//------------------------------// // Machine: The Metallic Guardian // Story: Chrono Reflect // by Azure Sandora //------------------------------// Machine – The Metallic Guardian play song When Twilight came to, she was in what looked like an old laboratory of some sort. The lights were off, and all the machines looked worn out. She straightened her glasses and looked around. “Now where are we?” Twilight asked, “Someplace in the future or something?” Behind her, the portal opened, and Rarity jumped through, surprisingly holding onto the Fluttershy from the previous world. “Oh dear,” Rarity said rising to her knees, “Are you alright, everyone?” “Head still spinning,” Fluttershy said looking dizzy, “Is pretty light show over…?” “Rarity…?” Twilight asked as Rarity stood up, “Why is she here with us?” “Well, why are you here with me?” Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow. Twilight looked down sheepishly. “Touche,” Twilight said. “Mm hm,” Rarity nodded. Rarity helped Fluttershy up and the three of them looked around the room. “So… any idea of where we are?” Rarity asked. “We're definitely not in the same world, I'll tell you that,” Twilight said, “We might be in another time all together.” Fluttershy walked over to the window and gasped, “Friends! Look!” Rarity and Twilight looked out the window and saw a world very different than the world they just left. Outside were futuristic floating cars, endless roads, large dome shaped buildings, and even more shocking. Robots. Lots of robots. “Ladies,” Rarity said, “I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.” ALERT THREE UNLICENSED LIFEFORMS DETECTED SCANS INDICATE LIFEFORMS ARE LOCATED SOMEWHERE IN SECTOR D-12 ALL AVAILABLE UNITS SEARCH AND APPREHEND UNLICENSED LIFEFORMS Everywhere, security drones stopped what they were doing and began flying toward the area most people knew as the junkyard. Watching this from their window was a single figure wearing a fancy white and golden dress. The figure smiled watching the drones fly off, knowing exactly what this meant. “Good. She got here safely,” the figure said. She wasn't worried about the security drones. As long as they met “her” everything would be fine. Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy all looked around at their surroundings as they explored the clearly abandoned building. There were a few machines still working, but they seemed to be cleaning machines. At least the lights still worked. Poor Fluttershy kept getting spooked by the machines, so she had begun clinging to Rarity as they walked. “I know I'm from another world too, but I'm really beginning to think Fluttershy's not fit for a world of machines,” Twilight said. “The poor thing is terrified,” Rarity said, “She's never seen anything like these before,” she began petting Fluttershy's head, “It's alright darling, the robots here aren't going to hurt us.” “I not like this place,” Fluttershy pouted, “Creatures don't feel alive, and air not as clean.” “Sorry we couldn't open a wormhole to a place filled with pretty ponies and magic,” Twilight said, noticing how Rarity started snickering, “What? What did I say?” “Oh nothing,” Rarity said, “It's just, well, one of my friends actually does come from- AH!” she stopped as she tripped on something. Fluttershy quickly caught her before she fell. “Rarity!” Fluttershy cried, then turning to the thing she tripped on growling at it, “What hurt you? I rip it to pieces!” “Whoa! Calm down, Spot!” Twilight said, “What is this?” They all looked and saw an arm. It was coming out of a container, and it looked like it was connected to something. Rarity's face turned pale. “Oh dear…” Rarity said, “Is that, by any chance… a dead body…?” “It's wearing some sort of armor,” Twilight said, “Fluttershy, help me with this.” Fluttershy nodded and helped Twilight pulled out the thing connected to the arm. They were all shocked to see that the arm was connected to what looked like a person, and this person was very familiar. The person was female, looking to be about in their early twenties. She was wearing rainbow colored armor consisting of an armored bra, panties, large sharp shoulder pads, gauntlets and bulky armored high heeled boots, giving her a sexy yet powerful appearance. She had a blue metallic headpiece that came out at the sides almost like feathers and had a blue gemstone in the center where her forehead was. Her long rainbow colored hair was tied in a ponytail, and her face looked completely human, her eyes closed making her look like she was asleep. Her body was dusty, but to both Rarity and Twilight, it was really clear who it was. “Oh my word…” Rarity said, “It's… Rainbow Dash…” “You know her?” Fluttershy asked. “Sort of. We know another version of her,” Rarity explained, “Also from another world.” Twilight examined the armored Rainbow Dash, and sighed in relief, “Good news, this Rainbow Dash isn't dead. She's an android.” “Wait… what?” Rarity asked. “If you look closely, you'll see it. She's not human like us,” Twilight said. Rarity looked closely, and sure enough, she could tell that the “armor” was actually connected to her. It wasn't armor. It was her body. Goodness… is Rainbow Dash actually this sexy? I had no idea she was so top heavy. “Um… what is android?” Fluttershy asked. “Let's see,” Twilight said to herself, “Best definition I can think of… you see the machines that are around us?” Fluttershy looked around, “Yes. I see,” she said. “Well, this woman here is one of those,” Twilight said, “She's a machine built to look like a human.” “The Rainbow Dash in this world is a robot,” Rarity said kneeling down next to Robo Dash, “This is actually sort of cool, I must admit.” “Yeah it is,” Twilight said looking Robo Dash over, actually opening her back, “You're going to think it's even cooler in a minute. I think I can fix her.” “Wait, really?!” Rarity asked, Fluttershy mirroring her surprise. “Wake machine woman up? How?” Fluttershy asked. “Well, we'd have to take her to one of the work stations, but as long as there are tools there… yep, I'm sure of it. I can fix this robot,” Twilight said confidently. “Alright then,” Rarity said, “Let's move her into the work area we just passed. I think there was a tool box there.” Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy all picked up Robo Dash, moving her back to the lab they passed a few minutes ago. end song Once there, Twilight got right to work. Rarity was surprised, but Twilight actually looked like she knew what she was doing. Fluttershy found a table and was lying on it curled up almost like a kitty cat, and Rarity stood over Twilight watching her work. “How do you know how to fix this robot?” Rarity asked. “Back home, I've fixed all of Shining Armor's video game systems,” Twilight said, “Later, once I bought a few of my own, I enhanced them myself. Rainbow Dash here isn't too different from one of those. In fact, computers in general are all similar. The only difference is what they're built to do.” “Dashie here is a computer?” Rarity asked. play song “All self sustaining machines are computers,” Twilight said, smiling looking at the sleeping robot, “She really is beautiful, isn't she? Kind of odd, seeing Rainbow Dash wear so little.” “Well, the Rainbow Dash from my world wasn't as modest as yours,” Rarity said rubbing her arm, “But oddly enough she never let any of us see her without a shirt. Looking at this, I can kind of see why. Kind of hard to be respected as an athlete when you're a high D cup.” “What's your Rainbow Dash like exactly? You mentioned her briefly, but we never were able to talk about her that much,” Twilight asked, still working. Rarity looked up thinking about her beloved friend. “Rainbow Dash… she's interesting. She's the kind of person you think you're going to hate at first. She's loud, crass, arrogant, short tempered, and very impatient,” Rarity explained. “She sounds terrible,” Twilight said. Rarity giggled. “Like I said, first impression of her isn't the best. But behind all of that is one of the most faithful people I know. She always puts others before herself, she's kindhearted, sincere, and most of all, loyal. If you're friends with Rainbow Dash, you have a guaranteed friend for life. Someone who will rush into danger to save you,” Rarity's eyes watered a bit, “I miss her.” “Now that I know that, your Rainbow Dash sounds amazing,” Twilight said. “What about yours?” Rarity asked, “What's she like?” “Nowhere near as brave as your Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said sadly, “She's shy, quiet, has really low self-esteem, and tends to cry a lot. One thing I have to say about her though, is that she's really nice, and just as loyal as your Dash. I think that's why she puts up with my Fluttershy's behavior so much. I heard that they knew each other when they were kids, and Rainbow Dash refuses to leave her side. It's a shame with how mean Fluttershy is to her.” “Have you ever wanted to stand up for her?” Rarity asked. “All the time,” Twilight said, “Sad thing is, I was afraid of Fluttershy. I'm not like you, Rarity. I'm not strong, brave, or any of that other stuff you are. Unless it's books or computers, I'm useless. But, I think I understand why you were so devoted to helping forest Fluttershy now. You felt like by helping her, you were somehow helping your Fluttershy. That's how I feel about this. I know she's not my Rainbow Dash, but she looks so much like her, and I just feel like I need to do this. Like I'm helping someone I've been friends with for a long time.” Rarity smiled at Twilight, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I can save her, Rarity,” Twilight said confidently, “I know I can save Rainbow Dash.” “I believe in you,” Rarity said, kissing Twilight on the cheek, “Good luck, Twilight.” “Um… t-thanks Rarity…” Twilight said, blushing madly. end song Rarity giggled and then walked over to Fluttershy leaning against the table she was lying on. She heard a low rumble, and Flutteshy sat up with a pout. “Hungry…” Fluttershy said sadly. “I'm sorry Fluttershy,” Rarity said, “After Twilight is finished fixing that robot, we'll be able to find something to eat, I'm sure.” Before Fluttershy could say anything, a crash was heard from right outside. They all looked and saw what looked like small floating robots with two gun arms floating into the room. There were four of them. Rarity and Fluttershy immediately sprang into action, drawing their weapons. “Twilight, how far along are you?!” Rarity asked. “I think I'm almost done!” Twilight said, “Could you two stall for a bit?” “We'll do our best! Fluttershy, get ready!” Rarity said. Fluttershy nodded, and both of them got in fighting stances. The drones all started firing at Fluttershy and Rarity, who both ran in opposite directions taking cover. Poor Twilight screamed in fear, but then quickly got to work on fixing Robo Dash. While they took cover, both Rarity and Fluttershy charged up their elements, and launched their basic attacks. The drones flew out of the way of Rarity's Shadow Ball, and they didn't seem all that effected by Fluttershy's Wind Blade. The drones fired at the girls again, knocking them into the back wall. “Rarity! Fluttershy!” Twilight cried. She turned back to Robo Dash, closed and sealed her open compartments, and then pushed the switch needed to activate her. DASH UNIT NUMBER 379 RECOVERING MEMORY FILES .............. RECOVERY FAILED REACTIVATING UNIT POWER OUTPUT AT ONLY 65 PERCENT RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE ENERGY RECOVERY IF ACTIVATED FOR COMBAT PURPOSES REACTIVATION COMPLETE Robo Dash slowly opened her eyes and rose to a sitting position. “Help us!” Twilight urged, getting the robot's attention, “Please! My friends are in danger!” play song Robo Dash looked at the security robots, and then at Rarity and Fluttershy taking cover. She scanned all of them, identifying the two girls hiding as “allies” and registering the security drones as “enemies”. Once that was done, she immediately pushed Twilight to the side and held out her left arm. It started glowing and turned into what appeared to be a cannon of some sort. She charged it up and fired at the security robots, actually destroying one. “Target destroyed!” Robo Dash said, “Three targets remaining! Commencing combat sequence! Engaging!” Robo Dash ran over to the security robots, jumped into the air and kicked one knocking it to the floor. Before it could fire at her, she turned her arm into a cannon again and fired at it, destroying it. “Target destroyed!” Robo Dash shouted, “Two targets remaining!” The remaining security robots pointed their guns at Robo Dash, who did a series of elegant back flips away from the attacks, landing next to Rarity and Fluttershy. “I will attempt to stun them,” Robo Dash said, “So I can preserve energy, I request your assistance in destroying the remaining two drones.” “G-got it!” Rarity said, taken aback by how quickly she sprang into action. She looked at Fluttershy, who nodded in confirmation. Robo Dash stood up and charged up her element, the energy being yellow. She then pointed her arms forward, and two lightning bolts shot down onto the two drones paralyzing them. “The enemies have been immobilized!” Robo Dash stated, “Finish them off!” Rarity and Fluttershy immediately charged up their elements, and fired their Shadow Ball and Wind Blade moves. This time both of of their attacks hit, destroying the remaining robots. Robo Dash stepped out and looked around. After a second, she turned back to the girls hiding and rested her hands behind her head. “The perimeter is cleared. It is perfectly safe for you to come out.” The three of them stepped out, shocked to see the robotic Rainbow Dash giving them the biggest cocky grin. “You are… amazing…!” Twilight said, “I had no idea that you were so powerful!” “Well, I am the most powerful robot in my line after all,” Robo Dash boasted, “Those inferior models were no match for a superior machine like myself.” “Um… okay then,” Twilight said, clearly taken aback by how this robot was acting. Even Rarity was surprised by how full of herself she was, even if it was a breath of fresh air, “My name is Twilight. These are my friends Fluttershy and Rarity.” Robo Dash shook all of their hands, but stopped when she shook Rarity's hand. She looked at her intently for a while, as if reading her. “Um… are you okay?” Rarity asked. “Y-yeah, I just experienced… odd data for a second. Anyway, my serial number is DASH-379. It is nice to meet you,” DASH said, now grinning again. The bright and arrogant smile got to Rarity, and for a split second she saw a flash of her Rainbow Dash giving her the exact same smile. “Likewise,” Rarity said, before getting on one knee in pain. end song “Rarity! Are you okay?!” Twilight asked, both her and Fluttershy kneeling next to her. “I'm fine,” Rarity said, “Just a little hurt from that attack is all.” “There is a recharge station right over there,” DASH said pointing to a pod shaped machine, “If you go in there, you should be able to heal yourselves.” “Thank you DASH,” Rarity said. She and Fluttershy both got in the pod, immediately feeling rejuvenated, “Ooh, that's much better. I feel completely rejuvenated.” “I'm still hungry,” Fluttershy pouted, holding her stomach. DASH-379 laughed. “Those machines do not cure hunger. Do not worry though. I got you covered. Follow me,” DASH said. She turned to the door and walked out of the room, a surprising saunter with each step. Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy all followed after her. “Okay, that was shocking,” Twilight said, “I wasn't expecting this.” “Yes, seeing a robot version of Rainbow Dash is shocking,” Rarity said, “I'm still trying to get used to how much her outfit shows.” “Not just that! How full of herself she is!” Twilight whispered, “We found her out of commission, and what's the first thing she does? Brags about how she's the "greatest robot in the world"! What the actual hell?” “Oh yeah, I forgot,” DASH said turning to Twilight, “Thanks for fixing me. Not sure what happened, but I am glad you turned me back on.” “Oh, no problem,” Twilight said sheepishly. Rarity couldn't help but laugh, “Whaaaat?” “I bet the two of you will be the best of friends in no time,” Rarity said giggling. play song DASH-379 lead them to what appeared to be a cafeteria, which was thankfully abandoned. She walked over to a machine that looked a bit like a microwave and pushed a few buttons. “Good, this thing still works,” DASH said. She then created three dishes of food in succession, all three being full plates of chicken, mashed potatoes, and vegetables, “Here you go. Food made to sustain organic lifeforms.” “Ooh, thank you so much, DASH,” Rarity said. Fluttershy wasted no time digging into her food, which had more meat than any of their dishes. DASH then turned back to the machine and created what looked like two soda cans. Must have been her energy source. “So, where you guys from?” DASH asked sitting on the table and opening her can actually like it was a soda can, “Cause you three clearly are not from around here.” “Um… what makes you think that?” Twilight asked as she ate her food. DASH gave her a deadpanned look. “Twilight, I am a combat android. I am not an idiot,” DASH said, “None of you are registered in the citizens database, and that one looks like she came from the stone age or something.” They all turned to Fluttershy, who stopped chewing her food for a second and looked at them. “What?” Fluttershy asked with a full mouth. “So needless to say, you three are not fooling anyone, least of all me,” DASH asked, “So spill it. Where are you guys from?” “You probably won't believe us, but-” Rarity stopped herself, looking at DASH for second, “No, actually you might believe us. You see, the three of us are actually all from other dimensions. Fluttershy here came from a world that was an endless forest, and Twilight and I both come from different variants of the same sort of urban like world.” “You are from other dimensions?” DASH asked with a raised eyebrow, “Eh, makes about as much sense as anything else.” “Wait, you believe us? Just like that?” Twilight asked as DASH finished her first can. “Like I said, you three are not registered in the citizens database, and none of you have cybernetic enhancements,” DASH said opening her second can, “Besides, this world is already researching multiple dimensions.” “It is?!” Rarity asked shooting up, “Do you think you might be able to find my world then?!” “It is possible,” DASH-379 said, “Are you lost?” “Something like that,” Twilight said, “Rarity and I are from the same world, but my world is one where she died ten years ago. She ended up being transported to my world when something happened to her world.” “Really?” DASH asked, “I might be able to find your world, at least, I could if I had a gate key.” “Gate key?” Fluttershy asked, “What is gate key?” “It is a device that is able to tune into other worlds and permit travel to alternate dimensions in a controlled environment,” DASH explained, “If I had one of those, I could use the warp room here to connect to your worlds using the three of you as bases.” “Seriously?!” Twilight asked, “So, we can travel to other worlds at will? Rarity, this is great news!” “But, we don't have a gate key…” Rarity said looking down. Fluttershy slammed her hand on the table excitedly. “Rarity! Show DASH special stone!” Fluttershy requested. “You mean the stone the village Seer gave us?” Twilight asked. “Stone open door to here, and here is other world! Stone must be gate key!” Fluttershy stated. “I don't see how that could be though,” Twilight said, “It was just a regular stone, and it was in your world. No offense, but I don't think your world had the technology to see other dimensions.” “No, stone open door,” Fluttershy said, “Rarity, show DASH, please.” Rarity shrugged and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the stone, but was surprised to see that it didn't look like a stone anymore. Actually, it looked more futuristic. It no longer was made of stone, rather it was made of some sort of metal. It was golden, and the circular base looked sort of like a clock. “Wait… this isn't…” Rarity said. DASH looked at it and smiled. “Oh, you had one,” DASH said, “That makes things a lot easier. They are impossible to get your hands on unless you are affiliated with the research facility.” “But… how did…?” Rarity asked as DASH took the key. “Follow me,” DASH said, “The entrance to the warp room is upstairs.” As DASH sauntered out of the room, Twilight and Fluttershy stood next to her, Fluttershy with a large piece of meat in her hands still chewing. “I told you stone was gate key,” Fluttershy said proudly before biting into her food again. “But… how did your Celestia have a gate key from this world?” Twilight asked. “Also, why did it look different?” Rarity asked, “That wasn't the stone Celestia gave me.” Rather than try to rationalize what just happened, the three of them followed their mechanical tour guide to the higher floors, where they were taken to what appeared to be a large computer room. DASH went to the main computer and typed on it, groaning. “Ugh, bad news ladies. The warp room here is no longer operational,” Dash said. “It isn't the only one though, is it?” Rarity asked walking next to DASH-379. “Negative. There is another one, but it is not in this area. We would have to go to Sector F-9, which is in the Class A district,” DASH explained. “Class A? What's that?” Twilight asked. “This dimension has a caste system implemented,” DASH stated, “The Class A district is where the upper class people live, and more state of the art robots like myself work. This area, the Class B district, is where the lower class lives. More outdated robots work here, and the people aren't as well taken care of.” “Then why the heck are you here?” Twilight asked, “You're supposed to be this state of the art machine, right?” The way DASH stood up and folded her arms was odd. She looked down thoughtfully. “That… is a very good question,” DASH said seriously, “You found me in disrepair, correct?” “We did, yes,” Rarity said, no one aware that Fluttershy was wandering off, “You weren't active at all, and Twilight had to fix you.” “Honestly, it looked like you had been here for a while,” Twilight said, “Speaking of, where is here exactly, anyway?” DASH managed to get the computer on and typed on it. After a second she looked up at the screen wide eyed. “The junkyard?! Why am I here?!” DASH asked, clearly shocked. Rarity was shocked too. Sure, seeing Rainbow Dash so animated was more normal for Rarity, but this Rainbow Dash was a machine. Whoever made her was a genius to make such a human like machine. “I'm… assuming this is exactly what I think it is, isn't it?” Rarity asked. “This place…” DASH said trembling, “This is where… they throw robots away that… don't work anymore…” “That's odd,” Twilight said thoughtfully, “Besides a few unplugged wires and loose screws, you were in perfectly good condition. There's no reason why you should have been thrown away.” “Why…?” DASH asked holding her head now, “Why can I not remember? What was I doing before…?” They heard beeping from another side of the room. The three of them looked and saw Fluttershy pushing random buttons on another terminal, giggling at the beeps each button made. “Fluttershy!” Twilight cried running over to her, “You can't push random buttons like that!” “DASH push buttons, so I push buttons,” Fluttershy reasoned, giggling again, “Buttons make funny sound. Listen.” She started typing random buttons, this time making a song almost. Twilight screamed and pulled Fluttershy away from the keyboard “Are you trying to get us killed?!” Twilight asked, “We don't know what those buttons-” the screen turned on, showing a wire framed image of a creature spinning around. This creature looked like a bug almost, with an off three pronged mouth. Next to it, as if stating the creatures name, was the word “LAVOS”. end song Rarity looked at the screen wide eyed, remembering the creature that sucked in Sunset Shimmer before Rarity ended up in Twilight's world. “T-that's it…” Rarity said walking over to the screen, “That's the creature that captured Sunset Shimmer…” “I've seen pictures of something like that in books,” Twilight said. “We have carvings and drawings of monster in temple,” Fluttershy said softly. “That creature,” DASH said walking up to the group also looking up at the screen, “is an anomaly in the universe being researched in this dimension. It is called Lavos, the Time Devourer.” Fluttershy and Twilight turned to DASH wide eyed, “Lavos?!” they both cried at the same time. They both turned back to the screen, poor Fluttershy trembling backing away. “Lavos… real…? Lavos is… monster…?” Fluttershy asked fearfully. “DASH, you said it's an anomaly, right? What does that mean?” Twilight asked. “No one knows where it came from,” DASH explained, “I do not know the basics, being a combat robot, but by my limited understanding, Lavos is an entity that consumes dimensions for some unknown purpose.” “C-consumes dimensions…?” Rarity asked, “How does it do that…?” “Beats me,” DASH said, “I exist in time and space, so I do not know anything outside of it. We would probably find out more in another lab in the Class A district, but-” “We're going,” Rarity said suddenly. “Rarity?” Twilight asked, everyone turning to look at Rarity shocked. “I want to know everything I can about this… Lavos!” Rarity said, tightening her fists and gritting her teeth, pure rage consuming her as she looked at the screen. This was the monster that captured Sunset Shimmer, and possibly altered her world. If DASH was to be believed, it might have even eaten it. You better hope I don't find out my world was eaten by you Lavos! I swear, if I do, I'll make you pay! I'll destroy you… Lavos!