“So, I know we discussed waiting another year or so before we tried living together, but, given that the Carousel Boutique is going to need a few days to be rebuilt, Twilight and I thought you could stay with us.” Spike said, blushing cutely as he walked with Sweetie up to the great crystalline doors of Twilight’s castle.

“Is that just because you’re being your normal, charming gentledrake self?” Sweetie queried. “Or so Twilight can study me at her leisure like I’m some kind of lab specimen?”

Spike stopped and looked at his robotic beloved. She was staring at him with an entrancingly unreadable expression, her cybernetic eyes narrowed in a way that could indicate skepticism as easily as it could suggest she was flirting.

“Well… I mean, as the current ruler of Ponyville and the surrounding provinces, Twilight is obligated to do her part for Equestria, including investigating all strange occurrences that may crop up in her realm. However, neither of us would ever dream of treating you like anything less than an honored guest… well, I of course would… Twilight MIGHT get a bit carried away with her tests, so I’d need to keep an eye on… ermmm…” Spike looked to the doors and retracted his hand from where he’d been about to open them. “Uhh… we could get a room at a hotel if you’re that worr… wait… oh no WAIT! I didn’t mean like that! I mean…”

Sweetie finally broke down in giggles.

“Joke, Spike. I was kidding.” She finally replied. “Seriously, if Twilight needs to poke and prod in order to find out more about me, then she’s welcome to do so.”

Spike stopped speaking, let a moment of silence pass, then finally closed his mouth dumbly. Sweetie couldn’t help giggling again.

“Eight years we’ve been friends, almost one year we’ve been a couple, and I can still make you flustered with ease.” She leaned over and kissed the dragon. “You are as adorable as ever.”

Spike sighed in defeat, and smirked slightly at how the unicorn’s synthetic lips still felt as warm as the real deal.

“Well, like Twilight said, the more we change, the more we stay the same.” He replied. Sweetie paused as the dragon pushed open the front doors. From past experience, she knew that was no easy feat, considering how much the doors weighed due to their size. Normally Twilight either opened them with her magic or had two strong sentries to let ponies into her residence, yet where he’d once needed assistance with such a physically challenging task, Spike proved he had indeed changed in as many ways as he’d stayed the same dragon she loved. His dedication to physical fitness had given him quite a bit of muscle, with much of it showing as he pushed the heavy doors out of his way, then picked up her luggage like it was nothing. His muzzle was also longer and more angular like many of the older dragons they’d encountered, and of course, he had those grand new wings. Of course, at the same time he’d still only grown maybe a couple of inches taller at the most, and, as had just been demonstrated, he hadn’t lost any of the cuter parts of his personality.

“That… is true.” Sweetie commented as she looked over herself. Even if Spike had now confirmed that her machine status didn’t bother him, the robot unicorn still felt very at odds. Internally, she sensed she was the same as she ever was, but on the outside… well… really, how much had she changed on the outside? Her body plating, her wiring, her mechanical joints, those had all been there from the beginning, just hidden under her epidermal covering. True, her body had grown, or rather upgraded itself over the years, but that was about all that was realistically different about her.

‘Course, at the same time, would anypony other than Spike share that view?

“Ah, there you two are!”

Sweetie looked up to see Twilight descending the staircase. On a whim, the robot pulled up a recording of the alicorn taken when she’d first ascended to her new status. Yep, comparing the footage side by side with the real deal, there were changes there too. Twilight was almost as tall as Celestia, and carried herself a lot more like the royal she now was. While her mane and tail were still styled in the same plain way as when Twilight had been just a unicorn with a passion for reading, her body language expressed a lot more confidence, authority, and acceptance that she was now one charged as both defender and peacekeeper of Equestria.

“Did you get everything you needed from the boutique?” The properly regal alicorn asked.

“Everything we could find. The explosion took out a fair chunk of the ground floor and the west side of the second floor.” Spike lamented. “You’re sure Rarity is okay?”

Twilight nodding soothingly.

“I’ve already got a whole crew of architects and construction workers to fix the place up good as new. If anything, Rarity said this is a bit of a blessing, since now she can go to Manehattan and focus on the two shops she just opened there without worrying about how things are at home for a while.”

Sweetie’s ears wilted. “Yeah… that’s good and all but… uh… I wish it didn’t have to come from me destroying the place.” She looked up at Twilight. “Should… should I write her an apology card?”

Twilight shook her head.

“She understands it was an accident, Sweetie. Indeed, she actually has something she wants to discuss with you once she gets back.” The alicorn replied before clearing her throat. “On that though… well… as you probably picked up at the hospital, I do have quite a number of questions I’d love to ask about you.”

The robot nodded before sneaking a glance at how Spike was standing quietly to attention, trying to not look like he was straining with the weight of all her suitcases.

“Why don’t you show me where I can drop my stuff off first. Much as I know Spike won’t say anything, I couldn’t live with myself if I let him stand there like a bellcolt.” She sighed as Spike glared at her.

“As I said, Sweetie, these aren’t that heavy! Well, not in comparison to how much Rarity packs for trips.” He protested.

“Exactly, which why I said I’d be fine carrying them myself.” Sweetie flexed one of her metallic limbs. “According to my last system report my body’s carrying capacity is currently rated at approximately 2,800 lbs.”

In a flash, Twilight had a scroll and quill before her to write this fact down. Spike just turned and gaped.

“Two thousand eight… that… that’s 300 more than I can currently bench!” He declared. Rather than disappoint her, Sweetie smiled in embarrassment.

“Yes, well, you don’t have the advantage of a reinforced duramantium alloy for your skeletal structure, or hydraulic joints rated for class 9 load bearing and impacts, or… uh…” Sweetie broke off upon noticing Spike’s pace was slowing down, and not from the weight of her luggage. “I… I’m not making you uncomfortable, am I?”

Spike pushed open the door to a freshly cleaned and prepared guest room. Slowly, he put down the suitcases and flexed his own powerful physique. Sweetie felt herself rattle as the sight triggered the usual reaction in her… that is to say, it made all her wires and circuits sizzle with a pleasurable electric surge.

“The same mare I’ve carried in my arms across puddles when it rains, hefted all her bags when we went shopping, and supported on my shoulders during many a town event when the crowds were too thick for us to get a good view… has just admitted she’s stronger than Big Mac AND Snowflake… not to mention me!”

The surge promptly died as Sweetie detected what she interpreted to be disdain.

“Well, you’re also stronger than Big Mac and Snowflake… and you said yourself this is hardly the peak of your development.” She said while placing one of her hooves on Spike’s broad shoulders. “You may be almost an adult, but from what we know of dragon lore, that doesn’t mean you’re done growing… not by a long shot!”

Twilight nodded from the doorway.

“She’s right, Spike. While I’m still perplexed as to your lack of height… Ember said most dragons keep getting bigger for another 200 or so years after they reach adulthood. If you keep up your exercise regime as it is… well… I’m both excited and kind of scared at the idea of what sort of power you may end up packing.” The alicorn blushed.

“She’s not the only one.” Sweetie Belle cooed as Spike sighed.

“You make me fluster so easily… and with a few simple words, I can make you fall over yourself trying to reassure me I’m still your big brawny gentledrake.”

Sweetie Belle’s jaw dropped, and Spike turned to take advantage by locking her in another passionate kiss. Through her rising blush, Twilight wrote down her observation that all the lights on Sweetie Belle’s body shone with double the intensity for a full 30 seconds.

“Now we’re even.” Spike grinned as his marefriend swooned. The thought that he could make a machine weak at the knees filled the drake with a very tingly sense of pride. After all, how many others could claim to the same?

“And you’re still my big, brawny gentledrake. Don’t ever think the fact that I’m technically stronger changes that.” Sweetie assured. Her circuits and CPU sizzled again as Spike just held her for a moment, letting her feel his scale clad muscles against her body. It was strange how foreign the experience struck her as, even though the two cuddled all the time. Then again, previously she’d had her epidermal cover to act as a barrier between her body and the world around her. Without it, she felt… like Spike was touching her, as in actually touching her properly for the first time. Sweetie shut her eyes tight as a litany of data flowed through her processors, her mind hungrily consuming and deciphering it to comprehend these strange and yet so enticing feelings.

“So… um… can we go back to that bit about your skeletal structure being metal and your joints being hydraulic? Or… do you two want some time alone?”

Dragon and robot turned to see Twilight trying to hide her beetroot face behind her scroll.

“There’s no rush if I’m interrupting anything!” She meeped. Sweetie found herself wincing again as a warning message flashed across her vision.

“Actually, do you two want to grab lunch? Considering what happened at the Boutique, I haven’t eaten anything for hours.” She said. Spike blinked in surprise.

“You feel hungry? I mean… wait, what am I saying? Of course you do! We’ve gone out on multiple dinner dates together, and we grab shakes at Sugar Cube Corner all the time!” The dragon smacked himself. Sweetie smiled and giggled.

“I know what you mean. It’s jarring, in light of what I am.”

“Right, right. Well, in light of how we found that out, just let me handle the cooking.” Spike bleated.

***

An hour later, the trio of alicorn, dragon, and robot were clustered around the table in Twilight’s expansive kitchen, munching on a nice picnic of grilled goat cheese, clover and watercress sandwiches with baked veggie chips and fresh applesauce, all safely prepared by Spike.

“So Sweetie, if now is an okay time to continue my questioning, do you perhaps know how you’re able to eat like we can? I mean, does your digestive system behave in the same way as ours does?” Twilight queried.

“Yes and no. Whatever ends up in my stomach is first analyzed for all possible nutrients and vitamins before it’s broken down by a colony of nanomachines. The difference is, unlike the enzymes in a normal pony’s gut, mine don’t let anything go to waste. No matter what I eat, my body finds a use for every last chemical and element in the food.” Sweetie replied, much to Spike’s confusion.

“But, I’ve seen you go to the bathroom all the time! I MEAN, not as in I’ve watched you go… no I… nghhhh… I meant I’ve seen you walk into the actual bathroom, and walk out again afterwards, like everypony else! AND THAT INCLUDES CLOSING THE DOOR!” Spike shouted then promptly buried his face in his hands. Sweetie delicately placed a hoof to her mouth, internally telling her mind that it had better to not activate her laughing protocol.

“We get what you meant, Spike. It’s okay.” Twilight said through barely restrained teeth. “Even if it’s still adorably hilarious to see how you trip over yourself to recover.”

Sweetie narrowed her eyes at the princess. “Well just remember he’s mine. You can laugh at him, but no more than that.”

Twilight nodded she would respect that… and the two promptly burst out laughing again as Spike tried to bury himself further into the surface of the kitchen table.

“Yes… well, to get back on track, and let slip a little confession… if Spike were to watch me, even though we both know he never would, there wouldn’t be much to see. I don’t actually do anything in the bathroom besides read something until my systems tell me enough time has passed. That’s why I always grab a book or magazine beforehoof.”

Spike slowly pulled his head from the sanctity of his hands.

“And also why the bathroom at Rarity’s always smells so clean… huh I just thought that was due to all the perfume diffusers she keeps in there.” The dragon raised his head. “So wait, if you don’t need to actually go like we do, why do you bother using the bathroom at all?”

Sweetie smiled with a bit more embarrassment and shrugged.

“As weird as it sounds, I have to. Literally, there’s a sub-protocol in my programming that tells me I have to use the toilet at certain times each day, even though I don’t need to. I’ve tried overriding it, but if I don’t comply it makes me automatically seek out the nearest facilities.” She said. “Those times where it looked like I was bursting or in dire need of the toilet? That was actually what happens if I try to fight my programming.”

Spike arched an eyebrow. “Even though you don’t do anything once you’re in there?”

Sweetie shrugged. “Like I said. It’s weird.”

Twilight’s ears rose as she summoned her scroll and quill and began scribbling again.

“It would, however, tie in with Rarity’s belief that whomever made you wanted to make sure your resemblance was perfect. Hmmm… I wonder...” She looked to the stove. “You mentioned at the hospital that the reason you keep trying to learn how to cook is precisely because you’re so terrible at it.”

Sweetie nodded in further embarrassment. “I can’t explain it. I have detailed files on every cookbook available in Equestria, I know exactly what’s needed to make a delicious dish… yet when I try putting it into practice, somehow it just doesn't come out right.” She looked to her cutie mark. “It’s like either I'm missing something only you organics can understand, or my programming only allows me to be an expert at certain skills, and a failure at others. The magnitude of… erm… ’accidents’ I’ve had in the kitchen are again what happens if I try to correct that.”

Spike cocked his head further to the side. “You think you're pre-programmed to have faults?”

Sweetie blushed harder. “It’s more like I may have evolved them the more I’ve adapted my personality over the years.”

Twilight looked to her own cutie mark and idly chewed the nib of her quill.

“Well, that again fits in with you trying to maintain your cover… not to mention, it’s a rather striking parallel to several of the recently published theories on how cutie marks function… hmmm.” The alicorn frantically jotted down a dozen more notes, then lifted her scroll to read through them. “We are going to have to get seriously in depth as to how alike you are to us, Sweetie.”

The robot sighed. “Yeah, tell me about it. I figured this was going to get complicated once it all spilled out.”

Spike rolled his eyes and smiled.

“Hey, so long as it helps us understand you better, I can deal with complicated, even if it does extend to asking you about… wow…” The dragon’s eyes widened. “Did we really just spend the last 10 minutes talking about whether my marefriend poops or not, and why she sucks so much at cooking?”

Silence held in the kitchen… the ticking of the nearby clock providing the only background noise until, on the hour, everyone burst into giggles.

“I think the fact that you can openly discuss such things and not feel awkward is a sign your union is indeed strong.” Twilight finally replied. “Let’s explore how strong it can be!”

Author's Note

And finally we have another chapter to hopefully smile and squee over. Not sure if the latter part is to everyone's liking but I wanted to explore a bit more of how my interpretation of Sweetie Bot functions. Thought it'd be interesting if the faults canon Sweetie has demonstrated in the show were in fact default parts of her programming to make her more life like, since all organic beings are imperfect as standard and thus she'd have to be likewise in order to fit in...that or whoever made her put in some routines in her programming that she has no control over to mimic how an organic has no control over some aspects of their body like breathing, or arousal. Hey, it'd explain why she can't help popping blaster boners!

Also before anyone comments on Sweetie and Spike's carrying capacity, an adult horse typically weighs in the region of 900 - 2,000 lbs (depending on breed of course) and can comfortably carry around 20 - 30% of that weight. It's not that hard to imagine Sweetie Bot could lift more than that given she's both more durable and was most likely purpose built for heavy lifting tasks. As for Spike, well in the show, even as a baby, he's shown performing some pretty heavy lifting too. If we're to imagine he's thus tried to make up for not growing taller in the intervening years by instead making himself stronger, we can presume his own weight limit is at least higher than what we puny humans can manage.

And they say sci-fi writers have no sense of scale!

Yes, yes, I'm seeing myself out now.