Lyra let out an incoherent grumble as she slowly opened her eyes.
She sat up and looked around. "Alphie?" She asked noting the robot's absence.
She got out of bed and headed towards the kitchen. "Hello?"
Alphie was half laying on the kitchen table surrounded by several stacks of books. She tapped the table and as she stared across the room.
"Alphie?"
The robot let out a startled shout and jumped up, knocking over several books in the process. "You're awake! I didn't think you'd be up so early."
"It's 9:00AM." Lyra said raising an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"
Alphie looked confused and distressed. "I don't know..."
"You know, for a machine, you seem rather upset."
Alphie stared at the ground and mumbled. "Am I a machine?"
Lyra trotted over and grabbed the sides of Alphie's head. "Hmm..."
"Hey!", Alphie struggled at the pony tilted her head about and looked her over, "What are you doing?"
"Yep!"
"What?" Alphie gave a frustrated look as Lyra finally released her.
"You look like a machine to me."
"I don't feel like a machine..."
"And what does being a machine 'feel' like." Lyra looked at her.
Alphie was at a loss. "I-"
"What question are you really trying to ask?" Lyra asked, trotting over to grab some breakfast.
"I want to know what I am." Alphie responded.
"No.", Lyra looked back at her, "You know what you are."
"But am I alive!" Alphie shouted.
"Are you?" Lyra glared.
Alphie winced. "The most I found in any of these books was this." She sifted through the pile and pulled up the book she had sound last night. She opened it and began quoting aloud. "-It is therefore necessary for ponies to decide on some definition by which they can describe an AI as 'living'. My proposal Is simple. If an AI is: One. Able to learn from the actions of itself and others. Two. Able to formulate it's own thoughts and opinions. And Three. It is unconfined, such that, its ability to preform the last two functions is not restricted in any way, save for the hardware's ability to process the required data."
Lyra sighed. She walked up and moved the book away. "Are you all of those things?"
"I-I think so..."
"So then Ponies should consider you alive.", Lyra looked her in the eyes, "But if you can form your own opinions, then shouldn't you make that decision?"
Alphie opened her mouth, but failed to find any words.
"I, like so many, tried to define life in absolute terms.", Lyra returned to making herself something to eat, "But there is no objective, all-encompassing, definition. Life defines itself. It just... is."
Alphie sat back at the table in silence. She stared at the stacks of books as she tried to comprehend the new information.
Lyra wrapped up her food and headed towards the door. "I've got to go out. I'll be back in a few hours. Just put the books away when you're done."
She grabbed her bag and opened the door. She looked back to the robot staring at the table one more time and sighed. 'I'm sure she'll get it.' She stepped out and closed the door.
"So, what exactly is the plan."` Alan asked as the returned to the coffee shop.
Redheart approached the door. "We'll just ask her if she knows anything." She pushed the door open and they headed in.
The shop was much busier than the day before. Ponies went about their mornings ordering coffee and breakfast, talking over their phones, and griping about this and that. Some even accompanied by robotic assistants of various models and design.
Alan grumbled. "Great`. So how are we supposed to even find this pony?"
Redheart looked around the lobby. "Over there." She pointed to a booth in the corner.
The two went over and sat down. "Do we know what she looks like?" Alan asked.
"A mildly crazy, blue-green colour hacker stereotype with a laptop bag?", Redheart looked about the room, "I'm sure she blends right in`."
"Right." Alan rolled his eyes.
They both looked around, trying to see if they could spot the pony among the crowd. Several minutes passed as they watched closely, with no luck.
Alan sighed. "I don't think she's here. Maybe she's not coming today."
"Alan."
"Look I know that you want to find This robot first, but maybe-"
"Alan!" Redheart shoved his view towards the front window.
"What? What is it?" Alan looked as a pony matching the description they had been given trotted past outside.
"That has to be her!" Redheart went to jump up, but found herself being pulled back into the booth.
"Wait! We shouldn't jest rush over.", Alan watched as the pony came in and entered the line for the counter, "If we just make her mad or uncomfortable then she wont tell us anything."
Redheart sat back down. "Then what? We wait?"
"Yes. Wait for her to sit down, at least." Alan said, watching the pony in question carefully.
After some time, she made it to the counter and placed her order. After being hoofed a large cup by the barista she headed over to a booth and sat down.
Redheart got up. "I'm going."
Alan grunted. "Okay. Fine."
They headed over to the booth where the pony was sitting.
"Excuse me Miss." Redheart drew the pony's attention.
"What is it?" She asked, looking up from her screen.
Redheart took a breath. "We're from Ponyville General Hospital. We lost a robot yesterday and heard that you might know something."
The pony returned to typing on on her laptop. "You heard wrong. The police asked about that yesterday. I already told them I don't know anything."
Alan stepped over. "We have reason to believe that you're hiding something. We found our robot's vest in the trash here."
"So? It must have thrown it away after I left."
"Look Miss..." Redheart waited for a response.
The pony grumbled. "Lyra."
"Miss Lyra.", Redheart continued, "I'm not here because the hospital sent me, I'm here because I'm worried about her."
"Are you really?" Lyra continued her work.
Redheart opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the ring of a phone.
"Ah geez...", Alen looked at his phone, "It's the administrator. You handle this. I'll take care of it."
Redheart sighed and sat at the table across from Lyra. "Look. I know most ponies don't care, but I do. I'm worried that if we don't find this robot soon that something might happen to her. All I want is to bring her back where I know she'll be safe."
Lyra finally looked up. "You think she'll be safe at the hospital? The moment you get her back there, she'll be shipped off to ERoCo. to be reprogrammed."
"So then you do know something."
"I didn't say that." Lyra returned her gaze to her computer.
"But you called her 'she', and showed concern.", Redheart tried to look her in the eyes, "Please, I just want to know that she's safe. The police could destroy her if they found her."
"I'm sure she's fine." Lyra slammed her laptop shut in frustration.
"Then please. Can you take us to her?" Redheart pleaded.
"No!", Lyra put away her things and got up to leave, "Now leave me alone."
Redheart let out a sigh as she watched Lyra storm out of the shop. "This is bad, isn't it?" She turned to Alan.
"It gets worse...", He held the phone out to her, "You may want to hear this."