The Discovery
Sweetie Belle was outside playing with her two very best friends when it happened. She was just having some very light fun when a spell from another pony came blasting through the air and then hit her right onto her hair line.
“I’m so sorry, so much, I’m so very sorry miss,” the pony said.
But it was too late, the damage had already been done and she said, but that was when one of her friends finally noticed that something was very wrong.
“Uh, Sweetie Belle, you’re not bleeding, but your scalp looks like it’s very severely scarred and damaged too as well, I think that you should probably really go see a doctor very soon to get that all fixed up and healed too as well.”
“Well, alright, fine then, very well,” Sweetie Belle said rushing herself with the help and aid of her friends to the nearest and closest hospital.
The friends waited outside very patiently for any news about Sweetie Belle.
Eventually the doctor finally came out. “Your friend is just fine, however there does seem to be one very slight small tiny little problem that I can’t fully ever really explain to you unless you come for me and look for yourself instead.”
Glancing at each other they nervously went in and gasped in great shock and surprise. “Yes, I know, I honestly didn’t know what to make of it myself,” the doctor said, “But I haven’t told her about her… condition just yet.”
“What is it exactly? What’s wrong with me?” Sweetie Belle said.
“Um nothing, it’s just that you’re a bit of something else that’s not a pony…”
“Yeah, you’re kind of sort of…”
“A robot, you’re a robot,” Apple Bloom said finishing the sentence up.
“WAIT, WHAT?” Sweetie Belle shouted, “HOW? WHEN? WHERE? WHY?”
“Calm down Sweetie Belle, we don’t have the answers, but there must be something, some pony that can help us out right now,” Scootaloo said.
“I AM CALM!!! JUST TELL ME WHERE MY ROBOT PARTS ARE EXACTLY, PLEASE!!!” she said. “Okay, it looks like it’s just the top of your head for right now, but since I don’t see any brain I would have to guess that you’re all robot,” Apple Bloom said. Sweetie Belle very gently felt the top of her head with her hoof.
“Yeah, my guess is that her accident made it possible for the top layers of ‘skin’ to peel back and reveal her true real robotic self underneath.”
“But how come we never noticed this before? I mean if she were a robot shouldn’t she get all wonky and not work in water? And what about all the time that she felt pain and bled? What about her casting magic spells and whatnot such like that stuff and sorts of things? Huh? Can you explain any of that to us at all?”
The doctor scratched his skin, “Look, I don’t know all the answers, but if I were to be guessing then I would have to say her skin protected her from the water, and the other parts like food and bleeding were all just an illusion to make her seem life like, but to what end though exactly I don’t know, but I would highly suggest and recommend that you take this whole entire matter to some pony that you can trust and would have far better answer than I possibly ever could.”
And with that said he left them completely alone in the room together. “Do you think that the rest of my skin would come off as easily as my head did?”
“Um, honestly I don’t know, do you want to try that out?”
“Yes, I do want to try it out, let’s start with my hoof,” Sweetie Belle said holding her hoof out, “One of you two can do it.” But they refused to do so, “Well then, perhaps maybe the pony that we go see should, but who should we go see first though exactly?” she said. “How about Twilight?” Apple Bloom said.
“Yeah, that’ll work out well enough for now I suppose.”
And with that said they slowly went over to Twilight’s castle and knocked very loudly at the door waiting very patiently for an answer and reply back from within. Eventually a reply and answer did finally come. “Yes?” Spike said slowly opening the door for them, “Oh, hello there, it’s you, what do you want here exactly?” he said. “Uh, we want to talk to Twilight of course, duh, what else is there to do here anyways exactly though?” Apple Bloom said.
“Alright, fine then, very well, just hold on out here and please wait.”
And with that said he went inside and then quickly came out again, “Twilight says that luckily enough she has some time for you right now so you can come in if you want to that is,” he said. “Of course we want to!!!” Scootaloo said as they all rushed in to the library room and part of the castle. “Well hello there, girls, it’s nice to see you again, it sure has been a very long time since we’ve met so I just want to say this, hey, what’s up?” she said. “Uh Twilight, we have a very big huge problem with our friend here,” Apple Bloom said. “I don’t think that it’s that big and huge,” Scootaloo said. “Well it is, just trust me on this, okay?”
“Look girls, just please tell me what it is already, alright?”
“Alright, fine then, very well, just take a look at Sweetie Belle here.”
Twilight looked at her head very carefully remaining very silent for a long time.
“Oh, I see, did you girls discover this just today?”
“Yeah, yes we did.”
“Well can you please tell me when and where though exactly?”
“Uh, outside, just earlier today after a spell hit her right on her hair line.”
“Yes, I see, of course, anything else though? Please do tell me some more.”
“Well I think that’s all that there really is to tell.
“Oh, there is always more to tell, always. So, what more is there though exactly?”
“Oh, well uh nothing comes to my mind at the current moment right now.”
“Well if you do think of anything just don’t hesitate to let me know.”
“Well alright, fine then, very well, but all I have is just questions instead.”
“Yeah, like how can she bleed and how she can be water proof and how she can do magic and also how she can feel pain too as well and a whole lot more.”
“Well perhaps the main prime function and directive can help us out,” Twilight said examining her head much closer, “There’s nothing that I can see about the original maker, architect, designer or any pony else that could have possibly worked on this thing… um sorry Sweetie Belle, I meant to say her instead, anyhow I think that the mystery of who and why will have to wait until later… unless… no, that couldn’t possibly work out, right? Or could it?”
“What are you thinking about right now exactly?”
“Oh, well it’s nothing too much, I don’t even know if it will work out or not.”
“Well just try it, Sweetie Belle is our friend, even if she is a robot…”
“Alright, let’s just try this out, Sweetie Belle, who made you?”
“Uh, I don’t understand the question, can you please repeat it?”
“Computer, Sweetie Belle, Robot, Program, Sweetie Bot, what’s your name?”
“My name is SB-0001 Model Zero Point ABXYZ, I was made in STORM Labs, my maker’s name is many, for many were involved in my making, but the primary makers and builders who put my parts together and/or oversaw my making is Professor Richie Hoof, any and all other available information is currently unavailable at this time, please contact the proper ponies for more help.”
The voice that came out was clearly not hers.
“Oh my, I almost didn’t expect that to work, but clearly it did,” Twilight said. “What was that? That wasn’t me!!!” Sweetie Belle said.
“But it is, I’m afraid that you are a robot, and if you want answers then we’re going to have to go see the ones that made you,” she said.
Suddenly Sweetie Belle’s skin started to peel off.
“And we’d better go do it very fast probably enough.”
They tried to think up of a solution to take her where they needed to go without drawing any unwanted attention and they ultimately decided to use a cloaking spell and take her on a wagon to this Richard Hoof who apparently lived in Manehattan somewhere. It didn’t take them very long to get there, but with six adults and three children it was quite the sizable group. When they finally did eventually get to his address they were very much surprised and shocked. “He lives here? Are you sure Twilight?” Rainbow Dash said. “Yes, that’s what every book and the control panel of Sweetie Belle says at the very least.”
“To think that I have been living with a robot all these years” Rarity said, “Uh, no offense of course,” she said. “None taken,” Sweetie Belle said. “Well, let’s just knock, shall we?” And with that said they slowly knocked on the door and waited for a response. “Yes? Who is it?” a brown and gray unicorn said popping his head out as he adjusted his glasses. “Uh, are you Richard Hoof, sir?”
“No, I’m Robert Intel Fractal, my brother uses that pseudonym because his true real name is Richard W. Dell, he’s here if you want to speak to him,” the unicorn said, “But I don’t know if he’ll take you in since he’s off of his work right now.”
“Well just tell him that it’s very important, the princess of friendship requests that he tells us all that he knows about Sweetie Bot,” Twilight said.
“Wait, what was that again?” Robert said. “I said-,”
“No, I heard you, hold on for just a moment,” he said, and with that they waited for a very long moment until Richard came back, “My brother will speak with you right now, please just follow me and mind your step and don’t touch anything, or look at anything for too long either,” he said. And with that said they followed the unicorn as Twilight examined him very closely. His coat was completely brown, but he had silver white hair that bordered on gray and he had silver gray eyes that made him seem very wise and he was wearing a scientific standard white lab coat. As they went throughout the house Twilight saw so many ingenious devices, things and stuff, but sadly enough she didn’t have time for all of them, not to look at or even really examine closely enough either. Eventually they finally got to a set of stairs leading down into a basement.
“Follow me this way, mind your step now,” Robert said. And with that said they slowly went down until they encountered a big huge metal door where Robert knocked on it in a very particular way and the door very slowly opened up.
“Well hello there,” said a blue Pegasus with a brown mane and glasses and a scientific white lab coat just like his brother’s, “Nice to see you here, I so rarely have company over these days due to my extreme paranoia and fear of any of my work being stolen which is why I’m always down here, to keep is safe, secure, and sound,” he said. “Yes, but me, not so much,” Robert said.
“We’re curious about-,” Twilight started to say. ‘Yes, I know, Sweetie Bot, my greatest and proudest invention yet, but you’re probably all wondering how and why she’s a robot, yes?” he said. “Yes,” Twilight said. “Well firstly, this robot, well it was originally designed to help other ponies out through an emotionally troubling time of crisis, danger, peril, agony, strife, sorrow, despair, pain and so on, but if I was to prove its use it first must be integrated into a family unit very seamlessly to prove that it could and should be essentially part of a family with only one difference, it would be immortal if the batteries lasted long enough.
The only problem at first was trying to figure out who would even be willing to be a part of this big huge project and experiment, there were many potential possibilities, but ultimately it was you and your family that were finally chosen Rarity, but in order to preserve the illusion that she was family you agreed to have your memories wiped, and that also included any friends that you might have told at the time. Since she was meant to be like a real pony she could use whatever energy she ate to be powered, do magic, speak, and so on, yet I knew that someday her skin would weaken or something would break down and I knew that when that day did finally eventually come that I could do two things, one, I could fix her up and make you agree to memory wipes, but this has the problem that is very essential, what if she breaks down? Will I keep having to do this?
Yes, I will, and I really don’t want to move to Ponyville, so this just leaves us with one option only, you reveal Sweetie Bot for what she really truly is and I’ll leave you full instructions on how to care for her and also how to keep her safe.”
“But why did we ever agree to this? How come she never needed fixing before?”
“I don’t know why you agreed exactly, but the reason that she never needed fixing before was because I always had some pony to monitor and fix her as needed when no other pony else was watching, sadly they retired a few months ago I think and I haven’t been able to get a replacement, and since her upkeep was down it only made sense that something would eventually happen to her, and please do tell me, what was it exactly that lead you to this revelation?”
“A spell hit the top of her hair, and speaking about that where did you get the hair from? Because that feels real,” Twilight said. “Oh, don’t worry, it’s fake, it’s completely synthetic, nothing natural about it at all, but thank you for telling me this, after all, this is both my project and my brother’s as well too.”
“Then why use the name Richard Hoof, why?” Twilight said.
“No particular reason, although we did consider using Richard Dell, a combination of both of our names, and we did, this was a very early model before we even ever decided to use the pseudonym of Richard Dell, but if that’s all that you need and wish to know then you should probably go unless you have any more questions of course,” he said smiling. “Oh, I have one, what’s your middle name?” Pinkie Pie said. “Web, our favorite color is blue and ice cream is vanilla of course,” Richard said. “Well what do we do now?” Twilight said.
“Well, first, take off her skin, that won’t last forever, and yes, before you ask, it is synthetic, but I think that I have a much better idea what to serve as her outer shell rather than just fake skin,” he said. Slowly they took off her skin to reveal a very skeletal robotic frame, “Even the blood was fake too as well, but I have a feeling that ponies like seeing just a robot, fortunately enough I have a very easy and simple solution, a robotic shell that will make her look like herself, well, mostly,” he said taking pieces from a shelf and very quickly put them on the robot until he was finally done. “There we go, she’s just as good as new again.”
“This feels weird and so odd and interesting, but how can I even feel at all?”
“Ah yes, the emotion and feelings were the hardest part of this, but my brother built something called a sympathy chip and together we perfected it.”
“Yes, we did everything on and about this robot together.”
“Can you please stop calling her a robot? Her name is Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said.
“She’s a robot, granted a feeling emotional robot with intelligence, but she’s still a robot and you have to accept that fact, especially since her skin is now gone.”
“Well that doesn’t matter or not if she’s a robot because she’ll always still be part of my family,” Rarity said hugging Sweetie Belle as both of them cried.
“That’s very interesting,” the brothers said. “What’s interesting exactly?”
“She’s crying, and we never programmed her to cry, which means that the program for her to learn and know just as a regular pony is working out very well indeed even if the way to cry was already inside her all along of course.”
“Can you please stop talking about her like she was just a thing?”
“She is just a thing, she’s a robot, nothing more or less.”
“No, she’s a pony, a unicorn, a friend, a sister, part of the family.”
“That's exactly what we hoped you would say,” they said smiling, “Yes, now then, here’s a manual, although I have a feeling you might not need it hopefully never enough, but should you have any more needs, questions, comments, concerns, or anything else that bothers you just come over here back to me again.”
“Us,” his brother said. “Yes, that’s right, us.”
“Yes, just one more question, how come she could earn her cutie mark, and how come it’s so similar to her friends?” Twilight said. “I must admit the cutie mark does perplex me especially since we didn’t program anything into her and a cutie mark shouldn’t be earned by any non-pony being, but clearly Sweetie Belle here defies all previous rules, she’s a very interesting exception.”
“Well then, thank you for answering our questions, thanks for fixing her up and I hope to stay in contact with you,” Twilight said. “As do we too as well.”
And with that said all of the friends started to leave while the brothers smiled.
“Do you think that they’ll be alright?” Richard said.
“Yes, they’ll be just fine enough, I’m just surprised that they didn’t ask if there were any more models or about anything else including if our names were indeed very much right,” Robert said. “Indeed, I do wish that we told them about the other models though, I feel bad about leaving them in the dark you know.”
“Yes, of course, but don’t worry, they’ll figure it out soon enough.”
“Indeed, robots always do, and it’s our job as the creators to guide them through the darkness into the light, and to help out with the ones who aren’t robots and learning to cope with them too as well, it’s just too bad that they haven’t all already figured out who they really truly are,” Robert said. “Don’t worry brother, Sweetie Belle was the first of only many, the rest will come soon enough.”
And with that said they smiled and the friends slowly went onwards.
“I can’t believe that you’re actually a robot,” Apple Bloom said again.
“Apple Bloom, you’ve already said that three times over the last four minutes averaging out about point one words per second,” she said, “Wait, how did I know that? Oh, wait, I know, they made a program for me to be really incredibly smart once I finally knew that I was a robot, and that includes this as well too of course,” she said. “Well now that we know you’re a robot we should probably tell every pony else, right?” Applejack said. “Maybe not all at once AJ,” Twilight said.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Applejack said. “You know, I wonder how well you can take damage now that I know you’re a robot, so prepare for one of my flying kicks!!!” Rainbow Dash said kicking Sweetie Belle and then instantly regretted her decision. “You forget that I’m made out of metal, and Richard Dell made me so that I could handle vast amounts of magic and weight and pressure more than any regular normal ordinary unicorn or pony excluding alicorns of course since they couldn’t get any princess to be a volunteer in their projects or trials.”
“Yeah, well you’re sure tougher than you look,” Rainbow Dash said.
“In a way, I always have been and also always will be as well too.”
“Yeah, well good luck with being a robot and all,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Thanks a lot, it sure does mean a lot coming from you.”
“We’re going to have so much fun, I mean now that you’re a robot it can mean a whole lot more for our adventures!!!” Scootaloo said. “Yeah, I can’t wait to have fun with you too as well, even if I am only just a robot now,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Yeah, well let’s just try to figure all of this out one step at a time, okay?” Twilight said. “Okay then!!!” they all said. And the with that said the train ride home wasn’t very quiet, but the rest of the stuff and things talked about isn’t very important, not really, but this next part, it definitely is, because Twilight went home and fell asleep and then had a very terrible horrible dream, one that I will now attempt to describe. In her dream, she was with her friends at Sugarcube corner and she was enjoying time with Sweetie Bot when she said that she felt tired and that she had to go home and get some sleep and the very next thing that she knew she was there. But suddenly lightning awoke her from the dream within the dream and she went over to check on Spike, who was fine, but on her way back she caught herself looking into a mirror with great fear, and that was because instead of her regular normal eyes she saw a very robotic face instead.
No, this couldn’t be true, but it was. Twilight screamed as she suddenly woke up. “What’s wrong Twilight?” Spike said, “Nothing,” she said, “It was just a bad dream, you can go back to bed now,” she said. And with that said he did so.
She took a very deep breath in and said that it was just a dream despite how real it felt, but she still couldn’t help glance in the mirror just to double check, yep, she was still an alicorn, definitely not a robot instead. She sighed and went back to bed. When the morning did finally eventually come, she went over to Rarity’s and told her about the dream. “Well I don’t think that you’re a robot,” Sweetie Belle said. “Hush darling, but yes, Sweetie Belle is right, although you do look a bit… off and odd this morning, go check the mirror just in case.”
Twilight did so and screamed, her left check, it was peeling away, and underneath was definitely a robotic frame. “But how?” she said. “Darling? Is everything alright?” Rarity said. “No, I’m a robot!” she said. “Don’t worry darling, I’m sure it’s nothing, just come have some tea with me please,” Rarity said. “How can you think about tea at a time like this?” Twilight said. And then suddenly she woke up again, but this time no scream as she went over to a mirror and pinched herself just to make sure that she was awake and not a robot either. Nope, she was definitely awake this time, and she wasn’t a robot either, well then. Very good. She then went back to sleep and when the morning came she told Spike, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle her dream. “Well just don’t be so silly and ridiculous, of course you’re not a robot darling,” Rarity said.
“Thanks a lot for the support and help.”
“You didn’t let me finish, as I was trying to say you’re not a robot simply because the rest of us are robots,” Rarity said tearing off her skin to reveal a robotic frame, “No pony except for you is not a robot darling.”
“No, this can’t be true, this isn’t real,” Twilight said going around the whole entire town to make sure and check, but everywhere she went it was a robotic version of the pony, even the princesses were robots too as well, confused she went to the house of Richard Dell, oh please let him be home she thought.
They were as the door slowly opened up, “Oh, thank goodness,” she said, “Every pony else seems to be a robot except us, but can you please tell me why though exactly?” she said. “Oh, you got it wrong, we’re still very much robots,” the brothers said taking off their skin, “We’re the very first ones that our creators made, we’re the smartest and best now though, and we replaced them just like every pony else in Equestria, well, all except for you of course my dear.”
“No, this can’t be true, this can’t be real, this isn’t possible!!!”
“Oh, but it is, and now, it’s time to put you somewhere safe, sound and secure, somewhere where the changelings won’t drain you of love, but also somewhere where you won’t ever bother robots again,” they said. And with that said they took her into a cave where she saw every other real pony else, including the brothers and princesses too as well, and she soon learned that they were forced to work for the robots and every pony seemed to be hopeless since there was one resounding phrase that always kept popping up no matter what, “We lost.”
Suddenly Sweetie Belle and Twilight woke up and they were in the same room together for some reason, “Where are we?” they said.
“Welcome, robots, welcome to your first day of hell,”
Sweetie Belle woke up, what terrible horrible nightmare, and so confusing, she was a robot, Twilight was a robot, every pony else was a robot, the brothers were robots, it was like an author got in her dreams somehow just to confuse the audience. Wait, what? Suddenly Pinkie Pie was there on a typewriter.
“Pinkie Pie? You wrote this?” Sweetie Belle said staring at the paper.
“Yep, did you like my whole dream within the dream of Twilight within another dream of Twilight within your dream? It’s like a dreamception!!!”
“Yeah, I’m just really glad that I’m not a robot,” Sweetie Belles said.
“Oh, don’t be so sure of that, don’t you remember yesterday?”
“Oh yeah, you’re right, thanks a lot, Pinkie Bot 9000,” she said.
“Yeah, anytime,” Pinkie Pie said. And with that said suddenly Pinkie Pie woke up, wow, that was a really weird dream, even for her, thank goodness it was just a dream and not anything else and oh gosh, her arm was gone and on the floor, and when she saw that she was a robot she suddenly fainted.
“Wait, you and Pinkie Pie wrote this thing?”
“Yep,” Discord said, “How do you like it?”
“It’s very confusing, I mean which Alternate Universe and ending is the real one?”
“Well, that’s best for the reader to decide, after all, I’m just a robot here,” Discord said suddenly turning into a robot and smiling as he turned to the audience.
“Yes, this is a choose your own ending people, and that’s all that I have to say about that, so just stay tuned for the next Discord’s mystery theater!!!”
