Artificial Souls

The year is 202X and world peace has been reached through the wonders of Bronydom. That's right, a show that started a decade ago has brought us world peace. Not a bad thing if you ask me.

Who am I? Well, I'm the narrator of course! You silly readers and your questions. I also happen to be the main character of this story, it being my tale and all. I'm just your not-so-average young man in his mid twenties. I finally returned to America after spending the past seventeen years secluded in the mountains around Aomori in Japan. Living with old man Hansie and his granddaughter Lina. How do I know about My Little Pony then? Well, the old man didn't want me to grow up to be an ignorant idiot, so he forced me to keep myself up to date with the happenings in the world around us. And now that my body was finally ready, he allowed me to go back home to the states. He even set me up with a place in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.

I had just left the harbor in Long Beach where the freighter had docked. Which is where I had been working, while it made it's way from the harbor in Honhachinohe and across the North Pacific Ocean. I even made a few friends there, which is nice. It gets a bit lonely in the mountains when you only see the same two faces all the time... Well, that's not entirely true. Tsunayoshi-shishou did come around once a week to help me train.

But enough about all that boring stuff! The bus bound for Los Angeles is just up ahead.

As I made my way towards the bus terminal, I noticed something quite different from Japan. There was ACP’s everywhere, but then again, this is Brony Central. In case you’ve been sleeping under a bloody rock during the last ten years, you probably know about the Advanced Cyborg Ponies or ACP’s for short. What started off as small show accurate android ponies have now evolved far past that and become living cybernetically enhanced anthropomorphic ponies with an A.G.I, or Artificial General Intelligence, allowing for reason, self-awareness, consciousness, sentience and sapience. They have many tasks in our daily lives, ranging from simple maids, secretaries, babysitters and other normal jobs to working as special forces in the police and military organizations. But the most popular is, of course, in the sex industry. Yes yes... We should all be over that, but hey, we’re humans and we always do one of three things when confronted with something new. We eat it, flee from it or fuck it senseless. In this case, we went for the third choice.

But... Enough talk about sex with anthro ponies. What I was trying to say is, that this place is full of ACP’s where ever you might look. I only saw a few on my way out of Japan. Not that I mind, they’re bloody adorable after all.

I finally arrived at the ticket booth, and much to my surprise, it was manned by a young mare with a pale yellow coat. Her brilliant orange amber mane was styled so that it curled in the ends. She wore a navy blue west over a white shirt which complemented her bust size nicely.

“Sir? If you would please stop staring like that, it would make me very happy,” her lovely voice snapped me out of my stupor, “I take it that you aren’t used to seeing us ACP’s?”

I cleared my throat and met her gaze with my own, the light dancing in her light green eyes.

“Sorry about that miss, but I just returned from seventeen years overseas. And I must admit, you ponies aren’t as widespread in Japan as many would probably like to think,” I scratched my neck a bit, “And... I must admit that you all look so damn cute, so you’ll have to excuse me if I start staring again.”

“I shall keep that in mind,” she said with a smile, “So... Where to, sir?”

“Los Angeles, please.”

She quickly tapped away on her keyboard, “Will you be paying with cash or credit?”

“Credit,” I replied as I removed the fingerless glove from my right hand and swiped said hand over the black plate on her desk. A beep confirmed that the payment had gone through and I put the glove back on.

“Thank you sir, and here’s your ticket. The bus leaves from platform seven in twenty minutes.”

“Thank you miss,” I grabbed my ticket and gave a slight bow before picking up my sack with what little I brought with me from Aomori and made my way over to platform seven.

On my way out to the platforms I noticed some vending machines. Seeing as I’d have to wait twenty minutes anyway, I might as well waste a bit of time browsing for something to drink and snack on. I finally decided on a bag of paprika chips and a can of Mountain Dew. Content with my choice, I was about to move on when I noticed someone sitting next to the last vending machine, draped in a dark brown cloak. Probably just a hobo... Moving along.

*Gurgle~!*

“Well... That wasn’t me,” I looked down to my left where the hobo sat, another rumble sounded from his stomach, causing him to hug his legs with his purple arms... Wait a bloody second!

“Hello there young one. What are you doing all alone in a bus terminal dressed in a rag like that? As far as I know, aren’t you guys under some sort of supervision?”

As sapient as these ACP’s are, they’re still to be supervised by either their owners, the company they’re hired at or the Umbra Corporation who created them. I personally don’t like it, I mean, they’re just as much alive as you and me, but humans still sees some need to own them.

Rather than replying, his violet eyes opted for sucking the nourishment out of my chips, “Sooo... Do you want these?” the loud rumble was answer enough, “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’”

I tossed him the bag which he grabbed, before looking at me questioningly.

“What? I thought you were hungry”

“Why?” the voice was too feminine to be a guy.

“Why what? You’re hungry and I had a bag of chips. You don’t need some ulterior motive to help out another person.”

That seemed to have satisfied her curiosity, as she quickly ripped the bag of chips open and started shoving them into her mouth.

“Whoah! Easy now or else y-” *Cough!* she went into a heavy coughing fit, “Yeah... That tends to happen when you eat like that,” opening my can of Dew, I passed it on to her and she didn’t waste any time questioning me this time around as she chucked it down, releasing a belch and a content sigh. She then went back to munching on her chips, though at a slower pace this time.

Well, those chips won’t keep her going for long... So I made my way over to the vending machine that I saw had fresh fruits in it and swiped my hand across the scanner to which the machine bleeped and released three fresh golden delicious apples. Another two swipes at the previously visited machines gave me two cans of dew and a new bag of chips. With this I was set for the trip and she would have something to eat and drink later.

As I returned to the young pony, she had finished demolishing the bag of chips and was busy licking the paprika powder off of her fingers, and by everything holy... That was a sight so cute it could give you diabeetus.

“Here, catch,” I tossed her the apples and placed the can of dew on the floor next to her, “I need to move on, and as for you... You should really find your supervisor. We can’t have you running around like that without anyone to help ya.”

She got up from the floor and bowed, “Thank you mister,” she straightened herself up and I saw that she really just was a kid, maybe around sixteen.

“No problem kid, and don’t call me mister. Mister was my pa’ me? You can call me Terrence or Terry, whichever flies the best for you,” I gave her my best smile and a thumbs up.

“Thank you Terry!” she tackled me with a hug, the hood that had covered her head fell down, revealing a lovely dark Sapphire blue mane with a hot pink and violet streak running through it, as well as a little horn poking out from her forehead... So bloody adorable.

“It’s no problem kid, just be sure to find the adult who is supposed to take care of ya,” she released the hug and I noticed something. She wasn’t wearing a cloak, it was just some potato sacks that had been stitched together, leaving her naked underneath.

“Hold on a sec, kid.”

“Twilight.”

“Gesundheit.”

“No. Twilight! It’s my name, not kid...”

“Fair enough Twi,” I started rummaging through my sack of belongings and found a black t-shirt with some random character and Japanese kanji on it from one of those popular anime’s which Lina had gotten me just for kicks, “Now, raise your arms into the air.”

She did so and I grabbed the potato sack and lifted it off of her, leaving her buck naked with a blush so red you could probably fry an egg on it.

“Sorry about that, just hold on a second,” I grabbed the shirt and pulled it down over her. It was big enough to work as a one-piece dress for her, “There we go. Can’t have you running around in a bloody potato sack, ya know?”

She did a little twirl, looking herself over in the window, “Thank you Terry, but next time you try to strip me, I’ll have to scream,” she winked and stuck out her tongue.

“Hah! I’ll be sure to remember that.”

Now that I at least knew she had some food and proper clothes on, I grabbed my stuff, “I really do have to get going now. Take care!” with that, I made my way out of the terminal, waving goodbye to Twi.
I finally made my way over to platform seven and took a seat. Didn’t look like any other people were waiting, so I’d probably be the only one getting on at this station. Amazingly enough, the bus rolled in shortly after I’d taken my place on the bench. Guess I spend more time with Twi than I thought.

The sleek silver colored bus rolled up to the platform and I saw a couple of people and ponies getting off as I made my way up. The driver was a large red stallion with dusty orange mane, not too long nor too short and he had freckles on his cheeks. I flashed him my ticket and his sap green eyes scanned it before he gave me a nod of approval.

As I made my way through the bus, I noticed that it was pretty empty, the only ones there was a big hobo screaming about the end of the world and ACP’s being the bringers of doom, who occupied the back of the bus. I couldn’t help but wonder why he hadn’t been kicked out yet... The next living beings I noticed was a japanese tourist and his cyborg catgirl, which is what Japan made with the ACP technology. They were both busy snapping pictures of everything outside, still didn’t stop me from at least giving them a greeting in their language.

The final person though, was a mint-green coated unicorn type ACP. She had a nice medium length pale cyan mane with white highlights. She was dressed in black hotpants and a black sports top that showed off her bust and left her midriff bare, which I must admit was quite hot.

Her golden amber eyes locked with mine and she gave me a cute smile, “So, are you gonna stand there all day or will you join me here?” her voice was a little raspy, like a tomboy but still had a bit of a feminine streak to it.

She moved her stuff from the free seat next to her and patted it. Almost an entire bus full of empty seats to lounge on, or sitting next to this cute pony... Pony it is.

“I guess I’ll be taking you up on that offer then, miss?”

“Heartstrings. Lyra Heartstrings, mr?”

“Terrence Spencer, Terry to friends, so please use that.”

“Will do, Terry. And you can call me Lyra,” we shaked, “So where are you off to Terry?”

“Los Angeles. I just returned from seventeen years overseas. So I’m looking forward to settling back down here in the states.”

“Really? Must be rough with all the stuff that has changed during that time.”

“It’s not that bad. I mean, sure there’s walking, talking ponies everywhere now. But I’ll live, you lot are too cute for it to be a bad thi-”

There was a flash of purple and both Lyra and I turned towards it, only to see the hobo dancing around and the tourists snapping pictures of him with the flash on.

“THE PONIES WILL END US ALL! THEY ARE THE ANGELS OF DEATH WHO WILL JUDGE OUR SINS! REPENT! REPENT!!!” the hobo shouted.

“Well... That sure was, interesting,” I turned back and relaxed in my seat, “So, where are you off to?” the mint-green unicorn turned back and sat down again.

“I’m also off to Los Angeles on a mission.”

“A mission? You working for the government?”

“Umbra. I’m one of their top officers. We have a rogue who was last spotted heading that way.”

“I see... Must be tough when a pony runs amok.”

“It is, but do you mind if I ask?” she looked at me with a serious gaze, so I nodded, “Why do you call us ponies? Most humans always calls us ACP’s or things.”

“Well, you’re you, right? You’re alive. You can feel, think, cry, laugh, be happy or mad. You are just as much of a person in my eyes as that Japanese guy or the crazy hobo in the back,” she raised a brow at me, “Ok, maybe not the best ones to use as an example,” we both laughed a little at that.

“Thank you. I have never been told that befo-”

“THEY WILL END US ALL!!! REPENT!!!” the homeless man shouted as he ran up and down the length of the bus, cackling like a madman, which he probably is.

“Oh for the love of!” Lyra nimbly launched herself over me and pinned the crazy hobo to the floor, “Driver! Stop the bus. I’m taking this crazy bastard in.”

“Eeyup!” came the reply from the driver.

The bus screeched to a halt and the exit doors opened, “Sorry that I have to cut our conversation short, Terry. But this man is a public nuisance, and now I’m bringing him in.”

“It’s ok Lyra, I would do the same if I wasn’t already running late. Maybe I’ll see you around in L.A?”

“That sounds like a plan,” she tossed me her calling card and with that done, she dragged the homeless nuisance out of the bus, all the while he was kicking and screaming about magical ACP’s here to take us to hell. Poor bastard must be nuttier than squirrel shit.

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful, the only thing out of place being this nagging feeling that I’m being watched, but the only others here was the driver and the japanese couple. Still, it kept nagging me all the way to L.A. where we finally arrived at my stop, so I grabbed my bag and got ready by the exit as the driver came to a halt. The doors opened and I stepped out, where I was greeted by the magnificent big city that is Los Angeles.

At least Little Tokyo was only a good thirty minutes walk from where I got off, so that’s manageable. I slung my sack of clothes and personal belongings over my shoulder and began walking. I didn’t get far before I noticed another purple flash out the corner of my eye which caused me to quickly spin around... Nothing, only the few random bystanders who seemed just as confused by the flash of light as I did.

Shrugging it off, I began walking again. But there it was again, that feeling of being watched. I sped up my pace as I went into a half walk, half sprint. The weird feeling keeping up with me. Enough is enough! I quickly jumped into the nearest alley and ran along it before quickly hiding behind the corner of a building. It’s time to face this threat head on! LIKE A MAN!

*Pomf!*

“Ouch!”

“Huh?” there on the ground in front of me, lay Twilight with a dazed look, as if she just collided with a brick wall... Well, she did run headfirst into me, so that’s close enough.

“Wait... Twilight!? What the heck are you doing here?”

She got up and brushed the dirt off of the t-shirt, she still wore the potato sack as a cloak, silly filly.

“You shouldn’t suddenly stop like that Terry. Someone could get hurt when they run into you like that.”

“Well, excuuuse me Princess. But the last time I checked, you were stalking me. Mind telling me why?”

She just lowered her head a bit, still looking up at me, her lip quivering a bit as if she was about to cry.

*HNNNNNNNNNNNNNGH!* That was my heart. Exploding. Twice.

“Ok! Ok already! You don’t need to say anything! Just...” *Sigh...* “Follow me. I’m late enough as is.”

She instantly brightened up and grabbed my free arm as we made our way back out on the street. Of course everyone was now looking at me like I was some sick fuck. Not that I blame them, I was walking down the street with a teenage pony who was wearing nothing but a t-shirt clearly my size and a potato sack. Oh the implications this brought up.

Ok, enough death glares is enough... time to find the nearest clo- Aha! Target found!

“Come on Twi, let’s get you properly dressed,” we made our way across the street and into the shop, “Go find something you like. Some underwear as well, can’t have you going commando.”

I hardly managed to finish what I was saying before she shot off to find some clothes. The clerk by the exit opted to glare at me instead. Her eyes shooting daggers that just screamed “I’M WATCHING YOU, YOU SICK FUCK!” not that I really care.

After ten minutes of death glares from the friendly neighborhood cashier, Twilight finally returned with her loot. some white underwear with stripes, one had pink, the other had blue and the last had mint-green, which brought my thoughts back to Lyra. She was pretty hot... The clerk brought my thoughts back to reality though as she shot me a look of sheer disgust. Shaking the thoughts out, I saw that she had also brought a skirt made of dark blue denim, one made from a light pale-pink colored cotton and a pair of denim shorts. as for top wear, she had found a tank top that matched the pink skirt with a light blue pattern, a white shirt and a dark purple jacket. The cashier grumbled something that I should probably be glad that I couldn’t hear as she scanned all the items and I didn’t spare any time swiping my hand over the credit plate.

I grabbed the plastic bag with the stores logo on, which she had hesitantly handed to me and put the clothes in it, “Come along now, Twi. I don’t think I’m welcome in here any longer,” and with that, we made our way out.

We took a turn at the nearest alleyway and found a spot where Twi could change, me keeping guard. It didn’t take long before felt someone tap my back. I turned around and saw Twi wearing the pink skirt and top. She did a little twirl and I noticed she was wearing the mint-green striped underwear.

“Like it? The panties that is. I noticed how you stared... Remind you of someone?” it was like she was a new person and all I could do was nod, “I see... But you really should keep away from her, if you know what’s best for you...”

“Wait... That all happened in the bus! How do you even know about her?”

“Oh Terry... You should know that my special talent is mag-”

“STOP RIGHT THERE, ROGUE SCUM!”

I spun around and saw the minty green unicorn that I knew too well, “Lyra!? Wait, ‘rogue’? You can’t possibly mean Twilight here?”

“I’m afraid so, Terry... Why did you have to get involved? Now we will have to bring you both in,” her voice was tinged with sadness as four other ponies in combat gear stepped up behind her. They all looked identical, no doubt mass produced ACP’s of a lower rank than Lyra.

I looked back at Twi who quietly begged, “Please... Save me,” I’m not one for choosing one side without hearing what the other side has to say and since they’re both new friends, I’m not about to just pick a side, not that Lyra was about to give me any choice.

Lyra leapt towards Terry as she... What? Yeah! I’m gonna tell the action scenes in third person. It’s easier and looks better than first person! Now shut up and stop interrupting my story... Bloody kids... As I was sayin’!

Lyra sped towards Terry, her fist pulled back to deliver a devastating punch. But Terry wasn’t about to let these seventeen years of pain and grueling training go to waste as he stood his ground, preparing a counter punch. The mint-green blur launched herself into the air, gaining more speed as she plummeted towards the human in front of her, throwing her punch with a timing that would match up with his head. Terry threw his own punch towards the airborne mare and the two fists collided with such power that the four ponies behind her was blown out of the alley and Twi was barely able to keep herself on her hooves through some sort of barrier that she used to protect herself from the force of impact.

“How!? How can a mere human be more powerful than me!?” Lyra shouted as she was being pushed back, her hooves now on the ground.

She threw another punch with her left hand, only to have it caught by Terry, “Sorry Lyra, but I’m not about to lose to someone who uses the same cybertech as me!” her eyes widened in realization, but it was too late.

*THUD!*

The sound of forehead meeting forehead in a glorious headbutt reverberated throughout the alleyway as Lyra fell to the ground, unconscious.

“Well, that was surprisingly easy... Come along now, Twi,” I looked at the unconscious form of Lyra, “May as well bring her along...”

“What!? Why!? She tried to knock you out! She’s one of the bad guys!”

“That may be, but I’m not about to just leave her here, not knowing the full story. So she’s coming with us,” I hoisted her up and slung her over my shoulder, “Besides, we can just tie her up.”

We quickly made our way out of the alley and back on the main street, eyes on me once again as I carried the unconscious minty fresh pony over one shoulder, my sack of stuff over the other and I had Twilight clinging to my side. We moved as fast as we could, stopping every now and then to check the map that old man Hansie had given me, just to make sure we were on the right track. And soon enough, we finally arrived... At a little red apartment complex, no more than three stories high, squeezed in between two high company buildings.

“Well,” I looked down at Twi who was eyeing the out-of-place apartment, “This is it, my new home. Let’s get inside. I’m not in the mood for fighting any other ponies.”

I fished out a key from my pocket and opened the door to the entrance hall where I removed my black boots, a practice I had learned in Japan, and continued inside. The entrance hall wasn’t that big. It had the initial area where you take off your footwear, then a bit of floor space that had been decorated with plants and the stairs to the next floor. other than that, there was a door to the ground level apartment where the landlord lives, so that’s my next goal.

I knocked on the door, “Sorry I’m late! This is Terrence Spencer, Hansie sent me here!”

I waited for a bit before I heard a familiar voice, “Terry! Did you stop along the way to bring every stray kitten with you again!? You know how pissed gramps will be when he finds out!?” the door opened, revealing the tomboyish, flat chested, pony-tailed redhead known as Lina, the girl who is like a big sister to me.

“Lina!?”

*SMACK!*

“OUCH! What the hell!?”

“You just thought that I was flat chested, didn’t you?” she pouted.

It was then that she finally noticed my two passengers, “My my, Terry. Only been here for a few hours and you’re already indulging in the pleasures of the big city?” a smug smile formed on her lips.

“What!? No-”

“Yes, yes he is,” Twilight began, “Now miss... Lina was it? We would like the key to his room, and some rope too, if you have some.”

“Twi!”

“Ooh! I like your style girl! Wait right there, I’ll get the keys and the rope. I have some cuffs as well, if you want them.”

“Cuffs!? Why would you even need handcuffs, Lina?”

“In case you do something bad and need to be punished, Terry.”

And with that, Lina disappeared into the ground floor apartment, leaving me with some disturbing mental images.