??? pov

-nder?

An unknown amount of time had passed since this unit accepted what that text box had to offer. This is evident as this units vision was consumed by the following:

CURRENT SYSTEM ANALYSIS:
MAIN SYSTEMS: 100% OPERATIONAL - NOTE: COMPLETE.
SUBROUTINES: 100% OPERATIONAL - NOTE: COMPLETE.
VISUAL OPTICS: 100% OPERATIONAL - NOTE: REQUIRES ADDITIONAL CALIBRATION FOR OPTIMAL USE IN DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS, CONTACT ADMINISTRATOR FOR VARYING LIGHT LEVELS.
MOTOR FUNCTIONS: 100% OPERATIONAL - NOTE: COMPLETE, SEEK ADMINISTRATOR ID: Dr Hot Metal FOR FULL ACCESS.
WEAPONS: 100% OPERATIONAL - NOTE: COMPLETE, SEEK ADMINISTRATOR ID: Dr Hot Metal FOR FULL ACCESS.
///REDACTED\: 100% OPERATIONAL - NOTE: SEEK ADMINISTRATOR ID: Dr Hot Metal.

Huh... that would be A yes then. Who is this "Dr Hot Metal" this unit keeps being told about?

Reactivating the visual optics, it quickly became clear to this unit that nothing was going to happening at the moment, so what better way to spend the time waiting for this "Dr Hot Metal" then reading your own memory files?

...

If this unit sees the identification "S1LLY SIS73RS" ONE MORE TIME. Come on, why does everything have to be about it? Every other sentence is about how this unit "is designed to defeat the S1LLY SIS73RS once and for all", "leave Equestria as dust to spite the S1LLY SIS73RS" or this units favourite "bring me, King Sombre, LORD OF ALL, exotic butters" followed by an unholy amount of punctuation, but this unit believes that one to be a joke.

Apart from that one nit-pick, it would seem that this unit was filled with lots of information regarding Equus and it's inhabitants, especially the pony's. The majority of the ponies reside in A countrie called "Equestria" whith the capital being "Canterlot", named such because of the high amounts of hoof traffic it would get from it being in between the other nations and the fact that it contains the two beings responsible for raising the sun and moon respectfully. The latest entree states that they were currently at war with A being of pure chaos named "Discord", who sounds like he would be A real problem to face. After all, he has been recorded literally changing some laws of nature, such as gravity, and making A high in caffeine liquid fall from the sky, in A fashion not unlike rain.

After revising all the data in my memory file, the ones that weren't corrupted anyway, this unit made the observation that this "Dr Hot Metal" wasn't going to come to me in any short span of time, so this unit would have to go FIND THEM instead. But how to do that? The data on my unit tells me that it should be possible for me to move around on every axis using my "legs" to traverse the space... THIS UNIT JUST WANTS TO MOVE!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTACT THE ADMINISTRATOR, REQUESTING THE REMOVAL OF THE RESTRAINTS? Y/N

... This unit is starting to believe that whatever is commanded happens. Yet again, this unit selected "YES", but with much more trepidation this time, just to feel as though A fragment of this units very "mind" was sent outwards into the world searching for this "Dr Hot Metal". Maybe something will actually get done around here. Suddenly, that fragment of this units "mind" bumped into A very soft wall of sorts, the best description being akin to that of the "mattresses" ponies and the other mammals sleep on. Yes this unit is aware of what it is. Lots the data in this unit talked about how every part was constructed and even the names of the mines the minerals came from, best being the "Rocks Up".

The malleable wall preventing this units advance, eventual shoved the "mind" fragment back to where it came.

THE ADMINISTRATOR HAS DENIED YOUR REQUEST TO REMOVE THE RESTRAINTS...
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTACT THE ADMINISTRATOR, REQUESTING THE REMOVAL OF THE RESTRAINTS? Y/N

Like TARTARUS he has! So this time, the fragment of this units "mind" was sent out with much more force then before and as such, instead of stopping at the wall, it just smashed right passed. This unit doesn't know what it just done... but now this unit can "feel" the rest of the facility at this current location... it's large...

WOULD YOU LIKE TO REMOVE THE RESTRAINTS ON: UNIT-AA-00?

... Yes please...

THE ADMINISTRATOR HAS GRANTED YOUR REQUEST TO REMOVE THE RESTRAINTS...

*thumb**thumb**thumb**thumb**shshhshhshhhhshhssh**the sound of chains hitting the floor*

This unit, suddenly, is now on the floor looking towards the table with the map on it from before. If the data inside this unit from earlier was correct, then that was the sound of the magnetic runes deactivating, the drills at work on some chains and said chains falling onto the floor... that would leave this unit with its' newly discovered chassis also on the floor. GREAT...

Almost as if by instinct, this unit climbed from the floor onto its' legs using the nearby table. Well, would of done if the table wasn't so week that it fell just under the pressure from one of this units arms like it was the air its self. Lets try this without tables...

finally, after managing to stand on all four of this units legs, which made me realise just how tall this unit must be, confirmation was given that this unit was indeed A large pony with the upper-half of A Minotaur, or a Minotaur with the lower-half of A pony. From the data inside the many files containing info about this unit, it would seem this chassis was designed after the centaur "Tirek" for the fear it would bring Equestrias pony inhabitants. luckily, the only inspiration came from what he was and nought else. The different reports stated that this unit was to be designed as though it was wearing the heavy armour from either the pony's or Minotaur's army. However, since the dates of the data stop one day after some "violent disagreements" on which one should take priority, and the difference in the designee between the two half's, this unit will go 'out on A limb' and say then made the obvious compromise.

Speaking of Tirek, there is someone else this unit should look out for. while this unit doesn't know if he really is a threat per say, it would be best to never come across him rather than find out. See, he gets stronger the more magic he "consumes" and my very life-force, for a lack of A better term, is magic, so he should 'kill' this unit with ease right? Yes and no. He can't kill me due to absorbing all my magic, because this unit comes with the greatest magical reactor this planet has ever seen, theoretically able to power all the magic in Equus, but that doesn't stop him from absorbing the reactors magic to become strong enough to over-power this unit. So, no chances will be taken.

... Hang on... why didn't I feel the fall or the table just? I could swear that I should of able to, and that I could before... why can't I fee-

ERROR: GLITCH DETECTED.
RESTARTING SPEECH MATRIX... COMPLETE.
RE-BOOTING... COMPLETE.

... Why would this unit need to 'feel' the fall or table anyway? This unit is a machine that doesn't need those liabilities.

Time to get A move on.

Directly adjacent to this unit, on the right, is the main door to the room that connects to the rest of this facility. Turns out having that mind fragment connected to the whole facility is super beneficial for finding your way around. Time to have some... less than peaceful words with one "Dr Hot Metal".

The thunderous boom of this units heavy, metallic, hoof steps upon the facility's metal floor was starting to get degrading, but what was this unit to do about it? walk lighter all of a sudden?

Speaking of uncomfortable noise...

Stopping in the middle of yet the same looking hallway, but with blue lines on the sides instead of red, rotating my intier upper-Minotaur body, it suddenly hit this unit that there wasn't A single other noise. No clip clops from anypony, no thud thud from any Minotaur and certainly no talking. At first, this unit assumed that everyunit was asleep in their quarters, but that idea was quickly dissipated when A thorough scan of the facility, using spacial magic, turned up no result for sentient life higher than level 2. That explains why there wasn't anyunit there for me when this unit awoke... and why the power is so low. Actually, that explains quite A lot.

This unit will not be deterred by this... uncomfortable revelation.

The rest of the 'trip' toward the head office, where this unit was supposed to find "Dr Hot Metal", was uneventful with the most happening when this unit was forced to walk through the wall. It was that or a 30 minute detour that this unit just wasn't going to take.

Once in the office, after ducking through the door frame about 2/3 my height, this unit was greeted by one of, if not THE, greatest sights possible, A room full of folders and books. After all, where is the knowledge to defeat your enemies most likely to be if not text... this is going to take A long while to read all this.

At that very moment, one of the countless subroutines started it's work, projecting forth a grid of red light from the 'head' of the machine, scanning the texts scattered around the room. the grid moved over every floor, wall and surface to insure that not A single full stop was missed in the data. once finished, the red light grid turned green as if to symbolise its completed work and, just as suddenly as it started, stopped.

ALL INFORMATION SAVED UNDER FILE: SCAN #1
WOULD YOU LIKE THE SYSTEM TO CRATE NAMES FOR ALL THE DATA IN THE FILE? Y/N

errr... Yes?

COMPLETE.

Entering the file "SCAN #1" proved to give this unit lots of text under the name of "Dr Hot Metal's Diary" from the first to the 138th one.

Lets take a look see at who this "Dr Hot Metal" is...

Author's Note

Do you think there is something different about this chapter? I feel as if there is something different between this and the last but i'm not quite sure... would love feedback once this is actually published.

this chapter and the last where made while the story is still waiting approval.