Your Money or your Wig
Sweetie Bot was rudely awoken by a loud internal bleeping. She groaned as she sat up, her systems complaining at her obnoxiously. With a disgruntled flick, she addressed the warning on her HUD. Her stomach dropped when a large battery appeared on her vision, its red outline flashing dangerously.
She was almost out of power.
She had never run out of power before. Horrible scenarios filled her head, each ending in her shutting down forever. Her subconscious tried to comfort her by telling her she had three hours of battery life left. In no way did it help. She felt her lungs replicate hyperventilation, not that it had any effect on her.
No. She could recharge; it would be fine. She tried to slow her breathing. When it didn't work, she just turned off her lungs, trying to conserve power. With her fear somewhat in check, she turned to her right, looking down on the slumbering Bolts. His chest rose and fell gently, his face smiling peacefully. It was strange that she envied him, to be able to produce his own energy. She was more akin to a plant in that respect.
She had thought it best to not tell him about the pegasi she had seen. The poor colt had been through so much; she needn't worry him about her problems. Once she was sure he was okay, she lifted herself up, her newly repaired leg relishing in its unhindered movement. The hole it had left behind was small, but noticeable, its black rim in stark contrast to her pale skin. She had completely forgotten about her cloak, which must have been lost in the fall. How was she going to walk about Manehatten unnoticed? Could she or Bolts procure another garment for her to wear? She shook her head. They weren't out of the woods, or in this case, canyon, just yet; they would cross that bridge if... when they got there.
She wandered quietly over to the entrance, examining the sky for any signs of the pegasi. The sky was dark and cloudy, the sun largely blocked. The low light levels would do little to help her power. It would also mean more snow. It had subsided for the moment, but it was sure to return in full force.
Thoughts of energy and cold brought a more pressing issue to mind. What would Bolts eat? Unlike her, he did need sustenance. She hadn't brought any, and by the looks of his bag, neither had he. Her leftover bits were of little use out here. They could melt snow for water, but without food, he would quickly perish in the -19 degrees outside.
She hoped they weren't far off; their situation was looking bleaker by the second.
Her ear sensors perked up as Bolts shifted behind her. His breathing became slightly more rapid as his mind arose from sleep. She turned around just in time to see his blue eyes open, their lids heavy with sleep. His eyes were a lovely shade of blue, much like her parents’ and Rarity's. And Sweetie Belle's.
It was funny. Sweetie Belle was feeling more and more like a long lost sister than a false identity. She wanted to meet her, to see how she would have lived the life Sweetie Bot had been given. The life she had given her. Whether Sweetie Belle knew it or not, Sweetie Bot owed her her life, a debt she would carry for the rest of her unnatural life.
A quick scan showed her he was okay given the circumstances. He was hungry and dehydrated, but alive. For now, they could be grateful for that.
"Morning," he said around a large yawn. "Gosh, I'm thirsty," he said, holding his parched throat.
Sweetie Bot walked over to the sled, grabbing the corner with her mouth. With careful movements, she managed to tear off a small rectangle, which she promptly placed on the ground. With a grunt, she slammed her hoof into the metal, its tarnished surface bending to form a makeshift bowl.
Pleased with her handiwork she took the bowl outside, shoveling the powdery snow into it. With a short blast from her horn, the snow melted, leaving a fair amount of fresh water. She lifted it carefully, trying not to spill it as she placed it in Bolts' hooves. He nodded gratefully as he lifted the freezing liquid to his lips, drinking deeply.
With his thirst sated, he got to his hooves, yawning again. He shivered as a cold draft blew in from outside. The fire had been burning all night; Sweetie Bot had made sure it was kept alight. Despite its warmth, though, the frigid air still found its way into the cave.
"Don't suppose you've got something to eat?" he asked.
"Sorry, I don't—don't need to eat and all that." she replied.
"Oh well." he said, trying to play it off. "I wasn't hungry, anyway." He looked at her sheepishly as his stomach grumbled in disagreement.
"There won’t be any food ‘til we get out of these mountains. Perhaps a farm nearby would be willing to help us."
"Or if the worst comes to pass, I'm sure there are some bears around here," he said.
She looked at him oddly, raising an eyebrow at his suggestion.
"What?! I'm just saying!" he said defensively.
Shaking her head with a smile, she prepared to head out. She didn't want to linger any longer than they had to. With no protective clothing for Bolts, they decided the best way of keeping him warm was to move as quickly as possible. She would carve a path through the snow and he would follow closely behind.
With the sled filled with all their spare firewood, she set out, pushing her way through the thick snow, the chilling wind causing her to turn off her temperature sensors. She felt sorry for Bolts; the cold would be torturous for him. They had to move quickly; it was not apparent which would get them first: the pursuing pegasi or the blistering cold of the northern wind.
Their pace was noticeably faster than the previous nights, mostly due to the lack of 34 mile-per-hour winds ripping at their faces. They had subdued to a much gentler 16. The canyon still towered over them on either side, its slopes climbing up above them. Snow drifted down, the fine powder settling on their manes in thin white sheets.
While still cold, Bolts was in a much better position: he had managed to direct some magic into creating a weak protective shield around himself. The faint green barrier helped keep some of his body heat contained, if only a little. Despite this, though, he soldiered on, his legs working to clamber over the snow.
Sweetie Bot was also pushing forward, albeit with quite a struggle. Not only did the sled keep catching on loose rocks, but her batteries were running lower than ever. The effort of pushing through the snow was taking its toll on her power; she wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer.
As if sensing her thoughts, her front leg seized up, causing her to fall forwards, slamming into the snow. She cried out, the sudden jarring movement taking her by surprise.
"Sweetie Bot!" cried Bolts as he ran forward to help.
She pushed herself up, her leg now tauntingly loose as she rose out of the snow drift, her mane plastered. She shook her head to dislodge the snow as she tested her leg. It was fine now—no grating of joints or seizing hydraulics. The system diagnosis came back with only one possible problem:
Power Failure.
Her body was shutting down its systems one by one to conserve power. The less important ones such as meteorology and vital scans went first, followed by the major programs until power was all but gone. She ran down the list to see which programs went last. Near the bottom of the list, one of the last systems to be disabled, was her Battle Sequencer.
The fact she was programmed to fight to the very end was disturbing enough. What shook her even more was the system that sat below it in priority: her Consciousness Matrix. If her power ran to such low levels, her entire mind would be shut down to fuel a battle program with no morality. Her entire body shook with the thought.
Why would an artificial filly need to keep a Battle Sequencer running over its consciousness? Is a Battle Sequencer really an integral part of a filly? Unless... unless it wasn't meant for the filly. What if...
"Sweetie Bot? You all right?" asked Bolts, knocking her from the consuming thoughts that now surrounded her original design. She shook her head again, focusing back on Bolts with a smile.
"I'm fine. Don’t worry about me," she said falsely.
She began to walk on, the sled in front of her. She had walked several feet when she realised Bolts wasn't following. She turned back, looking at the dubious expression on his face.
"I'm not stupid, you know," he said. "Something's wrong with you, but you won’t tell me what."
"I said I'm fine," she repeated.
"That's what they all say, then ‘BAM!' next minute you blow up or something."
She looked at him incredulously before turning away.
"If you won’t tell me, then can you at least show me?" he asked.
She sighed. He wasn't going to let it go; he was as stubborn as a mule—not that she had anything against mules.
"I'm going to take that as a sigh of submission. Do you have a UI I can access?"
In answer to his question, she opened a small panel on her left side. It contained a miniature screen, which showed a simplified version of her HUD, including the large flashing battery icon that filled a quarter of the screen.
His eyes widened as he examined the screen.
"Oh dear" he mumbled "This is very bad news indeed."
"You think?" she replied with a hint of sarcasm.
"How long can you go on for?" he asked.
"I've got about an hour and a half left," she said, the short time sounding like a death sentence.
"But you charge with sunlight, don't you?"
She raised an eyebrow at him before pointing to the dark, cloudy sky.
"Yeah, and the sun is really shining today, isn't it?" she said harshly.
Bolts looked away with a frown. She felt her irritation drain.
"I'm sorry, Bolts. I'm just cranky, I guess," she said.
"That's okay. You ha-" be started.
She stopped him mid sentence. She thought she had heard something: the faint sound of rocks shifting, but she couldn't be sure; her hearing was toned down with the power saving procedure. She looked around, the canyon walls raising up, multiple rocky outcrops sticking from the wall.
Silence descended on the canyon; the only sound was Bolts' laboured breath as he, too, strained his ears. Then, with a terrifying roar, the outcrops came alive. Ponies jumped from above, ropes trailing behind them as they brandished weapons of various sizes. Spears, swords, axes, all glinted in the weak light. With several heavy thuds, the attackers landed in the snow, surrounding them completely.
They were a rag-tag bunch, all wearing a wide assortment of clothes. Some wore thick fur coats, while others only wore some shorts and a bandanna. They reminded Sweetie Bot a lot of pirates from films she had watched. The bandits smiled evilly as Sweetie Bot braced herself to fight. She couldn't take all of them—her power was too low—perhaps she could distract them long enough for Bolts to get away?
"Bolts," she whispered, "when I attack, you run. Forget about me; get out of here. You understand?"
He nodded silently, too terrified to argue.
With a hum, her horn blazed into life. The bandits frowned, not sure what the little filly was doing. Somepony her age shouldn't have any sort of offensive magic. With a flash, she hit the nearest pony with a laser blast, knocking him backwards into the canyon wall with a crack, blood seeping from the back of his head as he looked around dazed.
The others stood in shock. They hadn't expected resistance. Unsure of their foe, they looked at each other, waiting for somepony else to attack first. Their hesitation was all she needed. She ran forward, dropping to her back and sliding across the snow. She sailed through a bandit’s leg, coming to a halt underneath him. With the snapping of ribs, she kicked upwards, sending him flying.
She jumped to her feet. The others, not waiting for any more attacks, began to advance, their weapons at the ready. She gave the area a quick scan. Twelve of them in all; Bolts was nowhere to be seen. At least he was safe.
One of the bandits jumped forwards, his bulky frame carrying him forwards as he swung the heavy axe in his mouth. Sweetie Bot raised a leg to block it, the impact jarring her hoof. It jarred him more, though, causing him to drop the axe as his teeth were forcefully ejected from his mouth.
He cried out, clamping a hoof to his mouth. She took the opportunity to bring a hoof to his head, knocking him to the side. She watched as the remaining attackers began to spread out, hoping to get behind her. The Battle Sequencer buzzed loudly as it calculated any advantages she could get. It highlighted a patch further up the canyon wall. She smiled.
She fired a relatively weak laser blast. The bandits laughed as it completely missed, sailing way over their heads. They began their approach anew, oblivious to the snow now tumbling down upon them. They barely had time to call out before three of the bandits were buried.
She cried out as she felt rope encircle her back legs, pulling them out from beneath her. She fell heavily into the snow, her HUD flickering with the impact. Her estimated battery life had gone down from an hour and a half to barely forty five minutes. She couldn't risk using her laser again.
With a mighty pull, she wrenched the ropes, pulling the pony holding them down. With the ropes now loose, she got back up, only to be knocked down again as a large stallion barreled into her. They tumbled around, struggling to gain the upper hand. With a spray of sparks, her left leg gave in, allowing him to pin her to the ground.
He sat on her chest as she pushed, trying to dislodge him. He was a heavy stallion; his eyes were covered by a thick brown mane. With a draining heave, she shoved him off, dumping him in the snow. Her HUD beeped wildly; her power was all but gone. She felt her body slipping into a power saving state.
She stumbled away, try to flee. It was no use; sensing her weakness, the others drove her to the ground, wrapping ropes around her legs. She was powerless to resist. She slumped as they heaved her up onto one of their backs and began checking on their fallen comrades.
She hoped Bolts had got away; then her sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. Maybe he would send help? She didn't want this to be the end; she had really taken a liking to the quirky colt. His face appeared in her mind, his cheeky smile and mischievous blue eyes watched her as her mind faltered and began to fade, slipping into a deep, simulated sleep.
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Well, we're several chapters in and this has somehow managed to not get any down votes. Good job!
4337416 I know! People really like Sweetiebot
4337437 if anyone down votes a sweetiebot fic....(sounds like Achmed) I kill them!
4348322 He he, You know somepony is going to down vote this now just to spite us...
4348577 I hope not. Sweetie bot is best!
4348580 I agree, one of the best fan made characters there is. By the way, writing the next Chapter now, should be out within the next couple of hours or so
4348585 cool. why'd she have to power down? we find out, next time on: Lifesparks!(insert epic intro music here)
4348616 In the last Chapter it was stated that her system was shutting down its less important systems to converse power, when she used her laser on the bandits she used up what power she had left. Her system then went into a low power state to keep everything turning over but it was not enough to keep her operating as normal, kind of like power saving mode on a phone or laptop. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
4348646 but what if there is a more serious problem!? ah....that's a very real chance....
...the scary thing is I can think of a good reason to put a battle system on a filly bot. And a humorous one. The humorous one is to catch sick ponies ala "how to catch a predator" The other more serious one: get the 'filly' close to important people for assassination. Sweetiebot is pretty good in a fight, nicely done.