//------------------------------//
// 7 - Extra Curriculars 
// Story: Closing the Barn Door 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

Insects called out their song of the night. The cool wind tussled Twilight's mane, but she wasn't paying attention to that. She was snout-deep inside an automaton, sparks flying in sync with brief flares of her horn as she soldered things. Soldering, it should be noted, was not a light task. The heat required to perform it was considerable and focused, but it wasn't beyond her.

But it did give her plenty of reason to sweat a little even on that chilly night. The cold wind, a both welcome touch of relief and a cursed source of shudders when her temperature plunged the other direction. She took a moment to adjust her glasses that had fogged. "More complicated than I thought," she grumbled to herself.

Not that it stopped her. She went right back to work. "At least they did a decent job." She could see the last customizing job's scars, other welds that had given her patient the ability to administer the healing accelerant in the first place. She'd need that. The tube that carried the stuff from the tank to his mouth? Vital, and she'd use it, and subvert it. "We'll make you just a little more alive."

She hadn't thought of that herself. But Giddyup had been so delighted at the idea that he was one little step closer to being a real horse. Impossible, of course, but it still put a smile on Twilight's face, that a robot would have that as a life goal, without technically having a life.

"Reduced to a torch bearer." Skyline was awake too, he had requested it. He held a flashlight in one of his wings, clutched with his wing thumb pressed against the rest of his wing to shed light over Twilight and the work she was doing. "Can you really do such a big change? I thought we couldn't make robots."

"'We' collectively, can't." Twilight leaned in, sparks dancing briefly. "But 'we', individually, some can. But I'm not. His engine is, thankfully, in good repair. His brain, also functional. I won't be touching either of those. The hardest part will be the digestion..." Having somepony to chat with was a welcome distraction from her intense focus, allowing a moment to breathe. "And the excretion."

Skyline chuckled softly, alert night eyes trained on her. "You are giving a robot teeth to eat, a belly to digest what it captures and an ass to poop out what's left. What a world."

"Don't be obscene." Besides, she wasn't going to give any teeth... externally... "Do you have a stimpak to test with?"

"I only have half a dozen. They aren't to be wasted." His free wing tucked in tight, defensively. "What for?"

"I just said," Twilight sighed out. "To test this. The whole point is for Giddyup to be able to eat stimpaks to take their needles and drug supply. We have to be sure he can properly consume those two, and get rid of the glass that remains. Ideally, without even taking in much, if any, to start with." She put out a hoof expectantly.

Skyline sat, reaching with his other wing to draw out one of his stims. "It has metal too." He waved it lightly at Twilight. "In case you forgot."

"Hm." Twilight tapped at her chin softly. "If I was more ambitious, I'd allow him to keep the metal for self-repair purposes, but that would take longer than tonight to finish. A plan for another day, or evening." Her magic smoothly drew the offered Stimpak away from Skyline. "Let's see how this works." And she casually stabbed Giddyup with it. Not in the side, but right in his mouth, inserting the needle in that made it look like he was trying to eat it point first.

A soft beep sounded. "Great, it noticed the obstruction, and..." Mechanical noises began in a rumble, the stimpack going stiff, then slowly draining, the red within it flowing towards Giddyup. "Fantastic, taking the stimpak's contents..." Another beep. "Complete..." The stimpak suddenly fell to the ground with a snap. "And it broke the needle free, good."

"That was my stimpak..." Clearly not anymore, lost to the belly of the mechanical beast. "Did it work then?"

Twilight leaned in. "The first part, yes. The second part..." She popped open a little hatch to reveal the needle that had been drawn free. "Not as much of a yes..." The needle had been taken, but the back of it was not a smooth joint that could be re-used. A ragged edge where it had been torn free. "I must have..." And back to work went Twilight. "So close..."

Skyline sighed, but he still had a smile. "I suppose I shouldn't have expected a miracle to be quick, or cheap." Without being prompted, he fished out the next stimpak. Another would be needed, he was sure of it. "Gonna charge Stan for these, later, when he's awake." It was notoriously difficult to levy fees on humans while they slumbered.





Giddyup marched along with the others. "I do not have code for this."

"I imagine not." Twilight walked at his side. "Everything I built should work on its own. The only part you--" She paused suddenly to let out a great yawn. "That you need to do... is get new stimpaks lined up and eat them. As soon as the needle is pressed into the spot you normally make injections with, the process will begin. If you instead bring a living thing close to there, the heat diff--" A new yawn tore through her. "Excuse me. It'll notice, and one of the needles you have stored will pop out to do its job."

Giddyup marched quietly, save for the clip-clop noises that issued from his speakers. "I am unaccustomed to having things I do not control myself."

Skyline snorted at that. "Welcome to being alive. You asked for that. All us living people have tons of things we have no control over. They just do what they do, and we're happy they do."

Applejack smirked at that. "Or unhappy, but we ain't got much choice but to deal wit' it."

Stan rested a hand on the back of his walking robot friend. "Ya feel alright?"

"Self-diagnostic... Passed. Thank you for asking. Are you feeling alright?"

"Ya always ask that back." He rapped a knuckle on the metal hide of Giddyup. "Every time."

"Is it not polite? You expressed concern. I also have concern for you, my child." Giddyup wasn't emoting, just walking as his words played from his speaker. "Would you like me to stop performing that function?"

"Nah." The knocking turned back into a patting. "Just somethin' I can't control, but deal wit', much like yer new mouth."

"Speaking of that." Skyline hurried to Stan's side. "You owe me four stimpaks."

"What?" Stan hiked a brow at Skyline. "We attacked in the night or somethin'? They hired you, not me." He hiked a thumb at the ponies that marched with them. "Take it up with them."

Skyline shook his head at that. "The only attacker was Giddyup's new mouth. Three stimpaks to get the needle pulling part working properly. A fourth to be sure it was placing it properly and could take the needle back out again."

Daffodil let out a sudden hoot. "You mad genius. You got that done in only four tries?" She shook her head slowly. "No wonder they sent you on this job."

Twilight blushed at the praise. "Thankfully, I've had opportunity to study Giddyup Buttercup schematics." To speak nothing of the general robotics knowledge she had. "So long as Giddyup has a healthy diet of stimpaks, he should always have a needle ready, clean and unused, when the need arises." She raised a hoof to cover a yawn properly for a change. "Giddyup? Can you tell how full that tank is, with the stimulants?"

"Correct." A nice number. 79% it read, though only he could 'see' that. But putting his perception there made him notice something new. "There is another number." He had a lot of numbers, perhaps it could be forgiven that he didn't notice one new one. "Three?"

Skyline let out a singular ha. "Yeah, that should be how many needles you have left."

"Correct," agreed Twilight with a tired smile. "Glad you could see that. I wasn't sure if you'd be able to. I didn't want to interface with your brain anymore than I had to, so I just sent the number along and hoped it'd be received."

"Number received," alerted Giddyup in an almost electronic song of celebration. Knowing what it was, he casually put the picture of a needle next to it. He wouldn't be confused in the future about what that number was. "Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. I will submit a report to headquarters of your successful task. I hope they give you a raise."

Twilight inclined her head slowly. "Um..."

Stan waved it away. "Don't think about that too hard. Pretty sure that was an old habit he never kicked. But if we do run into the factory he came from, he'll have a few reports to file about the great techs he's run into over the years."

"They deserve positive reports," reasoned Giddyup. "Is that incorrect?"

Stan shoved lightly at his friend, not that this moved the heavy metal robot very far. "The people who'd be paying attention to those reports are long gone, Giddyup. Nice thought, but it ain't going far."

"I can report to others." He swung his head at Stan. "Twilight Sparkle performed an excellent repair and should be hired in the future for any robotic repair and upgrade needs."

Stan broke into wild laughter. He had just been given the robotic version of a Yelp review, not that Yelp existed. "What, no rating?"

"Calculating rating." Soft ticking could be heard from within him. "Twilight Sparkle is rated nine out of ten."

Twilight jerked back. "W-what? Why didn't I get a ten? What did I mess up?" She sagged miserably. "Probably something huge..."

Daffodil snorted at the collapse. "Relax, Miss Perfect. None of us are that, even you."

"I can't give a ten." Giddyup swerved his head and neck towards Twilight. "You performed repairs you could not confirm the operation of before enacting them. Successful, but uncertain. A ten out of ten technician would have been aware of the consequences of their actions with complete assurance."

Twilight huffed softly. "Your brain is a trade secret. It's not my fault those documents are not easily obtained!"

"Nine out of ten," repeated Giddyup. "It is a good score. I have already recommended your services in the future."

Applejack shrugged at that. "It's true, ah heard it. He said you were right good, Miss Sparkle."

That didn't stop Twilight from pouting just a little as she walked.

"There there." Miss Aunt came up beside Twilight, offering a little snack for her. "Your repair was excellently done. I would gladly have you as a technician, should the need come up dear."

Twilight accepted what turned out to be a sort of granola bar, crunching it as she walked. "Mm. Thank you." She looked over the robot that hovered along with her. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm just fine. We don't need two robots giving shots. I've read that there are Miss Nanny units with stimpak attachments, much like the one you outfitted Giddyup with."

Twilight's eyes lit up, sparkling with a little excited giggle. "I didn't think anycreature would recognize that! Yes, I did base the idea on the Miss Nanny medical injection unit. It was a lot easier with Giddyup already having the majority of the needed parts already installed and working. He just couldn't replace the needle, but he was already using compatible needles."

"Very clever," praised Miss Aunt. "Such a bright little pony you are." She was, perhaps, layering her praise on more thickly than technically required, but it was working, the pout removed from Twilight's face as she began to eagerly describe her work instead.