Detrot: Become Equine

by Andromidus

3.1 - HUNTER AND HUNTED/UTS

The room could not be any more silent.

The air conditioner had fallen in its resting cycle, the outside noise from the office turned to a hush—almost as if it had sensed the awkward situation wrought upon the group, and the cacophony from the city seemingly had decided now was the time to be silent. Three faces stared at each other, each with alternating expressions and emotions warring above them.

The only equdroid in the room flicked between the two in front of her, analyzing the situation presented.

When Sparkle first arrived at Detrot, she never really anticipated getting into a stand-off with a dragon. She was quite aware of the fact that Equestria was not solely inhabited by ponies, but this was certainly a curveball. Most of the dragons living under the Equestrian flag were under admittedly lax supervision and more often than not, chose to isolate themselves away from most of society. Interaction was not their preference and nor was it their strong suit, either. But a dragon living with ponies? Unheard of.

Curious.

Note down for research at a later date.

Strangely enough, the data omitted who he was. She brought up the relevant data page she had been examining and inserted her own hoofnote about his species. She made sure to check over his personality and note key things regarding him. Sparkle was unsure about how he could be rash and "explosive" at times, while otherwise remaining perfectly calm and collected. It was paradoxical, really.

Despite all this, she would learn to adapt—the setback would have no effect on her investigations. She would just have to move methodically and tread lightly.

! SCAN IDENTITY AVAILABLE.

Proceed.

If she didn't, that would certainly disappoint Celestia, and that very consideration sent her systems reeling. To worsen things, she had been the one who specifically requested to be deployed to the city. To back out of her assignment because her partner was a species that were of generally obtuse and aggressive descent would be a sign of weakness. Along with that, if she could prove to overcome and successfully integrate herself as a working, contributing partner to such a species, it would prove her invaluable to the advancement of future models.

! SCAN IDENTITY COMPLETE. ONE: LT. ???, SPIKE (DRAGON) /// BORN 05/21/1411 /// POLICE LIEUTENANT /// CRIMINAL RECORD: NONE.

Interesting.

Some information is redacted from the general overview file. Sixty-percent placed under removal by the Royal Equestrian Archives.

Just what is the dragon hiding? Her eyes fell on the dragon in question. Would it be socially correct to pry information from Lt. Spike at a later period? Verdict unknown. Evaluate as the relationship progresses.

As Sparkle began rifling and downloading what she could, the others in the room still remained standing in place, still and waiting. Out of all of them, perhaps using the word “still,” would be an overstatement for a fidgeting police captain.

Woods had a look of “this is going to get really awkward super fast, I should probably bail,” grace his features. He shuffled his hooves and stared at his only reasonable way out. “Hey, ah, I haven't gone to the bathroom in a… a while, yeah. I'm just going to go… cuz'… I have to. Real bad.” he said, snapping Sparkle out of her thoughts as he inched towards the exit. In a feat that would’ve been deemed impressive had it occurred in any other situation, he vanished from the room, hooves clopping down the walkway. The file on Captain Sherwoods lists him as a capable leader, however, crumples in the face of social situations, as he particularly underperforms in awkward scenarios.

The door clicked shut behind him. Now it was just down to two.

The two eyes met, organic and synthetic locked in a staredown, analyzing and waiting for the next move. Sparkle could see it in his gaze; draconic slits scrutinizing every detail present on the pony in front of him. Every strand of hair and fur moved gently with the simulated rise and fall of her frame’s chest. How well her perfectly well-maintained cut draped over her temple. Every soft inhale and exhale was judged.

Spike’s expression changed for just a split-second. And for a moment, he saw it, the calculating gleam present in her eyes that he oh-so remembered. Fond memories began replaying in his head both good and bad, all coalescing into a crescendo; the phantom images he saw today of a pony at Canterlot, wearing the same exact outfit.

If the dragon was to be true to himself, he so badly wanted to wrap her up in a bone-crushing hug and sob his day away. But, his professionalism and suspicion were keeping him a safe distance away. He remembered being there alongside her, each painful step of the way. He remembered every vivid detail. He remembered the day how Shining and Cadance had to explain to a baby the concept of death. He remembered seeing her sleeping so peacefully in the coffin, eyes closed for eternity.

How could he not?

But now here "she" was, standing and breathing right there. His brows lowered and his eyes narrowed, waiting for her next move.

They were both walking on thin ice.

Sparkle, on the other hoof, unable to read minds—an ability that did not exist, yet was something she wished she had—could only merely fathom as to what his intentions were. She had generalized data from the cloud network regarding dragons, however, most of that data didn't specialize in what she assumed was a maturing adolescent. There were some telltales, such as the flicking tail and the bunched muscles betraying his unease, but other biological data was near useless.

There was one thing she could be certain about. The glare being sent her way. It was a predatory glare that would’ve unnerved any living being, a creature sizing up its catch. After all, dragons ruled like kings atop the food chain. What being descending from a prey species wouldn’t be utterly terrified?

That, however, could not be the case for Sparkle.

She was designed to remain cool and collected no matter the situation, to always look where she set her hoof down, even under immense pressure. She was implemented with countless programs and protocols. There was no intimidation to be had here. You cannot frighten something that was never alive.

So she remained impassive.

Perhaps a deeper search was necessary. The files she had been given involving the Central Detrot Police Department only seemed to include most of their traits, notable abilities, and weaknesses. History was excluded, much to her chagrin. Being able to create specific responses to facilitate her integration as a suitable police partner through adapting to their histories would be near invaluable. In fact, the only piece of data she had was from the only word uttered before the silence.

He had called her, “Mom.”

This was the second time she had been referred to such a thing by another pony she had never even met. A title that did not, and could not, ever rightly belong to her. However, the one word he spoke was filled with such confidence and finality as compared to the other time, so much so that it sounded like he believed it.

There were so many questions as to why he had done such a thing and why her design elicited such a response. She only could theorize as to why Celestia had chosen this appearance. The equdroid frowned as it seemed that it only caused her more trouble than it was worth keeping. Perhaps it would be best if she consulted with her to find a different look.

But that was for a later time.

For at this very moment, she had to deal with the consequence.

There were positives to pretending play along with his statement, but that only really benefited in the short-term and would eventually leave their relationship in an irreparable status not long after. That was something that Sparkle found to be absolutely terrible for her goals. However, denying it now would be unpredictable to an extent. There was no predicting how he might react to her response and how adversely that would affect their relationship after the fact.

Options, options.

One of her systems urged her to take the first option and tempting as it was…

Compounding answers.

“I am afraid you must have me mistaken for another pony,” she said, finally breaking the silence. Setting herself up for a high chance of possible failure was not something she wished to do. “I am P-UTS001 as written and read on the dossier you had in your claws not moments ago. I was created with the intent to be able to adapt to any role deemed necessary, with my current status to function as assistance to law enforcement. However, I was sent to Detrot to help assist in problems regarding equdroids.” Roleplaying as something as she was not nor had any clue as to how she would play would quickly turn that plan into mush. Besides, what was wrong with simply introducing herself?

Sparkle waited in rapt anticipation for the inevitable reaction. He took a second to process everything, and she watched as his face contorted into a mass of emotions, unreadable and chaotic. The equdroid stealthily readied a defensive spell in the case of backlash. Anything was possible.

Slowly, ever slowly, he began to reel in his ambiguous state to reach his final decision. He raised his head from his contemplation. The dragon’s tail lashed through the air, nearly bowling over a lamp. She could slowly see him arch his back and his spines flare.

How his eyes narrowed into slits and his claws curled in.

How his mouth opened so slightly as to form a snarl.

How his muscles tensed.

How fury radiated off his form.

How the world appeared to slow down to a standstill.

And he lunged.

Alert.

His arms were extended before him, bridging the distance. They were like vipers closing in on their kill, poised for the neck.

Wrong answer.

Unexpected reaction!

Move away.

Sparkle attempted to dodge. However, Spike’s claws closed on her neck faster. With nothing but his upper body strength, he lifted her up with a single arm. She recoiled at the sudden sensation of being hoisted from such a way. She could sense the sharp claws digging into the skin of her neck. Once Spike had a firm grip, he brought her closer until her nose fur could brush against the scales on his snout.

"So if you aren't her..." He took a great, shuddering breath, full of raw anger. “Why the hell do you have her face?” he spat.

Sparkle's brows furrowed. “I do not know what you mean. Who's face am I wearing? Is it not my own?”

! LT. SPIKE /// HATED <<<

He slammed her up against the wall.

“Everything about you is just like her! I could pull up the damn photo and it would look like you were grabbed right out of it! What do you mean you don’t know!?” His snarl flashing his fangs, all of which shone almost malevolently. “Tell me why you have her face!”

! PRESSURE AROUND CERVICAL REGION /// INTEGRITY DEGRADATION DETECTED: 10% >>>

Objective set.

Defuse the situation.

High possibility of frame destruction. Begin cloud back-ups.

She struggled in place, wriggling in the air. Activating the array now would be incredibly difficult, considering most of the mana flow was being cut off in his vice-grip. Most of her combat maneuvers were designed against fleshier combatants, not against ones so heavily armored like the dragon threatening her so. Speech seemed like the only option to take.

Avoid frame destruction at all costs or until upload has reached completion. However, once this threshold has been reached, consider that mission integration shall be much more difficult or…

...impossible.

She would have to choose her words wisely. She was in no position to retaliate or upset her aggressor. She also had to be able to maintain a working relationship after the fact. The window of success was slim. However, one thing was clear as ever.

She was designed to always succeed.

And succeed she shall.

! PRESSURE INCREASING AROUND CERVICAL REGION /// INTEGRITY DEGRADATION DETECTED: 26% >>>

The clock started ticking.

Dragons are sensitive and quick-to-offend in regards to certain subjects. Compounded with the fact that I am supposedly masquerading as his “mother” does not help.

Sparkle went back to think about the information on Lieutenant Spike. His profile never listed him as overly violent or angry, so this outcome almost came out completely unexpected. If it wasn't for the fact that she considered every single outcome, this would've come as a complete surprise.

She wriggled until their eyes met, and she gazed emotionlessly, unfazed and unaffected by her predicament. How helpful would being completely truthful be? How would he take the answer, especially if it wasn’t one he liked? This was why having access to certain information, histories, psych evals, and other information could help her tailor specific personalities. Gathering information while in the—

“Are you going to say anything in your defense? Anything!?”

Time to plan just ran out. Now or never.

“I had no information regarding that... gaahhh… there was any existing pony that shared my appearance. The set of instructions I had upon my first activation mandated that this was the coloration set I was to take,” she managed despite the grasp on her neck. “Even then… even then, my frame supports the same facial structure and build of whoever you are suggesting I look like. It was never my choice to look like this. Everything was decided for me by somepony else.”

! PRESSURE AROUND CERVICAL REGION /// PRESSURE DECREASE DETECTED: 20% <<<

He narrowed his eyes as he began considering the information given to him. A smidgen of his anger escaped in an irritated exhale of smoke. “Alright… that sounds reasonable,” he replied, fury stifled. “But that only raises more questions than it does answer the one I had!”

“It generated separate queries?” Sparkle jerked in confusion.

“It… yes!” He looked her in the eye, anger brimming. “Of course it did! I can’t even fathom which question I want to ask you first out of fear of making a hundred different others!”

“Perhaps you could try one that piques your interest substantially when compared to other options. That may help with your indecisiveness,” Sparkle offered.

Spike balked. “I am not indecisive!”

Aggressiveness intensity decreasing. Valid branch? “As you say, lieutenant.”

The dragon seemingly picked up on her supposed “secondary” meaning. “Are you sassing me?”

“Not directly, lieutenant.” She had meant no offense, ruining the already fragile standing they had was not a plan that would end well for her. “I was just simply trying to advise that denying a valid fact is never a good thing and one should seek to change themselves for the better. Having an unclear thought process in your line of work is detrimental to your health and—”

The claws flexed around her neck, silencing her.

“Alright then, tell me who the hell thought it was okay to make you look like that,” he snarled, waving her in the air like a ragdoll. “Am I indecisive now!?”

! PRESSURE INCREASING AROUND CERVICAL REGION /// INTEGRITY DEGRADATION DETECTED: 24% >>>

Sparkle froze in his grip, locking up.

She had spectacularly undone her progress with a few words, pushed it all the way back to square one. Now she was in far more vulnerable position than before, left at the mercy of an emotionally distraught dragon—who may no longer be as cooperative as before. However, the worst of it all was that question asked of her conflicted with standing orders—some of which were each ingrained deep within her software—and her mission.

P-UTS001 was bound by lock and key, sworn oaths, that she would never disclose company secrets to any unauthorized individual. It was one of the things that sat up in the priority list, right beside the abhorrent reminder of failure. Yet there lay the other problem, the abhorrent reminder of failure. If she could not offer him the answer he wished, their current standing relationship—abysmal as it was already—would regress into something unsalvageable: a complete and total failure of her mission. Everything about her was about success, the word “failure” sounded so wrong. She could tell him. Just a couple of words and that would be it, mission success. But she couldn’t. Conflicting streams battered her logic core.

What was she to do? How could she jeopardize the first mission she hoof-picked?

What was more important? The mission or ViTAS? How could she—?

A small click went off in her head.

Her gaze hardened.

This wasn't even a fair competition.

The choice has been predetermined. Remain loyal to ViTAS.

“I a-am not allowed to freely disclose information regarding ViTAS’s workings w-without proper authorization from an individual with the necessary credentials,” she choked out. “Th-Therefore I cannot… cannot answer the question you have.”

He paused for a moment and Sparkle no longer felt the crushing sensation around her neck. Had that been the right thing to have said?.

! PRESSURE AROUND CERVICAL REGION /// PRESSURE DECREASE DETECTED: 15% <<<

Then he returned full force.

! PRESSURE INCREASING AROUND CERVICAL REGION /// INTEGRITY DEGRADATION DETECTED: 56% >>>

Incorrect again. Prolonged damage will be sustained if this persists.

“Don’t give me that bullshit! There’s some sick pony in there who’s running around and slapping the faces of the deceased onto ‘droids!”

“This c-concern is outside of my ability and I do not—”

“This is my concern! It became something personal after you walked in here with my mother’s face and name!” he roared. “TELL. ME. WHO. DID. THIS.”

! PRESSURE INCREASING AROUND CERVICAL REGION /// WARNING /// INTEGRITY DEGRADATION DETECTED: 88% >>>

Sparkle gasped and scratched at the length of his arm. It was getting harder to process things. The flow of thirium and mana was being stifled by the force exerted on her neck, capping the amount flowing to her main processor. Data trickled in, dropping as each second passed.

She had been backed into a corner.

What was she to do?

Nothing.

Her main source of casting spells was disabled. She had no leverage to bounce off of. She lacked any upper strength to retaliate; most of her blows were meaningless against the armored scales. She had nothing she could use.

! PRESSURE INCREASING AROUND CERVICAL REGION /// CRITICAL /// INTEGRITY DEGRADATION DETECTED: 90% >>>

She closed her eyes, prepared to meet her first forced deactivation through the means of frame destruction.

That also meant experiencing her first failure.

She could already imagine the disappointed look she would receive. The words she would hear. It sent… chills down her spinal cord and ice in her veins. The sensation of such a thing was abhorrent. And there was no guarantee that she would even be the artificial intelligence to be reactivated in another frame. Why would Celestia keep a tool that broke a day after it had been initially used?

But Sparkle did not fret any further. She would accept her fate. She was deserving of what she wrought on herself. Incompetency had no place for a machine of what she was projected to be.

! SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /// <<<

The doorknob twisted and the entrance swung open, causing Sparkle to snap open her eyes and to momentarily divert her attention. The police captain reentered the room, looking refreshed. “Listen, Spike, Sparkle, I've got something that may be a good icebreaker for the both of ya’…” Sherwoods started, flipping through a thick binder, oblivious to the scene. It was only when his forehoof bumped into a misplaced chair did he look up, however. He stared at the sight, a pony dangling from the air with a second of stupefaction. Which fleetingly passed. He quickly laid the thing he was holding and rushed over. “Hey! Hey, Spike, fuckin’ stop that!” he yelled, wrapping a hoof around the arm. “Damnit, Spike!”

She watched him grapple with the taller creature, desperately trying to wrench him away from the her “choking” form.

Finally, the captain had the sense to clock the dragon on the end of his snout, momentarily dazing Spike and sending him tumbling backward. Spike tripped over an overturned chair and fell flat on his side, while Sparkle crashed into the ground beside him. She felt the impact…

The world swirled around her as she scraped for her bearings. Her cameras focused and buzzed as they reasserted her spatial understanding. She could feel the rush, no, the roar of everything flowing back into the central processor; stifled potential soared back to values she was used to seeing. She pinged her lower half, pleased to see she had control over them again.

Without missing a beat, she shakily got up on all fours and limped away, distancing herself from possible further harm.

The equdroid nearly collapsed against the wall once she was far enough.

Through sheer luck, she had been granted a second chance because of the captain’s interference. She would do everything in her power not to squander it. Sparkle closed her eyes again to stop the swirling in her visual sensors. A minute later, they snapped back open.

Examine damage.

Sparkle experimentally laid a hoof against her obviously damaged neck. She didn’t need a scan to know that it had taken it a serious toll during her experience with the dragon lieutenant. The synthetic skin and coat depressed as she pressed her hoof against it. It also looked particularly bruised and… flabby. Had so much pressure been applied to the exterior surface that it…

She frowned.

There would be no way to get a proper fix for this. Or, at least, until she was to be recalled to a nearby ViTAS facility for her daily report. That would certainly be a troublesome setback for the rest of the day.

“Spike, what the hell was that!?” Sherwoods shouted. Her head slowly moved to face the other two in the room.

The dragon in question wiped some blood off of his mouth with a sleeve. His claws gripped around the chair cushion to support himself, easily puncturing the soft material. Spike then raised an accusing claw at her, shaking in anger. “That thing is wearing my mom’s face. I want to know why,” he hissed.

“By stranglin’ her?” he pressed, anger and confusion visibly present on his face. “Spike, that isn’t how we do things. That isn’t how you do things, either!”

“I could fucking care less!” he roared, teeth bared. The police captain stepped back, stunned by his outburst. “I want that thing gone!” He was huffing, eyes bulging.

The pony’s mouth moved in wordless expression, eyes closing gently and resignation on his face. Sherwoods was silent for the longest time, each second drawled out in agony. Sparkle had just witnessed Spike talk back to his superior in a manner most foul, she wondered how he was going to react and accordingly punish him. However, he only shook his head, sighing.

“This is where I draw the line, Spike! What you just did was incredibly stupid and the most poorly thought out thing you could’ve done,” Sherwoods replied firmly, laying a hoof under the dragon’s chin and jerking him to look him directly in the eye. “The ‘droid’s gonna tattle no matter what happens. I’ve got no fuckin’ clue what ViTAS may do to you after you –” he turned to face Sparkle, who was quietly watching it all unfold “– practically mangled an expensive prototype of theirs… but I can’t think of anything good. Those ponies running that show can be vicious folks!” He let go of Spike.

“I can always try to minimize the possible backlash but even then… I don’t know if that’ll be the end of it. You’ve always been amazing in keeping your emotions in check… yet here… ya’ faltered and slipped,” Sherwoods muttered. He turned around and trotted to his desk. “Maybe they’ll see your punishment as fit and they won’t press any further aside from asking you to pay for damages. Maybe I should’ve just listened to you when you said not to pair you up with it. Damnit.”

Spike blinked, wicked smile appearing. “Of course you should’ve! Now... wait... what...?”

“The damage has already been done,” Sherwoods interrupted, adding more to the already thick tension hanging in the air. The dragon held his tongue and watched his superior fall into deep thought. Soon enough, Sherwoods opened a filing cabinet and drew several sheets of paper. “I care about you as a friend, Spike. Leaving you to fend against the timberwolves is not my style. So here...” He pushed the stack towards the dragon. “...my temporary solution.”

Those words written on the paper seemed to have shattered Spike’s previously vicious resolve, collapsing it like a tower of cards against the wind. Silent words escaped his lips as he tried to understand the consequences he wrought upon himself. “...what…?” He gulped, shaking his head and hand. “No, no, wait, Sherwoods… I… please wait, no… that’ll go on the record,” he begged, voice weak.

“Spike, this is all I can think of that’ll let you come off easy. Besides, I think a lot of good words from the rest of us will nullify anything on that list.”

“N-No, but, sir, that’ll be going on the record.” The words caught easily in his throat. “I can’t… I can’t let that ever happen.”

Lt. Spike appears to fear anything that would appear as a bad mark on permanent archives. Sparkle commented, forgetting her ails and focusing on their conversation.

Sherwoods looked confused. “Spike, it’s just a little blip. Besides, it’ll get ViTAS off your plot if they see I punished you accordingly.”

“N-No, but, I can’t have anything bad on r-record,” he stuttered. “I… I just can’t.”

“Spike, we gotta do this, for your sake.”

“Sherwoods… I beg you, don’t…” The dragon, once sporting an aura fit for a predator, had knelt on the ground, tears welling around his eyes, vulnerable and miserable. Sparkle tilted her head at the strange sight, beyond intrigued. The turn-around in his personality seemed so out of… nowhere. Yet, it was not unwelcome, after all, this could be used in her favor.

Mission absolute failure not a complete possibility. New information gleaned. Utilize to greatest effect.

She opened her mouth. “Captain Sherwoods, Lieutenant Spike, I can offer a deal that would benefit the all of us. I was sent here to integrate and begin field operations with an organic individual. Currently, as it stands, my mission is trailing failure threshold.” She allowed them a moment to process her words. “However, if you would allow me a second chance and an opportunity to prove myself as a valuable partner to the dragon I was assigned to, I can overlook today’s transgressions and list them to ViTAS as damage sustained during operations.”

They were silent.

Sparkle paused as well, considering the option she had laid out. Was the offer against standing directive with loyalty to ViTAS? Her eyes fell to stare at the ground. No. Offer was merely a mean to reach mission success: asset utilization/exploitation to fullest extent did not violate any protocols.

“I would like to assume the terms are agreeable. After all, there is a fair amount of leniency, skewing this in your favor. All this requires is your cooperation,” Sparkle reminded. “Much to gain… little to lose.”

The look on the dragon's face was difficult to read, however, coupled with his body language, it seemed he was very torn on the offer. It was clear to see that he wanted to take it without hesitation, however yet, another part clearly held him back from doing so. That part, that unknown variable could very well undo all of this. She was playing chance now, and she hated that.

The dragon looked blankly at her, pupils resting on her frame, mind elsewhere.

“... I... I’ll take it.”

The edges of the equdroid’s mouth curled up. It was the least orthodox method and the least unexpected route for her to have taken… but this... this signaled his cooperation, forced as it was.

“Spike… you really should—”

“Anything that gets me out of that mess!” Spike rumbled, stewing. His claws shook as if they were trying to grip something, perhaps in what looked like anger. He closed two of them before pressing them hard against his brow. “I landed myself here and now I’m paying the consequences… dearly. This is going against everything I stand for… but… I’ll say it again. I accept. I’ll take your offer.”

! LT. SPIKE /// MILDLY TOLERATED >>>

“Very well, Lieutenant. The terms have been set. I look forward to working with you,” she replied, a small hint of satisfaction present in her voice. “Which I assume, we will begin quite quickly, Captain Sherwoods?”

The earth pony only glared at her. Resignation hanging around him, he spoke. “I already pre-loaded everything y’all would need into Spike’s device; ‘twas something about a lady being held at gunpoint in her own home. Two pairs of officers had already responded to the call, last I knew. You two were to serve as redundancies,” he said. “However, it was also meant to get y’all two to see how you both worked and how you were to compensate for your dynamics. I wanted Spike to grow past his prejudices. Now I see it ran deeper than I thought—which was my mistake.”

It was quiet again. Sparkle noted that this seemed to be a common occurrence. Spike’s fists clenched. “Well, we’re bleeding time. If nothing else, let’s get a move on.”

As they began leaving the room, she managed to catch Sherwoods whispering. “I wish ya’ luck, Spike… you’ve made a deal with your devil.”

His perception seemed to be quite negative. Set to correct? Exterior relationships hold a level of importance. Sparkle trotted alongside the dragon, who had his head forward and eyes straight, never sparing her a glance. But even from here, she could feel the smothered hostility radiating off of his form. That was also something to correct.

Subsisting a relationship off of blackmailing would only encourage toxic emotions; the eventual fallout would truly destroy the hard work put into constructing it. There needed to be another reason for the lieutenant to continue working together. Sparkle would need to find some strong standing to facilitate comradery.

But there was no need to rush.

She had a reasonable amount of time and information to think of something.