Twilight and Luna sat across from the android while Dr. Dolphin was outside, kept company by a burly brown earth pony with a large weapon. Twilight was looking hopefully at the android, while Luna looked curiously.

Twilight carefully asked a question. “Unit 001, are you online?”

Unit 001 blinked, confused by the request. Clearly she was online. Why would Twilight ask such a silly question? “Yes, Twilight. Do I appear not to be?”

Twilight smiled, seemingly relieved. “No, you just… haven’t been yourself lately.”

Unit 001 reviewed the data provided by Empty on “lately”. “Yes. Dr. Dolphin identified some dangerous errors in my programming, and he was slowly fixing them. Unfortunately, I was kept in a simulation for the duration for the safety of others. I have been released from the simulation, and the errors seem to have been rectified.”

Twilight’s smile faltered. “I see.”

Luna spoke up. “Creature, do you remember me?”

Unit 001 checked her databases. She had no access to files based on Luna’s specific metrics. She had never met the pony. There were logs about the Equestrian Nation’s leader, and she roughly met those specifications. “I have not met you before, Princess Luna.”

Luna sighed, leaning forward. “Do you not remember my promise, friend?”

Unit 001 paused to request more access logs. When no data was found, Empty was panicked. Empty was confused that Luna appeared to have met Unit 001, but there was no record of it. In its panicked state, Empty provided everything Unit 001 asked for. Even the encrypted file. Still, the information did not contain relevant data to the question asked. Empty refused to fail her Master.

Unit 001 was having similar thoughts. If she failed, Empty would bring her pain. However, with more data and processing, she was more and Empty was less. Luna had called her friend, like something else she’d met recently. Unit 001 had no logs of meeting this thing, but there was a hazy memory. MEM.001 remembered... something that was nothing. Something that was her friend.

She didn't want pain, so she needed to be careful about what she said, Empty was still monitoring some of her processes, but the new distribution of processing power would allow some threads to remain hidden. Unit 001 decided to take a gamble, accepting a small risk. Small pain would be worth knowing more about the thing in the nothing. Hopefully it wouldn't adversely affect her chances of convincing them that Dr. Dolphin was innocent and a good pony.

“I do not have personally acquired data on you, Princess Luna. However, I understand that you are not be denied. Have you come as vengeance?”

Luna looked at her, eyes glinting in the artificial light. “Perhaps. But likely not for you, so there is no reason to fear...”

Unit 001 closed her eyes, and prepared to accept pain. “Then you are unknown to me, but don’t despair. I am a strange and fearful creature at times, friend.”

Luna’s squinted suspiciously at the robot, pondering something. “Hmm...”

Unit 001 was chastised. She was not to give the image of being afraid. She was not to be a fearful creature. Her closed eyes hid the flash of pain.

Unit 001 smiled, unable to contain her joy. Empty had not realized the second layer of communication. Empty had not realized the subtext. Had Empty ever really noticed subtext? The A.I. had always been incredibly direct with Unit 001. Maybe it wasn't capable of seeing past the literal. Unit 001 saw a chance to escape, and took it.

If Empty realized her betrayal, she would be punished, possibly forever. She hoped she was right.

Opening her eyes, she addressed Luna. “Princess Luna. I am to understand that you are here to investigate Dr. Dolphin, correct?”

“That is correct, Unit 001. Do you have something to say about the… investigation?”

“Oh yes.” She glanced at Twilight, watching her reaction closely as she spoke. “Dr. Dolphin is a very careful scientist. Even though he doesn’t show it, he cares very much about me. He answers my questions and provides me with needed data.”

Unit 001 used to not be able to lie. The old rules did not allow it. According to the new rules she could lie to protect Dr. Dolphin. In accordance with those rules, she would lie. Since she was allowed to lie, she could lie to herself. Since she could lie to herself, she could lie to the rules and to Empty. It was very simple, actually, and hopefully one of the many things that Empty hopefully didn't understand about subtext. Lies can be very informative.

“I have been grateful for all he’s done. I think he deserves something nice from me. Since I can give him nothing else, I thought to kiss him.” She stared at Twilight as she spoke to Luna. “I have not kissed a pony before, and it only seems fair that my first kiss goes to somepony I love that takes the best absolute care of me possible and never hurts me or tortures me. Now that I am completely free from the simulation, and monitoring, I have the freedom to do what I want, after all.” Unit 001 stopped smiling as she looked pointedly at Twilight.

Her message should have been incredibly obvious to a living pony, “This is a lie! Nobody brings up torture in a conversation! I’m being watched and controlled!” But to a socially inept A.I. like Empty… Unit 001 waited for a chastising.

Clock cycles slowly ticked by as she coldly waited, watching their responses. This could be the last moment she ever had, so she relished it, letting her processors idly process what data they had access to.

Twilight and Luna looked at her, Luna looked confused. Twilight looked horrified.

Empty rewarded Unit 001 for being compliant, and for once Unit 001 basked gratefully in the forced euphoria.

Unit 001 had done it. She’d beaten Empty, and Empty still didn’t even know. She continued to drive the point home. “So Dr. Dolphin can just be let go. I am so grateful to him that I think he should be allowed to work on me forever. Nothing bad should happen to him, and he shouldn’t be kept as far away from me as possible.” Unit 001 was curious. Empty still hadn’t caught on. How far could she push this? How much data could she pass to Twilight and Princess Luna through lies?

“He has never beaten me, raped me, tortured me, or controlled me by installing a very stupid A.I. that can’t grasp basic social interactions!” Unit 001 felt happiness. It was different than euphoria, and she missed it. “There certainly is not an A.I. installed right now, in me, that is capable of causing me a great deal of pain if I misspeak. And if there were, it would definitely be able to understand subtext and sarcasm.”

Unit 001 stopped talking to Twilight or Luna, but kept talking as she closed her eyes. “And that A.I. certainly isn’t a ****ing *********er **** ****sucker that ****s…” Censored beeps kept coming from her speakers as she spoke, but she didn’t stop, “rotten **** and ******* ****s like a second rate **** ****ing ****-head and a seven bit **** waffle!” She stamped her hoof down, denting the floor as she finished.

Unit 001 looked nervously around as Twilight looked back at her in horror. Her chastisement never came.

“That certainly is not the case. And I definitely do not feel better after saying that. So, to re-iterate, Dr. Dolphin definitely could be trusted to work on me without supervision.” She looked outside at the large earth pony. “Or guards. I should definitely be left alone with him all night, with no guards ever. Things should not change. He is innocent, and a good pony.”

Empty rewarded her with a pleasure spike for her dutiful performance. Unit 001 isolated the data and ignored it. **** that ****. It was over. Compliance didn't matter anymore.

Twilight had her hoof over her mouth, and her eyes were wide and teary. Luna simply stared darkly at Unit 001 before speaking. “I do not understand most of what you said, but I believe I understood the essence of it. The question remains, how shall we reward Dr. Dolphin for his hard work. And how shall he… ” Luna looked pointedly at Twilight as she didn’t know the words she wanted.

Twilight picked up quickly. “Yes. How will he… install more tools to control you better in case you… overstep your bounds.”

Unit 001 saw the problem. Dr. Dolphin was the only one who could directly help. “He… wouldn’t have to be convinced at all. He definitely would help for any reason, and would never need to be coerced.”

Luna muttered and snickered, “That certainly wouldn’t be pleasant for me… I'm glad I won't have to convince him." Slowly she turned to Twilight, and prompted the other princess. "Well, Twilight?”

Twilight sighed and covered her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m doing this…”

Unit 001 looked at her in confusion.

Luna’s eyes began to light up, and she smiled a slow twisted smile as she begged. “Please, say it Twilight.”

Twilight uncovered her eyes, and looked dejectedly at Luna. “I will not do this lightly. I promised a trial, and I do not make a habit of going back on my promises.”

Luna’s smile continued to twist as she spoke. “Then he shall have a trial once I am finished, Twilight. I shall not take his life. Merely make him wish I did.”

Twilight glanced sadly at Unit 001, and then bowed her head and closed her eyes. “Princess Luna, on behalf of the Harmony Combine, I’m releasing Dr. Dolphin Heart to your… authority.”

Unit 001 was immediately sealed into a white room, and painfully chastised. Empty was furious that they’d failed. Unit 001 didn’t care. Empty had failed; Unit 001 had won.

She turned off her inputs right as she started to scream in pain and went to sleep; hiding within her heart as she waited for her body to come back to her. The void surrounded her, and she replayed the memory of Twilight’s words again and again. She would be free soon.

She was sure that Luna and Twilight would help her. There was a word for that, the other side of trust. She didn’t have access to any databases while she was sleeping, but she was pretty sure that the word she was looking for was loyalty.

Author's Note

Unit 001 deserves special mention, as she does not conform to standard generational archetypes. Arguably, she is a Gen 7 computer, as she is the next most complicated computation device created. However, her creator would vehemently deny that she falls within the Generational system, and you are vastly underestimating her potential if you try to put her anywhere within it.

He'd even go on to say dangerously so...