision began to distort, a situation he was all too familiar with. As the world around him faded to dark, his HUD showed one simple line through the distortion.

::> Critical power anomaly detected...

::> Threat level: Critical…

::> Protocol: adapt, survive. Commence adaptation...

::> Warning: overload. Commence emergency shutdown…

::> SShutting… ddown...

Mac collapsed in an unceremonious heap as steam and smoke billowed from his limp form. Arthur chuckled to himself.