//------------------------------//
// Chapter Eight: Curse 
// Story: Alpha One Six 
// by Misanthropian 
//------------------------------//

"I don't understand..." Nurse Redheart was in shock from what she was hearing.

"I was informed of your concern regarding the missing robot, so I thought I'd tell you personally. So long as we allow ERoCo. to handle the situation, they've agreed to handle the replacement of the defective unit."

"But why?", Redheart asked, "What's their concern with one robot?"

The administrator continued. "It seems that our little incident, has gotten out to the public, and is sparking concern. They're preforming damage control to maintain their public image. In return for letting them handle the situation, they cover our cost."

"And what happens to Alph-", Redheart caught herself, "...alpha one six... What happens if they get the robot?"

The administrator paused. "I imagine they'll take it in to see what went wrong with it, then recycle it."

Redheart took a deep breath. "Okay... Thank you for keeping us up to date..."

"Remember. Their agreement is contingent on us letting them handle the situation. This means don't talk to the media, and stay out of their way until the situation is resolved."

"Right. Bye." She hung up the phone and hoofed it back to Alan.

Alan looked at her. "You know what this means, right?"

"Yeah, we have even less time to work with." She looked back sternly.

"What! No!", He glared at her, "It means time's up! We lost, it's over!"

Redheart fell silent. The other ponies in the shop stopped briefly to look at the disturbance.

"What is your deal?", Alan growled, "You're going to risk both our jobs over this?"

Redheart sat down. "She's different, Alan... It's hard to explain, but I can't let her get destroyed."

"What are you even on about?"

"Are you serious?  Every day ponies mistreat these robots. Abuse them, disregard them.", Redheart looked around as she spoke, "My job is to order them around. I still remember when it was me in their place."

"Their just machines.", Alan looked at her, "They don't feel like we do."

"Because we program them not to.", Redheart looked back to him, "But now one has broken that mold. It decides it can't take it and leaves, and you're just going to let it get destroyed?"

"Yes." Alan said bluntly. He saw Redheart wince. "I'm sorry. I have a family. I can't afford the risk."

"You wouldn't say that if it was another pony."

"Yes, I would."

Redheart had no words. She just stared, her mouth hung open in shock.

"I'd sell my soul to protect my family. So don't even try me." Alan glared at her.

Redheart looked away. "I'm sorry..."

Alan sighed. "So am I...", He turned away, "Good luck."

Redheart stared at the table as he walked away. "You too..."





Lyra walked up the stairs to her apartment, muttering in frustration. She was still mad about the earlier intrusion on her space. In a huff, she burst into the apartment, but stopped.

In the middle of the main room was a meticulously stacked pile of books resembling some sort of building.

"Uh..." She stared.

Alphie trotted in, carrying yet more books. "Oh. You're back."

The two stared at each other for a moment.

"Is that... Canterlot Castle?" Lyra asked.

Alphie looked to her creation. "Um. Maybe?"

Lyra burst out laughing. She didn't know why it was so funny to her, but it was just what she needed at that moment.

Alphie just stared on in confusion. "Why are you laughing?"

"Heh. I'm sorry, I guess I just wasn't expecting that.", Lyra collected herself, "Thank you."

"For what?" Alphie asked, confused.

"Cheering me up." Lyra trotted over and grabbed the robot in a hug.

Alphie had no clue what was happening. "Uh... You're welcome?"

Lyra let her go. "Sorry. Somepony interrupted me while I was trying to work earlier. It got me a bit wound up.", She hesitated, "They were asking about you, actually."

Alphie froze. "The police?"

Lyra headed over to her desk to finish her work. "No, someone from your hospital. I didn't get their names."

"Did one of them have a white coat and a pink mane, done up in a bun?"

Lyra turned back to the robot. "Yeah. Actually, one of them looked exactly like that."

"That's nurse Redheart!" Alphie said, smiling.

"You know her?" Lyra asked.

"Yes. If you see her again, please, tell her I'm okay."

Lyra looked back again. "She wanted to bring you back to the hospital."

Alphie paused and looked down. "I'm sure she was just trying to do what she thinks is right.", Alphie looked back up, "Like you were, by not telling her about me."

Lyra said nothing. She turned away, returning her attention to her computer.





Alphie had finally finish cleaning up the books. On top of that, she had reordered the bookshelf. Now every book was exactly where it belonged.

Lyra walked into the bedroom. "Wow. I never have time to do that."

"Well, now you don't have to!", Alphie beamed, "I put everything back, and sorted it all for you."

"Yeah. I can tell." Lyra let out a yawn as she stretched and flopped onto the bed.

Alphie watched her. "Are you going to sleep?"

"Yeah, it's late. Aren't you?" Lyra asked.

"Huh?", Alphie gave her a confused look, "I don't sleep."

"Have you ever tried?"

"I..." She stopped to think about it. She had never even tried to sleep before. She walked over to the corner of the room and rolled onto her back. "Is this good."

Lyra fought the urge to burst into laughter at the sight of the robot laying on her back, her legs sticking up, like a dog playing dead. "That looks... really uncomfortable."

Alphie considered for a moment before shifting to her side, slamming into the wall in the process. "Gah!"

Lyra let out a laugh, and turned out the light.

Alphie lay there in the dark, unsure what to do.

"Alphie?"

Alphie looked towards Lyra. "Yes?"

"Why did you leave the hospital?"

Alphie froze up. She tried to respond, but couldn't, and she didn't know why.

"You don't have to tell me... I was just wondering." Lyra's voice continued in the darkness.

Alphie thought in silence for a minute. Finally she found her words. "There was a little filly. A terminal patient.", She waited for a response but none came, "I was tasked with making sure she was comfortable.", she gathered herself, "They put us in charge of the dying. That way ponies can be spared the emotional trauma of constantly having to watch others die."

Silence.

Alphie couldn't tell if Lyra was listening, but she didn't care. Some part of her needed to talk about it. "The girl, Lily. She was the kindest patient I've ever had... Being with her, she didn't treat me like a machine. Not even once.", She gave a bitter-sweet slime into the dark, "I was like a real pony to her. Like..."

"Family." Lyra finally responded.

Alphie smiled again. "Yeah... Family..."

There was a brief silence. "So what happened?"

"She died..." Alphie had a strange feeling saying that. Almost like some part her had been cut out, leaving an empty void. "After that they assigned me to an old stallion.", She felt an anger burning, remembering back to how Ballmer had treated her, "He was... not kind... I couldn't take it. It was like something broke.", she thought back to her feelings at the time, "I couldn't fulfil my purpose, and, somehow, I didn't want to... So I left..."

Alphie couldn't speak any more. Her emotions of anger and loss stopped her voice until all she could do was let out pitiful sobs. She lay there in the dark, quietly trying to hold it all in.

"My family is gone too..."

Alphie looked up.

Lyra continued. "My dad died shortly after I was born, and my mom died a few years ago."

"I'm sorry...", Alphie managed to choke out, "You have no siblings, kids, extended family?"

"My mom never remarried, and I was the first foal she had. I had other family members, but we were never close, plus they're like, super far away.", Lyra went silent for a moment, "There was this one girl. We were close friends. I kind of liked her..."

"Where is she?" Alphie asked.

"We had a falling out, and she stopped talking. Shortly after that, she moved away."

"Have you ever tried finding her again."

Silence fell over the room as Alphie waited for Lyra to respond.

"She's dead...", Alphie could hear the pain in Lyra's voice, "Last month I found out she had died in a car crash about a year ago. Her brother told me."

"I'm sorry." Alphie didn't know what else to say.

"Maybe I'm just cursed..."

Alphie tried to find something to say. "I'm sure that's not true..."

Alphie waited for a response, but was met with silence. She laid there in the dark, thinking quietly.

Finally she closed her eyes and relaxed.





A group of ponies sat packed into a surveillance van.

One pony turned to his superior. "Vocal signature confirms it. It's the missing N55."

"What's it doing?"

"It was just, talking. Like it was having a conversation with her."

The Stallion scoffed. "It's just an AI. Don't kid yourself.", He turned to the mare sitting in the driver's seat, "Are the police on board yet?"

She put down her phone and turned. "Not yet. A few more hours."

"Keep me updated on the situation.", He turned buck to monitor the surveillance equipment, "Not long now, Miss Heartstrings."