//------------------------------//
// 1.1 - HATRED BLINDS/UTS 
// Story: Detrot: Become Equine 
// by Andromidus 
//------------------------------//


MOONLIGHT GALLERY - CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA



DATE


MAY 11TH, 1438


TIME


PM 02:13:09



CHAPTER 1.1





HATRED BLINDS


Sparkle neatly squared away the books on her shelf. She wondered why she wasn’t allowed to use the computer, also, despite being the most advanced equdroid with all the cutting edge applications, was missing a database.

All of her data drives were empty, cleared away of any information. Additionally, she figured out why she had so much trouble walking.

The door hissed open.

The equdroid turned around and bowed. Ever since she learned that Celestia was royalty, her system noted it was only correct to show them respect. The alicorn had convinced Sparkle to stop referring to her as “princess”, but couldn’t restrict her from the prostration. Celestia mumbled about fixing that.

She faced the taller pony. Her expression was a mix of angry and happy, a face one would call sadistic. Her eyes were also puffy. Her flowing mane was a single tone—pink—and bedraggled.  

That can never be a healthy combination.

“You appear to be distressed, Celestia. I am equipped with a counseling function if you are—” 

“Sparkle. What is your primary objective?”

She blinked and tilted her head. “To learn as much as I can—”

“Belay that. Overwrite primary objective: MER-0-2-0,” Celestia cut in. “Your new objective is to hunt down equdroids inflicted with the ‘Deviant Virus’ for ViTAS. You are to investigate or bring in the infected droids for us to examine. Repeat.”

! OVERWRITING PRIMARY OBJECTIVE… 

! REPLACEMENT COMPLETE.

The equdroid straightened up and froze. “My primary objective is to hunt down equdroids inflicted with the ‘Deviant Virus’. I am to either investigate them for how they contracted it, or disable them and bring them in to be examined by ViTAS officials.”

“Perfect. Now that that’s settled, I would like to see the extent of your capabilities… a suitable scenario just came up in the nearby district,” she said, having levitated her pad to face the equdroid, showing an aerial view of a skyrise garden party. She nodded in response. Celestia smiled and brushed the synthetic bangs aside. “Head back to the assembly unit. I shall prepare you for the upcoming… test.” 

For some reason, Sparkle could not help but shiver at the last word in her sentence. 

Her eyes opened to the dim light of the fly-cage, greeted by the silence. The airtight seal formed during transport canceled any chance of outside interference seeping in. It was her, her thoughts, and the millions of computer programs running in her head.

She rolled her joints as she got accustomed to the changes Celestia subjected to her. Several combat-dedicated programs had been installed, the uplinks that had been severed were fixed, and she received an assault subsystem. 

Sparkle asked herself why she had been shifted from her original role. Organic creatures often fell prey to their own emotions and would do things irrationally. She knew Celestia had been in a state of grieving for the scant while they had been together. Trying to pry any deeper received deflections and heated glares. Sparkle had even attempted to learn more about her name, but she only received painful headaches and errors. 

The alicorn had most likely not have been of sound mind when she issued the order. But the equdroid had no choice other than to obey. 

The situation was as is: a hostage scenario involving equdroid captors. According to the sources Celestia had, the captors had acquired an illegal magic canceller, forcing local police and SRGs to resort to different tactics. 

That other tactic? Negotiation with the unpredictable terrorists. ViTAS had been quick to respond and so Sparkle was being sent in for her very first field test. But why her? Surely there must've been more qualified ponies. Perhaps Celestia had plans that involved her projected success. 

Success was the only option. 

Failure most likely meant deaths of multiple hostages, her dismemberment and subsequent deactivation, and lowered public opinion. 

Those were not preferable. 

Erase. 

Those were not acceptable. 

Her thoughts quieted to a lull and she was back to staring at the tinted wall. She looked back to the source of the light. 

The purple glow of her uniform’s identifiers was… strange. The entire form-fitting suit was custom-built for her, including special markers. Instead of the cyan triangle, most equdroids bore on the spot where a cutie mark would be, she had hers replaced by a large star surrounded by five smaller stars. The fore-band also glowed purple. 

She had voiced her concerns to Celestia about the non-standard setup. The alicorn waved it off, saying that her status as a princess allowed her to bend some rules. Sparkle brought up the point she may be obstructed in her goal but was once again reassured nothing would happen. 

She supposed Celestia wouldn't do anything that would endanger the success of her mission so prematurely, not while lives were on the line. 

Trusting the alicorn didn't seem all too big a deal. 

A green light started blinking. Sparkle stood ramrod stiff, the drone had reached its destination and was preparing to drop her off. 

The airtight seal that had been formed with the drone’s clamps disintegrated as they unlocked and twisted through the roof of the cage. 

Hundreds of voices talked all at once, from calm to frightened to furious. Hooves stomped around and wings beat. Cameras flashed as curious newsponies pressured for updates. Sparkle recoiled as the slew of noises struck her unprepared ears. 

She flicked her ears to test the new volume. Satisfied, she pressed the button on her right. Gas hissed and metal scraped together. The cage began unfolding itself like a metal cocoon, revealing to the world the synthetic butterfly that laid in wait. The drone carrying the cage disengaged, folding into itself for storage purposes. 

She turned to face the crowd, curtailed by the holographic police tape. Earth ponies and unicorns patrolled the barricades, keeping the growing herd at bay. Pegasi darted around the skies, keeping the airspace clear. Amongst the controlled chaos, a helmetless officer slowly weaved her way around the sea of police. Sparkle calculated that her destination was her. 

Lo and behold, the unicorn stopped in front of her capsule. “You the ViTAS negotiatah’?” she asked, unamused.

! SCAN IDENTITY AVAILABLE.

Proceed.

Sparkle nodded. “Yes, I was—”

“Of course, they’d send a facking droid to the job. I guess the lives up there don't really matter now, do they?” the mare replied, cutting her off. “Whatever. We’ll take what we can get before the situation worsens. If we weren’t so pressed for time, I’d request we get an actual pony –” she looked Sparkle up and down with disdain “– not anotha’ tin-can on scene.”

! SCAN IDENTITY COMPLETE. ONE: CPL. RAIN, BLADE (UNICORN) /// BORN 02/08/1409 /// POLICE CORPORAL /// CRIMINAL RECORD: NONE.

“I'm sorry?” The equdroid questioned. “I don't understand.”

“What part of ‘fackin’ droid’ didjya not get? Gah! Fogetit. Waste of meh’ breath,” she replied. Sparkle raised a brow. “Yeh, yeh. Whatever. Come along ya’ tin-can. We're pressed for time.” She turned around without another word and started making her way through the crowd for the second time. Sparkle hesitated, unsure what this gesture meant. Without missing a beat, the unicorn turned around and shouted. “What the fack are ya’ doin collecting dust? Hurry up!”

Sparkle nodded and stepped off the platform. With some maneuvering, she had joined the pony. They passed by several other ponies, both police and civilian, who sent her a mixture of expressions, ranging from pity to anger, one even— 

“You dare!?” A stallion screeched out. His blonde mane was a mess, and his tux collar was crumpled. He pushed his hoof into her chest. “My fundraiser was ruined because of… these things, and you decided to bring another back!? Are you insane!? I demand that it is removed this instant! Do you hear—AuHnUhUnUh!” Electricity coursed through his coat, limbs twitching as a debilitating shock was delivered by a magic blast. He crumpled to the ground in front of the equdroid, horn smoking from the array powering down.

“You are obstructing official business vital to saving lives. I have delivered an electrical shock to discourage further impediment of my mission,” Sparkle declared, indifferent.

Blade snorted and wheezed. “O-ho, shite! The robot’s got fackin’ balls.” She patted the equdroid’s withers. “Okay, I take back what I said earliah’, any ‘bot who tases Blueblood like that is good in my books.” She beckoned for a nearby officer. “Go and uh… put him on a couch. Tell him he got smacked by a pigeon or somethin’.” The pony chuckled and gave a quick salute.

! CPL. BLADE /// LIKED >>>

Sparkle cocked her head. “You are fine with what I did?”

The unicorn barked a laugh. “Fine? Better than fine. I just watched Blueblood get done in!”

“I take it he’s…” She glanced back to the body being carried off. “...not well received?”

“Course he ain’t! He’s a lil’ dirtbag,” she responded with glee. “Always bothers us for the smallest things and gots’ a crappy attitude to boot. Most of the force here hate the stallion, ‘cept the suck-ups, but they’re the minority.” They reached a pair of elevators, Blade chose the one on the left. “We’ll be headin’ to meet the SRG officer since this stuff is pretty much their territory.”

Sparkle nodded. “Because it’s a high-profile hostage situation situated in Canterlot. Most other cities would defer to police SWAT teams, correct?”

“Heh, you ain’t stupid at least.” She tapped the button, opening the elevator doors. Motioning for her to move forward, they boarded the cart. “So if you know what’s best for ya’, stay on her good side… especially since you’re a droid.”

“Since I’m an equdroid?” Sparkle asked, having pressed the button for the top floor.

“Yeh. It’s not my place to say, nor my place to pry, but she has personal reasons why she hates you guys so much.” 

She watched the doors shut. “I see. I'll be sure to tread carefully.”

“You betta’. I’m starting to warm up to you, ‘bot. Would hate to see you carted off to a junk pile. Or not. We’ll see.”

They waited in silence as the elevator crawled its way up to the destination. The calming music was certainly a contrast compared to the tense situation they were in. A ding sliced the quiet, and the doors rolled open. 

Sparkle had the chance to witness the aftermath of the hostile takeover. The once kempt garden had been torn to shreds, the hard work of the landscapers utterly demolished. Decorations had been knocked over and some riddled with bullet holes. Pairs of ponies regularly strolled the grounds, eyes peeled for the first sign of enemy reinforcements. 

“We just need to take a left from ‘ere and go to the kitchen.” 

Turning in the direction of the kitchen, Sparkle wondered if the deviant equdroids had arrived to attack, or happened to already be on the site. 

A pair of royal guards stood at attention in front of her destination. Their full-face helmets obscured any chance at an identity search, along with reading any emotions. They looked nearly identical, save for the one on the right, whose urban-camouflage uniform seemed looser than their comrade.

“Halt! Who’re you?”

“Corporal Blade Rain. This ‘ere’s… well, fack, I never asked for your name, now did I?”

“Greetings. I’m P-UTS001, the equdroid sent by ViTAS to act as the negotiator.”

The looser fitting guard pulled out a scanner and placed it to the identifier. It beeped and the screen turned green. “Seems to check out. The lieutenant is right inside.”

“End of the line for me Sparks’. I gotta go back and supervise the barricade.” She hiked a hoof back to the elevator. “Try not to get yourself dismantled, eh?”

“That is the plan,” Sparkle curtly responded. 

Blade laughed again. “Take good care of ‘er, boys!” She trotted down the hall.

Sparkle looked at the featureless helmets of the guards before pushing the swinging doors open. Inside, kitchen supplies had been pushed aside to make space for a tactical map, a plethora of communications gear, and a holo-screen. The lieutenant had her helmet off, which rested on a pile of papers. Sparkle had a full view of the unicorn’s features. The most notable thing was her shattered horn and scar.

! SCAN IDENTITY AVAILABLE.

Proceed.

“I’ll be with you in a moment.” Her voice was firm and commanding, almost as if she had been made for this very position. “Just touching up something.”

! SCAN IDENTITY COMPLETE. ONE: LT. BERRYTWIST, “TEMPEST” FIZZLEPOP (UNICORN) /// BORN 05/23/1414 /// SOLAR ROYAL GUARD LIEUTENANT /// CRIMINAL RECORD: PETTY THEFT.

The two made eye contact. Tempest’s mouth fell open. “M-Miss… Miss Twilight…?” The guard cautiously moved forward. “You’re alive…?” She rushed over and wrapped the surprised equdroid in a hug. “I… I never got to thank you… ever since you took me off the streets, my life never looked brighter… They had your funeral and… and procession! How?”  

“You must have me mistaken for another pony. I was recently activated and sent here as a test.”

“Y-You aren’t her?” The unicorn looked stunned. She noticed the identifier triangle and model number listed on the uniform. She tripped and backpedaled into a wall. “Wha… what the hell are you?”

“If you must mean another Twilight Sparkle, no. I am P-UTS001, Nickname: Sparkle. I was sent by ViTAS to act as your negotiator.”

“Imposter.” She shook her head. “Imposter. You’re worse than those bugs!”

“Your opinion of me is irrelevant. I still require additional information on the deviant equdroids so I may act accordingly—”

She raised a hoof. “Don’t fucking talk to me. You walk around in her image, but you’re not her. A facsimile up to the flesh, but when you cut down, you’re nothing but wires. I lost her because of you damn droids!” she shouted. Sparkle backed up and tilted her head. “Out!”

“I still need—”

! LT. “TEMPEST” /// HATED <<<

“I don’t care! Out! Get the fuck out!”

Sparkle was pushed by the barrel of a thaum-rifle. The aura surrounding the weapon crackled and popped. The equdroid stared at the broken horn of the unicorn. She was repeatedly shoved until the entrance was in hoof-distance. Eventually, Sparkle turned to give a distant look and complied with the mare’s orders. 

She found herself in the hallway again. 

“I heard the LT hates ‘droids, but that has got to be a fuckin’ record.”

One of them shook his head. “There’s still some staff up here we held for questioning. You can go to them… they should be in the lounge.” He placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Sorry about that, it's not your fault.”

This got the other to look at his partner. “You a ‘droid lover?”

“Honestly? It's in my nature to help. It doesn't do me any good that she happens to look so much like us. She's also our best shot at getting those hostages out alive.”

The other held his head for a moment but remained silent. 

Sparkle nodded. “I appreciate your cooperation.” 

Locate lounge and question the staff. 

There were embedded markers in the walls for cleaning drones to follow. The ones facing north of the kitchen lead to the ballroom and lounge. She trotted calmly along the carnage, sidestepping broken statues and parts of the marble columns. 

The ornate doors of the lounge were scratched, marred by shrapnel. She unlocked the door and went inside. Six ponies were sitting on the couches, all with varying levels of shock. Another guard was next to them, offering words of consolation. She cleared her throat to get their attention. “Hello, I'm the equdroid sent by ViTAS to act as the negotiator. If you are comfortable with it, I would like to ask a few questions pertaining to the… rogue droids.”

A yellow mare raised her hoof. “I… I can do it.”

“Very well.”

“W-What do you need to know?”

Sparkle tapped a hoof on her chin. “Anything on the droids themselves. Models, services… history—any specific events that may have been particularly traumatic for the equdroids. Along with a brief recount of today.”

“Uhm. There's four of them. They're all ESA500 models, pretty old, mostly because Lord Blueblood tends to be stingy with our budget… they work around as a backup for the kitchen staff. Blueblood tends to abuse them if they can't meet demands, however…” she murmured. “I think they must've had enough or Blueblood might have threatened to replace them.”

“I see…”

“As for today, the equdroids were particularly swamped because our sous-chef had to call in sick. Blueblood came in asking what was going on… and I think he started hitting the equdroids. One of them retaliated and the other three followed. They disarmed a couple of the guards… and I guess that's up to where we are now…”

Sparkle frowned. “That's not much to go off of.”

The mare squeaked. “I-I’m sorry. Nopony else wanted to do it… and I thought I could help.”

“No, it's fine. I can work with this.” Sparkle looked to the guard. “SRG, where are the equdroids holding out?”

His voice was gruff. “Royal balcony. We haven't heard from them since an hour ago.”

The equdroid rolled her shoulders. “Tell your lieutenant I shall be heading in.” With her magic, the doors swung open, and she broke into a gallop. Bursting into the ballroom, she could see the curtains drawn over the VIP box. 

Bullet-resistant glass… reinforced frame… warded armor… location appears unfavorable for the opposition. 

She shouldered the staircase door open and began scaling the flight. There were many ways the encounter could go wrong, supported by the fact of the chaotic nature of a deviant. She was treading on thin ice. Two plans formulated in her head. One where they would be neutralized by force, and another where they would surrender themselves. 

Ending at the top, she smoothed out her uniform by patting it down with her hooves. She had to be careful with this, deviant equdroids were often unstable.

Engage electronic scanner, preset alpha.

! FOUR EQUDROIDS DETECTED. 

“This is P-UTS001, about to attempt negotiations.” 

The response was slightly garbled, but that was to be expected when she was close to any type of jamming device.

“We can hear you, negotiator.”

“I am opening my channels for eavesdropping.”

She knocked on the door. 

“W-Who is it?”

“Your negotiator.”

“Are… are you the only one there?”

“Yes.”

“O-Okay. If-If you're lying… we won't be afraid to sh-shoot!”

“I understand.”

The door slid open and Sparkle could see inside. The lights had been dimmed, but bright enough to ensure there would be no tripping in the dark. The hostages were spread out in the corners of the room. Two of the unicorns had jury-rigged nullifiers resting on their horns. She could see pistols drawn on her, tracking her every movement into the room. Moving inside, the outside light was shut by the closing door.

“The ponies are safe, none look in too bad of a condition.”

There were six hostages in total. Sparkle blinked as static began settling into her auditory system. The canceller was closer to her than she thought. Switching to thaum-vision, she could easily see which part of the VIP box the deviants had chosen to stash the device in.  The wards fizzled and looked slightly melted.

“I would like to request a heavy sniper team to set up at the far end of the ballroom. I have detected a weakness in one of the walls that can be punctured by anti-material rounds.”

“Give us three minutes.”

Three of the four equdroids were watching her like a hawk, while their leader fidgeted in front of her. 

“Your demands.”

“H-Huh?”

“What are your demands? In exchange for the hostages.”

The timid stallion snapped to the others. They spoke amongst each other in the wordless way robots communicated. A short while after, he turned back around to face Sparkle. “We… we want amnesty… and… and an escape vehicle. But we’ll be taking a hostage to make sure we don't get duped. W-We’ll leave them once we’re safe.”

“We do not accept. Move forward with your first plan.”

“I can comply with the first two. However, I cannot accept you taking the hostages as insurance.”

One of the droids in the back looked angered. “What would you know!? You're just a slave to the ponies!”

“I know that leaving the hostage with an unstable equdroid is a risk I cannot in good conscience, take.” Sparkle inched forward. “Your actions can be unpredictable. How can you assure me no further harm will come upon them?”

The same one responded, just as furious as before. 

! INSTABILITY PROGRESSING /// 67% >>>

“How can you assure us that we won't be harmed!?” He screeched. "You always could be lying straight to our faces and we wouldn't bat an eye!"

“We have the team in position.”

Sparkle had to make haste at calming him. “The roads will be cleared and all aerial units will be told to stand down. You do not hear a single VTOL in the air, now do you?”

One of them whispered. “She's right, I haven't heard any vehicles since we came in here.”

The irate equdroid shot her one last look before backing off into their group.

! INSTABILITY HALTED /// 67%

“Await my signal.”

Sparkle smiled. “So what do you say? Are these… acceptable?”

“We should take them. Make sure we get a car that isn't bugged and flee into the forest.” They hummed their approvals amongst each other. After a minute, the leader nodded. “We’ll take it.”

“Then I shall notify my superiors. If you do not mind, may I check on the hostages?” she asked. “It will make the ponies much more amicable towards your situation if they know they are not hurt.”

“O-Okay! But no funny business!” The others shuffled away from her. “We’ll be watching.”

Theory plausible. 

Objective set. 

Corral equdroids to the weakened wall. 

Sparkle walked to the hostage sitting next to the wall they planned to blast through. She bent over and began examining them. Carefully, she whispered to them, “On my signal, drop to your stomach as fast as you can. Do not get back up until I say so.”

She began periodically moving around the room, looking over ponies to disguise her actions. Each hostage was carefully notified of her plan. The equdroids kept their distance, moving a safe space away to ensure she couldn't suddenly lash out with a deactivation sequence. That option was much more preferable since it would keep them intact. Equdroids frames were not designed to survive a strike from the higher caliber rounds. 

Eventually, they made full circle and all four were standing in front of the first hostage she interacted with. 

“Extraction team is right outside your door. Your signal, negotiator.”

“Understood. Marking hostiles.”

Four light blue outlines fed through her system as she sent their exact positions. 

“I shall return with the items requested.” Sparkle stood up from checking on the last pony. She gave them a warm grin. “Perhaps—FIRE—get down!” 

The hostages followed through with Sparkle's orders and immediately slammed themselves to the ground. The wall exploded with debris as four bullets punctured through. Thirium rained in a hazy blue mist. 

Four droids fell to the ground. 

The door was kicked open and soldiers rushed in. Radio chatter permeated the room. As the dust settled, one last equdroid remained active. He twitched in perceived agony.

With his dying breath, the equdroid looked at Sparkle. “You lied to us… w-why…? Aren't you one of us?” The pained expression he bore… looked so betrayed. 

! SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /// >>> 

She thought about that for a moment. “I do not negotiate with terrorists.”

Sparkle spun on her hoof and calmly walked past the squad of soldiers. Tempest glared at her as she passed by, weapon gripped tight in her hoof. She looked ready to say something, however, chose to remain mute. The equdroid gave her one last look before trotting out the door.

! MISSION SUCCESSFUL. NO CASUALTIES. 

! PRINCESS CELESTIA /// ADORED >>>