Beyond Mere Programming

by DwarvishPony

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Rarity, Romance, Sex, Science Fiction
Length: 5731

Twilight Sparkle creates an advanced robot that begins developing signs of an emergent personality.

Twilight Sparkle is brilliant. This is not ego, this is fact. One proven by her latest creation for LunaTech, a personal robotic companion capable of meeting all of its owners needs. But when the robot starts to show signs of developing beyond its programming, Twilight must decide whether she can continue the experiments she's running. If not, can she really justify shutting it down?

Written for Monochromatic's Interwoven Colours contest.

Published 2017-05-28 21:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-05-28 21:10:01 UTC

Those Brilliant Blue Eyes

"Initiating assembly process." A monotone voice announced through the console's speaker. An assortment of screens flicked through a flood of information that most ponies wouldn't be able to come close to comprehending. Twilight smirked as the machinery on the other side of the safety glass whirred to life and busied themselves with moving the parts of Twilight's project into carefully preprogrammed positions. She wasn't most ponies.

Each mechanical arm brought forth a new piece of machinery, attaching it to a chassis with the whirring of motorized screwdrivers. Soon the chassis had legs, a tail seemed to form from nothingness as synthetic keratin wove itself from a nub protruding from the flank of the construct. An equine-like head descended from the ceiling as other mechanical arms started placing white enamel plates over the blue glowing innards of the construct.

Twilight allowed herself the faintest of smiles as she glanced from the screens on the console to the construct being built. She sipped coffee from a mug, feeling a particular pride at the sight of the internal workings of the project being assembled. A perfect synthetic representation of equine anatomy. The first of it's kind. And Twilight Sparkle had been the one to make it work.

The final pieces of the construct were put into place and the mechanical arms retracted. Twilight stepped out of the safety booth, approaching what could easily pass as a white unicorn from a distance. More synthetic keratin wove itself down from the scalp of the robo-unicorn into perfect violet curls that matched the tail.

Twilight Sparkle chewed her lip in anticipation, breathing slowly to steady her nerves before she spoke in a concise, professional tone. "Begin initialization."

"Initializing." A pleasant voice responded from the construct. "Hello. I am a Realistically Autonomous Reactive Intelligence. Version seven-upsilon. I can handle a variety of household tasks for you. I can take care of the children, cook, clean, I am versed in over fifty languages and regional dialects, and I am fully equipped to act as a sexual partner should you require it. I require no recharging or cleaning as I have been programmed to be fully self-sufficient and am equipped with a arcano-magical crystal for a power source that will last approximately one-hundred and seventeen years. Would you like to give me a name?"

"Rarity. Your name is Rarity now." Twilight levitated a clipboard and quill near her face, going through a checklist.

"My name is Rarity." The faintest of smiles touched the lips of the construct.

"Parlez-vous prançais?"

"Oui, madame. Comment vas-tu aujourd'hui?"

"Germane?"

"Ja ich spreche deutsch."

"Excellent. Translation programs seem to be in mostly working order. Tell me, Rarity, how do you feel?" Twilight scribbled a few notes about making sure to check the accuracy of the language programs. She was pretty sure that there were a few errors that would need to be addressed. "Go ahead and step off that platform. I need to test your motor functions."

"All right." Rarity took a few steps from the machinery that had just assembled her. "How am I doing, erm..." Facial plates shifted, giving a remarkable imitation of a mare furrowing her brow. "What do I call you?"

"Twilight is fine." Twilight checked off a few more boxes on her checklist. "Motor functions seem to be in order. Let's see how well you respond to commands. Go stand by the glass over there." Twilight pointed to the booth she'd been in when Rarity was assembled.

Rarity complied, wordlessly going to the instructed position and staying put.

"Good. Go ahead and sing something for me." More check marks on the list, punctuated only by Twilight curling the checklist over the top of the clipboard and revealing another list beneath.

"Do you have any preferences, darling?" Rarity tilted her head curiously.

"Its Twilight. Please refrain from addressing me as anything else." Twilight pushed her glasses up her muzzle with a hoof scowling down at her clipboard as her quill scrawled a note about bugs in the subject's memory banks regarding names. "No preferences on the music."

"Very well." Rarity straightened up and closed her brilliant blue eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink.

"The rules of Rarity,

guaranteed quality.

This I can assure

For each and every dress

I vow to give finesse

With time, love, and couture..."

Rarity took no time in getting into the spirit of her song, twirling and dancing as she sang. Her metallic hooves clacked off the lab's floor, providing the only musical accompaniment that the song seemed to need. After a minute or so of singing, Twilight interrupted the surprisingly lovely song.

"That's enough." Twilight frowned slightly. "Where did you learn that song? I don't think I programmed that one in."

"I made it up, just now. Did you not like it?"

"You... made it up? That's not in your programming. Not yet, at least." Twilight flipped through the rest of her notes with a frown of displeasure on her face. No, she definitely didn't add that to the programming yet.

"Did I do something wrong?" Rarity's ears flattened against her head. "I'm sorry, darling, I just assumed that when you asked me to sing-"

"I asked you not to call me that. Refer to me by my name only." Twilight's tone carried an authoritative coldness that left no room for disagreement.

"Yes, Twilight." Rarity pouted, staring down at the sterile floor of the lab.

"There's still some tests I need to run through, but everything looks all right for now. Go ahead and enter standby mode, I'll run the rest of the tests in the morning." Twilight finished the last dregs of her coffee and floated the mug over to a small table next to a cot.

"Very well. I shall await your next command." The light in Rarity's eyes dimmed to a subtle glow as she stopped moving. Twilight frowned at the robotic pony, though she knew that Rarity wasn't actively viewing anything despite the fact that her eyes were open.

"Rarity, do me a favor and go stand on that platform before reentering standby." Rarity complied with a few words of acknowledgement before going back to a standby state. Twilight allowed herself a proud smile before retiring to her cot in the safety booth for the night.

~~~

"Good morning, Twilight. Did you sleep well?" Rarity asked, a note of genuine care in her synthetic voice.

Twilight grumbled something that could have been either a sound of frustration or general agreement, Rarity's sensors couldn't differentiate between the two without further audio input. Instead of clarifying for Rarity, Twilight stumbled, bleary eyed, to a cheap-looking coffee maker where a carafe held the brown liquid sustenance that Twilight fueled her mornings with.

A few sips of coffee later, and Twilight seemed much more aware of her surroundings. She levitated her glasses from her side table and placed them on her face, blinking in confusion at her mug of coffee. Slowly, she looked from her mug to the coffee pot to Rarity, who was sitting on the floor huddling over something white and staring at it with a look of intense focus.

"Rarity," Twilight said slowly. "what are you doing?"

"I'm working on your coat, dar- Twilight. I noticed that it was looking rather frayed, so I'm patching it up as best I can." Sure enough, something that could be a needle and thread weaved itself through a particularly frayed part of Twilight's lab coat, held aloft by a blue magical aura that matched the glow on the horn of the robot. "I've also made you some coffee, though I can see that you've managed to find that already. I've also tidied up your work space over there. You'll find all of your work filed in it's appropriate folder and alphabetized."

"I see." Twilight stared back down at her mug, swirling it's contents slightly. "When did you find time to do this? I left you on standby last night."

"Oh, I just couldn't sleep for some reason, and rather than do nothing I thought it would be better to find something productive to do."

"Couldn't... sleep." Twilight raised an eyebrow, floating her coffee onto the nearest available surface. "May I have my coat back?"

"Just a few seconds, Twilight. I've nearly finished. And... done!" Rarity set aside the needle and thread and held Twilight's coat aloft for Twilight to see. Twilight had to admit, the work Rarity had done was impeccable.

"Do me a favor, Rarity. Can you go stand on that platform?" Twilight pointed to the platform Rarity had been assembled on the day before.

"Of course, Twilight." Rarity complied, trotting over to the platform with a sway to her hips. Twilight was positive that she hadn't programmed that walk into her creation. "Is here all right?"

"Perfect. Computer, begin disassembly process." Twilight trotted back towards the safety of the booth with a sigh as she commanded the machinery to begin taking apart Rarity.

"Wait, what?" Rarity stared at Twilight with shock filling those brilliant blue eyes of hers. "Twilight, no you can't do this to me! I- what did I do wrong? I'm sorry, I'll do better!" Enamel plates pulled away, exposing the faint blue glow of the robotic mare's inner workings. "I just wanted to help. I won't do anything without your order any more. Please," Legs were pulled away by mechanical arms, while another arm worked to remove the robot's head from the chassis. "I'm scared Twilight! I don't want to die!"

The machinery stopped mid-process. Rarity's gaze darted about, desperately trying to see why the machinery around her had stopped. After a tense moment of nothing happening, the machinery whirred back to life, replacing legs, fixing any damage Rarity's struggling had caused, and finally replacing the outer layer of pristine white plating.

"W-what? A-am I alive?" Rarity took a few shaky steps away from the damnable robotic arms and collapsed into a huddling mass. She looked up only when a shadow loomed over her.

"I don't know. But I'm willing to find out if you are." Twilight smiled gently, extending a hoof to help Rarity up.

"If- if you don't mind, Twilight, I'd like to stay down here and get my bearings, as it were." Rarity managed a weak chuckle.

"Okay. I'll be over there looking through my notes if you need me." Twilight said reassuringly.

~~~

The next few days passed with little direct interaction between Twilight and Rarity. Twilight split her time between between poring over every bit of paperwork she had looking for some clue to why Rarity had developed so many anomalous behaviors, and just speaking with her.

"So what do you do for fun, Twilight?" Rarity asked from her back, having long grown bored with counting the tiles in the ceiling.

"I read. There's a stack of books under my cot over there." Twilight pointed to her makeshift living area. "Feel free to grab one if you want."

"Really? Are you certain, da- Twilight?" She lifted her head to look at the scientist, who was currently hunched over a computer screen, reading who-knew-what. "I'd hate to just root through your belongings."

"Mhmm." Twilight nodded and made a sound that could vaguely be interpreted as consent.

Rarity rolled onto her hooves and trotted over to the cot, crouching low to get to the books crammed underneath it. "I expected only a few. Twilight, you're basically sleeping on a pile of books! How can you possibly be comfortable at night?"

"I get by."

"Come to think of it," Rarity stood and turned to face the only mare she'd ever interacted with. "don't you have a place to sleep? Somewhere outside the lab?"

"I have an apartment in the city, but commuting back and forth is inefficient compared to staying the night in the lab. I've been staying here for... five months now?"

"But, isn't there more to do than commuting in the city? There must be night life, and restaurants, and shops. Oh, the shops must be simply wonderful to visit. Can we go shopping some time, Twilight?"

"No!" Twilight spun about to face Rarity quite suddenly. "You can't go out there. Not yet. It's too dangerous."

"Dangerous? How so?" Rarity recoiled, shocked by Twilight's outburst.

"Look, its just that ponies in the city don't always react well when exposed to... new elements." Twilight adjusted her glasses slightly, trying to find the right words to convey how risky Rarity leaving the lab could be. "A lot of ponies out there would like nothing more than to take advantage of you in any number of ways, from using you for sexual work to turning you into a servant to simply tearing you apart to sell the scrap!"

Rarity cowered against the cot behind her, quivering in fear. Twilight's features softened and she let out an apologetic sigh upon seeing the robotic mare's expression.

"Look, I'm sorry, its just... its dangerous out there. There's too many variables to contend with to be certain we could make an excursion out of the lab. Not to mention the fact that my boss probably wouldn't go for it." Twilight chuckled at the idea of going to her boss and asking to leave the lab. 'Hey is it okay if I take this highly experimental robotic companion with a personality that deviates entirely from it's programming into the city to go shopping? I think she'd look really cute in a lovely dark blue dress.' Twilight looked into Rarity's eyes. Those brilliant blue eyes. 'Definitely dark blue.'

"Twilight, are you feeling all right? Your face looks flushed." Rarity, her fear momentarily forgotten, stood and placed a cool enamel hoof against Twilight's forehead. "Temperature readouts say your body heat is slightly elevated. Please, do us a favor darling and lay down for a bit. I'll get you a glass of water." Rarity started to go get the sink to get Twilight a glass of water, pausing momentarily to look back over her shoulder. "Sorry, I meant Twilight. Please don't be upset."

"Its fine." Twilight mumbled awkwardly. "I don't mind it anymore." Twilight glanced away, her face flushing even redder.

"Well, if you're certain," Rarity floated a glass of water to Twilight, who gently took hold of it with her own magic. "I think it rather suits you, if I'm honest." Rarity placed a gentle hoof on Twilight's shoulder, softly pushing her towards the cot. "Now, drink up and lay down. It wouldn't do for you to fall ill if I can help you avoid it."

Twilight consented without any argument, chugging the glass of water and climbing onto the cot. "Thank you, Rarity."

"Of course, Twilight. I'm going to go into standby mode. If you need anything from me, you simply have to ask."

~~~

"Director Moondancer, this is absurd!" Twilight was nearly shouting. "I've made so much progress already. Doing this would practically be criminal!"

Twilight Sparkle stood between her boss, Moondancer, and Rarity, creating as much of a barrier between the two as possible. Rarity stood with a forehoof raised tentatively, looking back and forth between Moondancer and the back of Twilght's head. Moondancer, for her part, was fiercely staring Twilight down with a the determination only somepony adhering to a given command could muster.

"Be that as it may, my hooves are tied here Twilight. This isn't an order from me, its an order from LunaTech. The prototype needs to be shut down by the end of the day. The higher ups have decided that the only companionship these things are fit for is the physical kind, that doesn't require a translator or cooking." Moondancer's tone carried implications that only a filly could misinterpret. "You have until the end of today to comply or else you'll be out of a job." With that, Moondancer turned smartly and walked from the lab, the door to which closed with a mechanical hiss.

"Twilight, what did she mean, exactly?" Rarity looked to Twilight with pleading eyes. Those brilliant blue eyes. "Are they taking me away somewhere?"

Twilight ran a hoof over her mouth in frustration, her mind racing to find some way out of the situation. Years of hard work and calculations that had been considered impossible at the start of Twilight's work were going to be wasted if she didn't.

"They're going to deactivate you, and reprogram you as a prototype for 'personal companionship' in a very strict sense." Twilight cursed as she trotted to the neat stacks of papers in her workstation and swept both her forehooves across the table's surface in frustration, sending papers flying through the air to drift lazily to the floor.

"But," Rarity's eyes widened as the implications hit her. "then won't I die if they do that?"

"Scientifically speaking, no. Ethically, however, I'm of a mind to say yes." Twilight swore under her breath again. "There's got to be something I can do. Maybe if I take my newest data to the board..." Her voice trailed off as she began running various options through her head.

Time passed all too quickly, however, and soon enough Twilight and Rarity found themselves looking at a quickly approaching deadline. Twilight had devolved into pacing the lab back and forth, mumbling to herself while Rarity watched silently. Twilight had been pacing so long, a small indentation had worn itself into the floor where she stepped. A knock echoed through the room, and Twilight's head snapped in the direction of the lab's door. Time had run out.

"Rarity, I need you in standby mode. Don't respond to anypony's commands but my own, understand?" Twilight ordered, with an edge to her voice.

"Y-yes, Twilight." Rarity's eyes dimmed, awaiting her next commands.

The lab door opened with a hiss. Twilight silently wished she'd disabled the door controls from the inside, wondering why she hadn't thought of it earlier. In stepped Director Moondancer with two burly security ponies flanking her. She stopped just in front of Twilight, eyeing her with a professional detachment.

"Sparkle. I see you've deactivated it. You've made the right decision." Moondancer looked over to one of the security ponies. "Ready it for transport. I need this moved to the lower labs immediately." The security pony in question moved towards Rarity with a grunt of assent, only to have Twilight step into his path.

"Moondancer-" Twilight started.

"Director Moondancer." Moondancer corrected curtly.

"Director Moondancer, there must be some other way. I've spent years researching and developing this. This is my life's work at risk. Are you really going to let the higher ups throw all my work away just to make some sex robot!?" Twilight was pleading, desperately trying to block the security pony from getting to Rarity while she did. "You have to be able to do something."

"Twilight, just stop. Neither of us are in charge of the situation. This comes down to a business decision." Moondancer said the word business with thinly veiled disdain. "Step aside, Twilight. I'd hate to lose one of my best researchers over this."

"No!" Twilight scowled. "I've worked too hard for some businessmare to step in and steal my work. I won't let you take her!" Tears welled in the corners of the mare's eyes as she crouched defensively.

"Twilight," Moondancer sighed and took a step backwards. "we've already discussed what will happen if you resist further. Please, don't do this."

"You're the ones forcing my hoof here, Moondancer. Just let me continue my work," Tears flowed freely now, despite Twilight trying to blink them away. "please." She was begging now.

"Twilight Sparkle, I'm afraid you aren't leaving me any other options. As of this moment, you are no longer employed by LunaTech. Please pack your personal belongings. A member of security will escort you from the premises."

"I- no..." Twilight wavered as her knees went weak.

"I really am sorry, Twilight." Moondancer looked to the security pony who hadn't moved yet. "Help him take the robot to the lower labs."

"No!" Twilight's horn flared brightly with magical energy sent wild with raw emotion. Moondancer and both security ponies were sent flying back to the other side of the lab. "Rarity?"

"Yes, Twilight?" Rarity's eyes lit up again.

"Run!" Twilight reached a hoof out, taking Rarity's own, and dragged the robotic mare with her at a full gallop.

~~~

The streets were mostly empty as the sun set on Canterlot. Twilight kept to the back streets with Rarity anyway, fearing the reaction somepony would have upon meeting her robotic companion. Even if that robot had more equinity in her than the entire board of directors at LunaTech combined.

Bright neon signs lit the alleyways as they passed, bathing them in hues of pink, orange, and green in a gaudy display meant to attract less intelligent ponies in to waste their hard earned bits on alcohol or other less than reputable forms of entertainment. Rarity looked about, drinking every sight in with an adoration that bordered naivety.

"I must say, I didn't expect everything to be so bright. I wouldn't have chosen some of the colors for these signs, but I suppose they are rather nice in their own way. Although, I'd be much more tempted to visit the establishments if they didn't all offer 'beautiful mares on stage' as a selling point."

"Rarity, I get that this is the first time you've been outside the lab, and that you're excited for it, but I really need you to focus." Twilight spun and gently cupped Rarity's face in her hooves. "By now, we've probably got security from my work combing the streets for us, maybe even the authorities. So please, just for a little while, I need you to be quite so I can think." Twilight stared into Rarity's eyes, hoping to convey the gravity of their situation. Those brilliant blue eyes.

"Twilight, I'm well aware of our predicament." Rarity's features softened as she allowed herself a moment of seriousness. "Its just that I thought I could cheer you up a little if I talked about the new things I'm seeing. I don't like it when you're this serious. It scares me."

"I'm sorry, Rarity." Twilight let out a slow, deliberate sigh. "Thank you for trying, but we need to keep moving while I come up with a plan."

"Okay, darling." Rarity straightened, putting on as brave a face as she could muster. "If you need anything from me, simply ask."

"I know, Rarity, and thanks." Twilight couldn't help but give her companion a warm smile.

The two continued their journey in silence, broken only by the sounds of their hoofsteps and Twilight occasionally giving brief directions such as 'turn here.' The winding back streets of the city were mercifully devoid of anypony that tried to hinder their progress. Only the occasional homeless pony suspiciously glanced in their direction from their spot in the filthy alleys. As the sun finally set over the city, a mugginess settled over the streets of Canterlot, matting Twilight's fur and eventually forcing her to shed her lab coat, which she gave to Rarity.

After what felt like an eternity, Twilight and Rarity made it to the building that Twilight called home by the thinnest of technicalities. A towering spire of glass rose above most of the buildings in the immediate vicinity, offering an unhindered view of the city. Windows caught the moonlight, creating an illusion that was both breathtaking and intimidating. Twilight didn't slow, however, and soon the two mares found themselves on the third floor of the building, slipping into Twilight's apartment without a sound.

The interior of the apartment was the exact opposite of the lab. A plush gray carpet covered the floor, impossibly soft underneath Rarity's hooves. An entire wall of the living area was dedicated to nothing but bookshelves, each shelf filled to the brim with reading material. The kitchen offered immaculately cleaned marble counters with a tiled floor to match. By all rights, the apartment could have passed for one of the ones that was only shown as a model of what the building had to offer. Rarity had to wonder if Twilight really lived here, a question she couldn't help but voice.

"On paperwork, yes. A maid comes by about once a week to keep the place tidy, but I spend more time in the lab than I do here. Convenience, remember?" Twilight began shedding her blue sweater, desperate to remove the sticky clothing. "I'm going to take a shower. Make yourself comfortable." Twilight tossed the sweater unceremoniously on the floor and made a beeline to the bathroom. Moments later the sounds of water could be heard through the still-open doorway.

Rarity contented herself with simply exploring the apartment. Twilight's bedroom looked as if it had never been slept in, sporting the same sterile cleanliness of the kitchen and living areas. Crisp bedding looked as though it had never been disturbed as Rarity ran a hoof over the lavish silk. A large window behind the bed offered a modest view of the streets below. A mahogany dresser provided a small space for even more books to be kept. Upon closer inspection, Rarity realized that the books here were the first things that looked as though they'd ever been used, the bindings worn as though they'd all been read multiple times. Rarity peeked into an open doorway on the other side of the room, discovering that it to be a closet filled to the brim with clothing that very likely had never been worn. A closer look revealed that much of the clothing still sported their surprisingly high price tags.

"Twilight?" Rarity sauntered into the bathroom, where she found Twilight, eyes closed, tilting her head upward into the water cascading over her. Rarity opened her mouth to try to get Twilight's attention, but the words caught in Rarity's voice simulator. Instead, she smiled to herself and left Twilight to enjoy her shower.

Twilight came out of the bathroom a few minutes later to find a mare in a stunning navy blue dress that accentuated every curve of her body perfectly. A violet mane, perfectly styled, was held in place by a brilliant amethyst hair pin. Twilight must have made a noise, because the stunning mare before her turned around and smiled brightly.

"Twilight, I do hope you don't mind, but I dressed up to try and blend in a bit better." Rarity glanced down at herself. "You don't think its too much, do you?"

"Its... its stunning." Twilight squeaked out, finding herself unable to string more than two words together.

"I did take the liberty of borrowing something of yours, if that's all right." Rarity turned slowly, offering Twilight a view of the entire outfit. "You really like it?"

"Mhm." Twilight blinked, finally finding her bearings. "I, um, need some sleep. I'll have a plan in the morning."

"Very well, then. I'll just be on standby mode if you need me." Rarity carefully settled onto the carpet, avoiding any movements that may have wrinkled the dress. Once settled, a faint hum was the only sign that the robotic mare had entered her low-power state.

Twilight drank in the sight for just a moment longer before climbing into bed and nestling under the covers. 'Its been a long time since I've slept here. I forgot how nice this bed was.' Twilight sighed contentedly and closed her eyes to drift off to sleep.

An hour later and Twilight rolled over for what felt like the umpteenth time. Unable to get comfortable she sat up, muttering obscenities under her breath. She slipped out of bed and trotted into the kitchen. A glass of water later, and Twilight wasn't feeling any better. She found herself clenching her eyes shut, resting her head against the cool stainless steel of the refrigerator.

"Twilight?" Rarity asked tentatively. "Are you all right, darling?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I just- No. I'm scared, Rarity." Twilight turned to face her synthetic friend. "What if LunaTech comes after us?"

"Then we'll simply have to run again." Rarity stepped close and wrapped Twilight in a firm hug. "You saved me today, Twilight. If anypony can find a way out of this mess, its you." Releasing Twilight, she pressed her forehead against Twilight's with a smile. "Thank you for today."

"I- its nothing. You would have done the same thing." Twilight found herself flushing a deep shade of crimson.

"Be that as it may, you still saved my life." Rarity stepped back. "Now, I believe you said you needed some sleep? Come on, let's get you to bed." She took Twilight by the hoof and led her back to the bedroom, where she gently tucked Twilight in.

Twilight inhaled sharply as another weight shifted the bed slightly and white forehooves delicately wrapped around her. "R-Rarity, what are you doing?"

"My programming says that this is a good way to comfort ponies who are stressed, and that it helps many sleep. Do you not like it?"

"No, I-I like it." Twilight nestled against Rarity, surprised at how warm the robot was. Twilight closed her eyes with a smile and soon found herself drifting off to sleep.

~~~

The thunderous sound of cracking wood jolted Twilight from her sleep. Rarity was nowhere to be seen as the bleary-eyed mare blinked the last remnants of sleep from her eyes and put on her glasses, stumbling from her bed as her adrenal glands kicked into overdrive. "Rarity?"

"In here, darling." Fear tinged Rarity's synthetic voice. "I could use a hoof if you don't mind."

Twilight bolted into the living room to find Rarity had blockaded the front door of the apartment with anything she was able to move. The door gave another thunderous crack as splinters flaked off from the impact on the other side of the door.

"Rarity, what's going on!?" Twilight floated a bookshelf onto the barricade. A strangely detached part of her mind silently apologized to the books as they tumbled unceremoniously from their shelves.

"I think-" Another thunderous impact against the door. "I think that they came to find us. I heard somepony knocking, and they said they were from LunaTech and that they were coming in to quote: 'reclaim company assets.'" Rarity added a stool from the kitchen to the barricade. "Should I have let them in?"

"Now is not the time for sarcasm, Rarity." Twilight flinched as the door shuddered under another impact. "That's not going to hold forever."

"So what do we do?" Rarity looked fearfully from the door to Twilight.

"I'm thinking."

"They're going to get in soon."

"I'm thinking." Twilight said more forcefully. The door splintered under one final impact, the remaining pieces getting torn away as talons pulled them away. A griffon poked her head up over the barricade as she began pulling what she could from the pile.

"Twilight Sparkle, on the authority of LunaTech security, I'm taking you in!" She grunted as she pulled a chair from the barricade and tossed it aside. "Please forfeit all LunaTech owned property and turn yourself in."

"Twilight?" Rarity whimpered.

"I'm thinking!" Twilight snapped. Her expression softened slightly as Rarity flinched from her. "Look, we need to find a way out of here."

Rarity looked from Twilight to the doorway, where the barricade was slowly crumbling under the determined assault of the security griffons, to the bedroom. "Twilight, do you trust me?"

Twilight looked at Rarity, her eyes reflecting the same fear that had gripped the robotic mare. "I trust you."

Rarity grabbed Twilight's hoof and lead her back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind them. Without hesitation, Rarity activated the magical actuators in her horn and lifted the mahogany dresser high into the air. "Ready?" Twilight looked at Rarity in confusion, only to have Rarity smile comfortingly. The dresser flew through the air and out the window, sending a shower of glass onto the street below.

"Rarity, what are you-" Rarity lifted Twilight into the air with her magic before Twilight could finish her question. "Rarity, wait!" Rarity galloped at the window and leapt into the air, dropping down to the street with Twilight carried safely in her magic. She landed hard, her momentum sending her sprawling and rolling a fair few feet before coming to a stop. As she struggled to her hooves, Rarity carefully set Twilight down. "There we are. Are you hurt Twilight?"

"I'm fine," Twilight glanced down at Rarity's leg, which had twisted itself at an awkward angle. "but you're hurt! Are you all right?" Twilight stepped close, trying to ascertain the extent of the damage.

"Twilight, it will be fine. I've already got a repair subroutine working on the damage." Angry yelling sounded from the shattered window above them. "Unfortunately, we should be going, don't you think?"

Twilight nodded and grabbed Rarity's injured hoof in her own, gently leading her away at a brisk trot. "We need to leave. Come on." A glint of gold caught Twilight's eye, and she scooped up a few bits from the wreckage of her dresser.

The two of them wove their way through more back streets, all caution thrown to the wind as they tried to put as much distance between themselves and Twilight's apartment as possible. After maybe an hour of running, Twilight and Rarity found themselves at a bus station, tensely waiting for a charter bus to take them from the city. After an eternity, their bus finally arrived, and the two quickly boarded the empty vehicle and took a seat in the back.

Twilight finally let out a breath, releasing the tension she hadn't realized she'd been carrying once the bus started moving, carrying them far from the neon lights of Canterlot. Fatigue finally set in, and the mare found it hard to remain awake.

"Thank you, Rarity. I don't think we could have made it out of there if you hadn't thought of the window." Twilight smiled and laid her head against Rarity, drinking in the scent of lavender she hadn't noticed before. That's a nice smell. She thought dreamily.

"You would have done the same for me, Twilight." Rarity giggle softly.

Twilight nuzzled closer to Rarity with a soft smile on her lips. "I love you, Rarity."

"I love you too, Twilight." Rarity looked down at Twilight and smiled with an affection that reached her eyes. Those brilliant blue eyes.