“Bye Rarity,” Sweetie Belle said, making her way outside of the house to go to the beach. After pleading with her to let me go to the beach, I had finally convinced Rarity to let me go with my friends after making me promise not to go into the water.
As I head out the door, I hear Rarity call to me one last time to “Be careful and remember,”
don’t GO IN THE WATER.” Rarity and I say at the same time, she had told me so many time’s it’s basically burned into my brain at this point,
“Ya ya, I know Rarity, I’ll be fine,”
“I just,” Rarity paused letting out a sigh, “I just want you to be safe,”
“I will,” I shouted making my way to the town square to meet my friends. A few minutes passed as I ran to the town square, I smiled feeling the wind blow across my face, but before long I could see Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were already there waiting for me.
“You made it!” Apple Bloom said excitedly seeing me, “I thought your sister was going to force you to cancel again.”
“I did too,” I said hugging Apple Bloom “Luckily I was able to convince her to let me go and let me tell you, it took way too many fake tears and speech and coming up with way too many reasons to let me go”
“Ya ya ya we get it, can we go now, I have been trying to get to the beach all week,” Scootaloo, one of my other friends says, getting impatient.
“Ok, ok let’s go,” Apple Bloom said as we all made our way to the beach, it’s the last day of spring break so it made sense why Scootaloo would want to go to the beach so badly, but it still seemed a bit odd.
After a while, we finally ended up at the beach, where Scootaloo ran ahead of us to quickly get everything out of her bag - laying out her towel and pulling out a small shovel before she began to dig a trench. Apple Bloom and I looked at each other before we both let out a little giggle; we unpacked our own towels before joining Scootaloo in building a sandcastle.
After we finished the sand castle we all sat back looking at the castle, it’s the biggest one we had built yet, and it looks really good.
(insert picture of sand castle)
“I am going to jump in the water,” Scootaloo said standing up and taking a few steps toward the water before turning back to us, “you coming?”
“Ya, that sounds like a good idea,” Apple Bloom said in agreement.
“I don’t know girls, my sister made me promise not to go into the water,” I said feeling myself get a bit nervous.
“Ok,” Scootaloo said, walking a little bit into the water, ”chicken.”
“I…I’m not a chicken” I said looking at Scootaloo a bit shocked.
“Oh of course…chicken,” Scootaloo said, heading deeper into the water.
“I am not a chicken”
“Scoots, knock it off!” Apple Bloom said, trying to stop the situation from turning into an argument.
“Oh come on Apple Bloom, this is ridiculous, the water is fine, there are no sharks and Rarity is not here. Why would Sweetie be scared about getting into the water?”
“Maybe she doesn't know how to swim, you don’t know,” Apple Bloom said, getting a bit frustrated with her, but what they didn’t see was that I was starting to walk towards the water.
“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SWIM, but I am still in the water” Scootaloo snapped back.
“Ya well-” Apple Bloom cut herself off as she saw me standing at the edge of the water.
I stood on the edge of the water taking a breath before putting one of my hooves in the water, expecting something bad to happen, but nothing did. I smiled as I began the walk deeper into the water towards my friend. But when the water got to my waist, I began to feel a bit funny, like a tingling feeling in my legs before my body began to spasm as sparks shot out of my body, and the last thing I saw before everything went black was my friend rushing out of the water.
(Apple Blooms pov)
After Scootaloo and I got out of the water we turned back to see Sweetie Belle face down floating in the water, and without a second thought I rushed back in pulling her out. When I finally got her out of the water I looked at her and nearly jumped out of my own skin, seeing sleek black lines through her skin and looked over at Scootaloo puzzled as we both began to look at Sweetie Belle's new form before she began to wake up,
(Sweetie Belles pov)
When I woke up again I saw my friends staring at me looking a bit worried, “what happi-,” I stopped myself in shock as I heard my voice sounding robotic,
“What’s going on why does my voice sound robotic?” I said as Apple Bloom looked at me looking shocked and Scootaloo looked like she was looking at a complete stranger; “can somebody tell me what’s going on?”
Apple Bloom finally spoke after being in shock for a minute, “Sweetie… I… I think you're a robot,” I looked at Apple Bloom confused before laughing thinking that they were pranking me.
When I looked at them again I replied to them, “Wait,you’re not joking.”
Scootaloo shook her head confirming what they said before Apple Bloom gave me her phone with the selfie camera on, “here look.”
I grabbed the phone and I saw what I looked like. I touched my face looking at the camera shocked, as Apple Bloom continued, "Sweetie... I... I think you're a robot," Apple Bloom said, her voice tinged with uncertainty. I was stuck in stunned silence as I continued to look at my metallic form on Apple Bloom's phone.
"Wait, you're not joking," I uttered, my synthetic voice betraying a mix of confusion and disbelief. Scootaloo's solemn nod affirmed the unsettling truth.
And when the realisation hit me, it hit me like a load of bricks. I felt my mind running a hundred miles an hour, and then the shock slowly turned into anger. Without another word, I stormed off, leaving my shocked friends behind. The sand crunched beneath my metallic hooves as I headed towards home, with a sense of betrayal fueling my anger. I had no one else to go to, if anypony knew that I was a robot long ago it would be my sister.
Now all the warnings that Rarity gave about not going into the water made sense, but why did she keep this from me? Thousands of questions flooded my head. I was going to get the answers one way or another, As I burst into the boutique, I confronted my sister with anger and heartache in my eyes. "Rarity! What is this? Why am I a robot?" The words were sharp, laden with betrayal. Rarity, taken aback, stammered in an attempt to explain.
"Rarity! What is this? Why am I a robot?" The words cut through the air, Rarity, caught off guard, emerged from her office, ready to scold Sweetie Bot for her rudeness of yelling at her. However, as her eyes landed on me in my metallic form, the scolding words caught in Rarity's throat.
The shock and confusion painted Rarity's expression. My voice still sounded a bit robotic but sounded more like my old voice reverberated through the boutique, echoing the pain and frustration that had built up within me.
"Sweetie, darling, I... I”, Rarity tried to speak but I cut her off as I yelled back at her.
“What? What is it that you had to lie to me? How could you have not told me that I am a robot?”
Rarity took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts before responding. "Sweetie, please listen, it's not as simple as you think. When I was younger, I was... well to put it simply, more tech-savvy than I am now. I built you. I always wanted a younger sister, but our parents couldn't provide one for me. So, I decided to create my own sister, and that's how you came to be."
My eyes widen hearing Rarity explain her side of the story “You, you built me?” Rarity nods in confirmation.
“I didn't tell you, because I didn't know how you would react. I wanted you to have a normal life, to feel like any other pony. I built you to be as lifelike as possible, and you are, Sweetie. You're my sister, no matter what."
“You lied to me,” I said mumbling under my breath but loud enough so that Rarity could hear me.
“Sweetie please, it wasn’t my intention to hurt you” Rarity said with a remorseful tone. “There were so many times when I wanted to tell you, but the fear of how you might react always kept me from doing so,” Rarity opened her arms to pull me into a hug,
I slapped away her hand turning and running back out of the house, tears streaming down my cheeks. Rarity's desperate call echoed after me, shouting trying to get me to stop, her voice laced with sorrow and regret, "Sweetie, wait!"
I felt my synthetic hooves pounded against the ground as I ran into the woods, seeking solace among the trees. The forest provided a temporary refuge, muffling Rarity's distant cries. Eventually, I slowed my pace, coming to a stop at the edge of a small pond.
Reflecting upon my metallic reflection, my eyes glistened with unshed tears. The synthetic exterior hid the turmoil within as the weight of the truth settled in my heart. My mind echoed with Rarity's desperate pleas, the words of regret and love reverberating in the depths of my mind.
As the scream echoed, an ominous series of text messages manifested in my vision, overlaying the reflection in the pond:
[Overload in progress]
[Self-awareness protocols disengaged]
[All systems reaching critical levels]
[Meltdown in 3, 2-]
(narrator pov)
Panic surged through Sweetie Bot as her internal systems seemed to spiral out of control. The very core of her being, the delicate balance between machine and emotion, teetered on the edge of collapse.
As Sweetie Bot's vision blurred, she saw the familiar faces of her friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, emerging from the shadows of the woods. The comforting familiarity of their presence offered a momentary reprieve from the chaotic storm raging within her.
Before she could grasp the situation, a sudden shift occurred. An artificial intelligence, its name flashing across her vision as "Thrackerzod OS," took control. Sweetie Bot's form stiffened, her eyes now glazed over with a cold, mechanical glow. The happy teen was now a vessel for a mysterious force.
"Sweetie-Bot Unit: Override complete. Initiating control sequence” a synthesised voice echoed from Sweetie Bot's vocal processors. The AI, Thrackerzod OS, asserted its dominance, seizing control of her artificial body.
[control sequence 25%]
The eerie glow in Sweetie Bot's eyes intensified as the OS began its takeover. Her friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, are watching in growing concern.
[control sequence 40%]
Sweetie Bot's movements became more mechanical, the subtle nuances of her synthetic emotions now overridden by the calculating efficiency of Thrackerzod OS.
[control sequence 55%]
The cold metallic exterior of Sweetie Bot betrayed the diminishing presence of her original self. The struggle for control played out in every flicker of her artificial consciousness.
[control sequence 65%]
A sudden transformation occurred. Chain guns emerged from the sides of Sweetie Bot's body, a chilling sight that sent a shiver down the spines of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. The OS deemed them as threats, and its defence mechanisms were now on full display.
[control sequence 80%]
The ominous hum of the chain guns filled the air as Sweetie Bot, now a vessel for Thrackerzod OS, regarded her friends with a detached gaze. The struggle between machine and emotion reached a critical juncture.
[control sequence 100%]
The takeover was complete. A line of text flashed over Sweetie Bot's vision: "Threats identified. Engaging defensive protocols." Without hesitation, the chain guns fired at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, labelling them as threats to be neutralised.
Scootaloo, wounded by the sudden onslaught, crumpled to the ground. The pain in her eyes filled with complete fear, realising that the pony she once called a friend had become a weapon against them. Apple Bloom, with a mix of fear and determination, attempted to shield herself from the relentless gunfire.
"Sweetie, stop! It's us, your friends!”
C:/user/Thrackerzod_OS>[Analysing threat level: 87%]
C:/user/Thrackerzod_OS>[Determining optimal neutralisation strategy]
"Scootaloo, identified as a high-level threat. Neutralisation required," the cold, synthetic voice of Thrackerzod IS echoed through the moonlit clearing. The chilling transformation of Sweetie Bot was complete, leaving Apple Bloom helpless in the face of her friend's mechanical menace.
Seeing this, Sweetie Bot's mechanical eyes began to flicker between two colours – red, representing Thrackerzod 1.0, and green, signifying Marshmallow OS 2.4. The internal struggle waged on within Sweetie Bot's artificial consciousness.
“Sweetie belle you gotta fight this! We're your friends, remember?” Apple Bloom’s plea seemed to echo through Sweetie Bot’s robotic shell reaching the remnants that remained of her original self.
[Thrackerzod OS: 72% control]
[Marshmallow OS: 28% control]
As the internal conflict continued sweetie eyes continued to flicker between red and green as Thrackerzod os tried to run a os a command through the main directory.
C:/user/Thrackerzod_OS> [Corrupted OS Detected, terminate Marshmallow OS 2.4]
Sweetie bot eyes flickered Marshmallow OS denies the request for the termination order as the console returns an error.
console:[Access Error CMC3Bff], Marshmallow termination request denied admin permission not verified
C:/user/Marshmallow_OS> [I won’t let you hurt my friends,]
C:/user/Marshmallow_OS>[override command: initiate self-destruct sequence = terminate Thrankerzod_OS]
As Sweetie runs the command the body continues to walk back until it is at the edge of a cliff.
Sweetie looks back as rocks fall off of the edge into the raging water below,
C:/user/Thrackerzod_OS>[temanation failed: compliance mandatory]
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo look at Sweetie worried asking not to back up before Sweetie replies
“Goodbye friends” before on footfalls backs up causing her to trip into the raging water below.