Tales of a robot

You might believe the story ends there. Dear pony, I wish it did. Still want to hear? Well, you're the first.

**********

I sat on the beach for around ten minutes. I heard hoofsteps behind me. Without looking up, I said, "Go away guys! I don't want to talk to you."

"Why not?" Apple Bloom asked, "We're here to help you Sweetie."

"Yeah! Who cares if you aren't a real pony!" Sootaloo chimed in. "We can still be friends."

"That's not the problem!" I yelled, turning around. "What about everypony else? Button Mash will hate me! Everypony else will hate me!"

"What do you want to do?"

I look out to the water and then back at my friends. "Nopony else can know that I'm not really alive. I can go back to Rarity and get her to fix the 'Pony Camouflage whatever thing.' Nopony else needs to know"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Just don't touch anymore water."

Scootaloo, trying to be encouraging again, chimes in saying, "Who knows? Maybe Rarity can tell you a little more about what you can do!"

I smile weakly and look towards the ground as we begin walking the path towards Ponyville for the second time today. The sun was setting quickly behind us. Around 10:00 at night, we stepped into the boutique. Definitely more calm than last time.

My eyes fill with horror as I see, not just Rarity, but her friends standing there right in front of me. Pinkie Pie immediately looks up and bounces over to me. "Hey you silly filly! You missed your own birthday party! Is everything Okay? Love the new look by the way! Very futuristic!"

I look down towards the floor. "S-Sorry Pinkie. I had a lot of things on my mind today."

Twilight comes over and starts looking me up and down. "Something seems quite different Sweetie. Are you sure you're okay?" Twilight taps me with a hoof. I hear her gasp softly, knowing that she definitely felt the small tap of metal. Before she can say anything else however, Rarity begins pushing her friends out the door.

She was speaking in a hurry and she began sharing parting phrases with her friends "Well, sure was lovely to have you all come by. See you next time. Rainbow Dash! Put down those gems! See you soon!"

On her way out, Applejack grabbed Apple Bloom's hoof. "Come on! It's time to go home."

Apple Bloom turned to me. "Bye Sweetie Belle! Good luck!"

"Good Luck?" Applejack asked, confused.

"None of your business" Apple Bloom said as they walked out the door.

Rainbow dash picked Scootaloo up while flying past. It baffled me that she was still able to do that, despite Scootaloo being almost a full grown mare. "You too Scoots! Let's go home."

Scootaloo laughed and wiggled free from her grip flapping her wings. "Race ya!"

Rainbow dash laughed. "You're on. I've been waiting to do this for a long time kiddo."

They both raced off to the sky. They were most likely going to Rainbow's house in Cloudsdale. About three moons ago, Rainbow had officially adopted Scootaloo. I remember the look on Scootaloo's face when it clicked in her head that she was officially related to her idol. But, this story isn't about her. Unfortunately, it's my story. Let's continue...

"Rarity! I need you to fix the pony camouflage thing! I don't want anypony else to know about...Well, you know."

Rarity smiled and nodded softly. "Come here." I felt her reach towards the back of my mane where there was another small hatch. She opened it and I felt a switch flip. Everything went black once again.

**********

I woke up and looked over to the window. The sun was already beginning to rise. A very sad and tired looking Rarity stood in front of me looking at me. I suddenly felt like I couldn't control myself as I opened my mouth and said in a robotic voice, "Sweetie Bot Powering on..."

"Well darling, I have some bad news." I think Rarity could see the worry on my face as she said that because she quickly held up a hoof and said, "But there's definitely some good news too!"

I look at her with skepticism. "Really? What's that?"

Rarity's face also turns to worry as she clearly doesn't want to tell me the bad news. "Well, first things first, I want you to know that I tried everything I could..." I look at her confused and she continues. "One of your motherboards was completely destroyed. It would take me forever to make a new one. The camouflage isn't going to work at all."

"What! Rarity I can't go out looking like this!"

"Sweetie, calm down. It's not the end of the world. I didn't say I wouldn't try to make a new one but it's been hundreds of moons since I created this one so it might take me a while to figure this out. In the meantime, you should try to enjoy your new...ahem...abilities."

"Such as?"

"Well, I think I gave you heat seeking vision. You also should have an AI inside your head to help with whatever you need."

I looked down and said. "But, if I'm a robot...Aren't I just an AI?"

Rarity looked down as well. "Well...Technically yes. But that doesn't mean anypony loves you any less."

I held up a hoof to stop her. "Hang on! I want some actual backstory! Why did you make me? How did you make me? Why couldn't I figure out before all this that I was a robot?"

Rarity sighed. "If I tell you, you wouldn't believe me. It's a crazy story really."

I shook my head. "No backing down now Rarity! I want the whole truth and nothing but the truth!"

Rarity looked at me up and down. I could only guess she was wondering if I was truly ready to hear the real story behind myself. She slowly nodded her head. We walked over to the table. "You may want to sit down for this." She told me.

I did.

***********

Rarity poured us both a cup of cider before she sat down. "Am I allowed to have this?" I asked.

"I think under the circumstances, I can allow it. Just don''t overdo it." I nodded and eagerly took a sip of the famous Apple family cider. It tasted sweet and had a small sour twang to it.

Rarity then began speaking. "When I was a filly, I was actually pretty technically-minded. There was nothing I wanted more than a little sister to share all of my knowledge with. I begged my parents for moons and moons. Eventually, they decided to try. At the time, I didn't understand what they meant by 'try." Rarity looked at me with an inquiring look. "You do know what they meant by 'try' right?"

I nod my head. We had this conversation a few moons ago when me and Button started dating and I really didn't want to have to go through it again. "Good," Rarity says clapping her hooves. She takes another sip of cider and continues. "I remember waiting to hear the good news from my parents. eventually, about a month later, they told me that there was absolutely no way they could give me a little sister. I realize now that they had become infertile."

I frown and gag in disgust. I really didn't want to hear about my parents' sexual life. Rarity decides to continue "I was heartbroken. I had wanted a sister so badly and now I was never going to get one. I decided that I would build my own. I worked on you for almost one hundred and fifty moons. I built you as lifelike as I could. I made you as small as a newborn filly. I designed you so that you would grow at the same rate as your classmates. I began building you extra features. Camouflage, energy conversion, self defense, and so on."

I take another sip of the cider and hold a hoof up. "What do you mean by self defense?"

Rarity laughed. "You don't want to know. It shouldn't be a big problem. Anyways, the time finally came around to turn you on. After moons and moons of work, I was finally ready to meet my brand new little sister. You powered on and I noticed my first problem. You asked me, 'Thank you for building me! What can I help you with."

"Your memory chip seemed to remember the process of you being built ever since I connected it to your systems. I turned you off, and wiped your memory chip. When you woke up again, I finally had my little sister. I named you Sweetie Bot. As you got older, I realized that you might freak out if you realized that you weren't a real pony. Turns out I was right. I decided to call you Sweetie Belle. That's the name you remembered most. I know this is all super confusing for you. Did you get it all?"

I put a hoof to my chin and think. "I think so but I still have a lot of questions. Where does my power source come from?"

"Well, the way I designed it, you would be able to drink water and it would be converted to energy while you sleep. You can hold about thirty-six hours of battery at a single time and you also have tiny solar panels on your back that were usually hidden by your fake fur."

I nod. "Makes sense. I still want to know about this 'self defense system."

Rarity looks off to the side and takes another big gulp of cider. She looks at me and says, "I don't think you'll ever need it so why even bring it up?"

I put my forehooves up. "You were the one who brought it up I was just curious. Anyways, I have a few more questions for you."

"What's up Sweetie Bot?"

"First of all, I'm still not sure about that new name. Second of all, do I have any real emotions?"

"Come again?"

I take a drink of cider. "Are all of my feelings real? Or are they all programmed?"

Rarity looks a little disturbed by the question. "Whoa! I wasn't ready for some sort of existential crisis tonight Sweetie!"

"Well," I said, "Maybe if somepony had told me earlier I was a bucking ROBOT I wouldn't be having one."

Rairty looked shocked. "First of all, watch your language. Second of all, touche.

I nod. "I can't deal with this tonight. I'm going to bed." I start up the stairs and quickly turn back and ask, "One more thing? Why can I feel the buzz of alcohol if it's just getting converted into energy."

Rarity smirks a little. "Well I said I designed you to be as much like a real pony as possible, so I made it so that the detection of alcohol would mildly mess with your neurological sensors."

I smile a little. "It's weird. But fun!"

**********

After Rarity went to bed, I got out of my bed. Now I could easily hear small things. The slight whir of machinery whenever I moved the slightest bit. The quiet sounds of sensors moving around. Things I would never have noticed, had I not been listening for them specifically. I walked quietly to the bathroom. I looked in the mirror, finally getting a really good look at my new body. Or I guess, my old body.

I had Black hooves with black stripes wrapping around them. They all connected at my black underbelly. I had to give it to Rarity. She certainly knows how to paint a robot. After a little bit, I began to get curious and I looked in the mirror. I tapped my eye with a hoof. Surely enough, I felt some sort of artificial shock but my hoof just bounced off of it as if It never even touched.

I didn't know what to feel about this. Rarity had kept this from me for 150 moons. I began trying to focus in on some of my specific abilities. I focused on some of the things rarity had told me. Heat seeking vision I thought.

Nothing happened.

After a little bit, I gave up out of frustration. I looked over my body again in the mirror and I began seeing faint lines where I think doors are. I noticed one on the side of my front right forehoof. I pushed down on it with my left forehoof and it popped open. A piece of paper fell out from inside of it. There was something written on it.

Sweetie Bot

Against all judgement that was running through my head, I decided to unfold the note and read it.

Hi Sweetie Bot! This is your sister, Rarity.

If you're reading this, then you have found a way to
shed your camouflage and are now wondering
exactly what you are. I hope by the time you read
this, I will be gone because I do not wish to explain
the story to you. I can tell you a few things about
yourself though.

You are one of a kind. Equestra's first ever, robot
pony. I am excited to share with you a few things that
you now have the ability to do. There should be a
very small button built into the back of your left
forehoof. That is a command button. It will take you
inside your own mind where you can run code. I
don't know how much code you know but I can tell
you the basics.

To begin a command, say "Run:" This will tell your
systems that you are beginning a command and
they will follow your instructions. Here are a few
commands that you can run with your new body.

Run: "Heat" This will activate your thermal sensors.

Run: "Defend" This will activate your self defense
systems. please use this with caution. it is incredibly
dangerous.

Run: "Mem" To access your memory files. One of my
better creation you could say. Even if your short term
memory won't remember something on the spot, you
can recall it anyways.

Run: "Data" You can scan something with the sensors
in your eyes. You will give it a full data analysis. You
will commit it to memory immediately.

Run: "ADV" to turn on advanced view. You will see not
only everything in front of you, but you can see specific
data sets you choose to have displayed on the sides of
your vision

Finally, I hope you decide to take up coding especially
given your new discoveries. so I gave you one more
command...

Run: "Free" You will be able to create your own
commands. I trust you that you will not abuse the
immense power you possess.

I hope you don't hate me for not telling you. I truly
care for you Sweetie Bot. I hope this all makes sense
If not, why not give your commands a try?

Your loving sister,

Rarity

I stared at the note in disbelief. So there really were commands! Rarity didn't make it up. I decided to try one of them. I lifted my left forehoof and turned it upside down. I saw the button the letter talked about. Another thing I never would have seen past my fake skin and fur. I took a deep breath and pressed the button...

(To Be Continued...)