//------------------------------// // page 10 // Story: Dear Diary // by Mr Tech //------------------------------// Dear Diary,  It’s been some time since I’ve written in this old book… well, a lot has happened… well, I’ve got my cutiemark today, but I am not happy… I… I found out what I’m special, what makes me different to other ponies… well, let me start at the beginning…  Five months ago, I was happy, I can walk around the neighborhood, look at the ponies around me without feeling any different… I was so innocent back then… I can live a carefree life, my parents cared for me, gave me unconditional love… I cannot say everyone can be as lucky as me…  I empathize with those individuals, I… I made a wrong decision that day… I have snuck a stealth boy outside, basically to test my stealth skills… heh, guess most ponies my age won't do that eh? Nor would they know how to pick locks and build a wall mounted turret out of scrap drink alcohol like water oh and don't forget the utter lack of fear for the everfree…  I just never realized how different I was back then… When I went home that evening, I heard shouting, it’s so loud I can hear it when I walked past the noise filtration field… my stealth field is still on so I walked towards where the voice originated from, the kitchen… and I stumbled onto a mistake…  But I suppose you do know already Rep. Al, or Replying Artificial intelligence? Always thought your name in Alfred, to be honest. Look, A, most likely you already know this stuff but I still want to write this down ok… anyway…  see, the Tech family have a curse I found out that day… a very dark secret… I can remember my heart buzzed on as I approach the door, the humming grew louder and louder as I approached the door to the kitchen and peeked through the small crack.  I stumbled into an argument, my mom and dad… they love each other so much it’s hard to even think they have disagreements and for the first time of my life… My mom cried. Naturally, I went inside the room and into a corner and listened in, to see what this is about. I can't believe what I have just seen even if it’s happening right in front of me.  I am curious at the time, mom kept on saying “no,” she begged on her knees, hugging my dad’s leg on the floor, she looked like she’s got some very bad news, and she had... I have never seen mom that utterly crushed before… Her tears felt like a small waterfall instead of droplets every once in awhile I sometimes saw her face, her body trembles like a leaf on a windy day.  Dad was having a neutral face, calm even, he’s sitting next to a table sipping a small cup of tea, I don't think I can ever forget this moment of my life -if I even have one- back then his words shocked me to the core “everything must end.” that's his words his tone sound final, like it's inevitable. Like he is explaining this to a child.  “do it when you are ready” and like that he stood up and walked down to the basement leaving my mom sobbing there on the floor… and he never came back up…  I watched on as my mother cried and cried, her tears have never felt so sad so genuine, it was minutes after my stealth boy have worn off did she notice me, her tears quickly got wiped away and she put up the brightest of smiles, but the damage has already been done her smile can fool anypony, not me and dad…  I… asked her what was that about naturally, she said nothing, she did nothing, for a minute, she sat there on the floor, staring at me with those sad eyes, she then got up slowly, walked towards me, and gave me a hug… her tears begin to flow again as she continued to cry once more her tears soaked my back but I did not mind.  Mom was and is always a strong mare, as a slave, she must be… After she broke out with dad, she relaxed a bit but the ‘hiding her real emotions’ act still held up over the years, that what she told me anyway...  Neither one of us said a word but the message was clear enough, I went to my room and I slept, at least I tried, I cannot figure out how or even why mom was so sad at the time, and why dad never got up from the basement once again, at the time.  I woke up extra early the next day, and I snuck into my parents room, dad was not there as expected and mom was staring at the ceiling, too lost in thought to even notice me, a clear trail of tears can be seen on her face, that's a lot of crying my mom did, more than I ever imagined the strong and independent mare…  Then I went into the basement, I used the master terminal and asked a simple question. It as expected, popped out of the wall and greeted me at eye level, the screen displayed something about how can it help, “Where’s dad?”  I was quickly teleported to basement floor 258 I found out also that I still hate direct teleportation I looked around and there he was, sleeping in a glass coffin, wires connected to his skull directly, next to the coffin I found two tape recorder next to some fresh flowers, jade vine... One of mom's favorite, its contents… struck me deep, to say the least.  “Hello dear” my dad’s voice came up, like a gentle stallion in the movies “how are you today?”  “Fine,” mom’s voice replied a second later, a hint of dizziness in her voice “who are you?”  “My name is Tech, Key Technology” he replied, voice smooth as silk  “Alright, where am I?” Mom asked, her voice filled with confusion  “... home” dad said after a pause, the recording ended just like that I played the second one soon after…  “NO!” a voice shouted, it was my dad’s, and I can tell it's filled with sadness “There MUST be another way!”  A small chuckle was heard, I recognized my mom’s laughter from anywhere “dear, don't be like that, everything must end either good or bad”  “NO! I refuse to believe it, It cannot end like this! All These memories we’ve made together! I cannot be the one to just erase them all!” my father shouted  “Five hundred years… We have been together for five hundred years my dear, it’s an honor to be your wife… I love you… but it must be done, you can always access these memories in the drive” my mom reasoned calmly  “But that would not be you!” dad shouted and a laugh was heard once again, a sound of a kiss was heard and a hissing sound followed  “Goodbye Key Technology, may you live on your next five hundred years, happy with the new me…” my mom said, her voice final and a click was heard, sounds of crying followed for the next minute… my dad’s crying…  A smash was heard ten minutes later then a mechanical voice said those words “Memory sync 25%...50%...75%...99% Final message playing in 3...2...1... “  My mom's voice… “It’s been fun”  The mechanical voice took over again “memory sync 100% complete, deleting local data… 25%...50%-”  I cannot hear it anymore, I too was crying at that point. This… thing. Is a death machine, it’s not fair! I don't even get to say goodbye! A clear trail of tears streamed down my face. For a few hours, I sat there, staring at my father, his body inside the glass coffin, this is a memory extraction chamber… No, I too refuse to accept it… The elevator door slid open and my mom was there, a sad but a determined look on her face.  She was about to kill my father… No, not on my watch, I shot her in the head with the rifle I extracted in the forest, and as expected, she went into a coma-like state, I plugged her into an electric grid and life support to keep her alive, she’s not going anywhere near that damn button! And why the hell must it be big red and glowly! My inner button pressing me can’t ignore the big…  shiny… pulsing... glowy... button...  I rushed back up to the top floor barely ignoring the damn attractiveness , I recalled my mom’s and dad's memory drive,according to my calculation 10 petabytes each, made possible by magnetic particle on a disk the size of a hoof stacked parallel to each other each disk two thousand atoms thick spinning in a very high speed, I quickly ordered a disk at the terminal and Begin my long journey…  So, here we are, five months later mom’s still on life support… I… I have an accident in one of my research facilities yesterday, it blew up in my face and took my left forehoof off, then I saw it, me… not a drop of blood, no hint of torn muscle tissue, instead, servos, pistons, motors, and wires greeted my sight…  Horror. I am a pony, I considered myself one, I was thought that I was born, I can make friends, I...I feel… right?  I went back to the main hub on three legs staring at where my hoof should be, it's surprisingly easy, I spat out my foreleg and tore off my skin, it’s P-980 grade skin, then on one of the piston there it is. It read T-8000 command unit, I searched it in the database.... And I that’s when I got my cutie mark, An “H” with wings, a logo. I am not sure how long I stared at the screen in front of me its text that filled my vision.  “...the unit is made to have feelings, moods, and preferences, it lacks the shape changing abilities without replacing it’s naturally grown skin, it would most likely make the unit very pissed since replacing one of the things they are born with can make most minds… well upset… only two prototypes are made as of this day, it’s in a town called ponyville in layer 1823764...”  I found myself lost again… in search of a cure for my father, I’ve paid my price if my ponydom I...I am not sure what to think… I still don't but… is there a difference? I think, feel, I can get angry, sad, happy… and now? I feel lost…  Who am I? What am I?... well that's a question I would need to find out soon. Side note, my leg is still detached It's late… I am not sure if I still need sleep or not but I feel tired… very very tired...