//------------------------------//
// Welcome to the Machine, Part 2 
// Story: The Iron Horse: Everything's Better With Robots! 
// by The Hat Man 
//------------------------------//

Twilight only stared back at Cobbler, still processing what he’d just said. “M… me?!” she managed to gasp. “You want me to become the President of Equestria?!”

“I’m not personally interested in ruling Equestria, Twilight. I only wish to lead it to its future,” he said, giving a shrug of his shoulders. “But once I’ve done that, I just want a quiet life on my orchard. 

“You, on the other hoof, have achieved greatness through your intelligence, your bravery, and your heart. Celestia declared you a Princess, but you were a hero long before that.” He smiled at her, his chest swelling with what seemed to be genuine admiration. “That is why, despite your royal status, you are loved by the ponies of TechQuestria. And your love of science was a deciding factor as well.”

Twilight looked down at the document. She blinked several times, absorbing all this. Then a thought occurred to her, and she looked up at Cobbler again.

“I get it now. That’s why,” she whispered. She looked up and met his eyes. “That’s why you sent Turing Test to me! You sent her to me because you knew I’d accept her because of my love of science and technology. You knew it might drive a wedge between Celestia and me.”

Cobbler bit his lip and looked away. “Well… yes. In part.”

“In part?”

“Never mind that,” he said, waving a hoof.

Twilight wore a smile. “I guess it doesn’t really matter… since you failed. Not only that, Celestia came around in her thinking and even made Turing Test a citizen of Equestria! You might have gotten closer to your goals because of Turing Test, and all because you didn’t make her lightning proof.”

Cobbler’s look soured. “I am not interested in Celestia’s little PR moves. Unit 003 belongs to us, Twilight Sparkle,” he said, “and Celestia’s mild warming up to one automaton is not the sea change we desire.”

Twilight got to her hooves. The security guards bristled, but Cobbler waved them off.

“Turing Test is not property, Professor Cobbler!” she shouted, glaring at him. “She’s my friend! She has rights! And… you know, I think I’ve been patient enough.” She squared her jaw. “I want to see her!”

Cobbler rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Oh, come now, Twilight Sparkle, I really don’t think--”

Twilight suddenly upended the coffee table, spilling the papers on top of it and sending them fluttering all around the room.

Cobbler stared at her like she was a madmare.

“I said want to see her! Now!” Twilight shouted. “You’re holding my friends and me against our will and asking all this of me, asking me to betray my friend and teacher, and I’ve had enough! I won’t cooperate with you in any way until I see Turing!”

Cobbler frowned. He grit his teeth. “All this wasted sentiment over one machine,” he grumbled. “Very well, Twilight Sparkle. If that’s what you wish, I suppose we’ll do this the hard way. But once I’ve acquiesced to your request, don’t say that I didn’t try to warn you.”

He walked over to a cabinet in the kitchen. He opened it and removed the candlestick-shaped telephone. He lifted the earpiece and tapped on the handle.

“Hello, Operator? This is the President speaking. Please connect me to the Central Command.” He paused a moment. “Good day, Commander Lugnut… Yes, I am still with the Princess. I would like you to get on the PA system and page Unit 003. Have her come to Executive Guest Room #1.”

Cobbler listened to the response on the other end.

“Yes… Yes, that will be fine… I am glad to hear that. I will attend to the other matters once my business with Twilight Sparkle is concluded… Very well. Goodbye.”

He hung up the receiver and walked back over to Twilight, who’d been staring at him the whole time, and held out a hoof. “Satisfied?” he asked.

She gave a single, silent nod, her stern expression unmoving.

“Then, in the meantime…”

He took hold of the table and the guards came over to help him right it. He then gathered up the papers and set them back on the table before Twilight.

She sat on the sofa and turned her head away from them.

“Now, Twilight, 003 will be here,” he said, offering her a smile. “Do you really intend to simply sit here in silence until she arrives?”

Twilight glanced back at him, her nostrils still flaring angrily. “I said I wouldn’t cooperate until I saw her.”

“And if that’s your choice, so be it,” he sighed. “Still, this is an opportunity to learn more about what we’re proposing. I’ll be glad to answer any questions you have. And… I should caution you that the time left to make a decision is dwindling.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. “Dwindling? What do you mean? Is something going to happen soon?”

Cobbler grinned. “Oh yes. Very soon. So…?” He reached over to the documents and tapped them with his hoof.

Twilight growled, but held up the papers again, continuing to read them but keeping one eye on the nearby door, waiting for their guest to arrive. 


***


Brass hooves tapped out a metallic rhythm on the catwalk, accompanied by the whirring sound of servos. Below the catwalk, tremendous round generators hummed loudly as massive blue pipes carried water from above ground to turn their turbines. Large cables carried the resulting electricity to the rest of TechQuestria.

She came down the steps and walked up behind the forepony, who wore a white coat, a hard hat, and rubber boots.

The forepony turned his head idly, then gave a small jump, whirling around when he suddenly saw her silently standing behind him.

“Cheese and crackers! You startled me!” he yelled, clutching his chest. “Did you bring the multimeter I asked for?”

She nodded and took the small device from her saddlebags.

“Good,” he said, taking it from her. 

He turned and looked at the line of generators as they steadily churned out electricity.

“Heh,” he chuckled, pointing at the generators, “does this sight make you hungry?”

She cocked her head at him.

“Oh, never mind. You are relieved. Please attend to your next duty.”

Just then, the overhead PA system crackled as it came to life, and a voice was heard through the speakers, echoing throughout the stone chamber. 

“Attention: Unit 003, President Cobbler has called you to Executive Guest Room #1. Go there as soon as you are able. I repeat: Unit 003, President Cobbler has called you to Executive Guest Room #1. Go there as soon as you are able. That is all.”

Her ears twitched as she looked up at the speakers mounted on the ceiling. She then looked back at the forepony with her large, glowing violet eyes.

“Well, never mind,” said the forepony. “I guess you’re needed elsewhere, 003.”

“Affirmative,” she said, nodding to him. “My Creator has called for me. I must answer.”


***


Sea Hawk fired another beam at Gadget, which she blocked with her shield in the nick of time.

“Knock it off!” Gadget yelled. “Um… oh! It is as Celestia wills it: stop being brainwashed!”

The four guards continued staring her down.

“Guess it doesn’t work for just anypony,” she grumbled. “Well, it was worth a try!”

“Behind you!” Spike shouted, and she whirled around to see Orange Slice taking another opportunity to dive bomb her. She tried to seize him with her claw, but he broke off his dive and swooped away at the last moment.

The two of them had been holding the attack off, barely, but the Royal Guards were no slouches, and even with all of her arms now equipped with weapons, she could still only do so much. Whenever the supposed backup that Blue Blazer had called arrived, things would get much tougher.

“Spike,” she hissed through gritted teeth, “I need you to help protect my flank a little more!”

“I’m trying to keep an eye out, but they’re fast!” he cried, his back pressed to her side.

“I need more than just an extra set of--”

She saw a purple blur and held up her taser protectively before Violet Wisp could tackle her. The nimble pegasus dodged out of the way and tried to get closer, but Gadget brought down the piston, intending to pin her to ground. Violet Wisp jumped back, aided by a powerful flap of her wings as the piston missed her by mere inches and sent a resounding shockwave through the roof of the building.

“Ugh! Like I was saying,” Gadget continued, “I need more than an extra set of eyes! I need some firepower!”

Spike gulped. “Well, I’m not sure what you think I’m supposed to--”

“No, Spike, I mean literal firepower!” Gadget exclaimed.

“You… you want me to breathe fire at ponies?!” he cried, gawking at her in openmouthed horror. “But… but Twilight said I should never do that!”

“Well, Twilight isn’t here now, Spike, and it’s because these jerks took her and the others!”

Spike bit his lip. “But I… I…”

Gadget whirled around, raising all her arms around the both of them and waving them wildly to give them a momentary bubble of safety as she seized his face, her muzzle almost pressed to his nose as they sat in the calm in the center of a mechanical storm.

“Spike… please.”

He stared up at her, into her pleading, fear-filled eyes.

“I can’t do this without you,” she said. “I need an edge. I need you!”

He blinked back at her, then gave her a toothy grin.

“Well, in that case,” he said, winking at her. “Reeeaady…”

She tilted her head at him, not understanding.

“Aiiiim…”

Her eyes bulged, and she smiled as she understood.

Outside the whirling storm of mechanical limbs, the four guards were looking for an opportunity, all of them unable to hear what their two targets were saying until the limbs suddenly fell away as Spike hopped onto Gadget’s back and leapt into the air, taking a deep breath.

Gadget ducked, holding her hooves over her head, and shouted, “FIRE!!”

Spike opened his mouth and from it came a massive plume of green fire that burst forth in a torrent of scalding heat. Violet Wisp and Orange Slice flew back in a panic as Spike turned, directing the fire in a huge arc moving left.

Sea Hawk put up a magical shield to protect himself and Buttercup, but he could still feel the intense heat as the flames splashed against the magical barrier. Buttercup whimpered and held his forelegs over his face.

The heat cleared just as the shield began to weaken and buckle. With a relieved sigh, Sea Hawk dropped the shield and waved away the cloud of smoke as he began to cough.

“Buttercup!” he shouted. “Take them down before they can do that again!”

“Yes sir!” Buttercup shouted back, dashing through the smoke.

But with his vision obscured, he didn’t see that one of Gadget’s arms was lying limply on the ground in wait, perfectly still until he was close enough. The limb came to life, and the piston rocketed up into his jaw, uppercutting him so hard that it actually lifted him into the air.

The massive earth pony tumbled backwards and landed in a heap, unconscious from the massive blow.

Gadget wore a smug grin. “Gotcha,” she said with a chuckle.

Sea Hawk heard a warlike yell and turned to see Spike running at him. He aimed a bolt of magic at the little dragon, but Gadget blocked it with her shield just in time. Spike then vaulted over the shield, leaping at him. The dragon opened his mouth, and another blast of fire shot at him.

Sea Hawk couldn’t get his shield up in time, and scrambled backwards as the flames began to singe his fur. In his panic, he didn’t realize he was already to the rim of the rooftop until he stumbled over it and lost his footing. 

Spike gasped and tried to run to catch him - he had only wanted to repel him, not force him from the roof - but gravity took hold, and Sea Hawk  fell back, tumbling roughly to the ground below.

“Sarge! Buttercup!” Violet Wisp screamed.

“That’s it!” Orange Slice bellowed. “You’re dead, you metal-armed freak!”

The two pegasi both shot at Gadget in a blind rage. Vanderbull had told her before that one should always mind one’s temper, even in heated negotiations, because anger makes a pony do stupid things. She smirked, realizing that she was seeing this in action.

She used her arms to propel herself backwards, leaping out of the way as the two pegasi collided into each other right where she’d been standing. As they both staggered back, she made her move.

Gadget brought her taser around swiftly and struck Violet Wisp in the back, right between the wings. She screamed, convulsing with electricity for a moment before Gadget released her and she crumpled to the ground, groaning and twitching.

As for Orange Slice, he was seized with her claw and held, squirming and protesting all the while.

“Let me go, you four-eyed punk!” he growled.

She ignored the insult and held him up in front of her. “Tell me where our friends are!” she shouted.

“Probably being taken to the royal dungeon in Canterlot!” Orange Slice said.

She looked into his unfocused eyes and sighed. “Oh, right. Still brainwashed. Well, I hate to hurt you and the other guards, but since I can’t have you conscious…”

Using her clawed arm, she raised him up and smashed him into the ground, thrashing him a few more times for good measure before holding him up. He was groaning, head lolling.

Gadget smiled and was about to set him down when she heard something over her shoulder. She looked and saw that Blue Blazer was still hovering nearby.

“Dispatch, hurry up!” she was exclaiming, holding her hoof to her radio earpiece. She took it out and practically screamed into it. “Hello? I must have backup, now!”

Gadget grinned. “Never mind, Orange Slice. Maybe you can still help me!”

Still holding him, she wound her arm up, spinning him rapidly before throwing him like a baseball right at Blue Blazer.

The hapless mare looked up from the radio just in time to see an unconscious Royal Guard rocketing towards her. She screeched in fear as he slammed into her, knocking the earpiece out of her hoof and knocking her beloved hat off her head in the process. The two went sailing in a long arc before tumbling to the ground.

“Ugh,” Blue Blazer groaned as she tried to sit up. That’s when she noticed that Orange Slice was still lying unconscious on top of her. “Get off, you! It is as Celestia wills it, you hear? Hello?”

There was a mechanical sound above her. She looked up, and her expression fell.

Gadget was standing over her, all of her limbs curved around and pointed right at her menacingly. Spike rode on her back, baring his sharp, reptilian fangs.

“I don’t think even brainwashing will let you order a knocked-out guard, Blue Blazer,” Gadget said, smirking at her. “But you’re not brainwashed, are you?”

Blue Blazer gulped.

“So, in that case,” Gadget said as she glowered down at her, “start talking!”

“Yeah!” Spike added. “Tell us where our friends are!”

Blue Blazer’s eyes shifted from right to left as she looked around for help in vain.

“Those other two ponies that were here ran off, it looks like,” Gadget said. “It’s just you left.”

“Not quite.”

As Gadget jerked her head back in surprise, there was a sound; a magical bolt struck her in the side, and she tumbled away, Spike tumbling with her. She scrambled to her hooves to see who had attacked her. Her jaw dropped when she saw who stood there.

Robots. Two of them.

There was a small, feminine one with a drooping mane and one glowing yellow eye. Next to her stood a massive, masculine robot with a glowing horn. He was most likely the one who’d attacked her, she reasoned.

“Thank goodness you’re here!” Blue Blazer shouted, shoving Orange Slice off of her as she took to the air. “I can’t imagine what that crazy girl would have done!”

“Come down here and you won’t have to imagine it!” Gadget shouted.

“I’ll leave it to you, then, 002, 004!” Blue Blazer said hastily as she flew off to a safe distance.

“Wait… 004?” Gadget cried.

“That’s the robot that attacked Ponyville and took Turing Test!” Spike shouted, hiding behind Gadget, who raised her arms protectively.

“Affirmative,” he said. “This unit was tasked with Unit 003’s retrieval. We have come to apprehend you. Surrender and you will not be harmed.”

“It is as he says,” 002 added. “But before then, I must say… you are very interesting!”

Gadget made a face, partly because of the unexpected comment, and also because of 002’s slow, dissonant voice. It was feminine, but harsh and metallic, like the sound of scrap metal being tossed into a bucket and crushed.

“Interesting?” she asked.

“Many organics enjoy machines,” she said, holding out a hoof. “You, however, are part machine. Those limbs… he spoke of them.”

“He? He who?”

“Master Umahara. He met you in Ponyville while performing covert surveillance.”

Gadget gasped. “Fine Print!”

“Correct. His pseudonym. But is it true that you can feel sensation in those limbs, even though they are artificial?”

Gadget frowned, narrowing her eyes. “Yes,” she said slowly. “Why?”

002 tossed her head back. “A pity. Sensation is an organic weakness. To imbue it into superior metal limbs is a strategic oversight. After all,” she said, taking a step toward her, “if an opponent - like 004, for instance - were to rip them off, you would feel a great amount of pain, wouldn’t you?”

Gadget laid her ears flat and began to step back.

“Is that a confirmation? Would it hurt? Would you scream? I would like to know.”

Spike stuck close to Gadget. “What the heck is wrong with that robot?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered back. “But she’s not like Turing Test! Not at all!”

“I recently assisted in the capture of your comrades alongside 004,” 002 replied as both she and 004 kept pace. “I had not experienced the sounds of discomfort and pain and fear in such a way before. Forgive me… I simply found it an interesting new experience.

“But I suppose I am different from my successors,” she added. “Unit 003 was equipped with the ability to transform into different modes to emulate the abilities of ponies. 004 is capable of two, and his combat capabilities were more than sufficient to retrieve 003. But I was designed with more mundane purposes in mind. To assist, to operate, to facilitate. However, they did grant me one unique ability… that of control.”

Her eye glowed and suddenly a loud buzzing sound was heard. Gadget glanced up and gasped as the sky overhead was filled with a few dozen strange devices that flew using loud, buzzing propellers.

“What in Equestria are those?!” Gadget cried.

“Security drones,” 002 replied. “Small aerial devices designed to deter intruders. I was granted the ability to control them and various other TechQuestrian devices remotely. Many are equipped with weapons: buzz saws, tasers, and the like. If you do not surrender, I may be forced to deploy them against you.”

004 turned his head. “002, we have been ordered not to cause severe bodily harm to any ponies.”

She was silent for a moment before slowly turning to look at him. “But she didn’t know that.” She made a sound that Gadget swore sounded like a sigh. “No matter. ‘Severe’ is a very relative term. 004, let us proceed.”

“Acknowledged.”

Gadget gasped as 004 suddenly rushed toward her. She’d heard from the others that he was faster than he looked, and it seemed they hadn’t been exaggerating. She barely got her arms up in time to block him as he tried to tackle her. She gripped him with her claw, but it took every ounce of her strength to hold him back, digging her hooves into the ground as she did so.

“Gadget!” Spike cried.

004 continued moving forward, pushing her back as her hooves began to slide in the dirt. She grit her teeth, sweat forming on her brow, but the tremendous force behind him was growing steadily.

“Nnng! All right, then… take this!” She raised her taser and jammed it into 004’s neck.

The electricity sparked and crackled across his metallic exterior, but he gave no indication that it was affecting him at all.

“Surrender,” he said, his voice a low electronic growl.

“You first!” she shouted back. She raised her other arm, the one with the piston, and used it to rapidly begin pummeling 004 in the face, a series of metallic clangs echoing throughout the area. “Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep!”

This too seemed to have little effect, however, as 004 took punch after punch.

“Surrender,” he repeated.

“I suggest you comply,” 002 said as she calmly strode up behind her robotic comrade. “After all, you cannot hold him back much longer. And you still have to worry about my drones.”

As if on cue, half a dozen drones moved in closer, hovering just above Gadget and 004. The sound of their buzzing propellers grew louder as they approached.

One of them produced a pair of sawblades at the end of a pair of skinny metallic arms. It dove at her, and she gasped, swatting it away and shattering it with one of her other arms, which caused 004 to advance further.

She winced. The saw blades had struck against her arm, and though the damage was minor, she could feel the odd, painful sensation of it.

“You see? That was just one. I have many more. You cannot block them all. You are defeated. Surrender.”

“Shut up!” Gadget growled. “I can protect myself against your dumb toys all day!”

002 tilted her head at that. “Is that so? Show me.”

Her eye glowed brighter, and the remaining five nearby drones all dove at Gadget simultaneously.

Gadget screamed and freed two of her arms from holding back 004 to swat at the drones. Two more with sawblades were reduced to shattered machinery, another fired a sticky substance that she avoided before tossing the drone into a fourth, and the fifth one managed to shoot her in the barrel with a rubber pellet, causing her to cry out in pain before she smashed that one as well. All the while, 004 pushed her until at last she slipped and fell onto her back. She was still holding 004 back, barely, but she knew she was in a vulnerable position.

“Very good. You were correct when you said you could protect yourself. However…”

“Gadget, help!”

Gadget looked up and saw that in the commotion, a larger drone had swooped in and fired a claw at the end of a wire which had seized Spike in a vice-like grip before reeling him in like a fish on a hook. Once it captured him, it began to move away.

“Spike!” Gadget screamed. “Hang on!”

“He will not need to hang on. The drone will do that. And now, you should remember,” 002 added, “that 004 stated that we have been ordered not to cause severe bodily harm to ponies.”

She looked up at Spike, who glowered back at her.

“However, he is not a pony.”

The drone suddenly took off vertically and rose swiftly into the air. Gadget cried out in horror as she heard Spike scream. The sound rapidly grew softer as the drone carried him higher and higher.

“Let him go!” Gadget cried.

“Do you mean that literally?” 002 asked, tilting her head at her.

“N-no, wait! Don’t!” She looked up at 002 as she pleaded, her eyes filling with angry tears. “Please… don’t hurt him!”

“Organics often regard their comrades’ lives with the utmost importance,” 002 said, her tone almost casual. “I wondered if a pony that was partly mechanical would be different. You are not.”

004 bore down on Gadget, his muzzle only a few feet from hers.

Gadget looked around frantically, trying to spy some hope of escaping. But all she could see were the two robots and the sky filled with drones. Blue Blazer was nearby, and the Royal Guards might regain consciousness any moment. And even if she could escape, what would they do to Spike?

“You will surrender now,” 004 said.

“Unless you wish to resist further,” 002 said, casting her cycloptic gaze skyward. “I will accept your choice. I wonder, however… what sort of sound will your dragon friend make when he falls from such a great height? I am very curious…”

She didn’t turn her head, but with her one eye, she looked down at Gadget.

Gadget opened her mouth to speak but fell silent at last. She bowed her head, closing her eyes in resignation. 

“No. Please don’t hurt him,” she said quietly. “I surrender.”

She relaxed her arms, letting 004 place his heavy hoof on her chest, holding her to the ground.

“As predicted,” 002 said. Her eye glowed again, and the drone holding Spike slowly descended, though it still held him a few meters off the ground. “Even if you had not, 004 could have enabled his E-Mode. If he had used that much force, though, you might have been injured, and our masters wish for you to be treated with care. Still, you have caused enough trouble…”

Another pair of drones descended from the swarm above. One hovered next to Gadget’s head and the other next to Spike’s. A nozzle extended from the devices and sprayed them both with gas. The two of them coughed a few times before the gas took hold and they both fell unconscious, sedated. As Gadget passed out, her weapons retreated back into her arms, the mechanical hands sliding back into place.

“Well, it seems you were successful,” Blue Blazer said, fluttering down to them. “Good work, you two.”

“Acknowledged,” 004 replied.

“We exist to serve, Mistress,” 002 added.

“Still,” Blue Blazer continued, making a sour face as she looked to the unconscious dragon, “I don’t like the fact that you placed Twilight Sparkle’s assistant in danger, 002. She would never agree to help us if we did something horrible to him!”

“My apologies,” 002 said, bowing to her. “I merely operated within the parameters that were specified.”

“Correct,” 004 said, standing alongside his sister. “002’s strategy of threatening Spike the Dragon did not violate any given orders.”

“Well… just the same, don’t do it again!” Blue Blazer snapped. “004, we have carts just up the road. Place them inside so we can take them back to Central Command for processing.”

“Understood,” he replied, and lifted Gadget and Spike’s unconscious bodies with his magic, carrying them away.

Blue Blazer turned to 002.

“You have further orders, Mistress?”

Blue Blazer narrowed her eyes. “002… you seemed like you were enjoying yourself back there.”

002 only stared back at her, still as a statue.

“Respond, 002,” Blue Blazer said irritably.

“How shall I respond, Mistress? I am an automaton. It has been declared that only living creatures possess true emotions. If that is true, then how is it possible for me to experience enjoyment?”

Blue Blazer crinkled her nose. “If I didn’t know better, 002, I’d swear you were being a smartflank.”

002 continued to stare at her, her singular yellow eye glowing in the dark field behind her visor. “However, you do know better, Mistress.”

Blue Blazer sighed. “Take your drones and accompany 004, 002. I’ll attend to the Royal Guards and follow you shortly.”

“Acknowledged, Mistress,” 002 said, walking away.

Blue Blazer watched her go. Note to self: have a talk with the President about 002, she thought. Once the new government is established, we need to either dismantle or reprogram that creepy robot. She’s not a thing like her sister…

She paused, her head drooping as her ears went back. She frowned.

“Y-you…!”

Blue Blazer turned and gasped when she saw Sea Hawk slowly walking towards her. His eyes were unfocused, but he was straining, as if forcing his limbs to work as he strode toward her.

“Y-you did something… to us… my comrades! How… how d-dare you!”

His horn glowed.

“It is as Celestia wills it!” Blue Blazer shouted. “Stop where you are!”

Sea Hawk stopped in his tracks, but he shut his eyes, groaning and straining as he tried to push forward, the veins in his forehead sticking out.

“It is as Celestia wills it!” she shouted again. “Halt and stand down!”

Sea Hawk finally froze, his muscles relaxing. “Understood,” he whispered.

“Good,” Blue Blazer said, placing her hoof on her chest as she sighed with relief. “Gather your comrades. Once they’re able, we’ll proceed to the Launch Base. We may need extra security before tomorrow.”

“Understood,” he said again, and slowly walked back to rouse the other guards.


***


Twilight’s eyes scanned the next page, taking in more details about how this supposed Republic would work. She betrayed no outward emotion of any kind, however, even as Cobbler sat by, watching her with a patient smile.

“You’ve been very quiet,” he said at last. “Surely you must have some questions for me?”

Twilight paused, tapping her chin, then wordlessly went back to reading.

Cobbler’s smile wavered for a moment. “Either you’re being very thorough and saving your questions until the end, Twilight,” he said, “or you’re just giving me the silent treatment in an attempt to get my goat. Now, which is it, really?”

Twilight gave him a sideways glance, raising an eyebrow. Then she went right back to reading.

“Why, I thought you might be a bit more mature, my dear.” Cobbler leaned back. “I’ll be blunt, Twilight: if you insist on being belligerent, then I’m content to just leave you and attend to my other duties. I do have things I could be doing.”

He sighed and got to his hooves.

“Celestia,” Twilight said at long last.

Cobbler froze. “Yes?” he asked.

“What if she actually agrees to your plans for a Republic? And what if she decides to run for President instead of me? Or even against me? She could win, you know; almost all of Equestria loves her.”

“Oh, that would not be possible,” Cobbler replied, sitting back down and giving a dismissive wave of his hoof. “Our proposed constitution requires term limits, and they are retroactive. Thus, nopony who has been the sole leader of Equestria can serve for more than three terms of five years. Fifteen in total, that is, and Her Majesty has most certainly exceeded that.”

Twilight found the section he was talking about and nodded. “I’m also a little confused about this part about… Parliament? You want ponies to vote for representatives to be part of the government too?”

“Well, we can’t have all the power of government in only one pony,” Cobbler explained. “So the ponies in Parliament will be elected to represent different regions of Equestria. They’ll propose laws, vote on them, etc., and receive the President’s approval or disapproval. Thus there will be some balance in the government, and it’s all thanks to democracy!”

Twilight noted the proud smile on Cobbler’s face and saw that it was mirrored on the guards’ faces as well when he pronounced that last word.

“Democracy is really important to you, isn’t it?” Twilight asked.

Cobbler raised an eyebrow. “Why, Twilight, do you disagree with that notion? Democracy is, after all, the fairest and most equal system. As it stands at present, Celestia is the ultimate authority; even the Ministers on her council are chosen exclusively by her.” He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “And many of them hold positions that have been held by their aristocratic families for generations. Why, those fools are nothing but stuffy, stagnant Canterlot nobles who have about as much in common with the average pony as a griffon has with a timberwolf!”

Twilight bit her lip. She had to admit that Cobbler had a point. She’d grown up in Canterlot, and there certainly was no shortage of aristocratic snobbery. She’d met some of the Ministers both before and certainly after becoming a princess. Most had seemed capable, she thought, but a few made her wonder what Celestia could have seen in them. Still, if Celestia had appointed them, she’d reasoned, then there must be good reasons.

After the last several months, however, seeing Celestia’s bias against technology and against Turing Test, she’d started to question some of her former mentor’s decisions. She was wise, to be sure, but still just one pony, and every pony was fallible.

“You’re right that the system we have may not be perfect, and it may not be democratic,” Twilight said, “but, honestly, I don’t think what you’re planning is very democratic either.”

Cobbler frowned. “How can you say such a thing? This constitution clearly describes--”

“I know,” Twilight said, holding up her hoof, “but it doesn’t describe how you intend to establish your republic. You keep mentioning a plan, and you say it’s going to happen ‘very soon.’ So let me see if I’ve figured it out…”

She took a deep breath.

“In order to establish the republic, you need to depose Celestia. In other words, a coup d’etat. But you’ll also need more support than you currently have. You need to keep chaos from breaking out all over the country. Now, it just so happens that there’s one event that’s happening soon - happening already, in fact - where Celestia and important ponies from all around Equestria are together in one place: the National Conference.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re going to attack the National Conference, depose Celestia, and get the leaders from around Equestria to support your cause by signing your Constitution. That’s also why you want me to voice my support, because if local leaders and especially a Princess of Equestria are on your side, ponies will be more likely to accept your new government.”

Cobbler’s smile grew. He actually gave a short bit of applause. “Very good, Twilight,” he said. “You are indeed as bright as your reputation would indicate.”

“But you’re forgetting something, Professor,” Twilight said, her expression darkening.

“Oh? And what’s that?” he asked.

“The whole point of this is to give ponies a voice in their government. You want them to have a choice,” she said. “But a coup is the exact opposite of a choice: you’re forcing a new government on them. You’re forcing them to accept your views!”

He was silent for a moment. Then, in a voice that was still calm even as his expression grew stonier, he asked “Twilight, do you know what is more important than freedom?”

Twilight rubbed her chin. “Love? Safety? Friendship?” She paused, mulling it over. “Honestly, there are a lot of important things in life. Maybe they aren’t more important, but they’re at least as important as--”

“No, no, Twilight,” he said, shaking his head. “The answer is nothing. Absolutely nothing is more important than freedom. A pony should have the right to choose, but that does not include choosing to reject freedom, or the responsibility it carries. What we are offering is so vital that it would be immoral to reject it: freedom for all ponies!”

“Says the pony who’s holding my friends and me against our will!” Twilight shouted, standing as she slammed her forehooves on the table. “Says the pony who brainwashed four innocent Royal Guards! You’re one to talk about morality and freedom!”

“We had no choice about that!” Cobbler shouted back, likewise slamming his hooves on the table. “We only did that to protect ourselves!”

Twilight wrinkled her nose, frowning at him. “Oh, really?” she asked sarcastically.

“Yes, really,” he replied, mimicking her sarcastic tone. “About a year ago, Buttercup and Orange Slice were trailing what they thought was some ordinary, run-of-the-mill smuggler, but they’d actually come across one of our suppliers bringing us raw materials. We had to capture them, but we knew that keeping them prisoner indefinitely would only cause a massive investigation once they failed to return. Nor could we release them, obviously. Nor could we even use our serum to erase their short term memories… they’d seen too much for the serum to erase, as it only works on up to an hour’s worth of memories. By the time they got to us, it was too late.

“However, we had an earlier prototype of the serum that had an unintended side effect: it caused a pony to be highly susceptible to suggestion. With some generous doses and a few days’ worth of conditioning, we were able to send them back to their comrades. To cover our tracks, though, we needed to place Violet Wisp and Sea Hawk under our control as well. We’d hoped we’d never have to use it, but it allows us to operate without fear of the local chapter of the Royal Guard interfering with us.”

Twilight’s expression did not soften. “So the ends justify the means?”

Cobbler ran his tongue around his cheek, considering that. Finally, he nodded. “Yes. I suppose that is a succinct way to put it.”

“And that’s why you’re holding me prisoner. And my friends.”

“Yes, but again, I want to stress--”

“That’s why you sent 004 to attack my home.”

“Twilight, I--”

“And that’s what you’ll probably tell yourself when you attack the National Conference with whatever machines or weapons you’ve built down here!”

Cobbler’s eyes bulged and he took a step back. “Twilight, I… you have it all wrong!” he stammered. “I’m not out to harm anypony! None of us are!”

“But you are hurting ponies, Cobbler,” Twilight said, heaving a sigh as she tried to calm down. “Every step of the way, you’re hurting ponies. You’re telling me you’re going to stage a coup unarmed?”

Cobbler hesitated. “No. We intend to use them only as a show of force and to defend ourselves. We don’t wish to use them on anypony. We would rather Celestia and Luna surrender peacefully.”

“And then what?” Twilight asked. “Will you put them in prison?”

“We were thinking exile to the Crystal Empire, actually,” he replied. “If they want to keep raising the sun and moon, as I imagine they will, then we see nothing wrong with it. If they intend to use their abilities as leverage, though, we have the Sun Sphere for that.”

“That explains why you built it, then. You needed some insurance.”

“It always pays to be prepared,” Cobbler said with a smirk. “After all, that’s why we sent 003 to try and slowly win you to our side in the first place. But since you’re here, you may want to consider joining us anyway. We expect, once we’ve shown the world what we have to offer, that most ponies will accept the new republic. After all, their daily lives will be mostly the same, just with modern conveniences that will improve their lives and an election every now and again.

“However, we understand that a large number of ponies may reject the new republic, and that could lead to some strife that I’m certain we’d both like to avoid.” He frowned, steepling his hooves. “I absolutely detest violence, Twilight. Having your approval could preserve peace and harmony. Can you appreciate that?” 

Twilight had opened her mouth to respond when they were both startled by a sudden knock on the door. They both looked to see one of the guards open it slightly, checking to see who was there.

“Oh, there you are! The President has been expecting you.”

Twilight’s ears twitched, and she gasped as she heard the familiar whirring of servos. The door opened wide, and somepony walked in, though she knew in an instant who it was.

“I am here, Creator. How may I assist you?”

The robot standing there was unmistakeable. Her metallic exterior shined under the lights of the room. Her four limbs each terminated in a brass hoof. Her ears squeaked quietly on their hinges as they raised and lowered. The circular coils of her mane and tail rustled slightly as she moved. She stared into the room with large, round, glowing violet eyes. And her high-pitched synthetic voice was one that Twilight had heard thousands of times.

It was Turing Test.

“Turing Test!” Twilight cried, startling Cobbler and the guards as she leaped over the table at the mechanical mare. She flung her forelegs around her in a tight hug. “It’s you! They fixed you! Oh, Turing, I… I was so worried!”

Cobbler and the guards all stared on, mouths agape at this strange display.

Turing, however, had no reaction. She said nothing and made no movement. She didn’t even return Twilight’s embrace.

Twilight drew back, leaving her hooves on Turing’s shoulders. She smiled broadly at her, holding back tears of happiness. “Oh… Turing, I’m sorry, I’m just so glad to see you’re all right.”

Turing’s ears twitched. She looked slightly to her right to look at Cobbler.

“Creator, I am uncertain what is occurring. How shall I proceed?”

Twilight froze. “T-Turing?”

Cobbler sighed. “Our guest here wished to speak to you, 003,” he said. “Indulge her for a short time, then return to your duties.”

“Understood.” She turned to Twilight, who was still staring back at her. “Greetings. I am an automaton, a mechanical pony. My designation is Unit 003M, or simply ‘003.’ My primary directive is to assist and protect all citizens of the Nation of TechQuestria. My end user is Professor Cobbler Mustang, my creator. How may I assist you today?”

The truth slowly began to dawn on Twilight. She swallowed.

“Come on, Turing Test, don’t you know me?”

“Scanning visual memory… no match found. My apologies, but I do not recognize you,” she replied. “I also do not recognize the designation ‘Turing Test.’ As stated, I am designated Unit 003M, or simply 003. Perhaps you have mistaken me for another?”

“No!” Twilight shouted, practically shaking her by the shoulders. “Listen, your name is Turing Test! It’s the name I gave you! You,” she paused, swallowing, “you thanked me for naming you that. Don’t… don’t tell me your memory was damaged! Try to remember!”

Turing’s eyes shifted slightly, constricting briefly before returning to normal size. “Scanning… no error in memory detected.”

“Try!” Twilight cried, her voice breaking. “There must be something! Try to remember… that time you got a new paint job because you wanted to look prettier, for example! And then you got rained on! You were so… so sad.”

She began to sniffle, even as the robot stared back at her in silence.

“Or there’s the race you had with Rainbow Dash! That time you spent learning jokes with Pinkie! Try to remember how Fluttershy helped you when you doubted yourself! Remember helping on Applejack’s farm! Remember your play, the Crusaders, Dr. Turing, Gadget and Mr. Vanderbull!”

Turing stared back at her. “Memory not found.”

Tears formed in Twilight’s eyes and began to fall. “Then… then remember Maud Pie! Don’t you remember the relationship you had? You cared so much for her, and she felt the same way about you! Sweet Celestia, Turing, you have a special somepony, and I know she misses you!”

The guards exchanged looks with each other. Cobbler’s eyes bulged.

“A… relationship?” Cobbler breathed.

“I can find no data regarding any such relationship,” Turing replied. “Again, are you very certain that you have not mistaken this unit for somepony else? Unlike organic ponies, automata are not capable of experiencing the emotions necessary to maintain a relationship, such as love.”

Twilight let out a sob. “You… you really don’t remember any of it, do you? You don’t even know who I am.” She raised her hoof to try to wipe her eyes. “Everything you experienced with me in the last six months… is it really all gone?”

The robot stared back at her. Her gaze was steady, and though Turing had never been capable of much expression, the utter lack of even the slightest movement, and the way she stared at Twilight like she was no more than furniture conveyed a sense of nothingness. The look Turing was giving her was blank. Vacant.

Empty.





“I have been active for the last three days, four hours, and twenty-nine minutes. I was reactivated following emergency repairs. My memory unit contains only information since that reactivation.”

“No…” Twilight hung her head. “No, no, no! T-Turing, please… oh, Turing Test…”

She continued saying Turing’s name again and again, her voice growing weaker as she broke down, the tears streaming down her face.

“You appear to be showing signs of pain or emotional distress,” Turing said. “Perhaps there is something I can do to alleviate this. Now attempting comfort.”

She slowly raised her hoof and gently, if stiffly, patted Twilight on the back repeatedly. Twilight looked up and met her eyes.

“There there,” Turing said. “There there.” 

Twilight was still crying, but through her tears, she let out a small chuckle.

Turing stopped patting her. “Have my actions alleviated your distress?”

“No,” Twilight whispered, “it’s just… somehow, even without your memories, you’re still the same pony. No matter what they do to you, you’re still my friend.”

She steadied herself and embraced Turing once more, trying in vain to hold back tears.

“Friend?” Turing asked. “That is not in my programming, but if designating me your friend is helpful to you, then I will accept that designation.”

Twilight nodded. “I promised I would never send you away, Turing,” she whispered. “And I don’t care if you can’t remember me. I swear, I won’t abandon you.”

Cobbler cleared his throat. “I apologize, but I think it might be best if we continue this another time,” he said, looking away as if embarrassed. “Please return to your duties, 003. I’ll attend to Twilight Sparkle.”

Turing’s ears went straight up.

“Twilight Sparkle,” she said, echoing the words.

Twilight froze. She gently let Turing go and stepped back. “Y-yes,” she said. “That’s me. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

Turing was silent for a moment. “Understood. I will remember you, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m glad to hear that. Goodbye, Turing Test.”

“I still do not recognize that designation,” she replied as she turned to go, “but I will accept it if you insist. Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle.”

Without another word, the guards opened the door for her, and she walked out into the corridor. They shut the door behind her, and Twilight listened as the sound of metal hooves on the stone floor receded. Once they’d grown too quiet to hear, she hung her head, softly crying in the silence left behind.

The guards looked to Cobbler, who in turn only glanced around, as if looking for help. For the first time, he truly looked uncertain of what to do next.

“I… I hadn’t anticipated such a strong reaction from you, Twilight,” he said at last.

“She was my friend,” Twilight whispered. “How else could I respond?”

“I knew that you called her your friend, but I imagined some sort of relationship like… like a pet, or a child with a favorite toy… I didn’t expect… that.”

Twilight glanced up at him with reddened, tear-filled eyes. “She was so kind… and funny… and s-sweet--”

Her sobs renewed, and Cobbler reached for her, intending to comfort her, but she held up a hoof, blocking him.

“Her memory,” she whispered. “What happened to it?”

Cobbler swallowed.

“Tell me,” she insisted. “Was it damaged when 004 attacked her? Or did you do it on purpose?” Her voice now had the slightest edge to it. “Did you take her memories away?”

Cobbler heaved a sigh. Then he took a deep breath, drawing himself up. “We needed 003 to assist us with absolute loyalty. Her memories from her time with you would have been problematic in that respect. Therefore, after we extracted the information we needed from her… we had her memory removed.”

Twilight trembled. She clenched her teeth and hung her head.

“Twilight Sparkle, I am very sorry, but I--”

“You murdered her.”

Cobbler gawked at her. “Excuse me?! I certainly did not--”

There was a blur of motion, and suddenly Twilight’s hoof collided with Cobbler’s jaw, causing him to stagger backwards.

The guards rushed forward protectively, but Cobbler again held up his hoof. Still, he stared at Twilight in shock, utterly flabbergasted that she would strike him.

But rather than continuing her attack, Twilight only slumped to the floor. She was still sniffling, and she refused to meet his eyes.

“You killed her,” Twilight said. “How could you do that to her? To your own creation?! You’re a monster, Cobbler Mustang!”

“Twilight,” he pleaded, kneeling to try and look her in the eye, “please listen to me. I--”

“Get away from me,” she said icily. “Just get away from me.”

Cobbler said nothing, but nodded solemnly. He motioned to the guards and, adjusting his hat, he walked with them both to the door, shutting it and locking it behind them.

Only once she was truly alone did the tears come again.


To be continued…