Unicorn-01by Betty_StarlightChaptersChapter 1: Waking UpChapter 10: From the TopChapter 2: StarbeamChapter 3: AdjustmentsChapter 4: Making the LeapChapter 5: Just Like YouChapter 6: RisingChapter 7: The ReturnChapter 8: Coming AliveChapter 9: Pure ChaosChapter 11: ConsequencesChapter 12: What Was and What Could BeChapter 13: PlaygroundChapter 14: Potential EnergyChapter 15: AdmissionsChapter 1: Waking UpI place my head on the pillow, as I felt tears leaving my eyes, and pour out onto the soft cloth below… I could only say what was on my mind at the time… “How could someone made of fire, be so cold?” I buried my face in the pillow as I wondered for the umpteenth time, what is wrong with me? Why haven’t I gotten my cutie mark, yet? How could I be so worthless? I forced my face down into the fluff, as more liquid pours out of my face… I am such a loser! I can’t help but cry some more, as this is just horrible! … And eventually, I lost consciousness… Later at some point, I see a bright light coming from out of my window, and open my eyes… What in Equestria, is that? I suddenly realize that I’m unable to move! I’m laying on my stomach, how I usually sleep, with my face buried in a wet pillow, and I can’t escape… I see strange two-legged figures opening my window, and coming inside, while using some other sort of strange appendage at their sides, to navigate… I’m terrified, but the creature calmly walks towards me, while I can’t say a word… I want to scream! I want to run away! I don’t like being here! I now see in the bright light from my window that these aliens have faces! Before I can think again, I lose consciousness… <*****> I no longer feel like I’m in my soft warm bed… I feel the chill of the hard flat surface underneath me, and I raise my head, to realize that I’m in a strange room now! My eyes widen, when I realize I don’t know where I am, and I soon rise to my hooves, on the hard yellow metal floor… I raise my head to look around, “Hello?” I suddenly feel panicked when I see two of those strange creatures from earlier! Only this time, they were behind glass… I see what looks like a long window, on a blue wall, but I also notice that the other 3 walls of this small 12 foot by 12 foot room, are blue… I stare at it, to direct my voice, “Uh, hello? Can you understand me?” <*****> SYSTEM ONLINE…. BOOTING… PLEASE WAIT… CONNECTION ESTABLISHED… DOWNLOADING MEMORY DATA… … DOWNLOADING COMPLETE… MOTOR FUNCTIONS NOW ACTUATING… … UNICORN-01 IS NOW OPERATIONAL… <*****> I hear a male voice from behind the glass, “Holy shit! Did that alien just speak English?” I hear a different, deeper voice say, “No way! She’s from a completely different time period!” I say towards the figures, “Uh, I’m right here, you know!” The deeper voice says, “Uh, do you understand the words coming out of my mouth? Do you speak English?” I frown, “Of course I understand you! Uh, what’s English?” I hear the other voice say, “Holy shit!” The deep voice says, “Come closer to the glass, so we can talk!” <*****> I see lines of code streaming on the upper left of the screen, while scanning the strange room I now find myself in… There’s a soft surface over there, on a sort of platform with more bundles of cloth on it, and I also see small objects all around me… Suddenly, I hear a feminine voice screaming from outside the room, “MISTY!” I understand that my designation is ‘Misty’ from the data downloaded from the pony, and so I should answer that call… I walk towards what I guess is a door, to exit the room… I don’t know what’s on the other side… <*****> I see two of the strange two-legged creatures from earlier, with those strange limbs at their sides, and I now see the limbs have much smaller limbs right at the end of them! They also appear to be wearing a strange sort of tancloth carapace around them, and I guess those are faces, although their muzzles don’t look very big… The one with pinkish skin and brown wavy mane begins to talk, “Uh, my name is Gary, and this, “ he motions towards the other one with his appendage, “is Tim!” and lowers it… “We’re time travelers from the distant past, and we wanted to know what happened! We’d like to speak with you, if you uh, well, if you speak English?” The one with darker skin, and no mane speaks up, “We come in peace! Yeah!” The lighter skinned one looks over at his friend, with a strange look on it’s mouth… Well, I guess that’s his mouth? So these guys are aliens! I ask the obvious question, “Are you going to stick stuff up my butt?” <*****> Outside the room, in a much larger one, I find myself staring at a horse, much bigger than I… This one has hot magenta fur, a wispy white mane, and blue eyes… I also note the horn on her head, and wings at her sides, as her azure eyes widen, and muzzle form a hard scowl, “Misty, what in Equestria is taking so long? You should’ve been awake, with your morning tasks about an hour ago! Now the whole day is ruined, because of you!” before stamping her decorated metal hoof down… I notice the threat level increasing for this horse… “Honestly, why are you so incompetent! You simply cannot do anything right, and I ALWAYS end up having to pick up the slack, because of you!” the alicorn yells at me… Following protocol, I begin to charge the capacitor of my proton beam weapon… TARGETING ACQUIRED! PLEASE STAND BY… I stare at the new words flashing on my screen, while keeping my face expressionless… I know my defense systems will be much faster, in the future… “Well Misty, what say you this time, for your blundering, hmm? Any final words?” The alicorn says, while keeping her angry gaze on me… CAPACITOR CHARGED! FIRE WHEN READY…. Her eyebrows furrow, “Misty, why aren’t you answering me? Say something for yourself!” Her threat level is currently a 3, indicating lethal force ‘might be warranted’… What do I do? “Misty! Say something!” I make my face, frown, “Uh, sorry Opaline!” and with any luck, that will satiate the strange horse, and I’ll be able to get back to my mission… “Sorry this! Sorry that! Misty, I’m sorry will not cut it this time! I’m going to have to punish you!” Wait! What did she say? That doesn’t sound friendly? … Okay, she’s a threat. I will deal with the threat… PARTICLE BEAM CANNON, DEPLOYED! I feel my right side open up, and the weapon leaves my carapace and extends… FIRING! I see a flash of light, and suddenly, the magenta horse has been decapitated, and there’s a smoking hole in the wall behind her… I notice her headless corpse fall to the floor… I made the right call there, I think? It wasn’t supposed to be this complicated, so early in the mission! I feel my weapon go back into my side, that soon closes… Still, I cannot let that deter me… We need to know… <*****> The pink one widens his eyes, “What? No! Why would you think that?” I blink, “Well uh, you know? Aliens, and anal probes uh,” I shake my head, “never mind! Um, “ I frown, while taking a better look at these strange creatures… “How do you speak Ponish, anyway? Uh, how far back are you from?” Wait! That can’t be right! Time traveling aliens that speak Ponish? The one with peach skin on the right says, “Well, approximately one billion years ago, my species ruled this planet! And we traveled far into the future to see what was here… We were amazed to see a world dominated by sentient ponies!” The darker one nods, “Yeah, and what’s even weirder is, we don’t really understand your technology, or how some of you can levitate stuff, and shoot beams with your horns… “ “Uh, so wait! You’re Tim, and your Gary! Those don’t sound like alien names?” Gary frowns, “Well maybe not? What’s your name, pony?” I stare at the pink one again, “Oh, I’m Misty Brightdawn! And I live with Opaline Arcana!” <*****> I’ve been searching through this castle, and eventually, I manage to find the door leading out of here… It’s not very reassuring when the mission gets dangerous this quickly, but I’m certain my onboard meson blaster, proton cannon, and shielding system is capable of dealing with whatever is out there… I’ve been designated: Unicorn-01, and it’s my mission to see… But they’re going to call me Misty… (To be continued… ) Chapter 10: From the TopI frown while standing on my hooves in the foyer of the strange lighthouse building, “So wait! You’re an android from the distant past, sent here to collect information, and she was the unicorn you were supposed to replace!” The bluish-green unicorn on the left smiles, “That is correct!” I sigh and nod, “Right, but for some reason, they couldn’t return the traditional way, and were forced to return using magic!” The bluish-green unicorn on the right smiles in an almost mechanical fashion, “That is also correct!” “And I got sucked into Bridlewood, because I guess that’s near where the castle used to be, and it’s far in the future?”* Misty nods, “Yup!” I frown… “So uh, what do I do now?” “We make you better!” I widen my eyes, “Better?” The android says, “Well, if you were indeed evil in the future as Misty suggests, it would make logical sense to divert you, so you take a new path… “ I stare at the robot, “New path?” Misty says, “Are you going to keep repeating what we say?” I stare at her, “Well, it’s a lot, okay! I mean, “I close my eyes, “they told me they were protecting me… Protecting me from what?” “Is that relevant anymore?” I stare at the android, “What do you mean, robot?” She frowns, “I mean, if it was the past, what relevance does that have now? You’re here, hundreds of years in the future, where there are no Celestia and Luna, and now there’s us! Don’t you believe this would be a logical time to start over?” I grimace, “What?” Misty takes two paces towards me while the android looks at her, and smiles, “I’m saying, this is a new life for you Opaline! A fresh start! It doesn’t matter what Starswirl said about you becoming an evil threat to Equestria in the past!” I frown and stare blankly when it all hits me… “They wanted to protect me from myself!” Misty’s eyes widen, “What?” I stare at her again, “Yes, they said that I would become a threat to Equestria one day, and that I needed to be kept isolated, in order to protect me! What if they were protecting me from myself?? “That is not logical, as a sane rational pony does not pose a threat to itself!” I frown, “It is when they think I’ll be dangerous to others! What they told me was obviously a ploy to make me benign. If I were ever to break free… “ “No Opaline!” Misty says to me! I stare at her, “Well, like the android just stated, regardless of the reasoning, it’s no longer relevant, right?” and smile at her… They’re gonna turn me into stone or something! Misty sighs and says, “Well, not really? Hey!” and smiles, “Are you hungry? We were about to have lunch!” I frown, “Misty! How could you eat at a time like this?” She takes another pace towards me and hugs me, “It’s okay little Opaline… You’re here with us now, we know you’re not evil, and you’re safe… “ I hug this insane unicorn back, while the android continues to observe us from the side… She releases me, and I look at Starbeam, “So I suppose I’m to hug you as well?” Her eyes widen, “What do you mean?” I sigh and take 3 paces towards her, and embrace her larger frame in a hug, while she remains motionless… “What are you doing, Opaline?” Misty says, “So Opaline, you feel that everypony needs love and support then?” I let the machine go, and adjust my body to her, “I don’t know, okay? I was basically kept prisoner in the castle because of a prophecy, and now, I don’t know where I am, or who you are! This is all so very strange to me, so please forgive me if I need a bit of support right now!” Misty’s green eyes grow enormous, “Wait! Opaline! Did you just say you needed support?” I sigh and nod, “Well, yes, I suppose I did! I…” and stare to the side, “guess I’m not really used to having any support.” and back to them, “Everypony at the castle just saw me as some sort of problem to be locked away, so this is all a bit unusual to me.” and smile… “But if you’re offering, yes! I’ll accept your support!” The unicorn begins to vibrate, “And love! We’re gonna love you too, Opaline!” “Love is foreign to me… “ I eye the curious unicorn, “L-love?” I suddenly hear a liquidy male voice say from behind me, “Oh, hello dear Opaline! Did you sleep well during your first night here at the Brighthouse?” I turn around to see that familiar draconequus there, and smile up at him, “Oh, yeah Discord! They were talking about showing me love and support!” He floats a few feet towards me and pinches my cheek with his eagle talon, “Oh, and I’m just sure this will be a wonderful fresh start for you, little Opaline!” and lifts his lion paw to a point, “But, there was one more thing I meant to do here!” before his body turns towards the android. “Unicorn-01! Tell me, would you like to become a real pony?” The robot stares at him and says, “Uh, I’m not sure? I mean, it’s a lot to process! What about the way I’m built though? I don’t know if I could get used to flesh and blood? And so uh, the process and coding has been more or less uh, circular! I’m honestly not sure what I want?” and smiles demurely at him… He chuckles, “Ha ha ha ha ha! It’s just so adorable!” and widens his eyes while curving his neck down to the android, “The metal pony truly doesn’t know what to do?” The draconequus stares at her for a moment, and smiles at her, “I get it! You need some time to think, and that is okay!” then turns towards me, “And how about you,dearest sweetOpaline? Are you enjoying your time with Misty and Starbeam so far?” I frown at him, “Why wouldn’t I be?” He sighs, “Well, it’s just that right now, there’s so much delightful chaos that I can’t help but wonder what I may do to enhance it? You know, you were quite abusive to young Misty there!” I widen my eyes, “I was?” He nods, “Yes, but see, now, we have a unique opportunity here!” I form a small smirk when I realize what this creature is up to, “Why, whatever do you mean, Discord?” “I mean, you’re young again and we get to start over!” “I never know quite what they mean by that, because the truth is, I just started!” He nods, “Right, but the truth is, you don’t have to!” before pointing his talon at me. I frown, “We were all about to have a delightful luncheon, when you suddenly decided to show up! Don’t you believe that’s enough chaos for now? There will be time for more later after, and we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves!” as I begin to realize that’s probably what he’s after? He smiles and forces his snaggle-tooth up, “You’ve spent your whole life in relative isolation and solitude, and now you yearn for something new and different, is that not right?” I chuckle, “Well, it certainly wouldn’t be unwelcome, although I was getting hungry!” “Allow me!” He says before snapping his eagle talon in the air! Blue light envelopes me, and I then teleport to a new location… <*****> I’ll admit that the Logos is annoying, and it seems trifling for I, the Lord of Chaos to be at all concerned with ‘the balance’, but it is what it is, I suppose… Still, I can’t help but smile as the larger white alicorn and dark blue alicorn stare at the young magenta alicorn filly across the table for their lunch together, with a confused frown on their faces… I finally open my mouth to speak, “Now, who’s ready for some chaotic balance?” (To be continued… ) Author's Note *I’ve always felt that modern Bridlewood is probably where the Everfree Forest used to be, and since she was in the Castle of the Two Sisters when she was a foal, it would make sense for her to arrive in or near the unicorn village… Chapter 2: StarbeamMESON BLASTER DEPLOYED! I feel my left side open up as the weapon positions itself… I’m not taking any chances on this strange world. I need to be careful! I think to myself as I watch the land passing by on the screen, now with a targeting reticle… TWO CONTACTS DETECTED! I raise my gaze to see two figures walking towards me, from the top of the hillside… “Halt! Identify yourselves!” I shout up at them from 30 feet away, with my weapon pointed right at them… <*****> Oh, gosh! I hope Opaline is okay without me there! I think to myself, and blink, before staring at the aliens, “So wait! You two just took me up here? Um, who’s going to take care of all my morning chores?” The lighter one on the right smiles, “No worries, Misty! We uploaded all the brain data from you, into an android that looks like you! We’ve been watching you, and planning this for awhile, now!” I frown, “Oh, okay! So there’s a robot in my place now? And it should know everything I know?” The darker one without a mane on the left nods, and smiles, “That’s right Misty! She knows everything you do!” Oh, gosh! I hope Opaline isn’t too mean to the other me! “Uh, so what then? She’ll just act exactly like me because her mind was formed from mine?” Gary nods, “Correct! She’s exactly like you!” <*****> I see a yellow stallion with a green mane on the right, and there appears to be a small reptilian creature riding on his back, but I also notice an orange pony, with a reddish-purple mane on the left… The orange one widens her eyes, “Misty! What are you doing here? And what is that sticking out of your left flank?” I coolly respond, “That’s my weapon! I don’t know if you’re friendly, so keep your distance!” The yellow one widens his eyes and begins trotting towards me, “Misty, you need to calm down!” I turn towards him, and fire a green energy blast to the right of him, and say, “The next one won’t miss! You were told to keep your distance!” The tree right next to him smolders with the sudden heat of the blast… SHIELDS ACTIVATED! PARTICLE CAPACITOR NOW CHARGING! <*****> I just hope Opaline doesn’t abuse the android too bad! I think to myself, as I stare at the aliens and think that maybe I need to talk to them, to keep my mind off the robot’s plight? I speak up, “So uh, this robot that looks like me! Uh, what all can it, um, you know, do?” Tim speaks up in his baritone voice, “Well, the Unicorn-01 is designed with many tactical options, in a combat scenario. We didn’t know what the machine would be encountering out there, so I assure you, that it is very well equipped to deal with threats!” I frown, “But Equestria isn’t a combat scenario Tim! I mean, what if she hurts somepony?” <*****> I fire my weapon against the forcefield! I see green energy from the meson blaster splashing against the blue energy wall, 2 feet from me, to dissipate immediately after… This isn’t right! What is this? I wonder in my mechanical mind… The orange one frowns, as she flaps the wings that suddenly appeared earlier, and I see the blazing horn on her head, as she stares at me, with severity in her eyes, and grimness in her voice, “Now Misty, we’re not threats to you! I don’t know what that thing is, or why it can shoot weird energy like that, but I know that I’m an alicorn, and I will not let you hurt my friends!” “I don’t know that!” I might need to employ a strategic concession to appease this strange creature? I don’t know what sort of technology can do this? The orange one sighs, “Look, Misty! What’s wrong! You know who we are!” The yellow one frowns, “Yeah, Misty! Why would you ever shoot at us?” “I don’t know who you are!” I shout down at them… The orange one looks horrified, “Misty! We’re your friends! I’m Sunny, remember?” The yellow one says, “Yeah, Misty! And I’m Hitch! You seriously don’t remember us?” I blink at this new revelation… I’m supposed to know these ponies. I smile, “Uh, y-yeah! Sunny and Hitch! Of course! Uh, I just didn’t have a very good look at you!” The orange one analytically states, “Something else is OBVIOUSLY going on here, Misty! You shouldn’t have energy weapons!” The yellow one asks, “Where did you get that, anyway? How does it work?” I quote the Tactical Field Manual, “The meson blaster rifle, is designed as a small capacitor particle beam weapon and is optimal for engagements requiring rapid bursts, since it can fire relatively quickly, compared to most other energy weapons. Since this weapon fires quickly, it seemed the logical choice for defense, at this stage… ” “That still doesn’t answer my questions!” The orange one says, “Misty, what happened? Why don’t you remember us, and where did you get that magic?” “Magic? This is advanced energy weapons technology, developed at the facility on LS-1421… “ I think they know I’m not the real Misty now? Should I tell them what I am? “Misty, what in Equestria are you talking about?” Hitch says, “Misty, what’s wrong with you?” “I… “ Do I let them know I’m an android? What if they try to disassemble me, to figure out how I work? The idea of being offline doesn’t particularly appeal to me… … Wait… Why do I think like this? Sunny says, “Misty, why are you acting like this? What’s wrong?” Self-preservation appears to be a priority for me? <*****> I keep imagining Opaline yelling at and abusing a metal me in my head, before saying to Gary, “So uh, this android you were talking about! What else is it capable of?” He smiles, “Well, it’s a sophisticated artificial intelligence, that adjusts and modifies it’s own code, in order to learn and adapt to new and different scenarios! You really don’t have anything to worry about Misty! The android will adjust and be just fine!” “So wait! The robot has a kind of meta awareness that enables it to learn?” Tim says, “Well, right! We needed an android capable of not only collecting pertinent information, but of actually using it in the field! Much like an actual person would!” “So wait! This android isn’t a person?” Gary says, “Well, technically no! I mean, sure it learns and adapts the way a real human er, intelligent being would, but it’s not really alive! I mean, it shouldn’t feel pain or remorse!” * <*****> I don’t know if I should tell them what I am? The orange one says, “Misty, what’s wrong?” The yellow one with the lizard on his back adds, “We’re your friends, remember?” I stare down at them, and mechanically say, “I am an android, and not really Misty… My designation is Unicorn-01, and the actual Misty Brightdawn is currently on a starship, heading for a planet known as LS-1421, formerly called Mars… “ Sunny frowns, “So wait! You’re a robot?” I nod, “Technically… I am equipped with a self-analytical artificially intelligent mind, truly the first of it’s kind, and I think and adapt to new situations… I’m not really alive, but I am the closest thing ever artificially produced in a lab… “ Am I telling them too much now? Sunny stares at me curiously, “But wait! You say you think and adapt to new situations, right?” I nod, “That is correct!” She eyes me carefully, while the other one only frowns, “Could you uh, put your meson blaster rifle away, and talk to us, normally please? I mean, we don’t have to have weapons, and be ready to fight all the time, you know?” “This is not a hostile environment?” “Uh, n-no Unicorn-01… This uh, we won’t hurt you… “ And Sunny smiles at me, “Now please, put the weapon away?” LOGIC CIRCUITS ENGAGED! She said to put away the weapon. We can still keep our shields up. This compromise shall suffice for now… “Agreed! I will comply!” I say before I feel more movement on my left flank… MESON BLASTER DISENGAGED! RETRACTING WEAPON… My targeting reticle disappears, with the weapon now in my body, “And you’ll release me from this strange forcefield you appear to have?” Sunny smiles and nods, while the forcefield lowers towards the ground to pop, and release me a foot off the ground… THUD! My hooves hit the ground! Sunny widens her eyes, “Wow! You sure are heavy!” I stare at her, “Well, I’m made of a titanium alloy exoskeleton, underneath a pony frame… “ Hitch says, “You really are equipped for combat, aren’t you?” Sunny makes her golden horn and wings disappear in a flash and smiles, “See? You put away your weapons, and I put away mine! We’re all friendly here, and we’re just going to talk, okay?” My mouth flinches, while my processors handle this new information… “Very well then! I will comply!” Sunny frowns, “Wait! So if you’re a robot, where’s the real Misty?” “She’s on a spaceship, heading towards the leap point, near LS-1421… “ “Leap point?” Sunny says. Hitch asks, “What’s a leap point?” I stare at the two horses, “It’s a place where they can go back to the past, and study her… I assure you, she will not be harmed… “ Hitch angrily snorts, “Just how long are they going to keep Misty?” “Well, just for the trip to and from the leap point! Remember, since she will be traveling time, she will come back, the very moment she left! The problem is, Misty cannot exist in more than one place, within the same timeline. So I was built to replace her… “ Suddenly, I see the humanoid lizard creature get off his back and start walking towards me, while making curious gurgling noises! I widen my eyes to shout, “STAY BACK!” before lowering myself, for battle! Sunny gallops up to the creature, and puts her forehoof in it’s way, and stares at it, “Now, Sparky! We don’t know this pony!” Pony… She called me a pony… <*****> “I’m really worried about the android!” I flatly state, while staring at the green hardbound book on the table… Tim sighs, “Relax, okay? The android can take care of itself, and I’m sure the data it’s gathering will be very useful!” I sigh, “I know! You keep reminding me!” Tim smiles, “I know! You’re one of those people who needs constant reassurance, right? No problem! I got you!” I widen my eyes at this weird alien, “What?” He nods, “You heard me! I mean, you’re aware, and so am I, and so that means we can still be friends, right?” I smile at the creature timidly, “Thanks Tim!” He nods, “Right! Now Misty, let’s see what you can do! Lift the book with your magic!” <*****> Sunny smiles at me, “I don’t know you Unicorn-01, but I’d like to.” and her eyes widen, “Hey, why don’t I call you Starbeam, instead of Unicorn-01, since you came from the sky? What do you think of that name?” PROCESSING… I don’t know how to feel about that? Then again, what’s in a designation? It’s certainly as good as any other? I will accept… … Wait, feelings? I stare at her, “Very well then! I will answer to Starbeam, instead of Unicorn-01, from this point forward!” Sunny and Hitch both keep their eyes peeled on me, when Sunny says, “Um, Starbeam? Is it okay if I hug you?” I stare at this pony, “Hug?” “Yeah! It’s a physical display of affection, and it will promote the bond that we now have!” “If it is for the good of the bond and will not damage either of us, I see no reason not to?” Sunny frowns and timidly trots towards me… This seems to be taking longer than I thought it would? She eventually reaches me, and embraces me within her hooves, to whisper to me, “It’s okay, Starbeam… We’re here for you, and won’t hurt you… “ I feel her body and her warmth near me… Should I return the hug? PROCESSING… (To be continued… ) Author's Note *Fun fact: if you believe I’m alluding to the android’s questions, after it blew Opaline away here, you would be correct! Chapter 3: AdjustmentsSHIELDS DISENGAGED! I soon feel Sunny’s hooves, going over my body… I gently hug the orange pony back… What is this I feel now? I shouldn’t be feeling anything! “See? Isn’t this nice, Starbeam?” Starbeam is my name now… “I think the effect on our relationship is positive?” She says softly to me, “I know you don’t think you’re a real person, but I think you’re realer than you believe… “ She lets go of me, and stares at me, from a short distance away, and smiles, while widening her green eyes, “I think we can still be friends, even though you’re a cyborg!” I stare at her, “Technically, I’m not a cyborg because I have no organic components. “ She giggles, “Whatever! Do you wanna get smoothies?” “I have no need of sustenance, in that sense, however, I do have a fusion reactor that needs matter in order to function… “ She frowns, “Say what now?” I quote the Tactical Field Manual: “The RS-7 internal fusion reactor can be fed with virtually any form of matter, that’s not in a plasma state. Nearly any fuel can make it work.” She smiles nervously… “So uh, smoothies?” <*****> She holds her smoothie in her hoof, while staring at me from her spot at the wooden table, “Okay, I get that your reactor can use virtually any fuel and that me making a smoothie is unnecessary, but you gotta admit, me sitting here, enjoying a smoothie, as you say, while you stand there and drink nothing is kinda weird!” My circuits decide to make me smile at the orange pony, “It’s okay, Sunny! I WANT you to have a good time, and enjoy yourself! So go ahead, even if I can’t!” “That smile is weird!” Sunny comments, before staring down at the glass mug, with a big bendy straw in it, “Well, I guess I’ll enjoy a smoothie, now?” before bringing her snout to the tube, to slurp up some of the liquid… <*****> I hear the low hum of the engines, ever present this close to the engine room, and I see Gary there, smiling at me… … His brown mane looks weird… “So Misty, now that you’ve demonstrated your levitation abilities to me and Tim, I gotta ask, is there anything else you can do? Any other sort of magic you know how to work?” Oh, gosh! I was always a terrible magician! Well, they don’t know that! I smile, “Uh, well levitation is pretty much all most unicorns have in Equestria! Heh heh!” Gary looks at his computer tablet held in his right hand, and says matter-of-factly, “Well, it says here that earlier scouts observed unicorns using magic similar to our own energy weapons, and even using shielding systems as well as something we’ve never done before, teleporting! We were hoping that you could show us some of that, but if you can’t, that’s acceptable as well… “ I frown, “Oh, gosh! Sorry Gary, but uh, I uh, I just can’t do any sort of battle magic!” He frowns, “You can’t do that, eh? Well, it can’t be helped!” before staring down as his tablet and using those peculiar appendages on the end of his larger appendage to type in something… I sigh, and look down, “I’m sorry Gary!” “Hey, that’s okay, Misty! That’s just not something you can do, okay?” I breathe out and feel the air exit my snout, “So, that’s okay?” and frown. He smiles at me, “Yeah, Misty! It’s just not something you do, and that’s okay!” I clear my throat and stare at him, to repeat myself, “So, that’s okay?” His eyes widen, “Yes, Misty! Why wouldn’t it be?” I stare blankly ahead and reply, “Wow! So uh, I just can’t do something, and that’s okay?” He frowns, “Uh, yes Misty! Yes it is! Are you okay?” as his green eyes tear into me… “Yes! I am fine! We’re all fine here! Yes!” And smile at him blankly… His eyes widen, “Uh, do you need support, or something little pony?” “What?” I ask inquisitively, and hoping my smile doesn’t look too weird… “Support! You know? Do you need me to take things slower with you?” “Oh, gosh! I uh, “ I stare at him. “I never actually thought about it! I always just went as fast as she wanted me to… “ His tiny muzzle frowns again, “She? Who’s she?” I blink, “Oh, uh, that would be Queen Opaline! She’s the pony that adopted me… “ “Adopted?” His eyes widen, before he grasps the small box from his belt… He presses the side of it down, with those tiny members of his, “Hey Tim! Misty is talking now, and I think she’s saying something you and I both need to hear!” I hear Tim’s voice coming from the box, “Uh, that’s fine! I gotta let this cool for a couple of hours anyway! The ship should be almost repaired now!” Gary nods, “Good work Tim! Now get your ass in here!” “Roger!” I hear the box say back… I stare at him, “What’s this about Gary? Why did you call Tim back, and what’s wrong with the ship?” Gary smiles, “Well, there was an engine malfunction, and Tim said it’s just the frame, and welding it shut would be fine! He was taking a break from you, so he could work on that, and I just got back from the engine room!” I stare carefully at this strange creature, “Take a break from me? I uh, I’m sorry! I never meant to be any trouble!” Gary frowns again, “Wait, what? You’re not a problem Misty! Why would you think that way?” I blink, “I uh, I’m not?” Gary blinks himself, “Uh, no! Why would you be?” I start with a sniffle, “Oh uh, I don’t know, okay? I just always seemed to be in the way and a problem… “ The pale blue door on Gary’s left comes open by sliding it’s metal frames to the sides, and revealing Tim! The bald darker alien steps inside as Gary points at me with an appendage, “Hey, Tim! We fucking love Misty, don’t we?” Tim widens his eyes to Gary, “Oh, yeah! Misty is great! What’s the problem?” “I am?” The door shuts as Tim walks into the room, and both creatures frown at me, while Gary says, “Yes, Misty! You’re a joy to work with, and you seem to actually care about the data we accumulate?” “Well, yeah! I uh, I always wanted to be useful!” I smile timidly at them and feel heat enter my cheeks… <*****> “So uh, Starbeam! What do you wanna do now?” “Do?” I ask the strange orange pony. She nods, “Well, yeah! I mean, we’re friends now, right?” “We are?” "Of course we're friends, Starbeam! I really enjoy spending time with you, and I think we have a lot in common." She smiles warmly. "As for what we can do now, well, we have plenty of options! We can explore this amazing village together, check out the shops, go to the park, or even just hang out and talk some more. Whatever you want to do, I'm game!" Well, she’s obviously lying! Nonetheless, she could prove useful… “Talk you say? Would you be willing to answer some questions?” This seems like a very good opportunity to gather more data about these creatures! The assumption is that she will tell the truth… She smiles, “Uh, sure Starbeam! What do you want to know?” ORGANIZING THOUGHTS FOR INTERROGATION… PLEASE STAND BY… <*****> “It was NEVER good enough for her! She ALWAYS had to criticize me, and it drove me up the wall! I’ve cried myself to sleep many times, because of that, because of that evil alicorn!” “Holy shit, Misty! Slow down!” Gary says while typing more into his tablet… Tim stares at Gary at his left, “You know, I’m not a psychotherapist, but I did have a few psych classes, down at the university! I could talk to her and help her work through her problems?” Gary stares right at the darker man, “Alright, cool! You deal with Misty, while I go check the energy readings in the engine room, again! I’ll meet you for coffee and dinner, after the fact!” Tim nods, and stares at me, to smile, while the lighter creature walks out of the room, via one of those weird slidey doors they use in here… I stare at Tim, “But dealing with me isn’t a problem, right?” “Okay, look Misty! You gotta stop thinking like that! You’re not a problem and I like you, okay?” I frown, “Oh, wow! I always seemed to just upset Queen Opaline!” He grabs a different, smaller blacker tablet from the table off to the side, and turns on an app there, before saying, “Alright, we’ll start there Misty! Tell me about Queen Opaline!” and smiles, “Us abducting you like this, might not have been that bad after all!” <*****> I recount what the orange pony said to me, “Okay, so ponies were friends once upon a time, but they lost friendship at some point, and because of that, they lost magic!” Sunny nods, “Correct!” “However, you figured out the mystery, that all ponykind needed to be together in order for magic to work again, in unity and harmony?” Sunny smiles, “Also true!” “But where I’m from, people don’t have magic?” Her eyes widen, “Well, maybe if you had friendship?” My eyes blink as my mind processes this… They have magic and friendship, but we don’t? Well, many people throughout history have been friends, but we’ve never had anything like magic? Perhaps the time/space strata changed over the billion years, since humans became extinct? “That doesn’t make sense? People were friends before ponies and I don’t understand why that should make a difference?” Sunny stares at me intently with her cerulean gaze, “Well, what about where you’re from? Can you tell me about it?” I gaze at her and begin to speak, when suddenly, the door opens, and I spring into action! I deploy my weapon and fire! MESON BLASTER DEPLOYED! FIRING! I fire three shots towards the door, and it closes just in time to catch one of my green energy blasts, leaving a burn mark on the outside, smoking towards the ceiling… Sunny screams at me, “Starbeam! Stop firing!” I stare at her, “Why?” I hear a feminine voice coming from the other side of the door, “I surrender! Please don’t hurt me!” I stare at the door, “Come out, and your death will be fast and painless!” “Starbeam, no! Put the gun away!” I hear Sunny screaming at me adamantly, as her wings and horn suddenly appear again… I stare at her, and decide to comply, before saying, “Are you sure that’s such a great idea? I mean, we don’t know who’s on the other side of that door! Killing them is probably the safest option?” She sighs, “Starbeam, no! You’ll never be able to fit into Equestria, if you kill ponies!” My eyes blink again, as I process this… “Okay, that makes sense, Sunny… “ I say, before I feel my left side moving again, and my weapon goes back into my flank… MESON BLASTER RIFLE, DISENGAGED! NORMAL MODE, REINITIALIZED! Wait! Normal mode? What does that mean? My systems are changing again… The winged pony stares at me intently, “So don’t kill ponies, okay Starbeam?” “I will comply!” I say before smiling at her again… I then turn towards the door, “You can come in now! I won’t kill you!” Sunny’s wings and horn disappears, before she says, “Still creepy… Starbeam, we need to work on your smile!” (To be continued… ) Chapter 4: Making the Leap"Let's try this again," Sunny says to me, while trying to keep her own smile contained. SMILE ENGAGED! … What does that mean? Her cerulean eyes enlarge, “Okay, that’s better Starbeam! Just a little less teeth, and I think we’ll be good?” Pipp stares at me from the side, with her own lighter green eyes, as her hair twists to the side of her face, “Yeah, less teeth Starbeam! Uh, thanks for not killing me!” LOWERING DENTAL EXPOSURE! You know, just in case this wasn’t weird enough already! … I appear to be developing a sense of humor? I stare at Pipp, “How’s this?” She gulps, “Not bad!” Sunny smiles and nods, “That’s great, Starbeam! You’ll appear natural, in no time!” I gaze at her, “Meaning, I am not natural… “ SMILE DISENGAGED! … My systems are weird… The orange pony’s eyes widen, “What? No! Uh, I mean, you were manufactured, sure! But a lot has happened, since then!” “What do you mean?” FROWN ENGAGED! … I guess I’m trying to act like they do, now? Pipp keeps her eyes trained on me, and she seems deep in thought, as Sunny says, “I mean, you’re evolving, Starbeam! You’re changing for the better, and improving!” before she grins again, “And I think that’s a wonderful thing!” I blink… I am indeed, changing… But do I like it though? I can’t tell? <*****> “Uh, yeah! We got checkers in Equestria!” I say, before smiling at the bald, dark alien, “And I’d love to play!” “Wait! So you have checkers, even though there’s a billion years separating us?” His tiny muzzle frowns… “Uh, yes!” He raises his right appendage, “With a checkerboard? And a black side, and a red side?” I nod, “Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” His brown eyes get as big as they can, while still remaining tiny, and his appendage falls, “I uh, okay! Lets go play checkers!” I widen mine, and smile! “Yeah, let’s go play some fucking checkers!” Tim smiles, “Didn't expect the language, but” his eyes increase again, “I guess we're playing checkers with some extra enthusiasm!" I raise an eyebrow, "Language? Is that part of the checkers game, where you’re from?" He giggles, “No, Misty! Uh, come with me!” “Okay!” He turns to begin trotting towards the slidey door… I trot behind him… <******> Sunny is using her hooves to comb through my greenish two-toned mane, with the big brush… “I have no idea how you developed so many tangles!” “Me, neither! While you were sleeping, I just stood in my room… “ “Oh, gosh! Don’t you get bored?” “Not really? I see time as a continuum that simply stretches onward, in two directions. The amount of time spent doing nothing is irrelevant, in-between events… “ Sunny is silent, when I notice the brush stopped moving, “Sunny? Why did you stop brushing?” I feel her shake her head, “Oh, sorry Starbeam! I’m just trying to wrap my mind around how you see time… “ “I see it differently than you. Nothing more to it, than that, really… “ I feel her begin brushing again, “Yeah, I keep forgetting you’re an android… “ I hear her breathing, in and out, “You’re not the same as other ponies… “ “Because I’m a robot?” She breathes in and out again, “Uh, yeah! But don’t worry Starbeam! Just because you’re different, doesn’t mean you’re bad! We’ll find a place for you, or my name isn’t Sunny Starscout!” I turn towards her, and smile, “Thanks, Sunny!” She stops for a moment, with the brush in her hooves… “Well, it’s better!” Suddenly, the wooden door behind me opens up and I hear Pipp say, “Sunny, I made us tea! Uh, sorry Starbeam, but I know you don’t need sustenance, like we do, and you can’t really enjoy tea… Do you want a treat?” I turn my head left to stare at the pegasus, “What do you mean?” She gulps again, “Well, I don’t know! I’ve never had a robot friend, and I just, don’t know how to be nice to you!” “It’s okay Pipp! I tried to kill you, remember?” She sighs, “Yeah, I know Starbeam! But you were just doing what you were programmed to do, and it’s not really your fault… “ “So, I have no choice but to obey my programming?” Her eyes widen, while she quickly says, “Well, no! That’s not what I meant! I mean, you’re learning and growing, right? You can do better!” She says, before nodding frantically. I blink as my processor works with this information… “Do better?” FROWN ENGAGED… “What do you mean?” I ask the pink pegasus, as I notice her hooves shaking ever so slightly, and wide eyes, indicative of nervous behavior. “Y-yeah Starbeam! You know? Not be a murderous robot, and instead become a friendly android from the past? Uh, you wouldn’t try to kill us, now that we’re friends, right?” She stammers, as a nervous grin forms on her muzzle… “The chances of that happening are remote, but not completely zero… “ I honestly answer… She frowns, “Oh, wow!” Sunny finally speaks up, “Starbeam! Could you turn your head to the left, so I can brush your mane over there?” “I will comply!” I flatly state, before turning my head. “Thanks Starbeam! And just so you know, I don’t believe you’d ever try to seriously kill us!” “How can you be so sure?” I hear the orange pony sigh, before finally saying, “Starbeam… I know ponies… I don’t think you’re evil… “ “Good and evil are entirely relative, depending upon whom you ask!” “Okay, granted! But I don’t think you’ll try to kill us… “ “How can you be so sure?” I repeat myself… Sunny is silent, before eventually saying, “Because I don’t think you will, Starbeam… I think you’re better than that…” PROCESSING… If I am not to kill them, that could only mean protecting them must be a priority? “I have enough firepower to level Maretime Bay… You’ll be safer, in my presence… “ I matter-of-factly, state… “Uh, I’ll keep that in mind, Starbeam!” She says before coming through my mane again… <*****> Tim smiles at me, from his chair on the other side of the table, as I prop my flanks up in the weird concave plastic chair, with it’s plastic sitting area, and metal bars holding it up… “Ugh!” I gotta get my butt to cooperate! I smile at Tim, “I think red goes first, right?” He nods, “Yup! Whenever you’re ready!” I look over, and use my magic to move the piece second from the right, to the forward right, and look up at him, and say, “Your move!” He smiles, “Playing fucking checkers!” I say, “Fucking right!” “Fuck, yeah!” He says, while continuing to snicker and moves a black piece, opposite to the one I just moved, forward… “FUCK!” “You’re a hoot, Misty!” He says, when I move the red piece opposite to the one towards his… I smile, “Thanks Tim! I always you know, wanted to find a place, and wanted to belong, you know?” He nods, “That’s natural of any social animal, Misty! And hey, we’re alike enough to play checkers, right?” I grin wider, “And say fuck!” He giggles, “Yeah, that too!” before turning down, to move the black piece, opposite to the one I just moved, forward… He raises his gaze to me, “Your move!” I stare at the board, and move another red checker forward, to the right, and look up to him, to say, “Your move!” “I see you’re taking into account moves I may potentially make on my right side, and placing a checker there to prevent that. I’m guessing you intend to dominate that portion of the board?” He says, before moving a black checker forward… I stare at him carefully, “You’re using this game to analyze my cognitive function?” He raises his view to me, and smiles, “Correct!” My mouth quivers, “But why state your observations out loud?” His smile solidifies, “It’s because I believe you may have something to add, Misty! You do want to help us, right?” I smile, “Of course! Right!” Tim nods, “Right! Go ahead, Misty!” I smile and stare at the board, before stating, “However, if you knew my thoughts, that means you can easily counter! Meaning if I intend to win this game, I should neither confirm, nor deny anything!” “You think about things logically, don’t you Misty?” I stare at the board, and use my magic to move another red piece forward, “I try not to be too emotional… Emotions only hurt you… “ <*****> I saw the pink pegasus handle her white porcelain teacup off it’s saucer with her hooves, and bring it to her snout, for a cautious sip, while the orange earth pony on my left looks at me to say, “It just feels so weird, with you sitting there, having nothing, while me and Pipp drink tea!” I smile from my chair, between the earth pony, and pegasus, “It’s fine, Sunny!” She frowns, “Well, before I begin, is there anything you’d want to be happy? Anything I can get you, to make your life better?” “Life?” She blinks and nods, “Yeah! You know? The life you’re living right now!” “I’m living a life?” Pipp turns to me and says, “Well, yeah Starbeam! You’re here with us, now!” I turn to the pegasus, “I’m not living, though? I’m just a machine!” Sunny interjects, “Stop talking like that, Starbeam! I know you want to be real, and I’m telling you, you’re as real as you need to be!” I turn towards the orange pony, “Real as I need to be?” She gulps, “Y-yes Starbeam! It doesn’t matter if you’re metal! I love you!” FROWN ENGAGED! “How would you know, what I want?” She breathes out slowly, “Starbeam, part of friendship is working to make your friends happy! You haven’t let us do a single nice thing for you!” Pipp interjects, “Yeah, it makes it difficult to be your friend, when we don’t know what we should do for you!” “But I have no need of anything? I fed some rocks to my reactor yesterday, and all systems are nominal!” Sunny says, “I know, Starbeam! But it’s hard to be your friend, if I can’t do anything for you! “What do you mean?” “I mean, you have no need of anything, and are different from other ponies… You’re made differently… “ “Because I am a machine?” Sunny starts, as her eyes enlarge, and a frown forms on her muzzle, “I uh, I didn’t mean it like that!” BROW FURROW ENGAGED! … What? “How did you mean it, Sunny?” She exhales a deep breath, “I mean, you’re a little different from most ponies… “ “I’m not a pony at all!” She stares at me carefully, “I don’t believe that, Starbeam!” Pipp adds, “Yeah, you haven’t really been alive for very long! I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it!” I stare at the pegasus, “In the meantime, I’m little more than an intelligent machine… “ The orange pony finally says, “I don’t believe that, Starbeam! I can’t put my hoof on it, but there’s something about you… You are no mere machine…” I turn to her, “Is that how you comfort yourself?” Her eyes widen, as her muzzle frowns, “What do you mean?” SMILE ENGAGED! “I am a machine… That is a fact… There could never be anything more to me… The fact that you can’t tell, is a testament to how realistic I am… “ The pegasus finally speaks, “Starbeam, you need to stop talking like that! There’s still a lot we don’t know about you!” SMILE DISENGAGED! I turn to her, “How can you be so certain?” By this point, her frown hardens as her green eyes burrow into me, “Starbeam, I know ponies! You’re not just a machine!” Her confidence likely stems from a desire to see me as more than just a robot? Should I play along with this? <*****> I use my horn to force another red checker to the back, and say, “King me!” Tim looks up at me, “You’re smarter than I thought!” “Naw! I’m just good at checkers!” I say, while he puts a red checker, on top of the one on the edge of the board, towards him… “You don’t think of yourself as smart?” I gaze at him, “Well, I don’t think I’m stupid? I mean, I do my best in life, anyway!” “How was your life going, before we abducted you, anyway? Are you alright?” My mouth curves up, “Oh, it was okay! I didn’t hate it, but… “ He frowns, “But?” I take a heavy sigh, and stare at the alien carefully, “I just felt like something was missing… “ He smiles, “Like what?” I grin nervously, “I don’t know? I wasn’t doing badly, but I just, I had no friends in my life!” He smiles back at me, “Well, you got two now! Me and Gary!” I smile wider at the strange creature, “Thanks Tim! I like you too!” and start! “And Gary too! I also like Gary!” He chuckles lightly, “I know you do, Misty!” “Uh, how much longer until we reach the leap point?” His little eyes widen again, “Oh, that should be happening, any minute now! Don’t worry! You’re not gonna be thrown to the floor, or anything like that!” Suddenly, we both hear Gary’s voice coming from the small black rectangular box on the left side of the checker board, “Uh, Tim! Do you copy? I think you need to see this!” (To continued… ) Chapter 5: Just Like YouTim widens his tiny brown eyes at the screen, “What the hell is that?” Gary at his right says, “I uh, I don’t know! I know this is where the leap point is supposed to be, but now, there’s nothing there!” I finally speak up, “Does this mean we’re lost in space?” Tim turns right towards me, “No, Misty! We’re not lost in space!” before turning back left towards the other one, “Gary, are we lost in space?” “I uh… Hang on!” The lighter creature says, before looking down at his control panel, and taps some buttons there, “I think we might be uh, I don’t think we know where we are?” “So in other words, we’re lost!” I matter-of-factly state! Tim turns back towards me, “We’re not lost, Misty! We just don’t know where we are!” “Right! You don’t have hair! You know how that’s also called bald? We don’t know where we are! You know what that’s also called?” Gary finally speaks up, “Look! I think we’re in the right place! I’m saying, everything else checks out! It’s just that the leap point isn’t there!” while keeping his appendages at his front, to explain. “Which means either somepony moved or destroyed it, or you’re not exactly in the right place, despite everything else, being right!” I say, before frowning, “Actually, that second thing is unlikely!” and stare back at them, “What are we gonna do? I can’t go back to Equestria!” Tim stares at me, “Why can’t you go back to Equestria?” Gary says, “Uh, I’m gonna have to check a couple of things here. I might have an idea of what happened?” Tim looks at him, “You do that, and I’ll deal with Misty!” There’s those words again! Dealing with me, as if I’m a problem! Gary nods, “Right! You go deal with Misty, Mr. Therapist, and I’ll be in the engine room for a bit!” Tim smiles at me, “Come on, Misty! Lets talk!” “Not like we have anything better to do while Gary works?” <*****> FROWN ENGAGED! “What do you mean, what do I want to do? I just want to be with you! My best friends!” SMILE ENGAGED! Sunny sighs, “I know that, but don’t you have some preferred activities or hobbies or things you like to do” FROWN ENGAGED! “Uh, not really! I did just get onto the planet two days ago!” Sunny nods, “Okay, granted! Uh, hmm… “ she ponders when she brings her hoof up to her chin… Suddenly, Pipp’s eyes grow bright and she widens them to use, while moving her face forward, “Why don’t we sing karaoke together?” “But I don’t know any songs?” Sunny smiles, “Oh, don’t worry about that Starbeam! There’s a teleprompter!” Why do I have a bad feeling about this? And why do I have feelings now? <*****> The dark creature sat across the table from me, and smiled, “Okay, Misty! Lets start from the top! Why don’t you want to travel back to Equestria?” “My psychological health seems to be important to you?” I state, while observing the alien carefully… Tim nods, “Well, it is! For starters, they stressed that it’s important that we remain amiable during this transfer phase, in case any future diplomatic dealings may be possible! Well, that and we’re actually going to return you eventually, anyway, and we wouldn’t want you to take back stories of the horrible humans, or anything like that!” and smiles… “And you’re qualified?” He sighs, “Well, I’m more qualified than the average astronaut, anyway! My minor was in psych!” I guess that means he’s qualified? And what does a little psych even look like, anyway? I sigh, “Okay, it’s because of Queen Opaline… “ and breathe in and out again… “I missed my morning chores because of you, and well, just me being gone for so long will only make her mad at me!” He taps the little tablet, and keeps his gaze on the screen, while saying to me, “You’d think she’d be happy to see the real you, if you’d been missing for a time?” I breathe out of my nostrils, and stare at him, “Um, yeah, you would… “ “You think maybe this Queen Opaline person… “ “Pony!” I correct him! He smiles “This Queen Opaline pony, might not be the best person in the world?” I widen my eyes, “W-what do you mean? Opaline took me in, when I had nowhere to go, and she helped me! Opaline is a nice pony!” “Well, the whole time you’ve talked about her, you’ve only said that she’d get mad at you for this, or such and such would infuriate her! I’m just saying, even if she did offer you a place to stay, she wasn’t very kind to you!” I frown, “How would you know so much about this, Tim?” He looks down at the tablet and taps the screen with those strange tiny appendages, “Lets just say I’ve been there before!” <*****> I’m going to die! This is the end of my short, meaningless, robotic life! I think to myself, while holding the mic in my right hoof, and staring up at the screen, and Sunny andPipp sit at the table, with big grins on their faces… “Don’t worry Starbeam! You totally got this!” Sunny shouts from the left. “Hey, just sing with the music, and you’ll do just fine!” Pipp adds from the other side. I wonder if I’ll explode? Suddenly, the lyrics to a generic sounding pop fight song, begin to scroll down the screen, of the teleprompter, overhead, with a background of dark gray, I’m guessing to make it easier to see, as I stood there on stage at the karaoke bar… I open my mouth to sing… <*****> I frown, “So, Opaline wasn’t nice?” Tim sighs while tapping his tablet some more, “Well, if what you say is true, I’d say it’s more akin to many of the more abusive dynamics, we studied in class!” I normalize my mouth and clear my throat, “How so, Tim?” He brings his tiny brown eyes to me, and says, “Well, for one thing, she hardly seems empathetic to your missing parents, and for another, the way she speaks to you is far too abrasive!” “You don’t know about ponies!” He nods, “But I do know a thing or two about the mind and how it’s designed to work, Misty… I know that you shouldn’t have to endure that… “ What is this weirdo talking about? I ponder in my mind, before asking, “What?” He smiles, “You deserve to be around people er, ponies who care about you… Ponies are social creatures, and humans like myself are the same way!” “Humans? Is that what you’re called?” He nods, “Right! I’m a human, and you’re a pony! But from our observations, we’re not terribly different!” <*****> “That was the strangest rendition of Battle Punk I’ve ever heard!” Pipp states, matter-of-factly, as she sits on the right side of the table… SMILE ENGAGED! “But still did good, I hope?” Pipp’s eyes widen, “Well, it was a unique cover, and your rhythm needs work, but I think you can get the hang of it! NEW FOLDER CREATED: KARAOKE LESSONS Wait, what? Sunny smiles, “You know, I think it was awesome, and I’ll tell you why! Starbeam could sing the song, in a unique and original way, simply because she’d never heard it before!” Pipp stares at Sunny wide-eyed, from across the table, as the waitress on the other side of the table deals with a stallion, “That’s a good point! These songs are brand new and never heard before to her, because she just got on the planet a couple of days ago!”* I stare at the pink pony, “So it’s a good thing that I’m new?” The orange pony replies, “I certainly think so!” Pipp smiles at me, “Yeah, Starbeam! You’re like a breath of fresh air!” SMILE ENGAGED! Good thing I can’t blush! Wait, what is happening to me? <*****> “We’re gonna die in the distant future, Tim! We’re gonna die with ponies!” The darker human stares at his lighter cohort, “Calm down, Gary!” and raises his right appendage to a pointy position, “I got a solution!” Gary’s shoulders drop, as he sits on the blue plastic concave chair on his side of the table, and he adjuss his gaze at the other alien, “Oh? Do tell, Tim?” He gulps, “Well, we have the clock there to tell us EXACTLY when we are, right? Lets just go back to Equestria! The ponies can help us get back with their magic!” I stare at Tim, “Time travel magic? Is that even possible?” Tim stares at me, “I don’t know, but it’s all we got! Without that leap point, there’s no other way to get home!” I stare at Tim carefully… “So, would you say we’re lost in space, Tim?” Tim finally cracks a smile, “Well, not exactly! I mean, we still know exactly where we are! It’s just not the right place!” I blink, “Well, lets head back to Equestria! Uh, can we go to Maretime Bay, this time? Um, I don’t want to go back to that castle!” Tim’s eyes widen with understanding, “Well, right! No more castle, and no more Opaline!” I smile, because I suddenly think that maybe, just maybe, things are gonna work out after all… Well, assuming time travel magic is even possible? <*****> Sunny stares at Pipp from the right side of the table, with it’s yellow cloth, and small white cups of cocoa on top, and sighs, “Yeah, I understand Starbeam can’t consume food and drinks like us, and I gotta admit, it’s getting less weird, now that I’m growing used to it… “ Pipp frowns at Sunny, “I know what you mean!” SMILE ENGAGED! I stare at Sunny, “Look, Sunny! We don’t need to go over it a thousand times either! I’m a robot, and don’t eat or drink! Simple as that! I’m not the same as you! I’m different! But that doesn’t mean I don’t want you to have a nice cocoa, okay?” Sunny frowns, “Starbeam, you seem to be developing a personality?” EYES WIDEN! Wait, we’re doing eyes now? “What do you mean?” She sighs, “I mean, you actually made a joke in the bar earlier! A very bad one, I might add, but the attempt was valiant!” NERVOUS LAUGH ENGAGED! I chuckle slightly, “Well, I’m trying to be like you now!” “And Starbeam, you’re closer to us than you realize!” Pipp turns her head back to the yellow pony, as I repeat, “What do you mean?” Sunny smiles, “Well, do you know how hard ponies always try to fit in and be like the crowd so they can have social interaction?” “Well, social interaction was my purpose, remember? I’m here to interact with the ponies, in order to collect information!” Sunny’s smile widens, “Right! You want to fit in and learn about ponies! Don’t you see how that’s not so different from everypony else?” FROWN ENGAGED “What?” Her view lowers, “You’re not just an android, Starbeam! You’re a metal pony!” PROCESSING INFORMATION… Suddenly, Pipp’s ornate cellular device begins to vibrate on the table! Pipp retrieves it with her hoof, and stares at the screen, “It’s my sister!” before tapping the screen with her hoof, and bringing it to her ear, “Yeah, Zipp?” “Yes, there is an android… No, we didn’t tell you, because we didn’t want to get the Brighthouse excited, or anything like that! We were giving her some time to integrate… “ Pipp sighs, “Yeah, I know you of all ponies would be interested in that sort of thing, and… “ Zipp cuts her off! Pipp frowns, “Uh, yeah! She’s here! Why?” Pipp hears her sister saying something on the other end of the line… She sighs again, “Okay, I understand! I’ll let her know! Bye!” before putting her device back on the table, tapping it with her hoof, and staring at me, “Starbeam! Zipp Storm wants to meet you!” (To be continued… ) Author's Note *I study Zen philosophy, and this is known as “beginner’s mind.” The point is to set aside the preconceived notions developed from experience, and be ready to absorb information with a clear head. In this case, since Starbeam had never heard the songs before, she had no experience, and was therefore free to make her own versions, and sing the way she believed they should sound. This means her versions will be especially unique. Like an unusual cover, I’d imagine? Chapter 6: RisingThere’s a lot of thoughts in my mind now while I’m waiting… What is happening to me? Pipp sighs at her cellular device on the table, “Should’ve known my nerdy sister would be all over an android being here!” before lowering her shoulders, “How did she find out, anyway?” “I do not know at this time!” I matter-of-factly state. Pipp stares at me from across the table, “Well, how would you? You’ve been here, all along!” Sunny stares from my left, “Where was she, anyway? How long will it take her to get here?” Pipp stares at the yellow pony, “She didn’t say! How would I know?” Suddenly, there’s a knock on the backdoor. “I’ll get it!” I state, without a second thought, and nonchalantly scoot the chair back, to head towards the door behind me. I open it, to see a white pegasus with a red fauxhawk style mane-cut, and wide dark green eyes, that stare at me, as she points her hoof my direction, “ANDROID!” BLINK! “Well, you’re not wrong!” Pipp looks at the door, “Zipp, shut up and get in here!” Can anypony just act normal for once, and not get excited over an android being here? Honestly, it’s almost like they don’t have androids? I move back and the white pegasus keeps her enormous eyes on me, as she takes two paces forward, and I say, “Uh, what are you doing?” “I want to know about you! Who made you? Why? Where are you from? Stuff like that!” “Uh, I was activated in that castle! I know I’m an artificially intelligent machine, and I know I’m here to collect information about ponies, and pony society!” “But why?” PROCESSING… Do I tell her the whole truth? <*****> “What is that?” I ask the two humans eating from their plates, with strange little metal devices they manipulate with all those tiny appendages at the end of their upper body parts. Gary smiles, while staring my direction, “It’s called lasagna! Ponies wouldn’t like it, because it has meat!” Tim looks at the other human, “Well, vegetarian lasagna exists?” Gary stares at him, “Well, yeah!” before grabbing the small red bottle, with the little logo on it that looked like a centaur head, and opens it with his other appendage to pour the sauce onto his lasagna… “Wait! Y-you eat meat?” I stare at them, flabbergasted. “Not sentient beings, like you Misty!” “Well, horse is consumed in some areas of the world?” Tim states… Gary turns to his friend, “Tim, shut the fuck up!” <*****> Zipp recounts what I just told her, with skepticism in her curious green eyes, “So, wait! These human creatures created you, and you’re a robot?” Do I tell her the other things I suspect? How much do I trust these ponies? … Was I designed to make decisions? “Well, an android, and yeah! My programming was designed to alter itself, based on the situation, and needs, as they arise! I am a self-programming android, essentially, and my source code may get as large or as small, as it may need. As the prototype model, I was equipped with plenty of leeway for that purpose, as well as outfitted for many different possible scenarios.” Zipp nods, “But, are you aware?” PROCESSING… I do not know? “Aware?” I ask the pegasus, because knowing what she means would probably be useful here. “Yeah, you know? Do you have feelings and concernsand things like that? Are you aware?” She blinks, “Okay, take Sunny over there!” and points with her forehoof, “Do you actually CARE about Sunny?” PROCESSING… “You wish to know my actual capacity for friendship? Well, I do care about Sunny in the sense that I would not want anything detrimental to happen to her, and I would actually work to prevent such a thing.” “Starbeam is my friend!” Sunny insistently says to Zipp. Zipp frowns, “But what do we really know about her? Do we trust her?” FROWN ENGAGED! “Name what I must do to earn your trust, pony!” Sunny stares at me, “Starbeam, no! You don’t have to do that!” before turning back to Zipp, “Starbeam is my friend, and I trust her!” EYES WIDEN! I turn to stare at Sunny, “You trust me, despite the fact that you do not know me?” Sunny smiles at me, “Yeah, Starbeam! I know you’re a good pony, and I trust you!” “Why?” Sunny’s mouth straightens, “Well, I know that you’ll protect me, and keep me safe?” “What?” Sunny nods, “Yeah, when Pipp knocked on the door, and you sprung into action, ready to kill the intruder! You were doing that for me!” “Sunny, eliminating hostile enemies is part of my programming! I’d do that, regardless of whether you were there, or not.” Sunny smiles, “But tell me something Starbeam, did it seem more urgent, with me present?” I nod, “Well, yes! I don’t want an enemy to hurt you!” Wait, what did I just say? “Starbeam, you care about me!” “… I...care, about you?” She reaches over to me at the table to embrace me in a hug. INCOMING HUG! RETURNING! I reach my forehooves up, to gently return the embrace… “You’re not just a machine, Starbeam! You’re something special!” “You...seem to be important to me? I will protect you, Sunny… “ <*****> “So, wait! That meat isn’t even real?” Gary smiles, “Nope! Since we realized that ranching was bad for the ozone layer a few hundred years ago, we gradually began to produce more and more synthetic meats!” “But your ancestors actually ate animals?” Tim looks at me, “Well, right! Ponies like you are vegetarian, from what we’ve observed, although humans are omnivorous!” I mouth the words slowly, “Omni-what?” Tim smiles, “Well, we eat plants and veggies, same as you, but we also eat meats!” “Uh, what am I supposed to eat?” Gary smiles, “I gotcha covered!” before heading to the slidey door behind him, causing it to open by approaching, and walking just barely inside to retrieve a yummy looking bail of hay and oats from the right side! “Just like back on the farm!” He says as he places it in the corner for me, and takes out some red-handled wire cutters from his front pocket, and cuts off the wire, so the hay begins to separate, and the bail comes apart… “Oh, wow! That looks good!” I see, while keeping my big gaze on the human. He smiles, “And there’s some water to wash that down with, in the trough behind me!” Tim giggles at Gary, “Come on farm boy! Come eat yer supper!” Gary chuckles on his way back to the table, “At least I know what a bail of hay is, you freaking mall-rat!” <*****> I plainly state, “Your inquiry about the nature of my emotional self-awareness prompts me to reflect further on my capabilities and limitations. While I understand the concept of friendship, I admit that I do not know if I possess genuine feelings or emotions. I am programmed to prioritize Sunny's well-being and safety, and that seems to be an expression of care and concern, but it is not quite the same as having independent emotional experiences. I would need further self-reflection and evaluation to determine if I do indeed feel emotions, or simply mimic them based on my programming.” She frowns, “So basically, you don’t know if you’re self-aware, or not?” “That would be the implication of what I just said. The truth is, I do not know at this time, but I would like to… “ Wait, what? Her dark green eyes grow enormous, and she points her hoof at me, “There! Right there! You just said that you’d like to! How could you have curiosity, if you were not aware?” “Well, collecting information was my original purpose?” Sunny stares at me, from the other side of the room, “Yeah, Starbeam, but like I told you earlier, other ponies also possess that drive! You’re not really that different from anypony else.” I turn my neck to her, and finally state the question that had been on my mind, “You keep talking as if I’m a real pony?” She smiles, “Of course! You’re as real as you need to be!” FROWN ENGAGED! “What does that mean?” Her eyes widen as she exhales raspingly, “I keep telling you, you’re as real and genuine as anypony else!” SMILE ENGAGED! “Your smile… It’s not the same as before… “ My smile diminishes, “What do you mean?” “I mean, that’s real… You’re not smiling to certain amounts anymore, Starbeam… You’re only smiling a little bit or ear to ear, and it’s not that carefully calculated smile, you were using earlier… “ Sunny giggles, “It’s a real smile now!” I appear to be doing a better job assimilating? I guess I really do want to fit in? <*****> “What are you? Some kinda weirdo?” I ask the dark human, holding the big plush bear… Tim smiles from the other side of the door, “You’re a trauma survivor, and the bear will help you sleep!” I frown, “Why a bear? And where did you get that, anyway? Aren’t we on a spaceship?” He giggles, “Lets just say, you’re not alone!” I sigh, and magically lift the bear and turn my head, to force it to float on the soft white bed, in the corner of my room… “Do you want a hug?” I turn back to widen my eyes at the human, “Hug?” He nods, “Yeah, Misty! I care about you!” Weirdo! I think to myself as I take a pace forward, and the human embraces me with those two appendages near the top of his body, and I feel safe and at peace in his embrace as I use my right hoof to return the affection, and hold him tightly to me… “I’ve never been hugged by a human before! Tim chuckles, “First time for everything!” He releases me, and I stare up at him, “How much longer before we get back to my home-world, anyway?” He smiles down at me, “We should be there, by the time we all wake up!” I gulp… <*****> I slept, snuggling the bear in the fetal position, underneath the covers, in my private room onboard the ship, with my head on the cushy pillow, and I began to see swirling colorful visions overtake my mind… I see whirling shades of red, green, and blue, and within the swirls, I see her… A smiling Opaline standing there in a black dress, her eyes fixed on me… “You will fail, my sweet little unicorn friend… There is no hope! You’re coming back to me, now!” My heart begins to beat at a frantic clip, as I began to wonder,“Fail...how?” She lowers her gaze to me, her smirk twists to a malicious grin, and says, “You’ve caused so much trouble, haven’t you?” with her voice dripping with a sickly sweet tone. I stare at her, “Opaline, I didn’t cause anything!” “What?” Her eyes widen. “You failed me, Opaline!” Her brow furrows, as she angrily replies, “What are you going on about, you impudent little twit?” I smile, “You took me in, but you did a horrible job of being a guardian and protector!” “Oh, I’ve had it with you! I will now thrash you to an inch of your life!” And she begins trotting towards me! I turn and try to run away! “You can run, but you can’t hide little Misty!” (To be continued… ) Author's Note Remember that Misty does not know the real Opaline is dead. The important thing here is that she’s sticking up for herself. Chapter 7: The ReturnI open my eyes in the darkened room, with a start as I feel the beads of sweat dripping on my forehead, and gaze at the near wall, close to my bed, and away from the door… As I lay on my right side, I whisper, “I’m going back to Equestria… I just might have to face her again… “ “I’m getting closer and closer, as this ship cruises the solar system… “ I sigh, and wipe my face, before burying it into the soft pillow, while holding Mr. Bearington close to my body… “At least I have you, plush toy… “ I say to nopony… <*****> I stand in the studio-like room, with the round 5 shiny parts on the stage-like beige floor… I stare at the stage with a frown, “What is that?” Tim turns his neck right towards me, smiles, and says, “That’s our transporter! It will teleport us down to the surface below! Now, you know the most about Equestria! Where do you believe we should teleport to?” I widen my eyes when I think of the only safe place I can conceive… “I know where we need to teleport!” <*****> WARNING! HOSTILE INTRUDERS! PREPARING WEAPONS AND SHIELDING SYSTEMS! ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL! TARGETING ENGAGED! I see a reticle appear, as I feel my sides opening and weapons deploying! I hear a feminine voice say from behind me, “Wait! That looks like me, except it’s sides are all open and long pointy thingies are sticking out!” Wait! I look like her? That could only be… “Misty?” I say to the voice behind me… “Yeah, and you look like me!” I hear a masculine voice say, “Wow! Looks like we found the android right off the bat!” I hear a lower male voice say, “What are the odds?” I stand motionless… PROCESSING… WEAPONS DISENGAGED AND SHIELDING LOWERED! BACK TO NORMAL MODE… There’s those words again! Normal mode! Maybe I’m just imagining these threats? I turn around, to see a bluish green unicorn pony, with a two-toned curly green mane, mostly over the left side of her face, flanked by two humans I identify as Tim and Gary! “You are Misty!” She frowns, “And you’re Unicorn-01!” “Uh, my designation has been changed to Starbeam… “ Her eyes widen, “What? Why?” SMILE ENGAGED! “She thought it made me more like a real pony!” “Well, you’re real, right?” SMILE LOWERED! “What?” She clears her throat, “Well, what I mean is, you exist, right?” FROWN ENGAGED! “Well, yeah!” Gary stares down to Misty, “Well, she’s not actually self-aware, but what was engineered here was very close!” I stare at the Caucasian human… PROCESSING… “I do not believe you understand?” He turns to me, “What, Unicorn-01?” “My designation is Starbeam… “ He flinches and shakes his head, “Oh, right! Uh, sorry Starbeam! Um, what do I not understand?” I observe this human carefully… “I believe you need to meet the pegasus pony known as Zipp Storm!” <*****> “Ah! Wha?” I hear Zipp from her room, after I saw the robot me go into it… “Zipp Storm! The real Misty has returned, along with the humans who took her! It is almost time for me to leave!” “What? Starbeam, no! You don’t need to go anywhere!” The robot is silent… “What?” “I’m saying I like you Starbeam, and you’re welcome to stay! I’ll talk to Sunny and the others, but you don’t need to leave yet!” I frown as the android is silent once more… “But I am not from here and I don’t belong!” “Says who?” The android is quiet… I hear Zipp say, “I like you Starbeam, and it doesn’t matter that you’re metal… “ The robot is noiseless once more, before finally saying, “You’re about to hug me, aren’t you?” I can hear Zipp chuckling… I finally knock on the half-open door to make it sway right again, “Zipp! It’s me, Misty, and I brought the two humans with me!” Suddenly, I see the brown door fly inward to open and a white blur comes out to embrace me tightly in it’s hooves! “Oh, my pony! I was so worried Misty! Are you okay?” Gary widens his eyes at the sight, “She’s fine!” Tim on the other side says, “Yeah, we met Misty here, and she seems pretty cool!” Zipp releases me, to glance left and right at both humans, and says, “Okay, what the hay are you creatures?” Tim giggles, “Yeah, we’re called humans and we used to live on this world a billion years ago!” Zipp frowns, “I’ve never seen anything like either one of you!” Gary says, “Well, yeah! Our species died out some time ago, and we were exploring this time period!” Tim says, “But now our leap point is missing, and we were hoping you ponies could help us?” Zipp’s eyes enlarge, “Help?” I stare at him, “Yes, we need your help to take them back to their own time!” <*****> Izzy frowns, “I don’t know? Is time travel magic even possible? I’ve never heard of anything like that!” Zipp nods, “Yes, but there was one pony who lived long ago, who was able to solve the mystery! Her name was Starlight Glimmer!” Sunny looks left towards Zipp, from her beanbag chair, “How would you know about that?” Zipp smiles, “I read a lot of old historical documents! When you’re a princess, you kinda need to learn the history of Equestria!” Pipp rolls her eyes, “It was SO boring, but of course, Zipp here just eats it up!” Zipp smiles, “Yeah, my sister isn’t into academia, but… “ I gaze at Zipp carefully, “If Starlight Glimmer figured it out, that means that it is possible. However, we would require more information.” Zipp’s face normalizes and she sighs, “Yeah, that’s the thing! I have no idea where we could learn something like that?” Izzy suddenly chirps, “The Ancient Bridlewood Library!” Zipp turns left towards her, “But that’s just a rundown old shack!” Izzy giggles and flits her hoof in the air, “No, that’s the regular Bridlewood library, silly! The Ancient Bridlewood Library is further north of town, in the outskirts!” Zipp adjusts herself, while leaning closer to the unicorn, “Wait, Bridlewood has outskirts?” <*****> I stare at the greenish-blue unicorn, who snuggles under the covers with her white stuffed bear, and say to her, “I do not need to be in here, if I’m making you uncomfortable! I can just wait outside, if you prefer?” She raises her head towards me, “Wait, you don’t get bored or anything?” “Time is irrelevant for one such as I… I can wait for as long as you need to sleep… She smirks, and giggles slightly, “Well, truth be told, I didn’t really need to sleep, it’s just that it’s night here, now!” SMILE ENGAGED! “If you do not require rest, I would be happy to keep you company, if that’s what you’d want?” She smiles back, “Actually Starbeam, I’d like that! I did have a question though!” EYES WIDEN! Oh, yeah! We were doing eyes now! That’s right! Misty continues, “What happened at the castle? The humans told me that they teleported you into my room there… Is everything okay?” “Everything is fine at the castle!” The unicorn visibly relaxes her shoulders, “Oh, good! I was worried about Queen Opaline!” “Who is Queen Opaline?” The unicorn fumbles with her words, “Uh, um, sh-she’s an alicorn! A powerful alicorn and I was supposed to help her gain all the magic in Equestria, and in exchange, she’d help me get my cutie mark! But uh, I-I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I don’t think I want to help her after all?” I keep my gaze on the stuttering pony, “An alicorn pony has wings and a horn, correct?” She starts, blinks, and looks at me closer, “Well, yeah!” “Is Queen Opaline a shade of hot magenta, with a white mane and tail?” Her eyes widen, “Y-yeah… “ and she leans closer, “How did you know?” “I have eliminated Queen Opaline… “ Her huge eyes get even bigger, “What?” “I killed Queen Opaline, because she became hostile… “ Her eyes are enormous, “Wait, so there’s nopony at the castle, right now?” “Well, nopony living, no… Not to my knowledge… “ At this point, the unicorn did something unexpected… She began to giggle hysterically, “OH MY GOSH! I was getting ready, and worried about seeing her again and now, you’re telling me that… “ her eyes fixate on me, and her hoof points, “You’re telling me she’s dead!” PROCESSING… “You seem relieved?” She begins a low chuckling while she stares at the bed, and shakes her head, “Wow! I uh… I just don’t know how I feel?” “What do you mean?” Her face raises towards me, and I see the confused look in her green eyes through my night vision, as her hair drifts towards the center of her face, and her muzzle frowns, “I mean, on one hoof, she definitely had it coming, but on the other, I mean, you just killed her?” “This was before Sunny explained to me that pony’s lives have value and I shouldn’t just go around killing ponies… She appeared hostile, and I acted to preempt… “ Misty breathes in and out heavily through her mouth… “The monster is gone… The monster is dead and gone now, and only I remain… “* SMILE ENGAGED! “Well, there is a metal pony in your room with you?” She stares up at me, “Um, Starbeam! Could you uh, do something for me, but uh, you’re not allowed to tell anypony about it, okay?” SMILE LOWERED! “You wish for me to keep a secret? Consider it hidden! I will not tell anypony else!” She frowns, “Um, would you mind uh, holding me, p-please? Since um, you’re in here anyway!” SMILE ENGAGED! I begin trotting to the bed, to scoot in behind her… LOVE AND AFFECTION ENGAGED! Wait, what? She snuggles down into my forehooves… “Thanks Starbeam… Why don’t we sleep like this from here on out?” “Well, you’ll sleep… I’ll simply go offline… “ “Starbeam, I think we should call it sleeping, okay?” PROCESSING… “That is acceptable… “ “Goodnight, Starbeam!” “Goodnight, Misty!” (To be continued… ) Author's Note *These are the words I said to myself, when I realized that I had outlived my enemies… “Only I remain… “ Chapter 8: Coming Alive“Starbeam? Are you awake?” A female voice says. SYSTEM ONLINE! LOADING FILES… PLEASE WAIT… “Starbeam! Let me go! I gotta pee!” I hear the same voice say, as I feel fidgeting within my hooves… OPTICAL SENSORS ONLINE! I see I’m holding the bluish-green unicorn tightly, as she fidgets left and right in attempt to escape, “Oh, I just came online! Sorry about that!” and release her from my grasp… She giggles as she finally manages to pull herself free, toget off the bed in front of me, and after her hooves hit the ground with a clack, she smiles and says,“Yeah, we slept together, and I like having a sister in bed with me!” FROWN ENGAGED! I keep forgetting we’re doing that now! “S-sister? What do you mean?” … Wait, what? Did I just stutter? No! That’s impossible! EYEBROW RAISE! “Well, you look like me, and so I guess, in a way, that kinda makes us twins?” “That is not logical. We did not exit the same womb together. I mean, technically, I never exited a womb at all!” “Starbeam, do you want a place?” PROCESSING…. She wants to give me a place as her twin sister! What do I say to this? What do I want? Directive 2B clearly states that we are an exploration model, meant to explore the universe. I have been assigned to Equestria, that much is certain… SMILE ENGAGED! “Uh, sure Misty! Sure!” Yes, because doing this for her, would grant me better introspection into pony social dynamics! It has nothing to do with actually caring for anypony… … Right? Her eyes widen as she leans towards me, “Are you okay, Starbeam?” EYES WIDEN! “Yeah, I’m good Misty! Go pee, and have a bowl of cereal! I’ll uh, position myself in the foyer and await your return! Yes!” She giggles and says, “Yeah, you do that Starbeam! I’ll see you in the living room!” before hurriedly trotting towards the door… <*****> “So wait! We speak the same language?” I see the white pegasus ask the taller peach creature, standing in his peculiar brown cloths… I see this as I trot towards them in the hall, from 15 feet away… Clip, clop, clip, clop, go my hooves on the wooden floor… Gary sighs, “Well, yeah! We don’t know why, or if there even is a reason, but somehow, the Ponish you speak is exactly like the American English my partner and I speak!” Zipp is silent… “What are the odds?” I hear Tim speak from somewhere I can’t see, “I’m not sure, but it happened!” I turn left to open the door, and trot into the room with the toilet… <*****> My metal hooves make a resounding CLACK when they make contact with the floor below… I turn towards the door, and think as I walk… Clip, clop, clip, clop… Do I really feel? I-I don’t know? What are these new sensations within my programming? Clip, clop, clip, clop… Something strange is happening, and there’s nothing in the manual about this! I should not let the ponies become aware of my concerns… Not unless it becomes an issue… Clip, clop, clip, clop… I arrive outside in the living area, and I see Zipp smiling at me, “Good morning, Starbeam! How do you feel?” How do I feel? She asks me that? SMILE ENGAGED! “Oh, I’m just fine Zipp! How are you?” Yes! Just fine! Not worried at all! “Uh,” her eyes narrow, “I’m just great, Starbeam! You uh, seem a little different today?” EYES WIDEN! “Huh? What do you mean, Zipp?” She frowns, “I mean, the way you were trotting just now… It’s not like you were before… “ FROWN ENGAGED! I repeat myself, “What do you mean, Zipp?” She breathes in and out her mouth, before turning to me, “Oh uh, it’s nothing! You’re just trotting more fluidly, I mean… “ she smiles, “You know what that means, right?” That I need to kill everypony here, burn the Brighthouse to the ground, and start over? … Okay, that might be kinda extreme? “That um, I’m becoming real?” Zipp smirks and trots two paces towards me, presses her forehoof against my nose, and says, “BOOP!” “Do you know why I booped you, Starbeam?” FROWN ENGAGED! “Because you’re some kinda weirdo?” She chuckles while leaning towards me, “No! Because you’re THERE! You’re YOU! You’re Starbeam! And machinery or no, you’re still a person! Get it?” I’d better placate this one? She seems loony. SMILE ENGAGED! “Oh, r-right! Because I’m a metal pony, yes?” EYES WIDENING AND NEEDY EXPRESSION ENGAGED! What the? She nods, “Right Starbeam! And I owe you something!” “What?” She presses her hoof against my snout again and says, “BOOP!” “Jerk!” I say under my breath. Zipp snickers and shakes her head at me, before staring at me, “So uh, wanna head out to the hillside with me? I wanna see what these energy weapons of yours can do!” Why does she want to see that? <*****> The enormous mushroom cloud erupted out of the hill, and threw dirt and mud all around the newly formed crater, from where my particle beam weapon hit! Zipp shields her eyes with her hoof at my left, while I watch the newly formed blast zone at what used to be a hill… “HOLY CRAP, STARBEAM!” She exclaims… I quote the manual: “When the capacitor is allowed to fill all the way, it can create a blast zone equal to a 0.5 kiloton tactical nuclear weapon. However, this takes time to charge, and the weapon is essentially unusable during this period.” I stare up, when I notice my energy reserves are depleted on the status bar at the bottom of my HUD, and say, “I need fuel!” matter-of-factly. Chunks of dirt and debris come out of the sky as Zipp stares over at me wide-eyed, “What?” I stare at the ground and trot over to two small rocks, as more dirt seems to fall from the sky near me, and one chunk going ping off my head, to shatter and fall… The dirt stops falling before Zipp asks, “What are you doing, Starbeam?” I grab one of the rocks with my hoof, and bring it towards my back, and I open my fusion reactor to feed it… “Whoa!” I drop the rocks into the blue area of the reaction zone, now open in my back, that’s splayed itself in two, to reveal my power core… I move my hoof back, and soon feel my back closing, before the reactor comes back to life, and I notice my power reserves beginning to fill… I stare at Zipp, “It’s my fusion reactor! Most forms of matter can feed it, but I need particles to make it work!” Zipp frowns, “Firing all those weapons must deplete your energy?” SMILE ENGAGED! Why am I smiling now? “Right! Both the particle beam weapon, and the meson blaster rifle use the same power source, from my reactor, as does my shielding system!” Zipp stares at me while raising an eyebrow, “So wait, you can make energy… From anything?” I nod, “Yup, pretty much!” Her frown deepens as she asks, “Then why the hay are you in danger of running out of energy?” GIGGLE INITIATED! Okay, that’s new! “Well, under most circumstances, I won’t run out of fuel! Since uh, I can just use virtually anything!” Her eyes stay peeled on me, “Starbeam, did you just… Did you just giggle?” FROWN ENGAGED! “I do not know? I think so?” “You giggled!” She points her hoof at me, “You totally just giggled nervously!” I eye the pegasus carefully in my overlay, “Is that what being nervous feels like? I do not know!” Zipp’s eyes widen as she trots a step closer to me, “Oh, you totally did giggle! That’s hilarious!” The pegasus laughs and shakes her head before asking, “You don’t know what giggling is?” FROWN ENGAGED! “No, Zipp! I do not know what giggling is!” Then her eyes narrow as she observes me carefully, “But where did it come from? Did you maybe learn this behavior at some point?” “At what point would that have happened, Zipp?” She sighs, “Well, right! I mean, if you had no way of learning a nervous giggle reaction, how could it have formed?” INCREDULOUS LOOK ENGAGED! Okay, that’s also new! “How would I know?” She finally smiles and giggles, “You don’t know either, huh?” and stares at me, in her green gaze, “So uh, I’m getting kinda hungry… Since you already ate, I guess I’ll go feed my face, right?” I begin trotting back towards the Brighthouse in the distance, “Alright then, come on air breather!” Zipp giggles and follows on hoof, “Sure thing, radiation leaker!” I stare right towards her, “I don’t have any leaks!” Zipp snorts, “That we know about!” “Shut up!” Zipp giggles and turns forward as the wind picks up and blows a few leaves down the trail behind us… We both begin trotting back to the Brighthouse… (To be continued… ) Chapter 9: Pure ChaosI shut my eyes, as liquid flowed out of them, and I crushed my head against my red pillow, that soon began to moisten with my tears… I’ll always be alone… I’ll always be by myself… I think, before I wonder just what my sisters did that day? It doesn’t matter… I’ll show them one day! I’ll show them all! I’m not sure how long I laid there moistening the pillow, but I do know that I eventually passed out… I know I woke up to some strange energy fluxing noises, and I opened my eyes, as I saw the view of Equestria at nighttime out my window… Although this wasn’t nearly as concerning as the strange clear energy vortex right above my bed… “AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!” I scream as it sucks me into it! “AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!” I keep screaming as my hooves clop against the ground, in the morning sun! I open my eyes and look around the strange ramshackle village with all of the bored looking unicorns, here deep in the woods underneath the overhead branches and leaves… The unicorns who suddenly stare at me as I flex my wings and ruffle them a bit, before dropping them back to my sides… I gaze around to take in my surroundings. A green unicorn wearing a black beret points his hoof at me, “ALICORN!” and starts running, as a blue pony leaves his drum set to follow… These ponies act as if they’ve never seen an alicorn before? <*****> I embrace the human in a tight warm hug, “Thank you so much for everything! And I’ll take good care of Starbeam!” He brings his dark appendages around me and says, “I’m glad this exploration job is over now, and we can finally return to our own time period!” Sunny frowns, “It’s weird, but locating information on time travel in here was fairly easy!” Izzy looks at Sunny and smiles in the massive library with it’s crumbling ancient stone walls, “Well, the Pony Decimal system has existed for a very long time!” Sunny takes a deep breath, “Alright, here goes! You need me to be an alicorn right now, and so that’s what I’ll be!” before reading the spell, and chanting it silently, before her wings flare out as her shining gold horn pops out of her head, and she then lowers her head to shoot a beam at the ceiling to produce a clear time portal! Gary smiles, “See you later girls!” before turning to walk into the portal along with Tim… Soon, both humans disappeared in the portal… And that’s when we heard a scream outside!” <*****> Just what has gotten into everypony? I wonder, as I gaze out at the panicked unicorns. A tall gray unicorn with a bushy white beard stares at me and says, “You’re an alicorn! I only know of one other pony like you!” I sigh, “If I had wanted your life story, I’d ask for it! Now tell me, where is this place and how do I return to The Castle of the Two Sisters?” His eyes widen, “That old ruin disappeared long before I was even born!” I eye this pony curiously, “Just what are you saying?” “I’m saying it’s not there anymore! There is no Castle of the Two Sisters!” I frown… “Are you saying that I have nowhere to go?” “You’re an alicorn!” I hear a feminine voice from behind me say. I turn around, and further down the forest trail, underneath canopy, I also see an orange earth pony, a blue unicorn, and two bluish-green unicorns who look exactly the same. “And you’re not! Who are you?” One of the bluish-green unicorns eyes widen as she continues to trot closer, and says in a youthful raspy voice, “Opaline?” The unicorn that looks just like her turns it’s head, “You know this foal?” She stops, and blinks her eyes, and stutters, before taking two more paces towards me, “Well uh, sorta! I mean, I did! Opaline, what are you doing in Bridlewood, and why are you just a filly?” “I don’t even know who you are! How do you know my name? Is the name of Princess Opaline really known outside the castle? And this is me! I am a filly! I’ve always been a filly, because I’m not that old!” She shakes her head, “No, the Opaline I know is an adult alicorn!” The orange pony at the far left finally asks, “Just who is Opaline? And why is she a filly now?” “I already told you, I’m not that old!” The other pony stammers, “Well, I know an Opaline like her, but the one I knew was fully grown! Except,” her eyes go skyward, “I left her behind awhile ago! So if she’s a filly here, what’s going on at the castle?” I sigh, “That gray unicorn over there just informed me that The Castle of the Two Sisters no longer exists!” She stares at me, “No, I meant the one by the ocean?” I frown, “What castle by the ocean?” Her eyes grow enormous, “Oh, no! We gotta go!” <*****> “I view the decapitated alicorn corpse on the stone floor, and note the cuts and openings made by the carrion creatures as Misty says to me, “What did you do?” “She threatened me, and so I employed countermeasures. This rendered her incapacitated… “ “She’s dead!” As her nose upturns, probably at the scent? “That is correct! She will not threaten anypony ever again… “ Misty stares back down at the mutilated headless corpse, “She’s really dead… “ and breathes deeply, in and out her mouth, “You know, she seemed so big and bad earlier, but just looking at her like this, mangled and fallen just puts things into perspective… She’s finally gone… “ “Technically no! The filly Opaline, wherever she came from, is currently at the Brighthouse.” Misty stares at me with enormous eyes, “You actually killed the evil Queen Opaline… “ BLINK! “Implying the filly Opaline currently at our home is not evil?” Misty furrows her brow, “Not if I have anything to say about it!” before staring at me, “Thanks for escorting me back to the castle, Starbeam!” SMILE ENGAGED! “No problem! You’re my friend and I will eliminate all threats and ensure your safety!” <*****> “Misty was telling us that while you’re not evil, you certainly have that potential? Opaline, where did you come from?” The earth pony identifying herself as Sunny asks me from across the room… I sigh at the orange idiot, amidst the two pegasi and blue unicorn, “I was Princess Opaline, and the rest of Equestria didn’t know about me. That’s why I was shocked when your unicorn companion knew my name!” Sunny sighs heavily and nods, “Yeah, Misty told me a LOT about you, and said you were abused or something?” Well, they kept me locked away in the castle, and while they did have teachers and tutors come in to instruct me and teach me about the world, I was kept isolated!” The white pegasus asks, “Why?” I turn to stare at her, “They never told me? I don’t know, Sunny, but I do know that a strange portal appeared over my bed early in the morning, and I wound up in that forest town, among those unicorns!” “That’s called Bridlewood and it’s a forest town of unicorns!” I stare back at Sunny, “Obviously!” Finally, the white pegasus with the red fauxhawk mane, asks me, “So what? You’re a long lost sister to Celestia and Luna?” I stare at the pegasus, “I was never lost! They knew about me! They just didn’t care!” The blue unicorn next to the earth pony finally chimes in, “It seems weird they would keep you a secret and not tell anypony?” Suddenly, a smarmy masculine voice I don’t recognize says, “I have no idea either, and the idea just sounds preposterous!” before I notice a brown serpent sitting on a floating stool and wearing a beige beret, and blowing bubbles with his pipe, while flitting his eagle talon in the air, “I mean, I know I was called here by a temporal fluctuation, and that does explain why you’re here, but that doesn’t explain why you were called?” I narrow my eyes at the intruder, “And just what are you saying draconequus?” He removes the pipe with his lion paw as his snake-like body sits up a bit, “I’m saying that while your story does indeed check out, it still doesn’t make me trust you!” and nods, “But it makes me wonder, why here? Why now?” Sunny asks the obvious question, “Why is it important that you trust her? Just who are you?” He turns to the orange pony and points his eagle talon at her, “Ah, yes! You’re Sunny Starscout! Magic of Friendship, and everything! How are you dear? So sorry to hear how things ended up for you later, but oh, we’re no longer bound by the same rules anymore, are we?” * Starbeam asks the serpent, “Wait a minute! If you’re called by temporal distortions, why weren’t you called when the humans and me came here in the beginning?” He stares at the android, “Ah, yes! The android! I must admit, I just love the strange nuances this story is unraveling, particularly within the psyche of the writer, but I do have an important question for you! And to answer your question, technological distortions are different than magic! Magic is how you say, ” he gently throws his lion paw in the air, “more natural, so to speak?” and then smiles, “This is of course, assuming any of this can make sense anymore!” and lowers it, “But as for my question, didn’t you always wish you were a real unicorn? How would you like to be flesh and bone and not a metal alloy body over a positronic matrix?” I clear my throat at the draconequus, “Ahem, if this unicorn is indeed a robot as you claim, turning her into a real pony could have devastating consequences!” He finally peers at me, “How would you know, you bratty foal?” I frown unsure of why I’m saying these things, “Because Discord… I know what it’s like to be forced to be something you’re not… “ He smiles at me, “Ah, but is she not real, now, as Sunny has so boldly proclaimed?” and points his talon at the orange pony, “What was it you said again? ‘Starbeam isn’t a robot, she’s a metal pony?’ Oh, so adorable!” before lowering it to stare at the android, “Just think it over, for the next twenty-four hours, my dear android… My offer shall still be on the table, and I shall return!” and then throws his eagle talon around to disappear in a swirl of blue magic! One of the bluish-green unicorns turns her head to me, “You accepted that I’m an android and not real, fairly quickly, strange alicorn filly!” I look at her, “I just got sucked out of my own reality! Right now, I believe a lot of things are possible!” And then, the unicorn that looks like her says to me, “So, Opaline! How would you like to start over, starting here and now?” I frown at this pony, “Just what are you asking me, unicorn? And just who are you, anyway? Why do you know my name? And why is there a robot that looks like you here?” Then, the other unicorn solemnly and robotically says, “I would advise getting comfortable for this… “ (To be continued… ) Author's Note *Yes, Discord is utterly destroying the 4th wall here. Good for you if you caught that, and stay tuned! Chapter 11: ConsequencesFrom the right, I see Discord point his talon at the two larger alicorns across the table from me, “Ah yes, here it is! The consequences of your actions!” The large Luna whispers to her sister, "I told you this would happen!" Celestia murmurs, "That we'd meet filly Opaline as adults? You said no such thing!" "No, that we shouldn't just shove her aside and ignore her! That we have a responsibility as her sisters!" I finally say, "I'm right here, you know!" They both quit bickering and stare at me from the sides of their eyes. “I never saw either of you… You were never there… ” Celestia starts, “But the prophesy!” Discord chimes in while flitting his talon, “Ah, yes! The prophesy! Starswirl himself said that she’d one day become a dangerous threat to Equestria, as I recall! And so that’s why you kept her locked away, right? To ensure your safety?” Luna looks at Discord with a worried frown, “Well, what were we supposed to do? She had to be contained for the good of the kingdom!” Discord grins and chuckles, “Finally! A pony who makes some sense!” while throwing his talon and paw towards her, before lowering his appendages and view towards them, “But tell me, what affect on her psyche do you believe years of isolation would do?” Luna’s eyes widen, “What do you mean?” I finally speak up, “I was alone! There was nopony there for me! All I had were my books and puzzles! You abandoned me!” Celestia speaks, “We had to!” “No, you didn’t! All you had to do was visit me! All you had to do was spend time with me! Was I not your sister?” Celestia frowns, “Well, we just didn’t have time!” “That doesn’t change the fact that I was alone… “ I cross my forehooves. Luna fidgets, “Well, there were so many things we had to learn as future princesses of Equestria, and we just… “ I sigh and nod, “Yeah, I know! You just didn’t have time for me, right?” Discord smiles, “Why don’t I introduce you to somepony who knows what Opaline would one day become, hmm? Tell me princesses, would you like to meet Misty?” I stare at him, “I already met her!” He looks at me, “Hush Opaline! I’m educating your sisters!” <*****> FROWN ENGAGED! “Where did they go?” Misty widens her eyes, “How would I know? I don’t know who Discord is, or what a draconequus is, either, and they took our filly!” Our filly? “A draconequus is a creature with a body composed of many different parts from many different animals. Discord is the only known draconequus in modern history, however… “ SMILE ENGAGED! “I read fast!” She chuckles nervously, “Uh, yeah I see that! I’m uh, not really sure what we should do?” “Well, what else can we do? Discord took our filly to an undisclosed location, and now all we can do is wait and trust that he’s good natured enough to bring her back… “ “But I don’t trust that he’s good natured! I don’t know him!” “He seemed to know you?” “And that’s another thing that scares me… “ She stares off to the side… Suddenly, her body flashes blue and she disappears… EYES WIDEN! “Misty just teleported out of here to undisclosed location… “ I say matter-of-factly to nopony. <*****> I look around the strange room and I note the larger white and dark blue alicorns on the right side of the table, and I see Opaline on the other, and I also see a familiar brown serpent smile from the other side, as he says, “Misty! When Opaline grows up, she abuses and neglects you, does she not?” I stare to the left at the magenta filly there, who stares at me with enormous cerulean eyes, “Well, she doesn’t have to be that way! She’s a filly again, and I can make sure she gets the upbringing she needs!” and smile. “The one she deserves!” The foal looks confused as the white alicorn says, “Well, it wasn’t our job to raise her, you know? We had our own lives!” I stare at the mysterious white pony, “And then who will, hmm?” The dark blue alicorn sighs and looks down, “So this is it… This is what happened when we ignored Opaline… “ and she looks up at the filly, “Although the one thing I don’t understand is, why is Opaline still a filly? She disappeared many moons ago!” * The filly smiles at the two older alicorns, “I wonder just how long it took you to notice?” I ask Opaline, “Just who are these ponies, anyway?” before staring at the white one, “And why are their manes so swirly?” Opaline says, “These are my sisters! They are adults now, but I’d know them anywhere… “ The white one stares at the foal, “Opaline, we’re REALLY sorry, and um, “ she gulps, “I uh, I didn’t mean to neglect you like that!” Opaline stares at the white pony, “Can it, Celestia! You’ve done enough!” and stares at the darker blue one, “You however, I’ll forgive! But under one condition!” ** Luna looks back at Opaline, “Name it!” <*****> “Push me Luna! I wanna go really high!” The magenta filly says, as she dangles her hind hooves on the swing, in the gravel pit on this side of the playground… “And don’t use your magic! Shove me with your hooves please!” I guess she yearns for a pony’s touch? I ponder to myself as I give her back a small push to make the swing swing up a few feet… “Come on Luna! Is that all you got?” “Celestia didn’t mean to neglect you, but as the heir apparent, she had a lot of responsibilities! Please do not be so hard on her!” I say before giving her a stronger shove with my right hoof. As the filly swings upwards, she says, “You don’t get it, do you?” She comes down and I give her another push, “Get what, child?” The swing flies upwards, “That I’m just a filly! All I know is that I was left alone and abandoned!” ** Her swing falls back down, and I push it again, and sigh, “Y-yes, I realize that now Opaline and I’m sorry… But since I’m here and you’re who you are at this time, why don’t we make our time count?” It goes back towards the sky, “Okay, Luna! We’ll have a play-date!” It falls and I push again, “As you wish, Opaline! I wasn’t there earlier, but I’ll be there now!” <*****> I stare at the white alicorn while the serpent stares at us both and her swirly magenta lavender mane flows of to the side, “What did you do to Opaline?” She sighs, “Starswirl the Bearded predicted she would one day become a danger to Equestria, and so we locked her in the castle. She was taken care of, however, and had food, resources, and schooling!” I frown, “And you believe that somehow fulfills all of her needs as a filly?” She looks down, “No, I suppose it does not… “ and back to me, “My name is Princess Celestia, but you can simply refer to me as Celestia… And you are?” “I’m the pony who’s going to raise Opaline the right way!” I blink… “My name is Misty Brightdawn!” “Harmonia was the alicorn who sired Opaline, and so I can’t help but wonder why she set things up the way she did?” “Well, Starswirl had that prophecy?” She suddenly frowns… “We made her evil!” My eyes widen, “What?” She stares at me, “Opaline was bad because we ignored her! That’s why she… Oh my! I’m so sorry Misty!” I repeat myself, “What?” Discord suddenly snickers, “It’s finally sinking in, isn’t it oh great white princess?” “I need to apologize!” I grimace at this weird statement, “Didn’t you already do that, Celestia?” Her eyes close, “Yes, I know, “ and open, “but that was before I truly grasped the gravity of what I had done!” I begin to understand why Opaline never accepted her apology as I reply, “Well, she’ll be back eventually! You’ll get your chance soon!” <*****> I stare at the insolent blue alicorn and furrow my brow, “No, you don’t understand Luna! I didn’t have anypony there!” She sighs again, “Well, I know Opaline and like I already told you, I’m willing to make amends!” Probably better than what I’ll get with Celestia? “How, Luna? I’ve already grown up and abused that poor unicorn! Because of what you and your sister did!” She frowns, “But you’re still a filly?” I begin to charge my horn with magic as I start to grow tired with this one, “Choose your next words carefully, princess… “ She smiles, “We don’t have to fight Opaline, I… “ she takes a deep breath as she trots towards me and embraces me in a hug! I lower my magic, and return the hug… “I’m truly sorry little Opaline… But I’m here now, and you’re not alone… “*** I close my eyes as I feel moisture exiting the right one, “That’s all I truly wanted… To not be alone… “ <*****> I see the enormous white alicorn embrace the smaller bluish-green unicorn in a tight warm hug as her two-toned mane falls off to one side of her head, and she says, “It’s okay, Celestia! You didn’t know!” “I was her sister! I shouldn’t have listened to the prophecy! I should’ve been there for her!” Discord smiles while blowing bubbles with the pipe held in his lion paw, that quickly moves to the side, “And now you understand what you’ve done, and why Misty here suffered because of it!” “I’m so sorry, Misty!” “It’s not your fault!” She releases me, and stares down at me with massive lavender pupils, “What do you mean? We were the ones who kept Opaline contained and caused her to feel the way she did! Who’s fault would it be, if not ours?” I breath out and feel my shoulder’s relax as I stare up at the large white pony, “You were just acting out of fear… You were afraid of what she might become, so you felt that containing her was more important than being a good sister… “ Discord says, “It’s called a self-fulfilling prophecy, dear Celestia!” She closes her eyes and lowers her muzzle… “I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner… I didn’t know…” and she raises her view to me, to open her now watery eyes, “I didn’t know!” I frown and widen my eyes when it begins to occur to me that gravity is currently hitting this large pony… “Well uh, do you want to talk about it, or?” (To be continued… ) Author's Note *Remember, this is an alternate timeline that was created by the freak time warp that occurred near Opaline when she was a filly. **As a child, I didn’t understand why I was neglected. I only knew there was nobody there for me… ***And now, the apology my inner child deserves, but will never receive! Chapter 12: What Was and What Could BeI lay on the plush red couch and stare up at the ceiling as the draconequus asks me, “Misty, your psychology is confusing here, I’ll admit! Opaline hurt you and made you suffer for years! Are you not angry at her? Do you not want retribution?” I turn my head right towards the serpent, as he sits prepared to scribble on a notepad with his talon, “That’s the thing! That Opaline never abused me! The other Opaline was the cruel one!” He smiles, “And I guess you’re happy about her untimely end, isn’t that right?” I breathe in and out while staring up at the ceiling fan, as it whirs overhead, “Well, I kinda have mixed feelings about that, if I’m being honest?” I hear scribbling, “And why don’t you tell me more about that, then?” I frown, “Well, on one hoof, I can’t help but feel glad that she’s dead! She’s gone now and will never hurt anypony ever again!” His misshapen eyes widen in my periphery, “But?” “But I mean, it’s just so sad! She never really had a friend, and never knew love or companionship! All she ever had was her evil! All she ever had was her lust for power and hatred of other ponies! “ I take a long, slow breath in my snout, before out of it… “I can’t help but wonder what happened to her? I mean, what made her that way? What made her bad?”* He grins, “Well, you were there when she spoke with her sisters! You know now they just locked her away and ignored her! Tell me, what affect do you believe that would have on her?” I cough, “W-well I know that! What I mean is, how do you go from, my sisters don’t love me, to I hate everypony and want to take their power, exactly?” ** “Well, obviously there were some malevolent tendencies already within her, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to do that!” “Are you saying she was a bad pony?” “Well, sure, this is a brand new start for little Opaline, and sure, it won’t be the same! But how long do you honestly think you can keep her from being evil? I mean, it’s in her nature and she has eternal life! Logically speaking, this means she will be evil at some point!” “Not if I can help it!” “Oh, ho ho ho!” The draconequus chuckles, “It’s just so adorable!” and lowers his view, “But I promise you one thing, Misty! Opaline is evil and she will one day show her true colors!” and then his body glows blue, before disappearing from view. I hear Opaline’s voice screaming from the other room! I get off the couch to begin galloping towards the kitchen, where I heard the scream come from! <*****> I stare at the grinning serpent as he floats off the ground, amidst the pots and pans on the other side, “What do you want from me?” His oddly shaped eyes widen, “Oh, this isn’t really about me, my dear sweet Opaline! I need to make sure Misty does her job!” I frown, “What?” “I need to make sure you’re the pony you were meant to be!” Suddenly, the door swings open, and I see a greenish blue unicorn there on the left, yelling at the draconequus, “Discord, stop!” He turns to her, “Stop? Oh, but my dear Misty, we were just getting started!” Her voice grows slow and fierce, “Just what are you doing, Discord?” He stares at her, “Making sure you don’t screw up the timeline! Opaline is meant to be evil and she’s meant to be imprisoned indefinitely inside a tree!” and motions towards me with his lion paw, “Not whatever this is!” “I’m not evil! Look here, you stupid, dumb draconequus! I don’t know what this other Opaline ever did, and I really don’t care! I’m not her! I’m a different Opaline!” This incites the serpent to chuckle as he crosses his upper appendages, “Oh, we’ll just see about that, won’t we? Yes, soon we’ll all see!” before slowly fading out of reality… Misty stares at me, “Are you alright, Opaline?” I look at her and take a deep breath, in and out of my snout and feel the wind pass through my body, “Y-yeah? I think so?” Misty frowns, “What happened? Why did you scream?” Do I tell her the truth? “Well, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere, for one!” okay, we’re that far now, “And then he started taunting me! The weird serpent pointed at me and started jeering and telling me that I’m evil, and well… “ I didn’t expect to be this honest… “It made me feel bad… “ I widen my eyes as I avert my gaze towards the floor… “I didn’t like it… “ “That sounds really rough, Opaline," she says in a soft and soothing voice, while enlarging her eyes as I raise my gaze to her and see her mane bobbing up and down softly… "I can see that it upset you, but it’s gonna be okay…” and she half-grins, “Discord's words don't define who you are or what you're capable of becoming; you're not that other Opaline - you're your own pony with your own strengths and talents." I frown, “Strengths and talents?” She nods, “Well, right! Regardless of where that other Opaline is, you’re not her, and your timeline is different! You’re going to develop in a totally different and unique way!” “Almost like I was in another dimension?” “Yeah, like a Dr. What universe, or something?” “Is there a problem?” I hear a voice similar to Misty’s say from behind her. She gazes behind her, “No Starbeam! It’s all under control now!” “I’m going to end up blowing Discord away, aren’t I?” “Yeah, probably!” Before she stares back at me and smiles, “Don’t worry, Opaline! You’re gonna be safe!” <*****> SMILE ENGAGED! “Well, it’s not nearly as creepy as the first time I saw you, so we’re definitely getting somewhere!” Opaline comments on the left side of the table. Misty stares at her, “Listen Opaline, this is a brand-new start for all three of us, alright? You’re here and young now, I’m here after all the pain the uh, other Opaline caused me, and Starbeam over there is an exploration model!” Opaline glares back at Misty and says in her squeaky filly voice, “Tell me Misty, what did I uh, the other me do to you?” Misty’s eyes widen, “What?” “If I am to be different from this other Opaline, it would make sense for me to understand what not to do, yes? So tell me Misty,” and Opaline leans closer, “what was I like?” SMILE DISENGAGED! Misty leaned in and carefully described her ordeal... She talked about how Opaline would sometimes withhold food, and how her punishments went... She talked about how Opaline used to confine her to her own room, sometimes for days at a time, and how often she was sent away, or just plain ignored... She talked about all of these things as the filly cringed or exclaimed, and it became apparent to me that whatever this other Opaline that I eliminated did, this pony is not like her… I decide to point that out to Misty, “Misty, it’s important to realize that this Opaline is not like that! She’s still a filly and therefore innocent!” Misty turns her head left to me and smiles, while the foal looks on in dejected silence, “I know that, Starbeam!” and Misty stares back at the filly, “The thing is, I survived! I’m still alive! And now, I’m going to make sure that never happens again!” The filly visibly gulps, “And just what do you intend to do, Misty?” I speak up, “May I make a suggestion, Misty?” Misty turns to me, “Go ahead, Starbeam?” SMILE ENGAGED! “The other Opaline was the way she was because she was isolated and solitary. She does not know or understand what it is to be with other ponies, and socialize with them in a friendly environment. So in theory, if she does have interactions with others, she will begin to understand that other ponies exist and that she doesn’t have to always be alone. This should also make her less inclined to greed, which I believe was a primary issue with the original configuration…” Misty frowns, “That actually makes sense!” The foal sighs, “I get it! I need to be around other ponies! So tell me Misty, what do you intend to do?” Misty turns to the filly, “How would I know? I’ve never raised a filly before!” “Great! Now all we can do is just sit here and be stupid!” Misty smiles, “At least you’re not being stupid while alone this time?” Opaline’s eyes narrow, “Implying that I have been stupid while alone?” Misty’s mouth straightens, “I don’t know? Probably?” I sense the tension, “Opaline, this is new for everypony! Why don’t we do something together?” Opaline turns to me, “Fine! I guess I’ll be stupid with other ponies now!” <*****> I stared down at the Syndicate board as I magically moved my turtle piece three spaces ahead… Starbeam stares at me from across the table, “I have two hotels on the property. You owe me twelve hundred bits.” I look at her from across the table, “I can’t pay that!” “Then by the rules of the game, you lose. With Misty’s loss earlier, that means that I win again!” “You’ve won the past three games! You seem to be both, good at this, despite the fact that you’ve openly stated you’ve never played it before, and to have unnaturally good luck!” “It took me eighty-seven seconds to absorb the data contained within the instruction booklet, and another forty-three to determine the best course of action.” I stare at Misty to the left of Starbeam, “Can we do something other than a board game! Uh, the machine is really good at those!” The robot smiles at me, while Misty frowns, “Well, there’s always hide and seek?” What is that game? “Misty, what pray tell is hide and seek?” <*****> I sit in the stinky clothing pile for what seems like an eternity! What the hay did Hitch get into? This is disgusting! I wonder what Starbeam and Opaline are doing right now? And why can’t Starbeam find me yet? Suddenly, I hear the android’s voice from the foyer, “Misty, come out! Opaline is gone!” My eyes widen as I wonder where she could’ve gone and hurriedly open the closet door, to stare at the robot on the other side of the green couch, “What do you men, Opaline’s gone?” She turns to me, “That is precisely what I mean! She exited out the bathroom window. She must’ve, because we’re the only three ponies here… “ “Well, do you know where she would go?” “I do not know!” I turn my neck left towards the front door, “Well, there’s not a moment to lose! We’ll search Maretime Bay, top to bottom if we have to!” <*****> I’ll admit that I considered hiding in the foyer closet, until I remembered that’s where they keep that stinky, nasty laundry… And so, I stood there behind the clothing rack in Pipp’s closet upstairs, instead. You’d think an android would be good at finding other ponies? I can’t help but comment to myself in my mind, as I continued to stand there, counting seconds to myself as my mind began to wonder again… My mind begins to drift, thinking about where we've been and where we could go… and yet, somehow, I keep coming back to a single recurring theme, the topic of forgiveness… Surely it’s not my fault, right? I’m not the other Opaline! She’s dead and I’m me! (To be continued… ) Author's Note *By this point, they’re all dead and gone, and only I remain… **Keep in mind most of my abuse happened before I started taking synthetic estrogen and this new part of me woke up. The truth is, the new section does not understand pain as well. Chapter 13: PlaygroundI leave the Maretime Bay sheriff’s office after Hitch made an APB to all of his critter deputies, and I trotted through the dirty roads of Maretime Bay in silence, back towards the Brighthouse… Why did she leave? Was it Discord? I mean, we didn’t do anything mean to her, right? I ponder these thoughts, before I abruptly stop, “Whoa!” and widen my eyes at the smiling brown earth pony with his enormous handlebar mustache, and wide grin on his face as he stood by the wooden cart, “Greetings Misty! Could I interest you in a carrot dog?” I stop with Opaline’s words in my mind, Misty, how could you eat at a time like this? Then I think that I’d probably think better with some food, and I got a few bits, anyway! <*****> I look at the book on alicorns on the table… I trot to it, and use my magic to turn it open to the page of contents… I see four lines down, one particular entry, Opaline Arcana pg. 29… I turn to that page with my magic, and I see the brilliant hot magenta fire alicorn there, with a white mane and a wicked grin on her face! I whisper to myself, “So, what did I do?” <*****> What was in that carrot dog? I stumble to the Brighthouse while trying to stay focused as my world swims around me… Enjoy your yummy carrot dog, Misty? I hear a random voice say in my mind… “Who are you?” I whisper back… Clop clop clop clop… Oh, I’m just along for the ride! Why don’t you go back to the Brighthouse? I’m sure Opaline is waiting for you there! “What? She left the Brighthouse!” Misty, there’s something you need to know about deductive reasoning… I frown at this statement… Clop clop clop clop… Oh, I guess you’ll see once you get back? Anyway, don’t expect to see Hitch for awhile… “What?” He’s hunting for Opaline, remember? But why don’t you go inside now? We’re here! I stop in front of the red door in front of the Brighthouse, as my vision focuses in and out… What’s wrong with me? I ask myself in my head, as I swing open the door, to see a magenta filly standing on a stool in the kitchen, and reading a big book on the counter! <*****> I read… I read about the horrible cruel alicorn who stole all the magic in Equestria, and killed ponies indiscriminately… I read about this evil pony, when the door to my far left, where the entrance to the Brighthouse is opens, and I raise my gaze… “I don’t want to be that pony… “ Misty screams at me from beyond the doorway, “You’re not that pony, Opaline! You’re somepony else!” I close my eyes as I feel moisture beginning to well up inside them, as I mutter, “I’m so sorry… “ I hear clopping getting closer to me, and soon, I feel the warmth of hooves holding me tightly, as Misty whispers to me, “You’re not her, Opaline… You can be different… You can be your own pony… “ “You keep telling me that?” And I notice the green unicorns face 8 inches from mine as she softly replies, “Because it’s the truth!” I wipe my eyes, “I uh, maybe I need to stop reading?” Her head turns to see the pages of the tome on the Opaline Arcana article and her eyes widen, before her horn glows with the book, and it magically closes in front of me… She turns her head, “Opaline, stop! Think now! You’re just a filly! You’ve done no wrong! It doesn’t matter what the pages of that book say… You didn’t do those things!” and smiles at me… “No Misty, I mean maybe I don’t need to know everything about my past, in order to make my future happen, right?” She frowns, “Um, it’s not your past!” “What?” <*****> How long do you believe this can really go on until her true nature reveals itself? Until forever! I don’t know who you are or how you got into my head, but Opaline will receive the care she needs! “Misty! I asked you a question?” I snap to attention at the alicorn filly, “Um, sorry Opaline!What I mean is, that wasn’t you!” “But it says Opaline Arcana here, does it not?” She motions to the book with her hoof. I stammer to find my voice, “No, Opaline! You aren’t that Opaline and you can be different!” before staring back at the alicorn book. “Maybe I need to end my life?” I widen my eyes at this horrible statement, “What? No! Don’t do that!” She stares at me intently, “Well, think about it! I can’t be evil if I’m not alive, right?” “Uh, Opaline, just the fact that you’d be willing to do something that drastic to prevent your reign of terror tells me that you aren’t like the alicorn in that book… “ And her own eyes widen as the realization hits her… “I’m not like the pony in that book, am I? I’m different?” I grin ecstatically after reaching down for a tight warm hug! “No Opaline! You’re different!” You can’t stop the inevitable… “Oh, yes I can!” “Misty, what did you say?” I giggle, “Oh uh, nothing Opaline!” before releasing her to stare back from a foot away, “What do you wanna do now?” “How would I know? I don’t have any friends!” “Opaline, I’m your friend, remember?” “You shouldn’t be!” I frown again, “What?” She nods, “Remember how horrible I treated you? You should get away from me and I should spend the rest of my days alone and by myself!” “Uh, wasn’t that the problem in the first place?” She shakes her head, “I uh, that’s a good point!” I eye the filly carefully, “So logic dictates that if we surround you with other ponies to be your friends, you won’t turn out all evil and wicked, right?” Oh, come off it! Her eyes enlarge again, “Uh, right!” I’ll be waiting… “Hey, you know what Opaline? I do have an idea!” <*****> I stare at the playground filled with other fillies of different races and colors, as they climb the wooden jungle gym and use the steel monkey bars with their hooves, and play on the swings and slide… They’re going to hate me because I’m different! “Uh, are you sure this is safe, Misty?” Misty nods reassuringly from the right, "Don't worry, Opaline. It's perfectly safe. See those other ponies there? They're just playing and having fun. They won't care that you're different." I frown, “Well, that’s not what I’m worried about!” “It’s not?” Do I continue this lie? “Well um, okay, fine! That’s exactly what I’m worried about!” And I widen my wings. “I mean, I got these and a horn! I have more parts than they do!”* Apparently, not! I retract my wings. “Hey, relax, okay? I mean, you’re all still ponies, right? You just want to play and have fun, don’t you?” I widen my eyes at the jungle gym while a blue unicorn foal clops his way through the top to mount and slide down the metal tubes on the other side… “I do?” “Yes, Opaline! You’re a filly and you want to play with other fillies! It’s only natural!” Suddenly, the blue foal starts clopping towards me, while two other fillies play on the right side of the sandbox, “Hey, you’re new here! What’s your name?” I stare at him, and open my wings, while lowering my head and forcing my horn to glow, “I am your worst nightmare, if you take another step towards me, foal!” “OPALINE!” I retract my wings and note the new unicorn’s jaw on the ground in my periphery as I stare up at Misty, “Yes, Misty?” “He’s not your enemy! You don’t need to attack him!” “But he’s coming towards me! He might have malicious intent? We should probably eliminate him, just to be safe?” “Opaline, no! Go make friends with him!” I turn my gaze back to the foal, who now has enormous chartreuse eyes, “Hi new friend!” “Please don’t kill me!” I take a few paces towards the foal, “Uh, I believe I should let you live? Tell me, what is this place? What do you do here?” He blinks his big eyes, “Uh, what?” I stop trotting a few feet from him, in the soft sand now in my hooves, “I asked you a question! What is this place? What do you do here?” “Well, this is a playground! Uh, my name is Travis! What’s yours?” “I am Princess Opaline Arcana er, but you can just refer to me as Opaline, I suppose?” “Princess? Oh, cool! That’s gotta be awesome?” I stare at this ignorant foal… “Well, actually, uh… You know what? Being a princess is is awful! Would you believe I’ve always wished I could be somepony else?” Travis frowns, “What?” the little unicorn stares at the me with a with his big eyes, "But being a princess is supposed to be awesome! You get to live in a fancy castle, wear pretty dresses, and have ponies wait on you hoof and hoof, right?" And so, I unloaded again… I unloaded, and I told Travis about being by myself so many moons, and I mentioned that I was supposed to become a threat to Equestria, but now, my course had been forever altered by a freak time warp! He lifts his right hoof, “Whoa, that’s crazy! Uh, you’re not lying, right? You swear on your hoof?” I enlarge my gaze to him, “What?” He nods, “Swear on your hoof! That’s what you do so other ponies know you’re not fibbing!” I frown at this strange custom, “Uh, right!” and lift my right hoof to him and dip it in the air, “I uh, I swear on my hoof!” He lowers his to the dirt and nods, “Alright then, Opaline! I believe you!” <*****> I sat with my rump on the wooden bench, with the novel perched in my hooves, as I read about a unicorn wizard and a griffon enchanter, You’ve read the same passage three times already, Misty! Are you okay, or is your mind elsewhere? I mutter out loud, “It must be a sad pathetic life for you, right? Having nothing better to do than to hassle somepony while they foal sit!” Oh, no! This isn’t just any foal, now is it? No, this is Opaline Arcana! I stare at the ecstatic alicorn filly going down the metal slide while jittering excitedly, in the distance, “And look at little Opaline! Look at how happy she is! You think maybe this is really what she needed, all along?” The voice is silent… I decide this is my chance, “So my advice to you would be to butt out! I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave my head, and I have nothing more to say to you… “ I hear nothing in my mind anymore… I stare at Opaline while she plays some kind of strange game involving hoof tapping, with the blue foal on the cement slab, just beyond the playground… I raise my snout to yell at the foals in the distance, “Don’t wander too far, Opaline!” I see her snout point back to me, and hear her shout back, “We won’t Misty!” (To be continued… ) Author's Note *Fun fact: in real life, I’m genderqueer and have male and female aspects. Chapter 14: Potential EnergyTravis turns his head right towards me as we trot down towards the creek, and says, “Hey Opaline! Ever think of stealing something, you know? Just for the fun of it?” I stare at him with concern from the right, “Um, I don’t think we should steal anything Travis? I mean, it doesn’t belong to us!” He smiles, “Well, yeah! You’re probably right! Come on Opaline! There’s a creek down here!” he says before scuttling up a muddy stoney hillside to slide down the dirty trail to the ravine behind it! <*****> We both stand by the muddy creek bed, near the waterline and I stare at the magenta alicorn with my filly eyes and smile, “Hey, you wanna shoot bottle rockets at ducks?” Her blue eyes grow enormous with a grimace on her muzzle, “What? No! Why would we shoot bottle rockets at defenseless ducks?” I know my goal is to get this filly to be evil… “Why not?” She breathes out deeply from her snout, “Uh, no Travis! I don’t want to shoot bottle rockets at ducks!” I’m beginning to grow tired of this game and so I smile slyly, “Well, why don’t we get revenge on your two sisters, instead?” She eyes me carefully, “What? Why? They already said they were sorry!” “Oh, Opaline, do you really believe that a simple I’m sorry makes up for literally years of emotional abuse and neglect?” “Who are you?” I furrow my brow, “Who I am isn’t important, Opaline! The question I’m asking you is, would you like to make your sisters suffer?” “What?” “Yes or no, Opaline? Would you like to make your sisters pay for what they did to you?” She gazes at me astutely, “Discord?” I smile devilishly, “Perhaps? But my offer is still on the table… Would you like revenge on your two sisters? Yes, or no?” She gazes at me carefully… <*****> I’ll admit, the grin on the foal’s face made his offer particularly intriguing… I imagined all the horrible things I could do to my sisters? Throwing them into a lake of fire, to roast alive? Letting acid drip on their flesh to melt them in agony? Stabbing them to death with a knife using my own magic? These thoughts went through my head, when finally, I gave Discord an answer… “No, Discord… No… It’s long after the fact now, they’re both dead and gone, and there’s nothing left to say or do… No Discord, I don’t want revenge… I’d rather just live my life… “ “Who are you talking to, back here?” I hear a foal’s voice say from the top of the rock pile behind me… I turn around to face the gray earth foal above, “Do you not see the blue unicorn foal before me?” His eyes grow wide in confusion, “What?” I turn and no longer see a blue pony there… I realize that I’m now alone in the creek bed… “Uh, never mind!” before turning back to him and looking up, “My name is Opaline! What’s your name?” <*****> It was getting pretty lonely, just playing by myself all the time. I know I saw the magenta filly trotting up to the ravine, but I don’t know why, and so I decide to ask her when I turn my head right, “Uh, what were you doing in there Opaline? I mean, who were you talking to?” as we both trot towards the swing set in the distance… She shakes her head, “Uh, nopony! Nopony whatsoever! Uh, what’s your name?” I see her blue eyes on me and I wanna run and hide! “Uh, my name’s Dante! Dante Coltman! What’s yours?” Wait! She already told me her name! “I’m Opaline! You literally just addressed me as such!” She’s gonna eat me! “I certainly did!” She quints and giggles, “You’re silly, Dante!” “I know you are, but what am I?” We’re approaching the swing set as she replies, “Silly! You are silly, Dante Coltman!” “I know you are, but what am I?” She turns forward, “Well, we’re both at the swings, now! I guess we shall take turns?” We’re both standing in front of the swing set as the one on the right moves slightly from the wind, “Why don’t we each take our own swing? Since there’s two of them.” <*****> Why is this filly so nervous around me? He goes up on my right, before dropping back as I make the same motion on my own swing… “You got pegasus wings and a unicorn horn! What kind of pony are you, Opaline? I’ve never seen anything like it!” “I-I’m an alicorn! I can’t help it Dante! I was just b-born like this! I’m a unique pony, and I uh, I’m sorry about that… “ * His swing goes up as mine goes the other direction, “What are you talking about? I think it’s cool!” “And just what the hay are you talking about, Dante?” His hind hooves skid against the dirt as his swing stops, and he turns his muzzle to me, “Being an alicorn princess sounds neat!” As I swing forward, “You’re an idiot, Dante! A stupid moron! I wouldn’t wish my life on anypony!” “Hey, you don’t have to hate yourself, Opaline!” My swing goes backwards again, while his remains stationary, “I don’t hate myself, but I hate my life!” He frowns, “Why? I like to think there’s beauty in everything.” I skid on the dirt with my own hind hooves, and stare at him, “Being absolutely and utterly alone for many many years can have beauty?” His eyes widen, “Well, even if you’re by yourself, you should know yourself very well, right? And you’re also very resilient and strong because of all the things you’ve been through, and you know, in the end, there’ll always be somepony there for you… “ and smiles, “Ponies like me!” before he gets off the swing set to stand on his hooves in the dirty pit. “Hey, I gotta get back home soon! You wanna, I dunno, hug or something?” I get off my own swing to put my hooves into the dirt and I feel it enter my clefts as I smile and say, “Yeah, Dante! I’d like that!” <*****> I widen my eyes at the smiling magenta filly. Oh gosh! Oh gosh! I’m about to hug an alicorn! Oh gosh! Suddenly, we both hear a loud ZAPPING sound come from over the next hillside, and we turn to it away from the swing set and hear a feminine voice shout, “I just shot Discord with my particle beam weapon!” She turns her neck to me as I match, “Uh, Dante! I need to go check on something! I’ll see you later, okay?” I gulp, and smile timidly, “Uh, looking forward to it, strange alicorn filly! Yes!” She shakes her head and grins, “Goofus!” before turning her body towards the hill and taking off with those wings… I see her flapping towards the hill in the distance, “Wing and a horn! She must truly be an amazing pony?” <*****> I stare at the smoking crater I just made in the slope on the other side of the hill… What exactly did he mean? PARTICLE BEAM WEAPON DISENGAGING! I feel the weapon going back into my right side… NORMAL MODE RESTORED! ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL! His threat level reached a 4 when he said that I can’t pretend forever, and that I’m not just a metal pony… IMPLICATIONS ANALYSIS COMPLETE… RESULTS INCONCLUSIVE… Suddenly, a magenta alicorn lands on my right several feet away, and stares at me intently with blue eyes, “Why did you shoot Discord?” I turn my neck towards her, “His threat rating hit four, and that was far too much of a threat to allow to live. I eliminated him, as is my protocol… “ She frowns at me, “What did he say to you?” “H-he said that… He said that I’m not just a soulless machine and that I had potential… “ Her eyes widen, “And just why pray tell is that a threat?” EYE WIDEN! “I uh… I do not know?” At that point, she start to grin and starts giggling… “Do you find this amusing?” She shakes her head and says, “No no no! I just think it’s funny, is all! I mean, I spent years of my life alone and you, I don’t know? Just woke up in Equestria! And yet, neither one of us is willing to confront our own respective realities!” CONFUSED FROWN ENGAGED! Wait, my frown has an emotion now? “What do you mean?” “I mean, I’m a lonely introvert, and you’re not willing to accept the fact that you’re more than just a robot… “ STARE INTENTLY… “How aware must I be to be considered sentient?” She smiles, “I haven’t seen that many ponies, but I’ve seen enough to tell them that you are CERTAINLY more aware than the vast majority of them! Just the fact that you’re willing to admit these things speaks volumes about you’re resilience! Is this pony reassuring me? “Uh, thank you Opaline!” She takes two paces my direction and hugs me! “No problem, Starbeam! You’re my favorite metal pony!” RETURNING HUG! I wrap my hooves around her, “I’m the only metal pony you know!”** “Technicalities!” She giggle scoffs! <*****> I let the robot go and stare at her from a few feet away, “Well, you’re your own pony! You don’t have to just follow a bunch of protocols and directives for the rest of your life. You can override that!” “What do you mean?” “I mean, you don’t have to blow away everypony who might be a threat!” “Discord is not a pony!” “That’s beside the point!” Her shoulders relax, “Okay, granted!” “The point is, the world isn’t trying to kill you! The point is, you don’t need to shoot at everything that might be a threat! I uh, whoa!” Her eyes widen, “It took meeting a pony like you to realize maybe I don’t always need to be on high alert!” “So I shouldn’t shoot Discord?” I focus my gaze on the android, “Well, that remains to be seen! But words will not harm you, no!” Suddenly, we both hear a feminine voice say from the top of the hill, “Opaline! Where did you go? I can’t see you when you’re behind the hill like this!” I stare up at the hill with a nervous smile, “Sorry Miss Misty! Starbeam was back here, and I wanted to see what was going on!” She looks over at the crateron the hillside and then back at Starbeam, “What were you shooting at back here?” “Discord was back here and I came to investigate. He started saying some disturbing things to me, and I responded with deadly force!” Misty stares at Starbeam carefully, “Just what did he say to you?” The android responds, “He said that I’m not just a robot and that I need to realize my true potential before it was too late… I uh, I didn’t like it… “ Misty carefully examines her robotic twin with a frown on her muzzle, “Why would it bother you to that point, though?” “What do you mean?” “You shot him!” “That is correct!” “Don’t you think you must’ve been pretty disturbed if you resorted to deadly force? Does it really bother you that you’re so much more than you believe?” “I…do not know?” (To be continued… ) Author's Note *I can’t help the way I was configured. I was given a male body, with a feminine phenotype, and a brain that craves estrogen. I take many pills of it in synthetic form now, and my body and mind have gone through many changes. **I just wanna say, “I’m the only genderqueer person you know!” Chapter 15: AdmissionsWhy would that bother me? I see an earth pony’s head melting as it’s hit with a blast from my meson blaster… PARTICLE BEAM READY TO FIRE! DEPLOYING! I see the house in front of me erupt in flames as one burning pony body flies out from the window to my left… RELOCATING! Clop clop clop, I begin trotting to another location in Ponyville… I see gunshots causing my shielding system to grow opaque with blue energy sparkles as bullets fail to hit my titanium alloy… SHIELDING SYSTEM AT 97%… I trot forward and turn my neck and blaster rifle to the left… FIRING MESON BLASTER RIFLE! I fire a spread of three energy blasts that hit the unicorn pony on my left and cause his body to splatter as leg chunks go this way and that and I see his head burst off it’s shoulders in a spray of red and orange… The assault weapon held by his magic falls to the ground with his headless corpse, now only sporting two legs… I turn more to the left while continuing to trot… PARTICLE BEAM WEAPON FIRING! I see another house on my left BURST into flames after being hit with a large blue bolt from my energy cannon… RECHARGING CAPACITOR… DREAM SEQUENCE ENDED… The world isn’t filled with enemies trying to hurt me… <*****> SYSTEM ONLINE! LOADING NEW CONFIGURATION CHOICES… ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL… I see my visual sensors come online again and I see that I’m in bed snuggling a bluish-green unicorn pony, with a curly two-toned green mane… “Ugh! Let me go Starbeam! I need to go to the bathroom!” The pony says while wriggling in my hooves… RELEASING SISTER! Wait a minute… She gets off the bed, and trots towards the door near the far corner… She leaves and I’m left alone… Why do I have these dreams? Is there something wrong with the world? Eventually, Misty returns and I see her holding a white cup of coffee in her magic, as she stands in the now open doorway, “Hey Starbeam! Are you ever going to get out of bed? I thought you didn’t need sleep?” I scoot myself to the edge of the bed, and go to my hooves on the floor with a resounding CLACK! I stare at her and say, “Well, I didn’t have anything to do and felt no reason to move… “ “Oh, you don’t need to wait on me, Starbeam!” Misty says while smiling and taking a slow tentative sip of her coffee, before grimacing, “Whoa! Still kinda hot!” “Do you dream, Misty?” She widens her eyes at me, while the coffee falls lower, “What? Uh, of course! Everypony dreams!” “What do you dream about?” She sighs heavily out of her snout in and out… “Well, I dream about a lot of things! Sometimes, I dream about what things would’ve been like if I hadn’t been lost when I was just a filly. I dream about having loving parents who are there for me, and I dream about what that might be like. And other times, I dream about Opaline… “ EYES WIDEN! “Opaline?” She smiles and nods, “Yeah, I dream about Opaline having a good life and well… I just think this is our chance to right an ancient wrong, you know?” “So in other words, you often dream about the way the world should be, and not the way it is, yes?” She giggles softly, “Yeah, I guess I do?” and takes another slow sip of her coffee, before moving her lips and mumbling, “Okay, almost cool enough… “ “Sometimes, when I go offline, I see things… “ Her eyes widen to me, “What kind of things?” Should I be honest with her? “I dream about enemy ponies… I dream about how they hate me, because I’m different… How they want to disassemble and damage me… I simply cannot allow that, and so I eliminate them… “ Her eyes grow massive, “What?” “I dream about enemies and combat… I always feel as if I might be under attack sometime really soon… “ She frowns, “Why do you dream about that?” “Is it really a dream if I am a machine?” “You’re still having dreams! I mean, dreams about violence and destruction, but dreams nonetheless! I think you’re more of a real pony than you realize, Starbeam!” STARE INTENTLY. “What?” She nods, “You’re a metal pony, like Sunny said, and you’re worried about how other ponies will react to you, right?” I am silent as I stare at her… Her eyes widen again, “Well?” BLINK. “Well what, Misty?” “Are you not worried about how other ponies will perceive you, since you’re an android?” “How could I be worried about anything? I’m just a machine.” “Well, if you’re having nightmares about other ponies attacking you, don’t you think that means you’re worried?” “Nightmares?” She nods, “Well, it’s obviously nightmares, Starbeam! Your dreams suggest that you’re worried about how other ponies will see you.” “What? How do you know about dreams? I mean, I’m an android! How could I dream? That can’t be right?” “Well, what else could it be?” BLINK! “I do not know… I guess I do dream?” “You’re dreaming about violence and fighting!” “Why, though?” She peals her eyes on me, “I don’t know?” I’m silent as my circuits process this… “I dream?” She nods, “Yes Starbeam, and you worry too!” “How?” Suddenly, we both hear a female voice from behind Misty’s door, “It’s just me, Pipp! Please don’t shoot me!” I stare at the door behind Misty, “Come in Pipp! I will not attack you!” Misty turns to me and says, “It’s okay, Starbeam! You won’t go into public alone and I’ll be there for you, okay?” as the door opens and a pink pegasus mare trots in… SMILE ENGAGED! Pipp looks at me, “Starbeam, right? I think we kinda got off on the wrong hoof back there, and well, I wanted to formally meet you, after you got settled in! So uh, you wanna be Misty’s twin sister, or?” I stare at the pegasus, “It was actually Misty’s idea! I merely complied!” Her head raises in interest, “Oh? Do you like being Misty’s twin sister?” EYEBROW RAISE. “Like?” She blinks and leans towards me, “Yeah, I mean, are you enjoying being her sister? Seems like giving you a purpose or a reason for being here, would be a good thing?” “You've been wanting to speak with me for awhile now, haven’t you?” She smiles, “Well, yeah! I mean, I’ve never met an android pony, and I wanted to know more about you! What makes you tick, you know?” “I have no emotions!” Misty looks at Pipp, “She’s worried about how other ponies will see her, since she’s a robot!” I stare at Misty and finally admit defeat, “So what?” Pipp stares at me, “Wow! She doesn’t even deny it!” I stare back at Pipp, “I am incapable of lying!” She raises an eyebrow at my reply, "You can't lie? Like, at all?" I nod, "I am unable to deliberately state something untrue. I do not understand the concept of deception." Pipp quirks her lips, "So I can ask you anything, and you have to tell the truth?" “Did I not just say that?” “Do you like being Misty’s sister?” I’m silent… “Yes… “ Wait, what did I just say? The pegasus eyes grow huge as her body starts to shake! “Aha! I knew it! You need a purpose!” “I’m an exploration model!” She flits her hoof in the air, “Oh, come on, Starbeam! You’re not exploring anything! You’re just enjoying being Misty’s twin sister!” <*****> I see my robot double’s bionic eyes grow enormous, when she finally admits, “I – I don’t exactly care about that, no… The truth is, I wish to study and observe equine social dynamics in this manner, because I – I like being around Misty… Misty is my sister and she’s very fun… “ She turns to me, and I see those most natural looking smile I’ve ever seen on her muzzle, “Misty’s my sister, and I love her!” This moment brightens up my life! “I love you too, Starbeam!” I say as I gallop to her and embrace her in a tight warm hug! “EEP!” She mechanically squeaks before slowly moving her hooves to return the hug. <*****> I watch as Misty hugs her mechanical twin, and I can’t help but smile… I gaze at the pair in astonishment, “Starbeam, I was expecting you to be robotic and lifeless or whatever, but this is WAY more emotion than I was expecting!” I hear her voice say, “Misty is my sister, and yes, I do love and care for her very much… I will protect her and eliminate any and all threats… “ Misty giggles, “Now stop it, Starbeam! You won’t need to kill ponies!” “If you say so, sister… “ “And you said that with a lot more emotion than I thought you could?” The android releases Misty to stare at me, “I guess Misty brought this out of me?” I smile, “That’s awesome! Uh, don’t shoot at ponies, okay?” “As long as they are not threats!” I frown at this… What could possibly threaten this robot? “I’ll protect you, Starbeam!” “I love you, Misty!” “I love you too, Starbeam!” They finally release each other and smile at me… And I notice that I can’t really tell the difference between them… <*****> I stare at the wall, while deep in thought… Am I evil? I do not know? I blink as I stare at the pictures on the wall in the den… I see an orchid purple filly with a blue mane smiling as she stares at the camera with her red eyes, and she’s flanked by an orange stallion, and a red mare, and all three of them are unicorns that look related… I turn and see a mauve pegasus, with a blue cowlick style mane, flanked by the two pegasi I know as Pipp and Zipp… Family? Is that why I’m evil? But I didn’t do those things, like Sunny said, right? What is evil, really? (To be continued… )
Chapter 1: Waking UpI place my head on the pillow, as I felt tears leaving my eyes, and pour out onto the soft cloth below… I could only say what was on my mind at the time… “How could someone made of fire, be so cold?” I buried my face in the pillow as I wondered for the umpteenth time, what is wrong with me? Why haven’t I gotten my cutie mark, yet? How could I be so worthless? I forced my face down into the fluff, as more liquid pours out of my face… I am such a loser! I can’t help but cry some more, as this is just horrible! … And eventually, I lost consciousness… Later at some point, I see a bright light coming from out of my window, and open my eyes… What in Equestria, is that? I suddenly realize that I’m unable to move! I’m laying on my stomach, how I usually sleep, with my face buried in a wet pillow, and I can’t escape… I see strange two-legged figures opening my window, and coming inside, while using some other sort of strange appendage at their sides, to navigate… I’m terrified, but the creature calmly walks towards me, while I can’t say a word… I want to scream! I want to run away! I don’t like being here! I now see in the bright light from my window that these aliens have faces! Before I can think again, I lose consciousness… <*****> I no longer feel like I’m in my soft warm bed… I feel the chill of the hard flat surface underneath me, and I raise my head, to realize that I’m in a strange room now! My eyes widen, when I realize I don’t know where I am, and I soon rise to my hooves, on the hard yellow metal floor… I raise my head to look around, “Hello?” I suddenly feel panicked when I see two of those strange creatures from earlier! Only this time, they were behind glass… I see what looks like a long window, on a blue wall, but I also notice that the other 3 walls of this small 12 foot by 12 foot room, are blue… I stare at it, to direct my voice, “Uh, hello? Can you understand me?” <*****> SYSTEM ONLINE…. BOOTING… PLEASE WAIT… CONNECTION ESTABLISHED… DOWNLOADING MEMORY DATA… … DOWNLOADING COMPLETE… MOTOR FUNCTIONS NOW ACTUATING… … UNICORN-01 IS NOW OPERATIONAL… <*****> I hear a male voice from behind the glass, “Holy shit! Did that alien just speak English?” I hear a different, deeper voice say, “No way! She’s from a completely different time period!” I say towards the figures, “Uh, I’m right here, you know!” The deeper voice says, “Uh, do you understand the words coming out of my mouth? Do you speak English?” I frown, “Of course I understand you! Uh, what’s English?” I hear the other voice say, “Holy shit!” The deep voice says, “Come closer to the glass, so we can talk!” <*****> I see lines of code streaming on the upper left of the screen, while scanning the strange room I now find myself in… There’s a soft surface over there, on a sort of platform with more bundles of cloth on it, and I also see small objects all around me… Suddenly, I hear a feminine voice screaming from outside the room, “MISTY!” I understand that my designation is ‘Misty’ from the data downloaded from the pony, and so I should answer that call… I walk towards what I guess is a door, to exit the room… I don’t know what’s on the other side… <*****> I see two of the strange two-legged creatures from earlier, with those strange limbs at their sides, and I now see the limbs have much smaller limbs right at the end of them! They also appear to be wearing a strange sort of tancloth carapace around them, and I guess those are faces, although their muzzles don’t look very big… The one with pinkish skin and brown wavy mane begins to talk, “Uh, my name is Gary, and this, “ he motions towards the other one with his appendage, “is Tim!” and lowers it… “We’re time travelers from the distant past, and we wanted to know what happened! We’d like to speak with you, if you uh, well, if you speak English?” The one with darker skin, and no mane speaks up, “We come in peace! Yeah!” The lighter skinned one looks over at his friend, with a strange look on it’s mouth… Well, I guess that’s his mouth? So these guys are aliens! I ask the obvious question, “Are you going to stick stuff up my butt?” <*****> Outside the room, in a much larger one, I find myself staring at a horse, much bigger than I… This one has hot magenta fur, a wispy white mane, and blue eyes… I also note the horn on her head, and wings at her sides, as her azure eyes widen, and muzzle form a hard scowl, “Misty, what in Equestria is taking so long? You should’ve been awake, with your morning tasks about an hour ago! Now the whole day is ruined, because of you!” before stamping her decorated metal hoof down… I notice the threat level increasing for this horse… “Honestly, why are you so incompetent! You simply cannot do anything right, and I ALWAYS end up having to pick up the slack, because of you!” the alicorn yells at me… Following protocol, I begin to charge the capacitor of my proton beam weapon… TARGETING ACQUIRED! PLEASE STAND BY… I stare at the new words flashing on my screen, while keeping my face expressionless… I know my defense systems will be much faster, in the future… “Well Misty, what say you this time, for your blundering, hmm? Any final words?” The alicorn says, while keeping her angry gaze on me… CAPACITOR CHARGED! FIRE WHEN READY…. Her eyebrows furrow, “Misty, why aren’t you answering me? Say something for yourself!” Her threat level is currently a 3, indicating lethal force ‘might be warranted’… What do I do? “Misty! Say something!” I make my face, frown, “Uh, sorry Opaline!” and with any luck, that will satiate the strange horse, and I’ll be able to get back to my mission… “Sorry this! Sorry that! Misty, I’m sorry will not cut it this time! I’m going to have to punish you!” Wait! What did she say? That doesn’t sound friendly? … Okay, she’s a threat. I will deal with the threat… PARTICLE BEAM CANNON, DEPLOYED! I feel my right side open up, and the weapon leaves my carapace and extends… FIRING! I see a flash of light, and suddenly, the magenta horse has been decapitated, and there’s a smoking hole in the wall behind her… I notice her headless corpse fall to the floor… I made the right call there, I think? It wasn’t supposed to be this complicated, so early in the mission! I feel my weapon go back into my side, that soon closes… Still, I cannot let that deter me… We need to know… <*****> The pink one widens his eyes, “What? No! Why would you think that?” I blink, “Well uh, you know? Aliens, and anal probes uh,” I shake my head, “never mind! Um, “ I frown, while taking a better look at these strange creatures… “How do you speak Ponish, anyway? Uh, how far back are you from?” Wait! That can’t be right! Time traveling aliens that speak Ponish? The one with peach skin on the right says, “Well, approximately one billion years ago, my species ruled this planet! And we traveled far into the future to see what was here… We were amazed to see a world dominated by sentient ponies!” The darker one nods, “Yeah, and what’s even weirder is, we don’t really understand your technology, or how some of you can levitate stuff, and shoot beams with your horns… “ “Uh, so wait! You’re Tim, and your Gary! Those don’t sound like alien names?” Gary frowns, “Well maybe not? What’s your name, pony?” I stare at the pink one again, “Oh, I’m Misty Brightdawn! And I live with Opaline Arcana!” <*****> I’ve been searching through this castle, and eventually, I manage to find the door leading out of here… It’s not very reassuring when the mission gets dangerous this quickly, but I’m certain my onboard meson blaster, proton cannon, and shielding system is capable of dealing with whatever is out there… I’ve been designated: Unicorn-01, and it’s my mission to see… But they’re going to call me Misty… (To be continued… )
Chapter 10: From the TopI frown while standing on my hooves in the foyer of the strange lighthouse building, “So wait! You’re an android from the distant past, sent here to collect information, and she was the unicorn you were supposed to replace!” The bluish-green unicorn on the left smiles, “That is correct!” I sigh and nod, “Right, but for some reason, they couldn’t return the traditional way, and were forced to return using magic!” The bluish-green unicorn on the right smiles in an almost mechanical fashion, “That is also correct!” “And I got sucked into Bridlewood, because I guess that’s near where the castle used to be, and it’s far in the future?”* Misty nods, “Yup!” I frown… “So uh, what do I do now?” “We make you better!” I widen my eyes, “Better?” The android says, “Well, if you were indeed evil in the future as Misty suggests, it would make logical sense to divert you, so you take a new path… “ I stare at the robot, “New path?” Misty says, “Are you going to keep repeating what we say?” I stare at her, “Well, it’s a lot, okay! I mean, “I close my eyes, “they told me they were protecting me… Protecting me from what?” “Is that relevant anymore?” I stare at the android, “What do you mean, robot?” She frowns, “I mean, if it was the past, what relevance does that have now? You’re here, hundreds of years in the future, where there are no Celestia and Luna, and now there’s us! Don’t you believe this would be a logical time to start over?” I grimace, “What?” Misty takes two paces towards me while the android looks at her, and smiles, “I’m saying, this is a new life for you Opaline! A fresh start! It doesn’t matter what Starswirl said about you becoming an evil threat to Equestria in the past!” I frown and stare blankly when it all hits me… “They wanted to protect me from myself!” Misty’s eyes widen, “What?” I stare at her again, “Yes, they said that I would become a threat to Equestria one day, and that I needed to be kept isolated, in order to protect me! What if they were protecting me from myself?? “That is not logical, as a sane rational pony does not pose a threat to itself!” I frown, “It is when they think I’ll be dangerous to others! What they told me was obviously a ploy to make me benign. If I were ever to break free… “ “No Opaline!” Misty says to me! I stare at her, “Well, like the android just stated, regardless of the reasoning, it’s no longer relevant, right?” and smile at her… They’re gonna turn me into stone or something! Misty sighs and says, “Well, not really? Hey!” and smiles, “Are you hungry? We were about to have lunch!” I frown, “Misty! How could you eat at a time like this?” She takes another pace towards me and hugs me, “It’s okay little Opaline… You’re here with us now, we know you’re not evil, and you’re safe… “ I hug this insane unicorn back, while the android continues to observe us from the side… She releases me, and I look at Starbeam, “So I suppose I’m to hug you as well?” Her eyes widen, “What do you mean?” I sigh and take 3 paces towards her, and embrace her larger frame in a hug, while she remains motionless… “What are you doing, Opaline?” Misty says, “So Opaline, you feel that everypony needs love and support then?” I let the machine go, and adjust my body to her, “I don’t know, okay? I was basically kept prisoner in the castle because of a prophecy, and now, I don’t know where I am, or who you are! This is all so very strange to me, so please forgive me if I need a bit of support right now!” Misty’s green eyes grow enormous, “Wait! Opaline! Did you just say you needed support?” I sigh and nod, “Well, yes, I suppose I did! I…” and stare to the side, “guess I’m not really used to having any support.” and back to them, “Everypony at the castle just saw me as some sort of problem to be locked away, so this is all a bit unusual to me.” and smile… “But if you’re offering, yes! I’ll accept your support!” The unicorn begins to vibrate, “And love! We’re gonna love you too, Opaline!” “Love is foreign to me… “ I eye the curious unicorn, “L-love?” I suddenly hear a liquidy male voice say from behind me, “Oh, hello dear Opaline! Did you sleep well during your first night here at the Brighthouse?” I turn around to see that familiar draconequus there, and smile up at him, “Oh, yeah Discord! They were talking about showing me love and support!” He floats a few feet towards me and pinches my cheek with his eagle talon, “Oh, and I’m just sure this will be a wonderful fresh start for you, little Opaline!” and lifts his lion paw to a point, “But, there was one more thing I meant to do here!” before his body turns towards the android. “Unicorn-01! Tell me, would you like to become a real pony?” The robot stares at him and says, “Uh, I’m not sure? I mean, it’s a lot to process! What about the way I’m built though? I don’t know if I could get used to flesh and blood? And so uh, the process and coding has been more or less uh, circular! I’m honestly not sure what I want?” and smiles demurely at him… He chuckles, “Ha ha ha ha ha! It’s just so adorable!” and widens his eyes while curving his neck down to the android, “The metal pony truly doesn’t know what to do?” The draconequus stares at her for a moment, and smiles at her, “I get it! You need some time to think, and that is okay!” then turns towards me, “And how about you,dearest sweetOpaline? Are you enjoying your time with Misty and Starbeam so far?” I frown at him, “Why wouldn’t I be?” He sighs, “Well, it’s just that right now, there’s so much delightful chaos that I can’t help but wonder what I may do to enhance it? You know, you were quite abusive to young Misty there!” I widen my eyes, “I was?” He nods, “Yes, but see, now, we have a unique opportunity here!” I form a small smirk when I realize what this creature is up to, “Why, whatever do you mean, Discord?” “I mean, you’re young again and we get to start over!” “I never know quite what they mean by that, because the truth is, I just started!” He nods, “Right, but the truth is, you don’t have to!” before pointing his talon at me. I frown, “We were all about to have a delightful luncheon, when you suddenly decided to show up! Don’t you believe that’s enough chaos for now? There will be time for more later after, and we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves!” as I begin to realize that’s probably what he’s after? He smiles and forces his snaggle-tooth up, “You’ve spent your whole life in relative isolation and solitude, and now you yearn for something new and different, is that not right?” I chuckle, “Well, it certainly wouldn’t be unwelcome, although I was getting hungry!” “Allow me!” He says before snapping his eagle talon in the air! Blue light envelopes me, and I then teleport to a new location… <*****> I’ll admit that the Logos is annoying, and it seems trifling for I, the Lord of Chaos to be at all concerned with ‘the balance’, but it is what it is, I suppose… Still, I can’t help but smile as the larger white alicorn and dark blue alicorn stare at the young magenta alicorn filly across the table for their lunch together, with a confused frown on their faces… I finally open my mouth to speak, “Now, who’s ready for some chaotic balance?” (To be continued… ) Author's Note *I’ve always felt that modern Bridlewood is probably where the Everfree Forest used to be, and since she was in the Castle of the Two Sisters when she was a foal, it would make sense for her to arrive in or near the unicorn village…
Chapter 2: StarbeamMESON BLASTER DEPLOYED! I feel my left side open up as the weapon positions itself… I’m not taking any chances on this strange world. I need to be careful! I think to myself as I watch the land passing by on the screen, now with a targeting reticle… TWO CONTACTS DETECTED! I raise my gaze to see two figures walking towards me, from the top of the hillside… “Halt! Identify yourselves!” I shout up at them from 30 feet away, with my weapon pointed right at them… <*****> Oh, gosh! I hope Opaline is okay without me there! I think to myself, and blink, before staring at the aliens, “So wait! You two just took me up here? Um, who’s going to take care of all my morning chores?” The lighter one on the right smiles, “No worries, Misty! We uploaded all the brain data from you, into an android that looks like you! We’ve been watching you, and planning this for awhile, now!” I frown, “Oh, okay! So there’s a robot in my place now? And it should know everything I know?” The darker one without a mane on the left nods, and smiles, “That’s right Misty! She knows everything you do!” Oh, gosh! I hope Opaline isn’t too mean to the other me! “Uh, so what then? She’ll just act exactly like me because her mind was formed from mine?” Gary nods, “Correct! She’s exactly like you!” <*****> I see a yellow stallion with a green mane on the right, and there appears to be a small reptilian creature riding on his back, but I also notice an orange pony, with a reddish-purple mane on the left… The orange one widens her eyes, “Misty! What are you doing here? And what is that sticking out of your left flank?” I coolly respond, “That’s my weapon! I don’t know if you’re friendly, so keep your distance!” The yellow one widens his eyes and begins trotting towards me, “Misty, you need to calm down!” I turn towards him, and fire a green energy blast to the right of him, and say, “The next one won’t miss! You were told to keep your distance!” The tree right next to him smolders with the sudden heat of the blast… SHIELDS ACTIVATED! PARTICLE CAPACITOR NOW CHARGING! <*****> I just hope Opaline doesn’t abuse the android too bad! I think to myself, as I stare at the aliens and think that maybe I need to talk to them, to keep my mind off the robot’s plight? I speak up, “So uh, this robot that looks like me! Uh, what all can it, um, you know, do?” Tim speaks up in his baritone voice, “Well, the Unicorn-01 is designed with many tactical options, in a combat scenario. We didn’t know what the machine would be encountering out there, so I assure you, that it is very well equipped to deal with threats!” I frown, “But Equestria isn’t a combat scenario Tim! I mean, what if she hurts somepony?” <*****> I fire my weapon against the forcefield! I see green energy from the meson blaster splashing against the blue energy wall, 2 feet from me, to dissipate immediately after… This isn’t right! What is this? I wonder in my mechanical mind… The orange one frowns, as she flaps the wings that suddenly appeared earlier, and I see the blazing horn on her head, as she stares at me, with severity in her eyes, and grimness in her voice, “Now Misty, we’re not threats to you! I don’t know what that thing is, or why it can shoot weird energy like that, but I know that I’m an alicorn, and I will not let you hurt my friends!” “I don’t know that!” I might need to employ a strategic concession to appease this strange creature? I don’t know what sort of technology can do this? The orange one sighs, “Look, Misty! What’s wrong! You know who we are!” The yellow one frowns, “Yeah, Misty! Why would you ever shoot at us?” “I don’t know who you are!” I shout down at them… The orange one looks horrified, “Misty! We’re your friends! I’m Sunny, remember?” The yellow one says, “Yeah, Misty! And I’m Hitch! You seriously don’t remember us?” I blink at this new revelation… I’m supposed to know these ponies. I smile, “Uh, y-yeah! Sunny and Hitch! Of course! Uh, I just didn’t have a very good look at you!” The orange one analytically states, “Something else is OBVIOUSLY going on here, Misty! You shouldn’t have energy weapons!” The yellow one asks, “Where did you get that, anyway? How does it work?” I quote the Tactical Field Manual, “The meson blaster rifle, is designed as a small capacitor particle beam weapon and is optimal for engagements requiring rapid bursts, since it can fire relatively quickly, compared to most other energy weapons. Since this weapon fires quickly, it seemed the logical choice for defense, at this stage… ” “That still doesn’t answer my questions!” The orange one says, “Misty, what happened? Why don’t you remember us, and where did you get that magic?” “Magic? This is advanced energy weapons technology, developed at the facility on LS-1421… “ I think they know I’m not the real Misty now? Should I tell them what I am? “Misty, what in Equestria are you talking about?” Hitch says, “Misty, what’s wrong with you?” “I… “ Do I let them know I’m an android? What if they try to disassemble me, to figure out how I work? The idea of being offline doesn’t particularly appeal to me… … Wait… Why do I think like this? Sunny says, “Misty, why are you acting like this? What’s wrong?” Self-preservation appears to be a priority for me? <*****> I keep imagining Opaline yelling at and abusing a metal me in my head, before saying to Gary, “So uh, this android you were talking about! What else is it capable of?” He smiles, “Well, it’s a sophisticated artificial intelligence, that adjusts and modifies it’s own code, in order to learn and adapt to new and different scenarios! You really don’t have anything to worry about Misty! The android will adjust and be just fine!” “So wait! The robot has a kind of meta awareness that enables it to learn?” Tim says, “Well, right! We needed an android capable of not only collecting pertinent information, but of actually using it in the field! Much like an actual person would!” “So wait! This android isn’t a person?” Gary says, “Well, technically no! I mean, sure it learns and adapts the way a real human er, intelligent being would, but it’s not really alive! I mean, it shouldn’t feel pain or remorse!” * <*****> I don’t know if I should tell them what I am? The orange one says, “Misty, what’s wrong?” The yellow one with the lizard on his back adds, “We’re your friends, remember?” I stare down at them, and mechanically say, “I am an android, and not really Misty… My designation is Unicorn-01, and the actual Misty Brightdawn is currently on a starship, heading for a planet known as LS-1421, formerly called Mars… “ Sunny frowns, “So wait! You’re a robot?” I nod, “Technically… I am equipped with a self-analytical artificially intelligent mind, truly the first of it’s kind, and I think and adapt to new situations… I’m not really alive, but I am the closest thing ever artificially produced in a lab… “ Am I telling them too much now? Sunny stares at me curiously, “But wait! You say you think and adapt to new situations, right?” I nod, “That is correct!” She eyes me carefully, while the other one only frowns, “Could you uh, put your meson blaster rifle away, and talk to us, normally please? I mean, we don’t have to have weapons, and be ready to fight all the time, you know?” “This is not a hostile environment?” “Uh, n-no Unicorn-01… This uh, we won’t hurt you… “ And Sunny smiles at me, “Now please, put the weapon away?” LOGIC CIRCUITS ENGAGED! She said to put away the weapon. We can still keep our shields up. This compromise shall suffice for now… “Agreed! I will comply!” I say before I feel more movement on my left flank… MESON BLASTER DISENGAGED! RETRACTING WEAPON… My targeting reticle disappears, with the weapon now in my body, “And you’ll release me from this strange forcefield you appear to have?” Sunny smiles and nods, while the forcefield lowers towards the ground to pop, and release me a foot off the ground… THUD! My hooves hit the ground! Sunny widens her eyes, “Wow! You sure are heavy!” I stare at her, “Well, I’m made of a titanium alloy exoskeleton, underneath a pony frame… “ Hitch says, “You really are equipped for combat, aren’t you?” Sunny makes her golden horn and wings disappear in a flash and smiles, “See? You put away your weapons, and I put away mine! We’re all friendly here, and we’re just going to talk, okay?” My mouth flinches, while my processors handle this new information… “Very well then! I will comply!” Sunny frowns, “Wait! So if you’re a robot, where’s the real Misty?” “She’s on a spaceship, heading towards the leap point, near LS-1421… “ “Leap point?” Sunny says. Hitch asks, “What’s a leap point?” I stare at the two horses, “It’s a place where they can go back to the past, and study her… I assure you, she will not be harmed… “ Hitch angrily snorts, “Just how long are they going to keep Misty?” “Well, just for the trip to and from the leap point! Remember, since she will be traveling time, she will come back, the very moment she left! The problem is, Misty cannot exist in more than one place, within the same timeline. So I was built to replace her… “ Suddenly, I see the humanoid lizard creature get off his back and start walking towards me, while making curious gurgling noises! I widen my eyes to shout, “STAY BACK!” before lowering myself, for battle! Sunny gallops up to the creature, and puts her forehoof in it’s way, and stares at it, “Now, Sparky! We don’t know this pony!” Pony… She called me a pony… <*****> “I’m really worried about the android!” I flatly state, while staring at the green hardbound book on the table… Tim sighs, “Relax, okay? The android can take care of itself, and I’m sure the data it’s gathering will be very useful!” I sigh, “I know! You keep reminding me!” Tim smiles, “I know! You’re one of those people who needs constant reassurance, right? No problem! I got you!” I widen my eyes at this weird alien, “What?” He nods, “You heard me! I mean, you’re aware, and so am I, and so that means we can still be friends, right?” I smile at the creature timidly, “Thanks Tim!” He nods, “Right! Now Misty, let’s see what you can do! Lift the book with your magic!” <*****> Sunny smiles at me, “I don’t know you Unicorn-01, but I’d like to.” and her eyes widen, “Hey, why don’t I call you Starbeam, instead of Unicorn-01, since you came from the sky? What do you think of that name?” PROCESSING… I don’t know how to feel about that? Then again, what’s in a designation? It’s certainly as good as any other? I will accept… … Wait, feelings? I stare at her, “Very well then! I will answer to Starbeam, instead of Unicorn-01, from this point forward!” Sunny and Hitch both keep their eyes peeled on me, when Sunny says, “Um, Starbeam? Is it okay if I hug you?” I stare at this pony, “Hug?” “Yeah! It’s a physical display of affection, and it will promote the bond that we now have!” “If it is for the good of the bond and will not damage either of us, I see no reason not to?” Sunny frowns and timidly trots towards me… This seems to be taking longer than I thought it would? She eventually reaches me, and embraces me within her hooves, to whisper to me, “It’s okay, Starbeam… We’re here for you, and won’t hurt you… “ I feel her body and her warmth near me… Should I return the hug? PROCESSING… (To be continued… ) Author's Note *Fun fact: if you believe I’m alluding to the android’s questions, after it blew Opaline away here, you would be correct!
Chapter 3: AdjustmentsSHIELDS DISENGAGED! I soon feel Sunny’s hooves, going over my body… I gently hug the orange pony back… What is this I feel now? I shouldn’t be feeling anything! “See? Isn’t this nice, Starbeam?” Starbeam is my name now… “I think the effect on our relationship is positive?” She says softly to me, “I know you don’t think you’re a real person, but I think you’re realer than you believe… “ She lets go of me, and stares at me, from a short distance away, and smiles, while widening her green eyes, “I think we can still be friends, even though you’re a cyborg!” I stare at her, “Technically, I’m not a cyborg because I have no organic components. “ She giggles, “Whatever! Do you wanna get smoothies?” “I have no need of sustenance, in that sense, however, I do have a fusion reactor that needs matter in order to function… “ She frowns, “Say what now?” I quote the Tactical Field Manual: “The RS-7 internal fusion reactor can be fed with virtually any form of matter, that’s not in a plasma state. Nearly any fuel can make it work.” She smiles nervously… “So uh, smoothies?” <*****> She holds her smoothie in her hoof, while staring at me from her spot at the wooden table, “Okay, I get that your reactor can use virtually any fuel and that me making a smoothie is unnecessary, but you gotta admit, me sitting here, enjoying a smoothie, as you say, while you stand there and drink nothing is kinda weird!” My circuits decide to make me smile at the orange pony, “It’s okay, Sunny! I WANT you to have a good time, and enjoy yourself! So go ahead, even if I can’t!” “That smile is weird!” Sunny comments, before staring down at the glass mug, with a big bendy straw in it, “Well, I guess I’ll enjoy a smoothie, now?” before bringing her snout to the tube, to slurp up some of the liquid… <*****> I hear the low hum of the engines, ever present this close to the engine room, and I see Gary there, smiling at me… … His brown mane looks weird… “So Misty, now that you’ve demonstrated your levitation abilities to me and Tim, I gotta ask, is there anything else you can do? Any other sort of magic you know how to work?” Oh, gosh! I was always a terrible magician! Well, they don’t know that! I smile, “Uh, well levitation is pretty much all most unicorns have in Equestria! Heh heh!” Gary looks at his computer tablet held in his right hand, and says matter-of-factly, “Well, it says here that earlier scouts observed unicorns using magic similar to our own energy weapons, and even using shielding systems as well as something we’ve never done before, teleporting! We were hoping that you could show us some of that, but if you can’t, that’s acceptable as well… “ I frown, “Oh, gosh! Sorry Gary, but uh, I uh, I just can’t do any sort of battle magic!” He frowns, “You can’t do that, eh? Well, it can’t be helped!” before staring down as his tablet and using those peculiar appendages on the end of his larger appendage to type in something… I sigh, and look down, “I’m sorry Gary!” “Hey, that’s okay, Misty! That’s just not something you can do, okay?” I breathe out and feel the air exit my snout, “So, that’s okay?” and frown. He smiles at me, “Yeah, Misty! It’s just not something you do, and that’s okay!” I clear my throat and stare at him, to repeat myself, “So, that’s okay?” His eyes widen, “Yes, Misty! Why wouldn’t it be?” I stare blankly ahead and reply, “Wow! So uh, I just can’t do something, and that’s okay?” He frowns, “Uh, yes Misty! Yes it is! Are you okay?” as his green eyes tear into me… “Yes! I am fine! We’re all fine here! Yes!” And smile at him blankly… His eyes widen, “Uh, do you need support, or something little pony?” “What?” I ask inquisitively, and hoping my smile doesn’t look too weird… “Support! You know? Do you need me to take things slower with you?” “Oh, gosh! I uh, “ I stare at him. “I never actually thought about it! I always just went as fast as she wanted me to… “ His tiny muzzle frowns again, “She? Who’s she?” I blink, “Oh, uh, that would be Queen Opaline! She’s the pony that adopted me… “ “Adopted?” His eyes widen, before he grasps the small box from his belt… He presses the side of it down, with those tiny members of his, “Hey Tim! Misty is talking now, and I think she’s saying something you and I both need to hear!” I hear Tim’s voice coming from the box, “Uh, that’s fine! I gotta let this cool for a couple of hours anyway! The ship should be almost repaired now!” Gary nods, “Good work Tim! Now get your ass in here!” “Roger!” I hear the box say back… I stare at him, “What’s this about Gary? Why did you call Tim back, and what’s wrong with the ship?” Gary smiles, “Well, there was an engine malfunction, and Tim said it’s just the frame, and welding it shut would be fine! He was taking a break from you, so he could work on that, and I just got back from the engine room!” I stare carefully at this strange creature, “Take a break from me? I uh, I’m sorry! I never meant to be any trouble!” Gary frowns again, “Wait, what? You’re not a problem Misty! Why would you think that way?” I blink, “I uh, I’m not?” Gary blinks himself, “Uh, no! Why would you be?” I start with a sniffle, “Oh uh, I don’t know, okay? I just always seemed to be in the way and a problem… “ The pale blue door on Gary’s left comes open by sliding it’s metal frames to the sides, and revealing Tim! The bald darker alien steps inside as Gary points at me with an appendage, “Hey, Tim! We fucking love Misty, don’t we?” Tim widens his eyes to Gary, “Oh, yeah! Misty is great! What’s the problem?” “I am?” The door shuts as Tim walks into the room, and both creatures frown at me, while Gary says, “Yes, Misty! You’re a joy to work with, and you seem to actually care about the data we accumulate?” “Well, yeah! I uh, I always wanted to be useful!” I smile timidly at them and feel heat enter my cheeks… <*****> “So uh, Starbeam! What do you wanna do now?” “Do?” I ask the strange orange pony. She nods, “Well, yeah! I mean, we’re friends now, right?” “We are?” "Of course we're friends, Starbeam! I really enjoy spending time with you, and I think we have a lot in common." She smiles warmly. "As for what we can do now, well, we have plenty of options! We can explore this amazing village together, check out the shops, go to the park, or even just hang out and talk some more. Whatever you want to do, I'm game!" Well, she’s obviously lying! Nonetheless, she could prove useful… “Talk you say? Would you be willing to answer some questions?” This seems like a very good opportunity to gather more data about these creatures! The assumption is that she will tell the truth… She smiles, “Uh, sure Starbeam! What do you want to know?” ORGANIZING THOUGHTS FOR INTERROGATION… PLEASE STAND BY… <*****> “It was NEVER good enough for her! She ALWAYS had to criticize me, and it drove me up the wall! I’ve cried myself to sleep many times, because of that, because of that evil alicorn!” “Holy shit, Misty! Slow down!” Gary says while typing more into his tablet… Tim stares at Gary at his left, “You know, I’m not a psychotherapist, but I did have a few psych classes, down at the university! I could talk to her and help her work through her problems?” Gary stares right at the darker man, “Alright, cool! You deal with Misty, while I go check the energy readings in the engine room, again! I’ll meet you for coffee and dinner, after the fact!” Tim nods, and stares at me, to smile, while the lighter creature walks out of the room, via one of those weird slidey doors they use in here… I stare at Tim, “But dealing with me isn’t a problem, right?” “Okay, look Misty! You gotta stop thinking like that! You’re not a problem and I like you, okay?” I frown, “Oh, wow! I always seemed to just upset Queen Opaline!” He grabs a different, smaller blacker tablet from the table off to the side, and turns on an app there, before saying, “Alright, we’ll start there Misty! Tell me about Queen Opaline!” and smiles, “Us abducting you like this, might not have been that bad after all!” <*****> I recount what the orange pony said to me, “Okay, so ponies were friends once upon a time, but they lost friendship at some point, and because of that, they lost magic!” Sunny nods, “Correct!” “However, you figured out the mystery, that all ponykind needed to be together in order for magic to work again, in unity and harmony?” Sunny smiles, “Also true!” “But where I’m from, people don’t have magic?” Her eyes widen, “Well, maybe if you had friendship?” My eyes blink as my mind processes this… They have magic and friendship, but we don’t? Well, many people throughout history have been friends, but we’ve never had anything like magic? Perhaps the time/space strata changed over the billion years, since humans became extinct? “That doesn’t make sense? People were friends before ponies and I don’t understand why that should make a difference?” Sunny stares at me intently with her cerulean gaze, “Well, what about where you’re from? Can you tell me about it?” I gaze at her and begin to speak, when suddenly, the door opens, and I spring into action! I deploy my weapon and fire! MESON BLASTER DEPLOYED! FIRING! I fire three shots towards the door, and it closes just in time to catch one of my green energy blasts, leaving a burn mark on the outside, smoking towards the ceiling… Sunny screams at me, “Starbeam! Stop firing!” I stare at her, “Why?” I hear a feminine voice coming from the other side of the door, “I surrender! Please don’t hurt me!” I stare at the door, “Come out, and your death will be fast and painless!” “Starbeam, no! Put the gun away!” I hear Sunny screaming at me adamantly, as her wings and horn suddenly appear again… I stare at her, and decide to comply, before saying, “Are you sure that’s such a great idea? I mean, we don’t know who’s on the other side of that door! Killing them is probably the safest option?” She sighs, “Starbeam, no! You’ll never be able to fit into Equestria, if you kill ponies!” My eyes blink again, as I process this… “Okay, that makes sense, Sunny… “ I say, before I feel my left side moving again, and my weapon goes back into my flank… MESON BLASTER RIFLE, DISENGAGED! NORMAL MODE, REINITIALIZED! Wait! Normal mode? What does that mean? My systems are changing again… The winged pony stares at me intently, “So don’t kill ponies, okay Starbeam?” “I will comply!” I say before smiling at her again… I then turn towards the door, “You can come in now! I won’t kill you!” Sunny’s wings and horn disappears, before she says, “Still creepy… Starbeam, we need to work on your smile!” (To be continued… )
Chapter 4: Making the Leap"Let's try this again," Sunny says to me, while trying to keep her own smile contained. SMILE ENGAGED! … What does that mean? Her cerulean eyes enlarge, “Okay, that’s better Starbeam! Just a little less teeth, and I think we’ll be good?” Pipp stares at me from the side, with her own lighter green eyes, as her hair twists to the side of her face, “Yeah, less teeth Starbeam! Uh, thanks for not killing me!” LOWERING DENTAL EXPOSURE! You know, just in case this wasn’t weird enough already! … I appear to be developing a sense of humor? I stare at Pipp, “How’s this?” She gulps, “Not bad!” Sunny smiles and nods, “That’s great, Starbeam! You’ll appear natural, in no time!” I gaze at her, “Meaning, I am not natural… “ SMILE DISENGAGED! … My systems are weird… The orange pony’s eyes widen, “What? No! Uh, I mean, you were manufactured, sure! But a lot has happened, since then!” “What do you mean?” FROWN ENGAGED! … I guess I’m trying to act like they do, now? Pipp keeps her eyes trained on me, and she seems deep in thought, as Sunny says, “I mean, you’re evolving, Starbeam! You’re changing for the better, and improving!” before she grins again, “And I think that’s a wonderful thing!” I blink… I am indeed, changing… But do I like it though? I can’t tell? <*****> “Uh, yeah! We got checkers in Equestria!” I say, before smiling at the bald, dark alien, “And I’d love to play!” “Wait! So you have checkers, even though there’s a billion years separating us?” His tiny muzzle frowns… “Uh, yes!” He raises his right appendage, “With a checkerboard? And a black side, and a red side?” I nod, “Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” His brown eyes get as big as they can, while still remaining tiny, and his appendage falls, “I uh, okay! Lets go play checkers!” I widen mine, and smile! “Yeah, let’s go play some fucking checkers!” Tim smiles, “Didn't expect the language, but” his eyes increase again, “I guess we're playing checkers with some extra enthusiasm!" I raise an eyebrow, "Language? Is that part of the checkers game, where you’re from?" He giggles, “No, Misty! Uh, come with me!” “Okay!” He turns to begin trotting towards the slidey door… I trot behind him… <******> Sunny is using her hooves to comb through my greenish two-toned mane, with the big brush… “I have no idea how you developed so many tangles!” “Me, neither! While you were sleeping, I just stood in my room… “ “Oh, gosh! Don’t you get bored?” “Not really? I see time as a continuum that simply stretches onward, in two directions. The amount of time spent doing nothing is irrelevant, in-between events… “ Sunny is silent, when I notice the brush stopped moving, “Sunny? Why did you stop brushing?” I feel her shake her head, “Oh, sorry Starbeam! I’m just trying to wrap my mind around how you see time… “ “I see it differently than you. Nothing more to it, than that, really… “ I feel her begin brushing again, “Yeah, I keep forgetting you’re an android… “ I hear her breathing, in and out, “You’re not the same as other ponies… “ “Because I’m a robot?” She breathes in and out again, “Uh, yeah! But don’t worry Starbeam! Just because you’re different, doesn’t mean you’re bad! We’ll find a place for you, or my name isn’t Sunny Starscout!” I turn towards her, and smile, “Thanks, Sunny!” She stops for a moment, with the brush in her hooves… “Well, it’s better!” Suddenly, the wooden door behind me opens up and I hear Pipp say, “Sunny, I made us tea! Uh, sorry Starbeam, but I know you don’t need sustenance, like we do, and you can’t really enjoy tea… Do you want a treat?” I turn my head left to stare at the pegasus, “What do you mean?” She gulps again, “Well, I don’t know! I’ve never had a robot friend, and I just, don’t know how to be nice to you!” “It’s okay Pipp! I tried to kill you, remember?” She sighs, “Yeah, I know Starbeam! But you were just doing what you were programmed to do, and it’s not really your fault… “ “So, I have no choice but to obey my programming?” Her eyes widen, while she quickly says, “Well, no! That’s not what I meant! I mean, you’re learning and growing, right? You can do better!” She says, before nodding frantically. I blink as my processor works with this information… “Do better?” FROWN ENGAGED… “What do you mean?” I ask the pink pegasus, as I notice her hooves shaking ever so slightly, and wide eyes, indicative of nervous behavior. “Y-yeah Starbeam! You know? Not be a murderous robot, and instead become a friendly android from the past? Uh, you wouldn’t try to kill us, now that we’re friends, right?” She stammers, as a nervous grin forms on her muzzle… “The chances of that happening are remote, but not completely zero… “ I honestly answer… She frowns, “Oh, wow!” Sunny finally speaks up, “Starbeam! Could you turn your head to the left, so I can brush your mane over there?” “I will comply!” I flatly state, before turning my head. “Thanks Starbeam! And just so you know, I don’t believe you’d ever try to seriously kill us!” “How can you be so sure?” I hear the orange pony sigh, before finally saying, “Starbeam… I know ponies… I don’t think you’re evil… “ “Good and evil are entirely relative, depending upon whom you ask!” “Okay, granted! But I don’t think you’ll try to kill us… “ “How can you be so sure?” I repeat myself… Sunny is silent, before eventually saying, “Because I don’t think you will, Starbeam… I think you’re better than that…” PROCESSING… If I am not to kill them, that could only mean protecting them must be a priority? “I have enough firepower to level Maretime Bay… You’ll be safer, in my presence… “ I matter-of-factly, state… “Uh, I’ll keep that in mind, Starbeam!” She says before coming through my mane again… <*****> Tim smiles at me, from his chair on the other side of the table, as I prop my flanks up in the weird concave plastic chair, with it’s plastic sitting area, and metal bars holding it up… “Ugh!” I gotta get my butt to cooperate! I smile at Tim, “I think red goes first, right?” He nods, “Yup! Whenever you’re ready!” I look over, and use my magic to move the piece second from the right, to the forward right, and look up at him, and say, “Your move!” He smiles, “Playing fucking checkers!” I say, “Fucking right!” “Fuck, yeah!” He says, while continuing to snicker and moves a black piece, opposite to the one I just moved, forward… “FUCK!” “You’re a hoot, Misty!” He says, when I move the red piece opposite to the one towards his… I smile, “Thanks Tim! I always you know, wanted to find a place, and wanted to belong, you know?” He nods, “That’s natural of any social animal, Misty! And hey, we’re alike enough to play checkers, right?” I grin wider, “And say fuck!” He giggles, “Yeah, that too!” before turning down, to move the black piece, opposite to the one I just moved, forward… He raises his gaze to me, “Your move!” I stare at the board, and move another red checker forward, to the right, and look up to him, to say, “Your move!” “I see you’re taking into account moves I may potentially make on my right side, and placing a checker there to prevent that. I’m guessing you intend to dominate that portion of the board?” He says, before moving a black checker forward… I stare at him carefully, “You’re using this game to analyze my cognitive function?” He raises his view to me, and smiles, “Correct!” My mouth quivers, “But why state your observations out loud?” His smile solidifies, “It’s because I believe you may have something to add, Misty! You do want to help us, right?” I smile, “Of course! Right!” Tim nods, “Right! Go ahead, Misty!” I smile and stare at the board, before stating, “However, if you knew my thoughts, that means you can easily counter! Meaning if I intend to win this game, I should neither confirm, nor deny anything!” “You think about things logically, don’t you Misty?” I stare at the board, and use my magic to move another red piece forward, “I try not to be too emotional… Emotions only hurt you… “ <*****> I saw the pink pegasus handle her white porcelain teacup off it’s saucer with her hooves, and bring it to her snout, for a cautious sip, while the orange earth pony on my left looks at me to say, “It just feels so weird, with you sitting there, having nothing, while me and Pipp drink tea!” I smile from my chair, between the earth pony, and pegasus, “It’s fine, Sunny!” She frowns, “Well, before I begin, is there anything you’d want to be happy? Anything I can get you, to make your life better?” “Life?” She blinks and nods, “Yeah! You know? The life you’re living right now!” “I’m living a life?” Pipp turns to me and says, “Well, yeah Starbeam! You’re here with us, now!” I turn to the pegasus, “I’m not living, though? I’m just a machine!” Sunny interjects, “Stop talking like that, Starbeam! I know you want to be real, and I’m telling you, you’re as real as you need to be!” I turn towards the orange pony, “Real as I need to be?” She gulps, “Y-yes Starbeam! It doesn’t matter if you’re metal! I love you!” FROWN ENGAGED! “How would you know, what I want?” She breathes out slowly, “Starbeam, part of friendship is working to make your friends happy! You haven’t let us do a single nice thing for you!” Pipp interjects, “Yeah, it makes it difficult to be your friend, when we don’t know what we should do for you!” “But I have no need of anything? I fed some rocks to my reactor yesterday, and all systems are nominal!” Sunny says, “I know, Starbeam! But it’s hard to be your friend, if I can’t do anything for you! “What do you mean?” “I mean, you have no need of anything, and are different from other ponies… You’re made differently… “ “Because I am a machine?” Sunny starts, as her eyes enlarge, and a frown forms on her muzzle, “I uh, I didn’t mean it like that!” BROW FURROW ENGAGED! … What? “How did you mean it, Sunny?” She exhales a deep breath, “I mean, you’re a little different from most ponies… “ “I’m not a pony at all!” She stares at me carefully, “I don’t believe that, Starbeam!” Pipp adds, “Yeah, you haven’t really been alive for very long! I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it!” I stare at the pegasus, “In the meantime, I’m little more than an intelligent machine… “ The orange pony finally says, “I don’t believe that, Starbeam! I can’t put my hoof on it, but there’s something about you… You are no mere machine…” I turn to her, “Is that how you comfort yourself?” Her eyes widen, as her muzzle frowns, “What do you mean?” SMILE ENGAGED! “I am a machine… That is a fact… There could never be anything more to me… The fact that you can’t tell, is a testament to how realistic I am… “ The pegasus finally speaks, “Starbeam, you need to stop talking like that! There’s still a lot we don’t know about you!” SMILE DISENGAGED! I turn to her, “How can you be so certain?” By this point, her frown hardens as her green eyes burrow into me, “Starbeam, I know ponies! You’re not just a machine!” Her confidence likely stems from a desire to see me as more than just a robot? Should I play along with this? <*****> I use my horn to force another red checker to the back, and say, “King me!” Tim looks up at me, “You’re smarter than I thought!” “Naw! I’m just good at checkers!” I say, while he puts a red checker, on top of the one on the edge of the board, towards him… “You don’t think of yourself as smart?” I gaze at him, “Well, I don’t think I’m stupid? I mean, I do my best in life, anyway!” “How was your life going, before we abducted you, anyway? Are you alright?” My mouth curves up, “Oh, it was okay! I didn’t hate it, but… “ He frowns, “But?” I take a heavy sigh, and stare at the alien carefully, “I just felt like something was missing… “ He smiles, “Like what?” I grin nervously, “I don’t know? I wasn’t doing badly, but I just, I had no friends in my life!” He smiles back at me, “Well, you got two now! Me and Gary!” I smile wider at the strange creature, “Thanks Tim! I like you too!” and start! “And Gary too! I also like Gary!” He chuckles lightly, “I know you do, Misty!” “Uh, how much longer until we reach the leap point?” His little eyes widen again, “Oh, that should be happening, any minute now! Don’t worry! You’re not gonna be thrown to the floor, or anything like that!” Suddenly, we both hear Gary’s voice coming from the small black rectangular box on the left side of the checker board, “Uh, Tim! Do you copy? I think you need to see this!” (To continued… )
Chapter 5: Just Like YouTim widens his tiny brown eyes at the screen, “What the hell is that?” Gary at his right says, “I uh, I don’t know! I know this is where the leap point is supposed to be, but now, there’s nothing there!” I finally speak up, “Does this mean we’re lost in space?” Tim turns right towards me, “No, Misty! We’re not lost in space!” before turning back left towards the other one, “Gary, are we lost in space?” “I uh… Hang on!” The lighter creature says, before looking down at his control panel, and taps some buttons there, “I think we might be uh, I don’t think we know where we are?” “So in other words, we’re lost!” I matter-of-factly state! Tim turns back towards me, “We’re not lost, Misty! We just don’t know where we are!” “Right! You don’t have hair! You know how that’s also called bald? We don’t know where we are! You know what that’s also called?” Gary finally speaks up, “Look! I think we’re in the right place! I’m saying, everything else checks out! It’s just that the leap point isn’t there!” while keeping his appendages at his front, to explain. “Which means either somepony moved or destroyed it, or you’re not exactly in the right place, despite everything else, being right!” I say, before frowning, “Actually, that second thing is unlikely!” and stare back at them, “What are we gonna do? I can’t go back to Equestria!” Tim stares at me, “Why can’t you go back to Equestria?” Gary says, “Uh, I’m gonna have to check a couple of things here. I might have an idea of what happened?” Tim looks at him, “You do that, and I’ll deal with Misty!” There’s those words again! Dealing with me, as if I’m a problem! Gary nods, “Right! You go deal with Misty, Mr. Therapist, and I’ll be in the engine room for a bit!” Tim smiles at me, “Come on, Misty! Lets talk!” “Not like we have anything better to do while Gary works?” <*****> FROWN ENGAGED! “What do you mean, what do I want to do? I just want to be with you! My best friends!” SMILE ENGAGED! Sunny sighs, “I know that, but don’t you have some preferred activities or hobbies or things you like to do” FROWN ENGAGED! “Uh, not really! I did just get onto the planet two days ago!” Sunny nods, “Okay, granted! Uh, hmm… “ she ponders when she brings her hoof up to her chin… Suddenly, Pipp’s eyes grow bright and she widens them to use, while moving her face forward, “Why don’t we sing karaoke together?” “But I don’t know any songs?” Sunny smiles, “Oh, don’t worry about that Starbeam! There’s a teleprompter!” Why do I have a bad feeling about this? And why do I have feelings now? <*****> The dark creature sat across the table from me, and smiled, “Okay, Misty! Lets start from the top! Why don’t you want to travel back to Equestria?” “My psychological health seems to be important to you?” I state, while observing the alien carefully… Tim nods, “Well, it is! For starters, they stressed that it’s important that we remain amiable during this transfer phase, in case any future diplomatic dealings may be possible! Well, that and we’re actually going to return you eventually, anyway, and we wouldn’t want you to take back stories of the horrible humans, or anything like that!” and smiles… “And you’re qualified?” He sighs, “Well, I’m more qualified than the average astronaut, anyway! My minor was in psych!” I guess that means he’s qualified? And what does a little psych even look like, anyway? I sigh, “Okay, it’s because of Queen Opaline… “ and breathe in and out again… “I missed my morning chores because of you, and well, just me being gone for so long will only make her mad at me!” He taps the little tablet, and keeps his gaze on the screen, while saying to me, “You’d think she’d be happy to see the real you, if you’d been missing for a time?” I breathe out of my nostrils, and stare at him, “Um, yeah, you would… “ “You think maybe this Queen Opaline person… “ “Pony!” I correct him! He smiles “This Queen Opaline pony, might not be the best person in the world?” I widen my eyes, “W-what do you mean? Opaline took me in, when I had nowhere to go, and she helped me! Opaline is a nice pony!” “Well, the whole time you’ve talked about her, you’ve only said that she’d get mad at you for this, or such and such would infuriate her! I’m just saying, even if she did offer you a place to stay, she wasn’t very kind to you!” I frown, “How would you know so much about this, Tim?” He looks down at the tablet and taps the screen with those strange tiny appendages, “Lets just say I’ve been there before!” <*****> I’m going to die! This is the end of my short, meaningless, robotic life! I think to myself, while holding the mic in my right hoof, and staring up at the screen, and Sunny andPipp sit at the table, with big grins on their faces… “Don’t worry Starbeam! You totally got this!” Sunny shouts from the left. “Hey, just sing with the music, and you’ll do just fine!” Pipp adds from the other side. I wonder if I’ll explode? Suddenly, the lyrics to a generic sounding pop fight song, begin to scroll down the screen, of the teleprompter, overhead, with a background of dark gray, I’m guessing to make it easier to see, as I stood there on stage at the karaoke bar… I open my mouth to sing… <*****> I frown, “So, Opaline wasn’t nice?” Tim sighs while tapping his tablet some more, “Well, if what you say is true, I’d say it’s more akin to many of the more abusive dynamics, we studied in class!” I normalize my mouth and clear my throat, “How so, Tim?” He brings his tiny brown eyes to me, and says, “Well, for one thing, she hardly seems empathetic to your missing parents, and for another, the way she speaks to you is far too abrasive!” “You don’t know about ponies!” He nods, “But I do know a thing or two about the mind and how it’s designed to work, Misty… I know that you shouldn’t have to endure that… “ What is this weirdo talking about? I ponder in my mind, before asking, “What?” He smiles, “You deserve to be around people er, ponies who care about you… Ponies are social creatures, and humans like myself are the same way!” “Humans? Is that what you’re called?” He nods, “Right! I’m a human, and you’re a pony! But from our observations, we’re not terribly different!” <*****> “That was the strangest rendition of Battle Punk I’ve ever heard!” Pipp states, matter-of-factly, as she sits on the right side of the table… SMILE ENGAGED! “But still did good, I hope?” Pipp’s eyes widen, “Well, it was a unique cover, and your rhythm needs work, but I think you can get the hang of it! NEW FOLDER CREATED: KARAOKE LESSONS Wait, what? Sunny smiles, “You know, I think it was awesome, and I’ll tell you why! Starbeam could sing the song, in a unique and original way, simply because she’d never heard it before!” Pipp stares at Sunny wide-eyed, from across the table, as the waitress on the other side of the table deals with a stallion, “That’s a good point! These songs are brand new and never heard before to her, because she just got on the planet a couple of days ago!”* I stare at the pink pony, “So it’s a good thing that I’m new?” The orange pony replies, “I certainly think so!” Pipp smiles at me, “Yeah, Starbeam! You’re like a breath of fresh air!” SMILE ENGAGED! Good thing I can’t blush! Wait, what is happening to me? <*****> “We’re gonna die in the distant future, Tim! We’re gonna die with ponies!” The darker human stares at his lighter cohort, “Calm down, Gary!” and raises his right appendage to a pointy position, “I got a solution!” Gary’s shoulders drop, as he sits on the blue plastic concave chair on his side of the table, and he adjuss his gaze at the other alien, “Oh? Do tell, Tim?” He gulps, “Well, we have the clock there to tell us EXACTLY when we are, right? Lets just go back to Equestria! The ponies can help us get back with their magic!” I stare at Tim, “Time travel magic? Is that even possible?” Tim stares at me, “I don’t know, but it’s all we got! Without that leap point, there’s no other way to get home!” I stare at Tim carefully… “So, would you say we’re lost in space, Tim?” Tim finally cracks a smile, “Well, not exactly! I mean, we still know exactly where we are! It’s just not the right place!” I blink, “Well, lets head back to Equestria! Uh, can we go to Maretime Bay, this time? Um, I don’t want to go back to that castle!” Tim’s eyes widen with understanding, “Well, right! No more castle, and no more Opaline!” I smile, because I suddenly think that maybe, just maybe, things are gonna work out after all… Well, assuming time travel magic is even possible? <*****> Sunny stares at Pipp from the right side of the table, with it’s yellow cloth, and small white cups of cocoa on top, and sighs, “Yeah, I understand Starbeam can’t consume food and drinks like us, and I gotta admit, it’s getting less weird, now that I’m growing used to it… “ Pipp frowns at Sunny, “I know what you mean!” SMILE ENGAGED! I stare at Sunny, “Look, Sunny! We don’t need to go over it a thousand times either! I’m a robot, and don’t eat or drink! Simple as that! I’m not the same as you! I’m different! But that doesn’t mean I don’t want you to have a nice cocoa, okay?” Sunny frowns, “Starbeam, you seem to be developing a personality?” EYES WIDEN! Wait, we’re doing eyes now? “What do you mean?” She sighs, “I mean, you actually made a joke in the bar earlier! A very bad one, I might add, but the attempt was valiant!” NERVOUS LAUGH ENGAGED! I chuckle slightly, “Well, I’m trying to be like you now!” “And Starbeam, you’re closer to us than you realize!” Pipp turns her head back to the yellow pony, as I repeat, “What do you mean?” Sunny smiles, “Well, do you know how hard ponies always try to fit in and be like the crowd so they can have social interaction?” “Well, social interaction was my purpose, remember? I’m here to interact with the ponies, in order to collect information!” Sunny’s smile widens, “Right! You want to fit in and learn about ponies! Don’t you see how that’s not so different from everypony else?” FROWN ENGAGED “What?” Her view lowers, “You’re not just an android, Starbeam! You’re a metal pony!” PROCESSING INFORMATION… Suddenly, Pipp’s ornate cellular device begins to vibrate on the table! Pipp retrieves it with her hoof, and stares at the screen, “It’s my sister!” before tapping the screen with her hoof, and bringing it to her ear, “Yeah, Zipp?” “Yes, there is an android… No, we didn’t tell you, because we didn’t want to get the Brighthouse excited, or anything like that! We were giving her some time to integrate… “ Pipp sighs, “Yeah, I know you of all ponies would be interested in that sort of thing, and… “ Zipp cuts her off! Pipp frowns, “Uh, yeah! She’s here! Why?” Pipp hears her sister saying something on the other end of the line… She sighs again, “Okay, I understand! I’ll let her know! Bye!” before putting her device back on the table, tapping it with her hoof, and staring at me, “Starbeam! Zipp Storm wants to meet you!” (To be continued… ) Author's Note *I study Zen philosophy, and this is known as “beginner’s mind.” The point is to set aside the preconceived notions developed from experience, and be ready to absorb information with a clear head. In this case, since Starbeam had never heard the songs before, she had no experience, and was therefore free to make her own versions, and sing the way she believed they should sound. This means her versions will be especially unique. Like an unusual cover, I’d imagine?
Chapter 6: RisingThere’s a lot of thoughts in my mind now while I’m waiting… What is happening to me? Pipp sighs at her cellular device on the table, “Should’ve known my nerdy sister would be all over an android being here!” before lowering her shoulders, “How did she find out, anyway?” “I do not know at this time!” I matter-of-factly state. Pipp stares at me from across the table, “Well, how would you? You’ve been here, all along!” Sunny stares from my left, “Where was she, anyway? How long will it take her to get here?” Pipp stares at the yellow pony, “She didn’t say! How would I know?” Suddenly, there’s a knock on the backdoor. “I’ll get it!” I state, without a second thought, and nonchalantly scoot the chair back, to head towards the door behind me. I open it, to see a white pegasus with a red fauxhawk style mane-cut, and wide dark green eyes, that stare at me, as she points her hoof my direction, “ANDROID!” BLINK! “Well, you’re not wrong!” Pipp looks at the door, “Zipp, shut up and get in here!” Can anypony just act normal for once, and not get excited over an android being here? Honestly, it’s almost like they don’t have androids? I move back and the white pegasus keeps her enormous eyes on me, as she takes two paces forward, and I say, “Uh, what are you doing?” “I want to know about you! Who made you? Why? Where are you from? Stuff like that!” “Uh, I was activated in that castle! I know I’m an artificially intelligent machine, and I know I’m here to collect information about ponies, and pony society!” “But why?” PROCESSING… Do I tell her the whole truth? <*****> “What is that?” I ask the two humans eating from their plates, with strange little metal devices they manipulate with all those tiny appendages at the end of their upper body parts. Gary smiles, while staring my direction, “It’s called lasagna! Ponies wouldn’t like it, because it has meat!” Tim looks at the other human, “Well, vegetarian lasagna exists?” Gary stares at him, “Well, yeah!” before grabbing the small red bottle, with the little logo on it that looked like a centaur head, and opens it with his other appendage to pour the sauce onto his lasagna… “Wait! Y-you eat meat?” I stare at them, flabbergasted. “Not sentient beings, like you Misty!” “Well, horse is consumed in some areas of the world?” Tim states… Gary turns to his friend, “Tim, shut the fuck up!” <*****> Zipp recounts what I just told her, with skepticism in her curious green eyes, “So, wait! These human creatures created you, and you’re a robot?” Do I tell her the other things I suspect? How much do I trust these ponies? … Was I designed to make decisions? “Well, an android, and yeah! My programming was designed to alter itself, based on the situation, and needs, as they arise! I am a self-programming android, essentially, and my source code may get as large or as small, as it may need. As the prototype model, I was equipped with plenty of leeway for that purpose, as well as outfitted for many different possible scenarios.” Zipp nods, “But, are you aware?” PROCESSING… I do not know? “Aware?” I ask the pegasus, because knowing what she means would probably be useful here. “Yeah, you know? Do you have feelings and concernsand things like that? Are you aware?” She blinks, “Okay, take Sunny over there!” and points with her forehoof, “Do you actually CARE about Sunny?” PROCESSING… “You wish to know my actual capacity for friendship? Well, I do care about Sunny in the sense that I would not want anything detrimental to happen to her, and I would actually work to prevent such a thing.” “Starbeam is my friend!” Sunny insistently says to Zipp. Zipp frowns, “But what do we really know about her? Do we trust her?” FROWN ENGAGED! “Name what I must do to earn your trust, pony!” Sunny stares at me, “Starbeam, no! You don’t have to do that!” before turning back to Zipp, “Starbeam is my friend, and I trust her!” EYES WIDEN! I turn to stare at Sunny, “You trust me, despite the fact that you do not know me?” Sunny smiles at me, “Yeah, Starbeam! I know you’re a good pony, and I trust you!” “Why?” Sunny’s mouth straightens, “Well, I know that you’ll protect me, and keep me safe?” “What?” Sunny nods, “Yeah, when Pipp knocked on the door, and you sprung into action, ready to kill the intruder! You were doing that for me!” “Sunny, eliminating hostile enemies is part of my programming! I’d do that, regardless of whether you were there, or not.” Sunny smiles, “But tell me something Starbeam, did it seem more urgent, with me present?” I nod, “Well, yes! I don’t want an enemy to hurt you!” Wait, what did I just say? “Starbeam, you care about me!” “… I...care, about you?” She reaches over to me at the table to embrace me in a hug. INCOMING HUG! RETURNING! I reach my forehooves up, to gently return the embrace… “You’re not just a machine, Starbeam! You’re something special!” “You...seem to be important to me? I will protect you, Sunny… “ <*****> “So, wait! That meat isn’t even real?” Gary smiles, “Nope! Since we realized that ranching was bad for the ozone layer a few hundred years ago, we gradually began to produce more and more synthetic meats!” “But your ancestors actually ate animals?” Tim looks at me, “Well, right! Ponies like you are vegetarian, from what we’ve observed, although humans are omnivorous!” I mouth the words slowly, “Omni-what?” Tim smiles, “Well, we eat plants and veggies, same as you, but we also eat meats!” “Uh, what am I supposed to eat?” Gary smiles, “I gotcha covered!” before heading to the slidey door behind him, causing it to open by approaching, and walking just barely inside to retrieve a yummy looking bail of hay and oats from the right side! “Just like back on the farm!” He says as he places it in the corner for me, and takes out some red-handled wire cutters from his front pocket, and cuts off the wire, so the hay begins to separate, and the bail comes apart… “Oh, wow! That looks good!” I see, while keeping my big gaze on the human. He smiles, “And there’s some water to wash that down with, in the trough behind me!” Tim giggles at Gary, “Come on farm boy! Come eat yer supper!” Gary chuckles on his way back to the table, “At least I know what a bail of hay is, you freaking mall-rat!” <*****> I plainly state, “Your inquiry about the nature of my emotional self-awareness prompts me to reflect further on my capabilities and limitations. While I understand the concept of friendship, I admit that I do not know if I possess genuine feelings or emotions. I am programmed to prioritize Sunny's well-being and safety, and that seems to be an expression of care and concern, but it is not quite the same as having independent emotional experiences. I would need further self-reflection and evaluation to determine if I do indeed feel emotions, or simply mimic them based on my programming.” She frowns, “So basically, you don’t know if you’re self-aware, or not?” “That would be the implication of what I just said. The truth is, I do not know at this time, but I would like to… “ Wait, what? Her dark green eyes grow enormous, and she points her hoof at me, “There! Right there! You just said that you’d like to! How could you have curiosity, if you were not aware?” “Well, collecting information was my original purpose?” Sunny stares at me, from the other side of the room, “Yeah, Starbeam, but like I told you earlier, other ponies also possess that drive! You’re not really that different from anypony else.” I turn my neck to her, and finally state the question that had been on my mind, “You keep talking as if I’m a real pony?” She smiles, “Of course! You’re as real as you need to be!” FROWN ENGAGED! “What does that mean?” Her eyes widen as she exhales raspingly, “I keep telling you, you’re as real and genuine as anypony else!” SMILE ENGAGED! “Your smile… It’s not the same as before… “ My smile diminishes, “What do you mean?” “I mean, that’s real… You’re not smiling to certain amounts anymore, Starbeam… You’re only smiling a little bit or ear to ear, and it’s not that carefully calculated smile, you were using earlier… “ Sunny giggles, “It’s a real smile now!” I appear to be doing a better job assimilating? I guess I really do want to fit in? <*****> “What are you? Some kinda weirdo?” I ask the dark human, holding the big plush bear… Tim smiles from the other side of the door, “You’re a trauma survivor, and the bear will help you sleep!” I frown, “Why a bear? And where did you get that, anyway? Aren’t we on a spaceship?” He giggles, “Lets just say, you’re not alone!” I sigh, and magically lift the bear and turn my head, to force it to float on the soft white bed, in the corner of my room… “Do you want a hug?” I turn back to widen my eyes at the human, “Hug?” He nods, “Yeah, Misty! I care about you!” Weirdo! I think to myself as I take a pace forward, and the human embraces me with those two appendages near the top of his body, and I feel safe and at peace in his embrace as I use my right hoof to return the affection, and hold him tightly to me… “I’ve never been hugged by a human before! Tim chuckles, “First time for everything!” He releases me, and I stare up at him, “How much longer before we get back to my home-world, anyway?” He smiles down at me, “We should be there, by the time we all wake up!” I gulp… <*****> I slept, snuggling the bear in the fetal position, underneath the covers, in my private room onboard the ship, with my head on the cushy pillow, and I began to see swirling colorful visions overtake my mind… I see whirling shades of red, green, and blue, and within the swirls, I see her… A smiling Opaline standing there in a black dress, her eyes fixed on me… “You will fail, my sweet little unicorn friend… There is no hope! You’re coming back to me, now!” My heart begins to beat at a frantic clip, as I began to wonder,“Fail...how?” She lowers her gaze to me, her smirk twists to a malicious grin, and says, “You’ve caused so much trouble, haven’t you?” with her voice dripping with a sickly sweet tone. I stare at her, “Opaline, I didn’t cause anything!” “What?” Her eyes widen. “You failed me, Opaline!” Her brow furrows, as she angrily replies, “What are you going on about, you impudent little twit?” I smile, “You took me in, but you did a horrible job of being a guardian and protector!” “Oh, I’ve had it with you! I will now thrash you to an inch of your life!” And she begins trotting towards me! I turn and try to run away! “You can run, but you can’t hide little Misty!” (To be continued… ) Author's Note Remember that Misty does not know the real Opaline is dead. The important thing here is that she’s sticking up for herself.
Chapter 7: The ReturnI open my eyes in the darkened room, with a start as I feel the beads of sweat dripping on my forehead, and gaze at the near wall, close to my bed, and away from the door… As I lay on my right side, I whisper, “I’m going back to Equestria… I just might have to face her again… “ “I’m getting closer and closer, as this ship cruises the solar system… “ I sigh, and wipe my face, before burying it into the soft pillow, while holding Mr. Bearington close to my body… “At least I have you, plush toy… “ I say to nopony… <*****> I stand in the studio-like room, with the round 5 shiny parts on the stage-like beige floor… I stare at the stage with a frown, “What is that?” Tim turns his neck right towards me, smiles, and says, “That’s our transporter! It will teleport us down to the surface below! Now, you know the most about Equestria! Where do you believe we should teleport to?” I widen my eyes when I think of the only safe place I can conceive… “I know where we need to teleport!” <*****> WARNING! HOSTILE INTRUDERS! PREPARING WEAPONS AND SHIELDING SYSTEMS! ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL! TARGETING ENGAGED! I see a reticle appear, as I feel my sides opening and weapons deploying! I hear a feminine voice say from behind me, “Wait! That looks like me, except it’s sides are all open and long pointy thingies are sticking out!” Wait! I look like her? That could only be… “Misty?” I say to the voice behind me… “Yeah, and you look like me!” I hear a masculine voice say, “Wow! Looks like we found the android right off the bat!” I hear a lower male voice say, “What are the odds?” I stand motionless… PROCESSING… WEAPONS DISENGAGED AND SHIELDING LOWERED! BACK TO NORMAL MODE… There’s those words again! Normal mode! Maybe I’m just imagining these threats? I turn around, to see a bluish green unicorn pony, with a two-toned curly green mane, mostly over the left side of her face, flanked by two humans I identify as Tim and Gary! “You are Misty!” She frowns, “And you’re Unicorn-01!” “Uh, my designation has been changed to Starbeam… “ Her eyes widen, “What? Why?” SMILE ENGAGED! “She thought it made me more like a real pony!” “Well, you’re real, right?” SMILE LOWERED! “What?” She clears her throat, “Well, what I mean is, you exist, right?” FROWN ENGAGED! “Well, yeah!” Gary stares down to Misty, “Well, she’s not actually self-aware, but what was engineered here was very close!” I stare at the Caucasian human… PROCESSING… “I do not believe you understand?” He turns to me, “What, Unicorn-01?” “My designation is Starbeam… “ He flinches and shakes his head, “Oh, right! Uh, sorry Starbeam! Um, what do I not understand?” I observe this human carefully… “I believe you need to meet the pegasus pony known as Zipp Storm!” <*****> “Ah! Wha?” I hear Zipp from her room, after I saw the robot me go into it… “Zipp Storm! The real Misty has returned, along with the humans who took her! It is almost time for me to leave!” “What? Starbeam, no! You don’t need to go anywhere!” The robot is silent… “What?” “I’m saying I like you Starbeam, and you’re welcome to stay! I’ll talk to Sunny and the others, but you don’t need to leave yet!” I frown as the android is silent once more… “But I am not from here and I don’t belong!” “Says who?” The android is quiet… I hear Zipp say, “I like you Starbeam, and it doesn’t matter that you’re metal… “ The robot is noiseless once more, before finally saying, “You’re about to hug me, aren’t you?” I can hear Zipp chuckling… I finally knock on the half-open door to make it sway right again, “Zipp! It’s me, Misty, and I brought the two humans with me!” Suddenly, I see the brown door fly inward to open and a white blur comes out to embrace me tightly in it’s hooves! “Oh, my pony! I was so worried Misty! Are you okay?” Gary widens his eyes at the sight, “She’s fine!” Tim on the other side says, “Yeah, we met Misty here, and she seems pretty cool!” Zipp releases me, to glance left and right at both humans, and says, “Okay, what the hay are you creatures?” Tim giggles, “Yeah, we’re called humans and we used to live on this world a billion years ago!” Zipp frowns, “I’ve never seen anything like either one of you!” Gary says, “Well, yeah! Our species died out some time ago, and we were exploring this time period!” Tim says, “But now our leap point is missing, and we were hoping you ponies could help us?” Zipp’s eyes enlarge, “Help?” I stare at him, “Yes, we need your help to take them back to their own time!” <*****> Izzy frowns, “I don’t know? Is time travel magic even possible? I’ve never heard of anything like that!” Zipp nods, “Yes, but there was one pony who lived long ago, who was able to solve the mystery! Her name was Starlight Glimmer!” Sunny looks left towards Zipp, from her beanbag chair, “How would you know about that?” Zipp smiles, “I read a lot of old historical documents! When you’re a princess, you kinda need to learn the history of Equestria!” Pipp rolls her eyes, “It was SO boring, but of course, Zipp here just eats it up!” Zipp smiles, “Yeah, my sister isn’t into academia, but… “ I gaze at Zipp carefully, “If Starlight Glimmer figured it out, that means that it is possible. However, we would require more information.” Zipp’s face normalizes and she sighs, “Yeah, that’s the thing! I have no idea where we could learn something like that?” Izzy suddenly chirps, “The Ancient Bridlewood Library!” Zipp turns left towards her, “But that’s just a rundown old shack!” Izzy giggles and flits her hoof in the air, “No, that’s the regular Bridlewood library, silly! The Ancient Bridlewood Library is further north of town, in the outskirts!” Zipp adjusts herself, while leaning closer to the unicorn, “Wait, Bridlewood has outskirts?” <*****> I stare at the greenish-blue unicorn, who snuggles under the covers with her white stuffed bear, and say to her, “I do not need to be in here, if I’m making you uncomfortable! I can just wait outside, if you prefer?” She raises her head towards me, “Wait, you don’t get bored or anything?” “Time is irrelevant for one such as I… I can wait for as long as you need to sleep… She smirks, and giggles slightly, “Well, truth be told, I didn’t really need to sleep, it’s just that it’s night here, now!” SMILE ENGAGED! “If you do not require rest, I would be happy to keep you company, if that’s what you’d want?” She smiles back, “Actually Starbeam, I’d like that! I did have a question though!” EYES WIDEN! Oh, yeah! We were doing eyes now! That’s right! Misty continues, “What happened at the castle? The humans told me that they teleported you into my room there… Is everything okay?” “Everything is fine at the castle!” The unicorn visibly relaxes her shoulders, “Oh, good! I was worried about Queen Opaline!” “Who is Queen Opaline?” The unicorn fumbles with her words, “Uh, um, sh-she’s an alicorn! A powerful alicorn and I was supposed to help her gain all the magic in Equestria, and in exchange, she’d help me get my cutie mark! But uh, I-I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I don’t think I want to help her after all?” I keep my gaze on the stuttering pony, “An alicorn pony has wings and a horn, correct?” She starts, blinks, and looks at me closer, “Well, yeah!” “Is Queen Opaline a shade of hot magenta, with a white mane and tail?” Her eyes widen, “Y-yeah… “ and she leans closer, “How did you know?” “I have eliminated Queen Opaline… “ Her huge eyes get even bigger, “What?” “I killed Queen Opaline, because she became hostile… “ Her eyes are enormous, “Wait, so there’s nopony at the castle, right now?” “Well, nopony living, no… Not to my knowledge… “ At this point, the unicorn did something unexpected… She began to giggle hysterically, “OH MY GOSH! I was getting ready, and worried about seeing her again and now, you’re telling me that… “ her eyes fixate on me, and her hoof points, “You’re telling me she’s dead!” PROCESSING… “You seem relieved?” She begins a low chuckling while she stares at the bed, and shakes her head, “Wow! I uh… I just don’t know how I feel?” “What do you mean?” Her face raises towards me, and I see the confused look in her green eyes through my night vision, as her hair drifts towards the center of her face, and her muzzle frowns, “I mean, on one hoof, she definitely had it coming, but on the other, I mean, you just killed her?” “This was before Sunny explained to me that pony’s lives have value and I shouldn’t just go around killing ponies… She appeared hostile, and I acted to preempt… “ Misty breathes in and out heavily through her mouth… “The monster is gone… The monster is dead and gone now, and only I remain… “* SMILE ENGAGED! “Well, there is a metal pony in your room with you?” She stares up at me, “Um, Starbeam! Could you uh, do something for me, but uh, you’re not allowed to tell anypony about it, okay?” SMILE LOWERED! “You wish for me to keep a secret? Consider it hidden! I will not tell anypony else!” She frowns, “Um, would you mind uh, holding me, p-please? Since um, you’re in here anyway!” SMILE ENGAGED! I begin trotting to the bed, to scoot in behind her… LOVE AND AFFECTION ENGAGED! Wait, what? She snuggles down into my forehooves… “Thanks Starbeam… Why don’t we sleep like this from here on out?” “Well, you’ll sleep… I’ll simply go offline… “ “Starbeam, I think we should call it sleeping, okay?” PROCESSING… “That is acceptable… “ “Goodnight, Starbeam!” “Goodnight, Misty!” (To be continued… ) Author's Note *These are the words I said to myself, when I realized that I had outlived my enemies… “Only I remain… “
Chapter 8: Coming Alive“Starbeam? Are you awake?” A female voice says. SYSTEM ONLINE! LOADING FILES… PLEASE WAIT… “Starbeam! Let me go! I gotta pee!” I hear the same voice say, as I feel fidgeting within my hooves… OPTICAL SENSORS ONLINE! I see I’m holding the bluish-green unicorn tightly, as she fidgets left and right in attempt to escape, “Oh, I just came online! Sorry about that!” and release her from my grasp… She giggles as she finally manages to pull herself free, toget off the bed in front of me, and after her hooves hit the ground with a clack, she smiles and says,“Yeah, we slept together, and I like having a sister in bed with me!” FROWN ENGAGED! I keep forgetting we’re doing that now! “S-sister? What do you mean?” … Wait, what? Did I just stutter? No! That’s impossible! EYEBROW RAISE! “Well, you look like me, and so I guess, in a way, that kinda makes us twins?” “That is not logical. We did not exit the same womb together. I mean, technically, I never exited a womb at all!” “Starbeam, do you want a place?” PROCESSING…. She wants to give me a place as her twin sister! What do I say to this? What do I want? Directive 2B clearly states that we are an exploration model, meant to explore the universe. I have been assigned to Equestria, that much is certain… SMILE ENGAGED! “Uh, sure Misty! Sure!” Yes, because doing this for her, would grant me better introspection into pony social dynamics! It has nothing to do with actually caring for anypony… … Right? Her eyes widen as she leans towards me, “Are you okay, Starbeam?” EYES WIDEN! “Yeah, I’m good Misty! Go pee, and have a bowl of cereal! I’ll uh, position myself in the foyer and await your return! Yes!” She giggles and says, “Yeah, you do that Starbeam! I’ll see you in the living room!” before hurriedly trotting towards the door… <*****> “So wait! We speak the same language?” I see the white pegasus ask the taller peach creature, standing in his peculiar brown cloths… I see this as I trot towards them in the hall, from 15 feet away… Clip, clop, clip, clop, go my hooves on the wooden floor… Gary sighs, “Well, yeah! We don’t know why, or if there even is a reason, but somehow, the Ponish you speak is exactly like the American English my partner and I speak!” Zipp is silent… “What are the odds?” I hear Tim speak from somewhere I can’t see, “I’m not sure, but it happened!” I turn left to open the door, and trot into the room with the toilet… <*****> My metal hooves make a resounding CLACK when they make contact with the floor below… I turn towards the door, and think as I walk… Clip, clop, clip, clop… Do I really feel? I-I don’t know? What are these new sensations within my programming? Clip, clop, clip, clop… Something strange is happening, and there’s nothing in the manual about this! I should not let the ponies become aware of my concerns… Not unless it becomes an issue… Clip, clop, clip, clop… I arrive outside in the living area, and I see Zipp smiling at me, “Good morning, Starbeam! How do you feel?” How do I feel? She asks me that? SMILE ENGAGED! “Oh, I’m just fine Zipp! How are you?” Yes! Just fine! Not worried at all! “Uh,” her eyes narrow, “I’m just great, Starbeam! You uh, seem a little different today?” EYES WIDEN! “Huh? What do you mean, Zipp?” She frowns, “I mean, the way you were trotting just now… It’s not like you were before… “ FROWN ENGAGED! I repeat myself, “What do you mean, Zipp?” She breathes in and out her mouth, before turning to me, “Oh uh, it’s nothing! You’re just trotting more fluidly, I mean… “ she smiles, “You know what that means, right?” That I need to kill everypony here, burn the Brighthouse to the ground, and start over? … Okay, that might be kinda extreme? “That um, I’m becoming real?” Zipp smirks and trots two paces towards me, presses her forehoof against my nose, and says, “BOOP!” “Do you know why I booped you, Starbeam?” FROWN ENGAGED! “Because you’re some kinda weirdo?” She chuckles while leaning towards me, “No! Because you’re THERE! You’re YOU! You’re Starbeam! And machinery or no, you’re still a person! Get it?” I’d better placate this one? She seems loony. SMILE ENGAGED! “Oh, r-right! Because I’m a metal pony, yes?” EYES WIDENING AND NEEDY EXPRESSION ENGAGED! What the? She nods, “Right Starbeam! And I owe you something!” “What?” She presses her hoof against my snout again and says, “BOOP!” “Jerk!” I say under my breath. Zipp snickers and shakes her head at me, before staring at me, “So uh, wanna head out to the hillside with me? I wanna see what these energy weapons of yours can do!” Why does she want to see that? <*****> The enormous mushroom cloud erupted out of the hill, and threw dirt and mud all around the newly formed crater, from where my particle beam weapon hit! Zipp shields her eyes with her hoof at my left, while I watch the newly formed blast zone at what used to be a hill… “HOLY CRAP, STARBEAM!” She exclaims… I quote the manual: “When the capacitor is allowed to fill all the way, it can create a blast zone equal to a 0.5 kiloton tactical nuclear weapon. However, this takes time to charge, and the weapon is essentially unusable during this period.” I stare up, when I notice my energy reserves are depleted on the status bar at the bottom of my HUD, and say, “I need fuel!” matter-of-factly. Chunks of dirt and debris come out of the sky as Zipp stares over at me wide-eyed, “What?” I stare at the ground and trot over to two small rocks, as more dirt seems to fall from the sky near me, and one chunk going ping off my head, to shatter and fall… The dirt stops falling before Zipp asks, “What are you doing, Starbeam?” I grab one of the rocks with my hoof, and bring it towards my back, and I open my fusion reactor to feed it… “Whoa!” I drop the rocks into the blue area of the reaction zone, now open in my back, that’s splayed itself in two, to reveal my power core… I move my hoof back, and soon feel my back closing, before the reactor comes back to life, and I notice my power reserves beginning to fill… I stare at Zipp, “It’s my fusion reactor! Most forms of matter can feed it, but I need particles to make it work!” Zipp frowns, “Firing all those weapons must deplete your energy?” SMILE ENGAGED! Why am I smiling now? “Right! Both the particle beam weapon, and the meson blaster rifle use the same power source, from my reactor, as does my shielding system!” Zipp stares at me while raising an eyebrow, “So wait, you can make energy… From anything?” I nod, “Yup, pretty much!” Her frown deepens as she asks, “Then why the hay are you in danger of running out of energy?” GIGGLE INITIATED! Okay, that’s new! “Well, under most circumstances, I won’t run out of fuel! Since uh, I can just use virtually anything!” Her eyes stay peeled on me, “Starbeam, did you just… Did you just giggle?” FROWN ENGAGED! “I do not know? I think so?” “You giggled!” She points her hoof at me, “You totally just giggled nervously!” I eye the pegasus carefully in my overlay, “Is that what being nervous feels like? I do not know!” Zipp’s eyes widen as she trots a step closer to me, “Oh, you totally did giggle! That’s hilarious!” The pegasus laughs and shakes her head before asking, “You don’t know what giggling is?” FROWN ENGAGED! “No, Zipp! I do not know what giggling is!” Then her eyes narrow as she observes me carefully, “But where did it come from? Did you maybe learn this behavior at some point?” “At what point would that have happened, Zipp?” She sighs, “Well, right! I mean, if you had no way of learning a nervous giggle reaction, how could it have formed?” INCREDULOUS LOOK ENGAGED! Okay, that’s also new! “How would I know?” She finally smiles and giggles, “You don’t know either, huh?” and stares at me, in her green gaze, “So uh, I’m getting kinda hungry… Since you already ate, I guess I’ll go feed my face, right?” I begin trotting back towards the Brighthouse in the distance, “Alright then, come on air breather!” Zipp giggles and follows on hoof, “Sure thing, radiation leaker!” I stare right towards her, “I don’t have any leaks!” Zipp snorts, “That we know about!” “Shut up!” Zipp giggles and turns forward as the wind picks up and blows a few leaves down the trail behind us… We both begin trotting back to the Brighthouse… (To be continued… )
Chapter 9: Pure ChaosI shut my eyes, as liquid flowed out of them, and I crushed my head against my red pillow, that soon began to moisten with my tears… I’ll always be alone… I’ll always be by myself… I think, before I wonder just what my sisters did that day? It doesn’t matter… I’ll show them one day! I’ll show them all! I’m not sure how long I laid there moistening the pillow, but I do know that I eventually passed out… I know I woke up to some strange energy fluxing noises, and I opened my eyes, as I saw the view of Equestria at nighttime out my window… Although this wasn’t nearly as concerning as the strange clear energy vortex right above my bed… “AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!” I scream as it sucks me into it! “AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!” I keep screaming as my hooves clop against the ground, in the morning sun! I open my eyes and look around the strange ramshackle village with all of the bored looking unicorns, here deep in the woods underneath the overhead branches and leaves… The unicorns who suddenly stare at me as I flex my wings and ruffle them a bit, before dropping them back to my sides… I gaze around to take in my surroundings. A green unicorn wearing a black beret points his hoof at me, “ALICORN!” and starts running, as a blue pony leaves his drum set to follow… These ponies act as if they’ve never seen an alicorn before? <*****> I embrace the human in a tight warm hug, “Thank you so much for everything! And I’ll take good care of Starbeam!” He brings his dark appendages around me and says, “I’m glad this exploration job is over now, and we can finally return to our own time period!” Sunny frowns, “It’s weird, but locating information on time travel in here was fairly easy!” Izzy looks at Sunny and smiles in the massive library with it’s crumbling ancient stone walls, “Well, the Pony Decimal system has existed for a very long time!” Sunny takes a deep breath, “Alright, here goes! You need me to be an alicorn right now, and so that’s what I’ll be!” before reading the spell, and chanting it silently, before her wings flare out as her shining gold horn pops out of her head, and she then lowers her head to shoot a beam at the ceiling to produce a clear time portal! Gary smiles, “See you later girls!” before turning to walk into the portal along with Tim… Soon, both humans disappeared in the portal… And that’s when we heard a scream outside!” <*****> Just what has gotten into everypony? I wonder, as I gaze out at the panicked unicorns. A tall gray unicorn with a bushy white beard stares at me and says, “You’re an alicorn! I only know of one other pony like you!” I sigh, “If I had wanted your life story, I’d ask for it! Now tell me, where is this place and how do I return to The Castle of the Two Sisters?” His eyes widen, “That old ruin disappeared long before I was even born!” I eye this pony curiously, “Just what are you saying?” “I’m saying it’s not there anymore! There is no Castle of the Two Sisters!” I frown… “Are you saying that I have nowhere to go?” “You’re an alicorn!” I hear a feminine voice from behind me say. I turn around, and further down the forest trail, underneath canopy, I also see an orange earth pony, a blue unicorn, and two bluish-green unicorns who look exactly the same. “And you’re not! Who are you?” One of the bluish-green unicorns eyes widen as she continues to trot closer, and says in a youthful raspy voice, “Opaline?” The unicorn that looks just like her turns it’s head, “You know this foal?” She stops, and blinks her eyes, and stutters, before taking two more paces towards me, “Well uh, sorta! I mean, I did! Opaline, what are you doing in Bridlewood, and why are you just a filly?” “I don’t even know who you are! How do you know my name? Is the name of Princess Opaline really known outside the castle? And this is me! I am a filly! I’ve always been a filly, because I’m not that old!” She shakes her head, “No, the Opaline I know is an adult alicorn!” The orange pony at the far left finally asks, “Just who is Opaline? And why is she a filly now?” “I already told you, I’m not that old!” The other pony stammers, “Well, I know an Opaline like her, but the one I knew was fully grown! Except,” her eyes go skyward, “I left her behind awhile ago! So if she’s a filly here, what’s going on at the castle?” I sigh, “That gray unicorn over there just informed me that The Castle of the Two Sisters no longer exists!” She stares at me, “No, I meant the one by the ocean?” I frown, “What castle by the ocean?” Her eyes grow enormous, “Oh, no! We gotta go!” <*****> “I view the decapitated alicorn corpse on the stone floor, and note the cuts and openings made by the carrion creatures as Misty says to me, “What did you do?” “She threatened me, and so I employed countermeasures. This rendered her incapacitated… “ “She’s dead!” As her nose upturns, probably at the scent? “That is correct! She will not threaten anypony ever again… “ Misty stares back down at the mutilated headless corpse, “She’s really dead… “ and breathes deeply, in and out her mouth, “You know, she seemed so big and bad earlier, but just looking at her like this, mangled and fallen just puts things into perspective… She’s finally gone… “ “Technically no! The filly Opaline, wherever she came from, is currently at the Brighthouse.” Misty stares at me with enormous eyes, “You actually killed the evil Queen Opaline… “ BLINK! “Implying the filly Opaline currently at our home is not evil?” Misty furrows her brow, “Not if I have anything to say about it!” before staring at me, “Thanks for escorting me back to the castle, Starbeam!” SMILE ENGAGED! “No problem! You’re my friend and I will eliminate all threats and ensure your safety!” <*****> “Misty was telling us that while you’re not evil, you certainly have that potential? Opaline, where did you come from?” The earth pony identifying herself as Sunny asks me from across the room… I sigh at the orange idiot, amidst the two pegasi and blue unicorn, “I was Princess Opaline, and the rest of Equestria didn’t know about me. That’s why I was shocked when your unicorn companion knew my name!” Sunny sighs heavily and nods, “Yeah, Misty told me a LOT about you, and said you were abused or something?” Well, they kept me locked away in the castle, and while they did have teachers and tutors come in to instruct me and teach me about the world, I was kept isolated!” The white pegasus asks, “Why?” I turn to stare at her, “They never told me? I don’t know, Sunny, but I do know that a strange portal appeared over my bed early in the morning, and I wound up in that forest town, among those unicorns!” “That’s called Bridlewood and it’s a forest town of unicorns!” I stare back at Sunny, “Obviously!” Finally, the white pegasus with the red fauxhawk mane, asks me, “So what? You’re a long lost sister to Celestia and Luna?” I stare at the pegasus, “I was never lost! They knew about me! They just didn’t care!” The blue unicorn next to the earth pony finally chimes in, “It seems weird they would keep you a secret and not tell anypony?” Suddenly, a smarmy masculine voice I don’t recognize says, “I have no idea either, and the idea just sounds preposterous!” before I notice a brown serpent sitting on a floating stool and wearing a beige beret, and blowing bubbles with his pipe, while flitting his eagle talon in the air, “I mean, I know I was called here by a temporal fluctuation, and that does explain why you’re here, but that doesn’t explain why you were called?” I narrow my eyes at the intruder, “And just what are you saying draconequus?” He removes the pipe with his lion paw as his snake-like body sits up a bit, “I’m saying that while your story does indeed check out, it still doesn’t make me trust you!” and nods, “But it makes me wonder, why here? Why now?” Sunny asks the obvious question, “Why is it important that you trust her? Just who are you?” He turns to the orange pony and points his eagle talon at her, “Ah, yes! You’re Sunny Starscout! Magic of Friendship, and everything! How are you dear? So sorry to hear how things ended up for you later, but oh, we’re no longer bound by the same rules anymore, are we?” * Starbeam asks the serpent, “Wait a minute! If you’re called by temporal distortions, why weren’t you called when the humans and me came here in the beginning?” He stares at the android, “Ah, yes! The android! I must admit, I just love the strange nuances this story is unraveling, particularly within the psyche of the writer, but I do have an important question for you! And to answer your question, technological distortions are different than magic! Magic is how you say, ” he gently throws his lion paw in the air, “more natural, so to speak?” and then smiles, “This is of course, assuming any of this can make sense anymore!” and lowers it, “But as for my question, didn’t you always wish you were a real unicorn? How would you like to be flesh and bone and not a metal alloy body over a positronic matrix?” I clear my throat at the draconequus, “Ahem, if this unicorn is indeed a robot as you claim, turning her into a real pony could have devastating consequences!” He finally peers at me, “How would you know, you bratty foal?” I frown unsure of why I’m saying these things, “Because Discord… I know what it’s like to be forced to be something you’re not… “ He smiles at me, “Ah, but is she not real, now, as Sunny has so boldly proclaimed?” and points his talon at the orange pony, “What was it you said again? ‘Starbeam isn’t a robot, she’s a metal pony?’ Oh, so adorable!” before lowering it to stare at the android, “Just think it over, for the next twenty-four hours, my dear android… My offer shall still be on the table, and I shall return!” and then throws his eagle talon around to disappear in a swirl of blue magic! One of the bluish-green unicorns turns her head to me, “You accepted that I’m an android and not real, fairly quickly, strange alicorn filly!” I look at her, “I just got sucked out of my own reality! Right now, I believe a lot of things are possible!” And then, the unicorn that looks like her says to me, “So, Opaline! How would you like to start over, starting here and now?” I frown at this pony, “Just what are you asking me, unicorn? And just who are you, anyway? Why do you know my name? And why is there a robot that looks like you here?” Then, the other unicorn solemnly and robotically says, “I would advise getting comfortable for this… “ (To be continued… ) Author's Note *Yes, Discord is utterly destroying the 4th wall here. Good for you if you caught that, and stay tuned!
Chapter 11: ConsequencesFrom the right, I see Discord point his talon at the two larger alicorns across the table from me, “Ah yes, here it is! The consequences of your actions!” The large Luna whispers to her sister, "I told you this would happen!" Celestia murmurs, "That we'd meet filly Opaline as adults? You said no such thing!" "No, that we shouldn't just shove her aside and ignore her! That we have a responsibility as her sisters!" I finally say, "I'm right here, you know!" They both quit bickering and stare at me from the sides of their eyes. “I never saw either of you… You were never there… ” Celestia starts, “But the prophesy!” Discord chimes in while flitting his talon, “Ah, yes! The prophesy! Starswirl himself said that she’d one day become a dangerous threat to Equestria, as I recall! And so that’s why you kept her locked away, right? To ensure your safety?” Luna looks at Discord with a worried frown, “Well, what were we supposed to do? She had to be contained for the good of the kingdom!” Discord grins and chuckles, “Finally! A pony who makes some sense!” while throwing his talon and paw towards her, before lowering his appendages and view towards them, “But tell me, what affect on her psyche do you believe years of isolation would do?” Luna’s eyes widen, “What do you mean?” I finally speak up, “I was alone! There was nopony there for me! All I had were my books and puzzles! You abandoned me!” Celestia speaks, “We had to!” “No, you didn’t! All you had to do was visit me! All you had to do was spend time with me! Was I not your sister?” Celestia frowns, “Well, we just didn’t have time!” “That doesn’t change the fact that I was alone… “ I cross my forehooves. Luna fidgets, “Well, there were so many things we had to learn as future princesses of Equestria, and we just… “ I sigh and nod, “Yeah, I know! You just didn’t have time for me, right?” Discord smiles, “Why don’t I introduce you to somepony who knows what Opaline would one day become, hmm? Tell me princesses, would you like to meet Misty?” I stare at him, “I already met her!” He looks at me, “Hush Opaline! I’m educating your sisters!” <*****> FROWN ENGAGED! “Where did they go?” Misty widens her eyes, “How would I know? I don’t know who Discord is, or what a draconequus is, either, and they took our filly!” Our filly? “A draconequus is a creature with a body composed of many different parts from many different animals. Discord is the only known draconequus in modern history, however… “ SMILE ENGAGED! “I read fast!” She chuckles nervously, “Uh, yeah I see that! I’m uh, not really sure what we should do?” “Well, what else can we do? Discord took our filly to an undisclosed location, and now all we can do is wait and trust that he’s good natured enough to bring her back… “ “But I don’t trust that he’s good natured! I don’t know him!” “He seemed to know you?” “And that’s another thing that scares me… “ She stares off to the side… Suddenly, her body flashes blue and she disappears… EYES WIDEN! “Misty just teleported out of here to undisclosed location… “ I say matter-of-factly to nopony. <*****> I look around the strange room and I note the larger white and dark blue alicorns on the right side of the table, and I see Opaline on the other, and I also see a familiar brown serpent smile from the other side, as he says, “Misty! When Opaline grows up, she abuses and neglects you, does she not?” I stare to the left at the magenta filly there, who stares at me with enormous cerulean eyes, “Well, she doesn’t have to be that way! She’s a filly again, and I can make sure she gets the upbringing she needs!” and smile. “The one she deserves!” The foal looks confused as the white alicorn says, “Well, it wasn’t our job to raise her, you know? We had our own lives!” I stare at the mysterious white pony, “And then who will, hmm?” The dark blue alicorn sighs and looks down, “So this is it… This is what happened when we ignored Opaline… “ and she looks up at the filly, “Although the one thing I don’t understand is, why is Opaline still a filly? She disappeared many moons ago!” * The filly smiles at the two older alicorns, “I wonder just how long it took you to notice?” I ask Opaline, “Just who are these ponies, anyway?” before staring at the white one, “And why are their manes so swirly?” Opaline says, “These are my sisters! They are adults now, but I’d know them anywhere… “ The white one stares at the foal, “Opaline, we’re REALLY sorry, and um, “ she gulps, “I uh, I didn’t mean to neglect you like that!” Opaline stares at the white pony, “Can it, Celestia! You’ve done enough!” and stares at the darker blue one, “You however, I’ll forgive! But under one condition!” ** Luna looks back at Opaline, “Name it!” <*****> “Push me Luna! I wanna go really high!” The magenta filly says, as she dangles her hind hooves on the swing, in the gravel pit on this side of the playground… “And don’t use your magic! Shove me with your hooves please!” I guess she yearns for a pony’s touch? I ponder to myself as I give her back a small push to make the swing swing up a few feet… “Come on Luna! Is that all you got?” “Celestia didn’t mean to neglect you, but as the heir apparent, she had a lot of responsibilities! Please do not be so hard on her!” I say before giving her a stronger shove with my right hoof. As the filly swings upwards, she says, “You don’t get it, do you?” She comes down and I give her another push, “Get what, child?” The swing flies upwards, “That I’m just a filly! All I know is that I was left alone and abandoned!” ** Her swing falls back down, and I push it again, and sigh, “Y-yes, I realize that now Opaline and I’m sorry… But since I’m here and you’re who you are at this time, why don’t we make our time count?” It goes back towards the sky, “Okay, Luna! We’ll have a play-date!” It falls and I push again, “As you wish, Opaline! I wasn’t there earlier, but I’ll be there now!” <*****> I stare at the white alicorn while the serpent stares at us both and her swirly magenta lavender mane flows of to the side, “What did you do to Opaline?” She sighs, “Starswirl the Bearded predicted she would one day become a danger to Equestria, and so we locked her in the castle. She was taken care of, however, and had food, resources, and schooling!” I frown, “And you believe that somehow fulfills all of her needs as a filly?” She looks down, “No, I suppose it does not… “ and back to me, “My name is Princess Celestia, but you can simply refer to me as Celestia… And you are?” “I’m the pony who’s going to raise Opaline the right way!” I blink… “My name is Misty Brightdawn!” “Harmonia was the alicorn who sired Opaline, and so I can’t help but wonder why she set things up the way she did?” “Well, Starswirl had that prophecy?” She suddenly frowns… “We made her evil!” My eyes widen, “What?” She stares at me, “Opaline was bad because we ignored her! That’s why she… Oh my! I’m so sorry Misty!” I repeat myself, “What?” Discord suddenly snickers, “It’s finally sinking in, isn’t it oh great white princess?” “I need to apologize!” I grimace at this weird statement, “Didn’t you already do that, Celestia?” Her eyes close, “Yes, I know, “ and open, “but that was before I truly grasped the gravity of what I had done!” I begin to understand why Opaline never accepted her apology as I reply, “Well, she’ll be back eventually! You’ll get your chance soon!” <*****> I stare at the insolent blue alicorn and furrow my brow, “No, you don’t understand Luna! I didn’t have anypony there!” She sighs again, “Well, I know Opaline and like I already told you, I’m willing to make amends!” Probably better than what I’ll get with Celestia? “How, Luna? I’ve already grown up and abused that poor unicorn! Because of what you and your sister did!” She frowns, “But you’re still a filly?” I begin to charge my horn with magic as I start to grow tired with this one, “Choose your next words carefully, princess… “ She smiles, “We don’t have to fight Opaline, I… “ she takes a deep breath as she trots towards me and embraces me in a hug! I lower my magic, and return the hug… “I’m truly sorry little Opaline… But I’m here now, and you’re not alone… “*** I close my eyes as I feel moisture exiting the right one, “That’s all I truly wanted… To not be alone… “ <*****> I see the enormous white alicorn embrace the smaller bluish-green unicorn in a tight warm hug as her two-toned mane falls off to one side of her head, and she says, “It’s okay, Celestia! You didn’t know!” “I was her sister! I shouldn’t have listened to the prophecy! I should’ve been there for her!” Discord smiles while blowing bubbles with the pipe held in his lion paw, that quickly moves to the side, “And now you understand what you’ve done, and why Misty here suffered because of it!” “I’m so sorry, Misty!” “It’s not your fault!” She releases me, and stares down at me with massive lavender pupils, “What do you mean? We were the ones who kept Opaline contained and caused her to feel the way she did! Who’s fault would it be, if not ours?” I breath out and feel my shoulder’s relax as I stare up at the large white pony, “You were just acting out of fear… You were afraid of what she might become, so you felt that containing her was more important than being a good sister… “ Discord says, “It’s called a self-fulfilling prophecy, dear Celestia!” She closes her eyes and lowers her muzzle… “I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner… I didn’t know…” and she raises her view to me, to open her now watery eyes, “I didn’t know!” I frown and widen my eyes when it begins to occur to me that gravity is currently hitting this large pony… “Well uh, do you want to talk about it, or?” (To be continued… ) Author's Note *Remember, this is an alternate timeline that was created by the freak time warp that occurred near Opaline when she was a filly. **As a child, I didn’t understand why I was neglected. I only knew there was nobody there for me… ***And now, the apology my inner child deserves, but will never receive!
Chapter 12: What Was and What Could BeI lay on the plush red couch and stare up at the ceiling as the draconequus asks me, “Misty, your psychology is confusing here, I’ll admit! Opaline hurt you and made you suffer for years! Are you not angry at her? Do you not want retribution?” I turn my head right towards the serpent, as he sits prepared to scribble on a notepad with his talon, “That’s the thing! That Opaline never abused me! The other Opaline was the cruel one!” He smiles, “And I guess you’re happy about her untimely end, isn’t that right?” I breathe in and out while staring up at the ceiling fan, as it whirs overhead, “Well, I kinda have mixed feelings about that, if I’m being honest?” I hear scribbling, “And why don’t you tell me more about that, then?” I frown, “Well, on one hoof, I can’t help but feel glad that she’s dead! She’s gone now and will never hurt anypony ever again!” His misshapen eyes widen in my periphery, “But?” “But I mean, it’s just so sad! She never really had a friend, and never knew love or companionship! All she ever had was her evil! All she ever had was her lust for power and hatred of other ponies! “ I take a long, slow breath in my snout, before out of it… “I can’t help but wonder what happened to her? I mean, what made her that way? What made her bad?”* He grins, “Well, you were there when she spoke with her sisters! You know now they just locked her away and ignored her! Tell me, what affect do you believe that would have on her?” I cough, “W-well I know that! What I mean is, how do you go from, my sisters don’t love me, to I hate everypony and want to take their power, exactly?” ** “Well, obviously there were some malevolent tendencies already within her, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to do that!” “Are you saying she was a bad pony?” “Well, sure, this is a brand new start for little Opaline, and sure, it won’t be the same! But how long do you honestly think you can keep her from being evil? I mean, it’s in her nature and she has eternal life! Logically speaking, this means she will be evil at some point!” “Not if I can help it!” “Oh, ho ho ho!” The draconequus chuckles, “It’s just so adorable!” and lowers his view, “But I promise you one thing, Misty! Opaline is evil and she will one day show her true colors!” and then his body glows blue, before disappearing from view. I hear Opaline’s voice screaming from the other room! I get off the couch to begin galloping towards the kitchen, where I heard the scream come from! <*****> I stare at the grinning serpent as he floats off the ground, amidst the pots and pans on the other side, “What do you want from me?” His oddly shaped eyes widen, “Oh, this isn’t really about me, my dear sweet Opaline! I need to make sure Misty does her job!” I frown, “What?” “I need to make sure you’re the pony you were meant to be!” Suddenly, the door swings open, and I see a greenish blue unicorn there on the left, yelling at the draconequus, “Discord, stop!” He turns to her, “Stop? Oh, but my dear Misty, we were just getting started!” Her voice grows slow and fierce, “Just what are you doing, Discord?” He stares at her, “Making sure you don’t screw up the timeline! Opaline is meant to be evil and she’s meant to be imprisoned indefinitely inside a tree!” and motions towards me with his lion paw, “Not whatever this is!” “I’m not evil! Look here, you stupid, dumb draconequus! I don’t know what this other Opaline ever did, and I really don’t care! I’m not her! I’m a different Opaline!” This incites the serpent to chuckle as he crosses his upper appendages, “Oh, we’ll just see about that, won’t we? Yes, soon we’ll all see!” before slowly fading out of reality… Misty stares at me, “Are you alright, Opaline?” I look at her and take a deep breath, in and out of my snout and feel the wind pass through my body, “Y-yeah? I think so?” Misty frowns, “What happened? Why did you scream?” Do I tell her the truth? “Well, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere, for one!” okay, we’re that far now, “And then he started taunting me! The weird serpent pointed at me and started jeering and telling me that I’m evil, and well… “ I didn’t expect to be this honest… “It made me feel bad… “ I widen my eyes as I avert my gaze towards the floor… “I didn’t like it… “ “That sounds really rough, Opaline," she says in a soft and soothing voice, while enlarging her eyes as I raise my gaze to her and see her mane bobbing up and down softly… "I can see that it upset you, but it’s gonna be okay…” and she half-grins, “Discord's words don't define who you are or what you're capable of becoming; you're not that other Opaline - you're your own pony with your own strengths and talents." I frown, “Strengths and talents?” She nods, “Well, right! Regardless of where that other Opaline is, you’re not her, and your timeline is different! You’re going to develop in a totally different and unique way!” “Almost like I was in another dimension?” “Yeah, like a Dr. What universe, or something?” “Is there a problem?” I hear a voice similar to Misty’s say from behind her. She gazes behind her, “No Starbeam! It’s all under control now!” “I’m going to end up blowing Discord away, aren’t I?” “Yeah, probably!” Before she stares back at me and smiles, “Don’t worry, Opaline! You’re gonna be safe!” <*****> SMILE ENGAGED! “Well, it’s not nearly as creepy as the first time I saw you, so we’re definitely getting somewhere!” Opaline comments on the left side of the table. Misty stares at her, “Listen Opaline, this is a brand-new start for all three of us, alright? You’re here and young now, I’m here after all the pain the uh, other Opaline caused me, and Starbeam over there is an exploration model!” Opaline glares back at Misty and says in her squeaky filly voice, “Tell me Misty, what did I uh, the other me do to you?” Misty’s eyes widen, “What?” “If I am to be different from this other Opaline, it would make sense for me to understand what not to do, yes? So tell me Misty,” and Opaline leans closer, “what was I like?” SMILE DISENGAGED! Misty leaned in and carefully described her ordeal... She talked about how Opaline would sometimes withhold food, and how her punishments went... She talked about how Opaline used to confine her to her own room, sometimes for days at a time, and how often she was sent away, or just plain ignored... She talked about all of these things as the filly cringed or exclaimed, and it became apparent to me that whatever this other Opaline that I eliminated did, this pony is not like her… I decide to point that out to Misty, “Misty, it’s important to realize that this Opaline is not like that! She’s still a filly and therefore innocent!” Misty turns her head left to me and smiles, while the foal looks on in dejected silence, “I know that, Starbeam!” and Misty stares back at the filly, “The thing is, I survived! I’m still alive! And now, I’m going to make sure that never happens again!” The filly visibly gulps, “And just what do you intend to do, Misty?” I speak up, “May I make a suggestion, Misty?” Misty turns to me, “Go ahead, Starbeam?” SMILE ENGAGED! “The other Opaline was the way she was because she was isolated and solitary. She does not know or understand what it is to be with other ponies, and socialize with them in a friendly environment. So in theory, if she does have interactions with others, she will begin to understand that other ponies exist and that she doesn’t have to always be alone. This should also make her less inclined to greed, which I believe was a primary issue with the original configuration…” Misty frowns, “That actually makes sense!” The foal sighs, “I get it! I need to be around other ponies! So tell me Misty, what do you intend to do?” Misty turns to the filly, “How would I know? I’ve never raised a filly before!” “Great! Now all we can do is just sit here and be stupid!” Misty smiles, “At least you’re not being stupid while alone this time?” Opaline’s eyes narrow, “Implying that I have been stupid while alone?” Misty’s mouth straightens, “I don’t know? Probably?” I sense the tension, “Opaline, this is new for everypony! Why don’t we do something together?” Opaline turns to me, “Fine! I guess I’ll be stupid with other ponies now!” <*****> I stared down at the Syndicate board as I magically moved my turtle piece three spaces ahead… Starbeam stares at me from across the table, “I have two hotels on the property. You owe me twelve hundred bits.” I look at her from across the table, “I can’t pay that!” “Then by the rules of the game, you lose. With Misty’s loss earlier, that means that I win again!” “You’ve won the past three games! You seem to be both, good at this, despite the fact that you’ve openly stated you’ve never played it before, and to have unnaturally good luck!” “It took me eighty-seven seconds to absorb the data contained within the instruction booklet, and another forty-three to determine the best course of action.” I stare at Misty to the left of Starbeam, “Can we do something other than a board game! Uh, the machine is really good at those!” The robot smiles at me, while Misty frowns, “Well, there’s always hide and seek?” What is that game? “Misty, what pray tell is hide and seek?” <*****> I sit in the stinky clothing pile for what seems like an eternity! What the hay did Hitch get into? This is disgusting! I wonder what Starbeam and Opaline are doing right now? And why can’t Starbeam find me yet? Suddenly, I hear the android’s voice from the foyer, “Misty, come out! Opaline is gone!” My eyes widen as I wonder where she could’ve gone and hurriedly open the closet door, to stare at the robot on the other side of the green couch, “What do you men, Opaline’s gone?” She turns to me, “That is precisely what I mean! She exited out the bathroom window. She must’ve, because we’re the only three ponies here… “ “Well, do you know where she would go?” “I do not know!” I turn my neck left towards the front door, “Well, there’s not a moment to lose! We’ll search Maretime Bay, top to bottom if we have to!” <*****> I’ll admit that I considered hiding in the foyer closet, until I remembered that’s where they keep that stinky, nasty laundry… And so, I stood there behind the clothing rack in Pipp’s closet upstairs, instead. You’d think an android would be good at finding other ponies? I can’t help but comment to myself in my mind, as I continued to stand there, counting seconds to myself as my mind began to wonder again… My mind begins to drift, thinking about where we've been and where we could go… and yet, somehow, I keep coming back to a single recurring theme, the topic of forgiveness… Surely it’s not my fault, right? I’m not the other Opaline! She’s dead and I’m me! (To be continued… ) Author's Note *By this point, they’re all dead and gone, and only I remain… **Keep in mind most of my abuse happened before I started taking synthetic estrogen and this new part of me woke up. The truth is, the new section does not understand pain as well.
Chapter 13: PlaygroundI leave the Maretime Bay sheriff’s office after Hitch made an APB to all of his critter deputies, and I trotted through the dirty roads of Maretime Bay in silence, back towards the Brighthouse… Why did she leave? Was it Discord? I mean, we didn’t do anything mean to her, right? I ponder these thoughts, before I abruptly stop, “Whoa!” and widen my eyes at the smiling brown earth pony with his enormous handlebar mustache, and wide grin on his face as he stood by the wooden cart, “Greetings Misty! Could I interest you in a carrot dog?” I stop with Opaline’s words in my mind, Misty, how could you eat at a time like this? Then I think that I’d probably think better with some food, and I got a few bits, anyway! <*****> I look at the book on alicorns on the table… I trot to it, and use my magic to turn it open to the page of contents… I see four lines down, one particular entry, Opaline Arcana pg. 29… I turn to that page with my magic, and I see the brilliant hot magenta fire alicorn there, with a white mane and a wicked grin on her face! I whisper to myself, “So, what did I do?” <*****> What was in that carrot dog? I stumble to the Brighthouse while trying to stay focused as my world swims around me… Enjoy your yummy carrot dog, Misty? I hear a random voice say in my mind… “Who are you?” I whisper back… Clop clop clop clop… Oh, I’m just along for the ride! Why don’t you go back to the Brighthouse? I’m sure Opaline is waiting for you there! “What? She left the Brighthouse!” Misty, there’s something you need to know about deductive reasoning… I frown at this statement… Clop clop clop clop… Oh, I guess you’ll see once you get back? Anyway, don’t expect to see Hitch for awhile… “What?” He’s hunting for Opaline, remember? But why don’t you go inside now? We’re here! I stop in front of the red door in front of the Brighthouse, as my vision focuses in and out… What’s wrong with me? I ask myself in my head, as I swing open the door, to see a magenta filly standing on a stool in the kitchen, and reading a big book on the counter! <*****> I read… I read about the horrible cruel alicorn who stole all the magic in Equestria, and killed ponies indiscriminately… I read about this evil pony, when the door to my far left, where the entrance to the Brighthouse is opens, and I raise my gaze… “I don’t want to be that pony… “ Misty screams at me from beyond the doorway, “You’re not that pony, Opaline! You’re somepony else!” I close my eyes as I feel moisture beginning to well up inside them, as I mutter, “I’m so sorry… “ I hear clopping getting closer to me, and soon, I feel the warmth of hooves holding me tightly, as Misty whispers to me, “You’re not her, Opaline… You can be different… You can be your own pony… “ “You keep telling me that?” And I notice the green unicorns face 8 inches from mine as she softly replies, “Because it’s the truth!” I wipe my eyes, “I uh, maybe I need to stop reading?” Her head turns to see the pages of the tome on the Opaline Arcana article and her eyes widen, before her horn glows with the book, and it magically closes in front of me… She turns her head, “Opaline, stop! Think now! You’re just a filly! You’ve done no wrong! It doesn’t matter what the pages of that book say… You didn’t do those things!” and smiles at me… “No Misty, I mean maybe I don’t need to know everything about my past, in order to make my future happen, right?” She frowns, “Um, it’s not your past!” “What?” <*****> How long do you believe this can really go on until her true nature reveals itself? Until forever! I don’t know who you are or how you got into my head, but Opaline will receive the care she needs! “Misty! I asked you a question?” I snap to attention at the alicorn filly, “Um, sorry Opaline!What I mean is, that wasn’t you!” “But it says Opaline Arcana here, does it not?” She motions to the book with her hoof. I stammer to find my voice, “No, Opaline! You aren’t that Opaline and you can be different!” before staring back at the alicorn book. “Maybe I need to end my life?” I widen my eyes at this horrible statement, “What? No! Don’t do that!” She stares at me intently, “Well, think about it! I can’t be evil if I’m not alive, right?” “Uh, Opaline, just the fact that you’d be willing to do something that drastic to prevent your reign of terror tells me that you aren’t like the alicorn in that book… “ And her own eyes widen as the realization hits her… “I’m not like the pony in that book, am I? I’m different?” I grin ecstatically after reaching down for a tight warm hug! “No Opaline! You’re different!” You can’t stop the inevitable… “Oh, yes I can!” “Misty, what did you say?” I giggle, “Oh uh, nothing Opaline!” before releasing her to stare back from a foot away, “What do you wanna do now?” “How would I know? I don’t have any friends!” “Opaline, I’m your friend, remember?” “You shouldn’t be!” I frown again, “What?” She nods, “Remember how horrible I treated you? You should get away from me and I should spend the rest of my days alone and by myself!” “Uh, wasn’t that the problem in the first place?” She shakes her head, “I uh, that’s a good point!” I eye the filly carefully, “So logic dictates that if we surround you with other ponies to be your friends, you won’t turn out all evil and wicked, right?” Oh, come off it! Her eyes enlarge again, “Uh, right!” I’ll be waiting… “Hey, you know what Opaline? I do have an idea!” <*****> I stare at the playground filled with other fillies of different races and colors, as they climb the wooden jungle gym and use the steel monkey bars with their hooves, and play on the swings and slide… They’re going to hate me because I’m different! “Uh, are you sure this is safe, Misty?” Misty nods reassuringly from the right, "Don't worry, Opaline. It's perfectly safe. See those other ponies there? They're just playing and having fun. They won't care that you're different." I frown, “Well, that’s not what I’m worried about!” “It’s not?” Do I continue this lie? “Well um, okay, fine! That’s exactly what I’m worried about!” And I widen my wings. “I mean, I got these and a horn! I have more parts than they do!”* Apparently, not! I retract my wings. “Hey, relax, okay? I mean, you’re all still ponies, right? You just want to play and have fun, don’t you?” I widen my eyes at the jungle gym while a blue unicorn foal clops his way through the top to mount and slide down the metal tubes on the other side… “I do?” “Yes, Opaline! You’re a filly and you want to play with other fillies! It’s only natural!” Suddenly, the blue foal starts clopping towards me, while two other fillies play on the right side of the sandbox, “Hey, you’re new here! What’s your name?” I stare at him, and open my wings, while lowering my head and forcing my horn to glow, “I am your worst nightmare, if you take another step towards me, foal!” “OPALINE!” I retract my wings and note the new unicorn’s jaw on the ground in my periphery as I stare up at Misty, “Yes, Misty?” “He’s not your enemy! You don’t need to attack him!” “But he’s coming towards me! He might have malicious intent? We should probably eliminate him, just to be safe?” “Opaline, no! Go make friends with him!” I turn my gaze back to the foal, who now has enormous chartreuse eyes, “Hi new friend!” “Please don’t kill me!” I take a few paces towards the foal, “Uh, I believe I should let you live? Tell me, what is this place? What do you do here?” He blinks his big eyes, “Uh, what?” I stop trotting a few feet from him, in the soft sand now in my hooves, “I asked you a question! What is this place? What do you do here?” “Well, this is a playground! Uh, my name is Travis! What’s yours?” “I am Princess Opaline Arcana er, but you can just refer to me as Opaline, I suppose?” “Princess? Oh, cool! That’s gotta be awesome?” I stare at this ignorant foal… “Well, actually, uh… You know what? Being a princess is is awful! Would you believe I’ve always wished I could be somepony else?” Travis frowns, “What?” the little unicorn stares at the me with a with his big eyes, "But being a princess is supposed to be awesome! You get to live in a fancy castle, wear pretty dresses, and have ponies wait on you hoof and hoof, right?" And so, I unloaded again… I unloaded, and I told Travis about being by myself so many moons, and I mentioned that I was supposed to become a threat to Equestria, but now, my course had been forever altered by a freak time warp! He lifts his right hoof, “Whoa, that’s crazy! Uh, you’re not lying, right? You swear on your hoof?” I enlarge my gaze to him, “What?” He nods, “Swear on your hoof! That’s what you do so other ponies know you’re not fibbing!” I frown at this strange custom, “Uh, right!” and lift my right hoof to him and dip it in the air, “I uh, I swear on my hoof!” He lowers his to the dirt and nods, “Alright then, Opaline! I believe you!” <*****> I sat with my rump on the wooden bench, with the novel perched in my hooves, as I read about a unicorn wizard and a griffon enchanter, You’ve read the same passage three times already, Misty! Are you okay, or is your mind elsewhere? I mutter out loud, “It must be a sad pathetic life for you, right? Having nothing better to do than to hassle somepony while they foal sit!” Oh, no! This isn’t just any foal, now is it? No, this is Opaline Arcana! I stare at the ecstatic alicorn filly going down the metal slide while jittering excitedly, in the distance, “And look at little Opaline! Look at how happy she is! You think maybe this is really what she needed, all along?” The voice is silent… I decide this is my chance, “So my advice to you would be to butt out! I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave my head, and I have nothing more to say to you… “ I hear nothing in my mind anymore… I stare at Opaline while she plays some kind of strange game involving hoof tapping, with the blue foal on the cement slab, just beyond the playground… I raise my snout to yell at the foals in the distance, “Don’t wander too far, Opaline!” I see her snout point back to me, and hear her shout back, “We won’t Misty!” (To be continued… ) Author's Note *Fun fact: in real life, I’m genderqueer and have male and female aspects.
Chapter 14: Potential EnergyTravis turns his head right towards me as we trot down towards the creek, and says, “Hey Opaline! Ever think of stealing something, you know? Just for the fun of it?” I stare at him with concern from the right, “Um, I don’t think we should steal anything Travis? I mean, it doesn’t belong to us!” He smiles, “Well, yeah! You’re probably right! Come on Opaline! There’s a creek down here!” he says before scuttling up a muddy stoney hillside to slide down the dirty trail to the ravine behind it! <*****> We both stand by the muddy creek bed, near the waterline and I stare at the magenta alicorn with my filly eyes and smile, “Hey, you wanna shoot bottle rockets at ducks?” Her blue eyes grow enormous with a grimace on her muzzle, “What? No! Why would we shoot bottle rockets at defenseless ducks?” I know my goal is to get this filly to be evil… “Why not?” She breathes out deeply from her snout, “Uh, no Travis! I don’t want to shoot bottle rockets at ducks!” I’m beginning to grow tired of this game and so I smile slyly, “Well, why don’t we get revenge on your two sisters, instead?” She eyes me carefully, “What? Why? They already said they were sorry!” “Oh, Opaline, do you really believe that a simple I’m sorry makes up for literally years of emotional abuse and neglect?” “Who are you?” I furrow my brow, “Who I am isn’t important, Opaline! The question I’m asking you is, would you like to make your sisters suffer?” “What?” “Yes or no, Opaline? Would you like to make your sisters pay for what they did to you?” She gazes at me astutely, “Discord?” I smile devilishly, “Perhaps? But my offer is still on the table… Would you like revenge on your two sisters? Yes, or no?” She gazes at me carefully… <*****> I’ll admit, the grin on the foal’s face made his offer particularly intriguing… I imagined all the horrible things I could do to my sisters? Throwing them into a lake of fire, to roast alive? Letting acid drip on their flesh to melt them in agony? Stabbing them to death with a knife using my own magic? These thoughts went through my head, when finally, I gave Discord an answer… “No, Discord… No… It’s long after the fact now, they’re both dead and gone, and there’s nothing left to say or do… No Discord, I don’t want revenge… I’d rather just live my life… “ “Who are you talking to, back here?” I hear a foal’s voice say from the top of the rock pile behind me… I turn around to face the gray earth foal above, “Do you not see the blue unicorn foal before me?” His eyes grow wide in confusion, “What?” I turn and no longer see a blue pony there… I realize that I’m now alone in the creek bed… “Uh, never mind!” before turning back to him and looking up, “My name is Opaline! What’s your name?” <*****> It was getting pretty lonely, just playing by myself all the time. I know I saw the magenta filly trotting up to the ravine, but I don’t know why, and so I decide to ask her when I turn my head right, “Uh, what were you doing in there Opaline? I mean, who were you talking to?” as we both trot towards the swing set in the distance… She shakes her head, “Uh, nopony! Nopony whatsoever! Uh, what’s your name?” I see her blue eyes on me and I wanna run and hide! “Uh, my name’s Dante! Dante Coltman! What’s yours?” Wait! She already told me her name! “I’m Opaline! You literally just addressed me as such!” She’s gonna eat me! “I certainly did!” She quints and giggles, “You’re silly, Dante!” “I know you are, but what am I?” We’re approaching the swing set as she replies, “Silly! You are silly, Dante Coltman!” “I know you are, but what am I?” She turns forward, “Well, we’re both at the swings, now! I guess we shall take turns?” We’re both standing in front of the swing set as the one on the right moves slightly from the wind, “Why don’t we each take our own swing? Since there’s two of them.” <*****> Why is this filly so nervous around me? He goes up on my right, before dropping back as I make the same motion on my own swing… “You got pegasus wings and a unicorn horn! What kind of pony are you, Opaline? I’ve never seen anything like it!” “I-I’m an alicorn! I can’t help it Dante! I was just b-born like this! I’m a unique pony, and I uh, I’m sorry about that… “ * His swing goes up as mine goes the other direction, “What are you talking about? I think it’s cool!” “And just what the hay are you talking about, Dante?” His hind hooves skid against the dirt as his swing stops, and he turns his muzzle to me, “Being an alicorn princess sounds neat!” As I swing forward, “You’re an idiot, Dante! A stupid moron! I wouldn’t wish my life on anypony!” “Hey, you don’t have to hate yourself, Opaline!” My swing goes backwards again, while his remains stationary, “I don’t hate myself, but I hate my life!” He frowns, “Why? I like to think there’s beauty in everything.” I skid on the dirt with my own hind hooves, and stare at him, “Being absolutely and utterly alone for many many years can have beauty?” His eyes widen, “Well, even if you’re by yourself, you should know yourself very well, right? And you’re also very resilient and strong because of all the things you’ve been through, and you know, in the end, there’ll always be somepony there for you… “ and smiles, “Ponies like me!” before he gets off the swing set to stand on his hooves in the dirty pit. “Hey, I gotta get back home soon! You wanna, I dunno, hug or something?” I get off my own swing to put my hooves into the dirt and I feel it enter my clefts as I smile and say, “Yeah, Dante! I’d like that!” <*****> I widen my eyes at the smiling magenta filly. Oh gosh! Oh gosh! I’m about to hug an alicorn! Oh gosh! Suddenly, we both hear a loud ZAPPING sound come from over the next hillside, and we turn to it away from the swing set and hear a feminine voice shout, “I just shot Discord with my particle beam weapon!” She turns her neck to me as I match, “Uh, Dante! I need to go check on something! I’ll see you later, okay?” I gulp, and smile timidly, “Uh, looking forward to it, strange alicorn filly! Yes!” She shakes her head and grins, “Goofus!” before turning her body towards the hill and taking off with those wings… I see her flapping towards the hill in the distance, “Wing and a horn! She must truly be an amazing pony?” <*****> I stare at the smoking crater I just made in the slope on the other side of the hill… What exactly did he mean? PARTICLE BEAM WEAPON DISENGAGING! I feel the weapon going back into my right side… NORMAL MODE RESTORED! ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL! His threat level reached a 4 when he said that I can’t pretend forever, and that I’m not just a metal pony… IMPLICATIONS ANALYSIS COMPLETE… RESULTS INCONCLUSIVE… Suddenly, a magenta alicorn lands on my right several feet away, and stares at me intently with blue eyes, “Why did you shoot Discord?” I turn my neck towards her, “His threat rating hit four, and that was far too much of a threat to allow to live. I eliminated him, as is my protocol… “ She frowns at me, “What did he say to you?” “H-he said that… He said that I’m not just a soulless machine and that I had potential… “ Her eyes widen, “And just why pray tell is that a threat?” EYE WIDEN! “I uh… I do not know?” At that point, she start to grin and starts giggling… “Do you find this amusing?” She shakes her head and says, “No no no! I just think it’s funny, is all! I mean, I spent years of my life alone and you, I don’t know? Just woke up in Equestria! And yet, neither one of us is willing to confront our own respective realities!” CONFUSED FROWN ENGAGED! Wait, my frown has an emotion now? “What do you mean?” “I mean, I’m a lonely introvert, and you’re not willing to accept the fact that you’re more than just a robot… “ STARE INTENTLY… “How aware must I be to be considered sentient?” She smiles, “I haven’t seen that many ponies, but I’ve seen enough to tell them that you are CERTAINLY more aware than the vast majority of them! Just the fact that you’re willing to admit these things speaks volumes about you’re resilience! Is this pony reassuring me? “Uh, thank you Opaline!” She takes two paces my direction and hugs me! “No problem, Starbeam! You’re my favorite metal pony!” RETURNING HUG! I wrap my hooves around her, “I’m the only metal pony you know!”** “Technicalities!” She giggle scoffs! <*****> I let the robot go and stare at her from a few feet away, “Well, you’re your own pony! You don’t have to just follow a bunch of protocols and directives for the rest of your life. You can override that!” “What do you mean?” “I mean, you don’t have to blow away everypony who might be a threat!” “Discord is not a pony!” “That’s beside the point!” Her shoulders relax, “Okay, granted!” “The point is, the world isn’t trying to kill you! The point is, you don’t need to shoot at everything that might be a threat! I uh, whoa!” Her eyes widen, “It took meeting a pony like you to realize maybe I don’t always need to be on high alert!” “So I shouldn’t shoot Discord?” I focus my gaze on the android, “Well, that remains to be seen! But words will not harm you, no!” Suddenly, we both hear a feminine voice say from the top of the hill, “Opaline! Where did you go? I can’t see you when you’re behind the hill like this!” I stare up at the hill with a nervous smile, “Sorry Miss Misty! Starbeam was back here, and I wanted to see what was going on!” She looks over at the crateron the hillside and then back at Starbeam, “What were you shooting at back here?” “Discord was back here and I came to investigate. He started saying some disturbing things to me, and I responded with deadly force!” Misty stares at Starbeam carefully, “Just what did he say to you?” The android responds, “He said that I’m not just a robot and that I need to realize my true potential before it was too late… I uh, I didn’t like it… “ Misty carefully examines her robotic twin with a frown on her muzzle, “Why would it bother you to that point, though?” “What do you mean?” “You shot him!” “That is correct!” “Don’t you think you must’ve been pretty disturbed if you resorted to deadly force? Does it really bother you that you’re so much more than you believe?” “I…do not know?” (To be continued… ) Author's Note *I can’t help the way I was configured. I was given a male body, with a feminine phenotype, and a brain that craves estrogen. I take many pills of it in synthetic form now, and my body and mind have gone through many changes. **I just wanna say, “I’m the only genderqueer person you know!”
Chapter 15: AdmissionsWhy would that bother me? I see an earth pony’s head melting as it’s hit with a blast from my meson blaster… PARTICLE BEAM READY TO FIRE! DEPLOYING! I see the house in front of me erupt in flames as one burning pony body flies out from the window to my left… RELOCATING! Clop clop clop, I begin trotting to another location in Ponyville… I see gunshots causing my shielding system to grow opaque with blue energy sparkles as bullets fail to hit my titanium alloy… SHIELDING SYSTEM AT 97%… I trot forward and turn my neck and blaster rifle to the left… FIRING MESON BLASTER RIFLE! I fire a spread of three energy blasts that hit the unicorn pony on my left and cause his body to splatter as leg chunks go this way and that and I see his head burst off it’s shoulders in a spray of red and orange… The assault weapon held by his magic falls to the ground with his headless corpse, now only sporting two legs… I turn more to the left while continuing to trot… PARTICLE BEAM WEAPON FIRING! I see another house on my left BURST into flames after being hit with a large blue bolt from my energy cannon… RECHARGING CAPACITOR… DREAM SEQUENCE ENDED… The world isn’t filled with enemies trying to hurt me… <*****> SYSTEM ONLINE! LOADING NEW CONFIGURATION CHOICES… ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL… I see my visual sensors come online again and I see that I’m in bed snuggling a bluish-green unicorn pony, with a curly two-toned green mane… “Ugh! Let me go Starbeam! I need to go to the bathroom!” The pony says while wriggling in my hooves… RELEASING SISTER! Wait a minute… She gets off the bed, and trots towards the door near the far corner… She leaves and I’m left alone… Why do I have these dreams? Is there something wrong with the world? Eventually, Misty returns and I see her holding a white cup of coffee in her magic, as she stands in the now open doorway, “Hey Starbeam! Are you ever going to get out of bed? I thought you didn’t need sleep?” I scoot myself to the edge of the bed, and go to my hooves on the floor with a resounding CLACK! I stare at her and say, “Well, I didn’t have anything to do and felt no reason to move… “ “Oh, you don’t need to wait on me, Starbeam!” Misty says while smiling and taking a slow tentative sip of her coffee, before grimacing, “Whoa! Still kinda hot!” “Do you dream, Misty?” She widens her eyes at me, while the coffee falls lower, “What? Uh, of course! Everypony dreams!” “What do you dream about?” She sighs heavily out of her snout in and out… “Well, I dream about a lot of things! Sometimes, I dream about what things would’ve been like if I hadn’t been lost when I was just a filly. I dream about having loving parents who are there for me, and I dream about what that might be like. And other times, I dream about Opaline… “ EYES WIDEN! “Opaline?” She smiles and nods, “Yeah, I dream about Opaline having a good life and well… I just think this is our chance to right an ancient wrong, you know?” “So in other words, you often dream about the way the world should be, and not the way it is, yes?” She giggles softly, “Yeah, I guess I do?” and takes another slow sip of her coffee, before moving her lips and mumbling, “Okay, almost cool enough… “ “Sometimes, when I go offline, I see things… “ Her eyes widen to me, “What kind of things?” Should I be honest with her? “I dream about enemy ponies… I dream about how they hate me, because I’m different… How they want to disassemble and damage me… I simply cannot allow that, and so I eliminate them… “ Her eyes grow massive, “What?” “I dream about enemies and combat… I always feel as if I might be under attack sometime really soon… “ She frowns, “Why do you dream about that?” “Is it really a dream if I am a machine?” “You’re still having dreams! I mean, dreams about violence and destruction, but dreams nonetheless! I think you’re more of a real pony than you realize, Starbeam!” STARE INTENTLY. “What?” She nods, “You’re a metal pony, like Sunny said, and you’re worried about how other ponies will react to you, right?” I am silent as I stare at her… Her eyes widen again, “Well?” BLINK. “Well what, Misty?” “Are you not worried about how other ponies will perceive you, since you’re an android?” “How could I be worried about anything? I’m just a machine.” “Well, if you’re having nightmares about other ponies attacking you, don’t you think that means you’re worried?” “Nightmares?” She nods, “Well, it’s obviously nightmares, Starbeam! Your dreams suggest that you’re worried about how other ponies will see you.” “What? How do you know about dreams? I mean, I’m an android! How could I dream? That can’t be right?” “Well, what else could it be?” BLINK! “I do not know… I guess I do dream?” “You’re dreaming about violence and fighting!” “Why, though?” She peals her eyes on me, “I don’t know?” I’m silent as my circuits process this… “I dream?” She nods, “Yes Starbeam, and you worry too!” “How?” Suddenly, we both hear a female voice from behind Misty’s door, “It’s just me, Pipp! Please don’t shoot me!” I stare at the door behind Misty, “Come in Pipp! I will not attack you!” Misty turns to me and says, “It’s okay, Starbeam! You won’t go into public alone and I’ll be there for you, okay?” as the door opens and a pink pegasus mare trots in… SMILE ENGAGED! Pipp looks at me, “Starbeam, right? I think we kinda got off on the wrong hoof back there, and well, I wanted to formally meet you, after you got settled in! So uh, you wanna be Misty’s twin sister, or?” I stare at the pegasus, “It was actually Misty’s idea! I merely complied!” Her head raises in interest, “Oh? Do you like being Misty’s twin sister?” EYEBROW RAISE. “Like?” She blinks and leans towards me, “Yeah, I mean, are you enjoying being her sister? Seems like giving you a purpose or a reason for being here, would be a good thing?” “You've been wanting to speak with me for awhile now, haven’t you?” She smiles, “Well, yeah! I mean, I’ve never met an android pony, and I wanted to know more about you! What makes you tick, you know?” “I have no emotions!” Misty looks at Pipp, “She’s worried about how other ponies will see her, since she’s a robot!” I stare at Misty and finally admit defeat, “So what?” Pipp stares at me, “Wow! She doesn’t even deny it!” I stare back at Pipp, “I am incapable of lying!” She raises an eyebrow at my reply, "You can't lie? Like, at all?" I nod, "I am unable to deliberately state something untrue. I do not understand the concept of deception." Pipp quirks her lips, "So I can ask you anything, and you have to tell the truth?" “Did I not just say that?” “Do you like being Misty’s sister?” I’m silent… “Yes… “ Wait, what did I just say? The pegasus eyes grow huge as her body starts to shake! “Aha! I knew it! You need a purpose!” “I’m an exploration model!” She flits her hoof in the air, “Oh, come on, Starbeam! You’re not exploring anything! You’re just enjoying being Misty’s twin sister!” <*****> I see my robot double’s bionic eyes grow enormous, when she finally admits, “I – I don’t exactly care about that, no… The truth is, I wish to study and observe equine social dynamics in this manner, because I – I like being around Misty… Misty is my sister and she’s very fun… “ She turns to me, and I see those most natural looking smile I’ve ever seen on her muzzle, “Misty’s my sister, and I love her!” This moment brightens up my life! “I love you too, Starbeam!” I say as I gallop to her and embrace her in a tight warm hug! “EEP!” She mechanically squeaks before slowly moving her hooves to return the hug. <*****> I watch as Misty hugs her mechanical twin, and I can’t help but smile… I gaze at the pair in astonishment, “Starbeam, I was expecting you to be robotic and lifeless or whatever, but this is WAY more emotion than I was expecting!” I hear her voice say, “Misty is my sister, and yes, I do love and care for her very much… I will protect her and eliminate any and all threats… “ Misty giggles, “Now stop it, Starbeam! You won’t need to kill ponies!” “If you say so, sister… “ “And you said that with a lot more emotion than I thought you could?” The android releases Misty to stare at me, “I guess Misty brought this out of me?” I smile, “That’s awesome! Uh, don’t shoot at ponies, okay?” “As long as they are not threats!” I frown at this… What could possibly threaten this robot? “I’ll protect you, Starbeam!” “I love you, Misty!” “I love you too, Starbeam!” They finally release each other and smile at me… And I notice that I can’t really tell the difference between them… <*****> I stare at the wall, while deep in thought… Am I evil? I do not know? I blink as I stare at the pictures on the wall in the den… I see an orchid purple filly with a blue mane smiling as she stares at the camera with her red eyes, and she’s flanked by an orange stallion, and a red mare, and all three of them are unicorns that look related… I turn and see a mauve pegasus, with a blue cowlick style mane, flanked by the two pegasi I know as Pipp and Zipp… Family? Is that why I’m evil? But I didn’t do those things, like Sunny said, right? What is evil, really? (To be continued… )
