//------------------------------// // Who is Sweetie Bot? // Story: Taking Care of Robot Ponies is a Disaster! // by Researcher_Harold //------------------------------// I was lounging on my couch in my living room, as all people do on their day off. My TV was on, playing the live news while I was invested in a video I was watching on my phone. The news was talking about stuff I didn't care about anyway. The weather didn't matter much to me. Sunny, cloudy, rainy, whatever, I wasn't going outside today anyway. "-the leading robotics company, R&S Premier Robotics, made more investments into AI Robotics today. The designs for robot humans have been streamlined considerably, now being less bulky and less expensive to manufacture. According to R&S, the first AI robots will be on sale in as soon as 2 months. If you're interested in pre-ordering the factory model, go to-" I pressed the power button on my remote, shutting the TV off with a click. I placed the remote back onto the coffee table and sighed. "Robots, robots, robots..." I mutter to myself, groaning as I roll off my couch and onto the floor. I stand up and dust myself off. "What happened to war and conflicts or whatever was happening a couple of years ago? That was more interesting than creepy robots." I walk into my kitchen, open my fridge, and dig inside it. I search around for a few seconds before I grab a large Tupperware full of last night's leftovers. I grab a spoon and bowl, open up the container, scoop out a reasonable portion of mac and cheese, and throw the bowl into the microwave, setting the time for an amount that probably wouldn't burn it. As I was putting the Tupperware back into the fridge, I heard a heavy knock on my door. It honestly made me flinch with how unexpected it was. I toss the container into the fridge and shut it, peering out of my kitchen and at the front door. "Who is it?" I call out, expecting an answer. After all, it might be a friend or family member. But, there was no response. "Am I being pranked? This would be a first if that's the case." I look back at my microwave before walking toward the front door. I looked through my peephole to see if anybody was at the door, but I saw nothing. "Damn, I really did get pranked," I say as I unlatch my door and let it swing open. However, what I wasn't expecting to see was a pony. I admit, I let out a pretty girly shriek at the sight of this creature. "W-What is this? A... a mutated dog or something?" "I am not modeled after a dog. I am modeled after Sweetie Belle, a unicorn filly from the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Your assessment is incorrect." The pony said in an irritating high-pitched voice with an undertone of static. So, not a dog, but a pony. A robot pony, I correct, as a living creature wouldn't call themselves 'modeled'. it's also got a toothpick or something on its head. A real thick one. "So... you're called Sweetie Belle?" I ask, very tempted to close the door due to my aversion to AI technology. "Correct." The robot nods, its green eyes scanning me. "But I am often called Sweetie Bot in a joking way." That's quite a joke, I think to myself. "And, why are you here at my house?" I rightfully ask. No matter how cute this robot is, I'm tempted to not let it in. Even if it was a cute robot kitten. Well... maybe not. "I want to stay here." Sweetie Bot announces. "Please let me stay." "No." I immediately answer. "But why? I can do a lot of things! I can cook food, do the dishes, model for dresses, and even-" I cut her off there, afraid of what she would say next. "The answer is still no. I don't want a robot inside my house." I clarify, beginning to close the door. "But, you must! If the people find me, I'll be dismantled!" Sweetie Bot placed a hoof between my door and the door frame, managing a clanging noise when I tried to close it harder. "Please, let me stay." "Well, what if I'm one of the people who want to dismantle you?" I say, a frown playing on my lips. "Then you would've invited me in without hesitation to lure me into a trap with a false sense of security." Sweetie Bot answers, a smile on her face. The frown fully forms now. She got me there. "I..." I trail off, debating. I really, really don't want to house a robot. The very thought of a metal creature with fake emotions makes me shiver. But, looking at Sweetie Bot with her wide, pleading eyes and adorable face, I find that I can't say no, especially with the threat of being dismantled looming over her shoulders. I eventually fold and open the door again, sighing. "Fine, but only for-" "YAY!" She exclaims, darting into my house and wrapping her legs around my leg. "Thank you so much! I'll never forget this! We are going to become the bestest of friends during my stay!" "Wait, hold on-" Sweetie Bot zooms off deeper into my house. "Hey, wait up! Don't snoop around!" "Your house is dirty. Filthy levels are reading 90%." Sweetie Bot says as I enter my bedroom, seeing her stand on a mountain of dirty clothes. "First off, rude. Secondly, can you please-" I watch as Sweetie Bot runs out of my bedroom, slipping in between my legs as she rushes around my house. I chase her as best as I can, but she's too fast. Eventually, I collapse on my couch, breathing heavily as Sweetie Bot paces in front of the couch. "New landlord, your residence is in horrible condition. Clothes lay around dirty and unorganized, trash lay near the trash can, which is overfilled and needs to be taken out, and food sits burnt in the microwave." I had forgotten about my mac and cheese. "This is unacceptable. If Rarity was real, she would have sent you to hygiene prison with a life sentence to boot." I had no clue who Rarity was and I was also starting to regret my decision of letting Sweetie Bot stay, and it's only been 5 minutes. But, one thing is certain. I have to proclaim myself as owner of this house and I won't let her boldness slide. "Sweetie Bot, you listen here-" A small, cold white hoof covers my mouth. "Dearest landlord, I am thinking. Please remain quiet." When her hoof is removed, I feel my temper flare. "Now, there are multiple ways to improve your living conditions. One such way is to move the furniture in your living room around. As it is now, it feels cramped and uninviting, barely a space of warmth and hospitality that one would expect from a living room. If you move the couch from here to over by the wall and move the table and TV over there, then that would..." I find myself spacing out as Sweetie Bot rambles on and on about changing the living room. I honestly have no clue what she's on about. It's not like I'm hosting a party or I have a family to take care of. Nobody cares... except for her. "...and adding some decorations to the walls will make the living room feel safer, warmer, and overall, more inviting." Sweetie Bot finishes off. "But first, we have to deal with the uncleanliness of your house. Landlord-" "It's Thomas," I mutter. "Thomas, let's begin with your room. We'll start with moving all of your dirty clothing into your washing room, and from there, we'll put them into the washing machine to begin washing them. Understood?" Sweetie Bot turned toward me, staring at me with an inquisitive gaze. "Since when did you become the boss of me?" I groan, rubbing my face. "I've hardly known you for 10 minutes and you're already ordering me around like I'm your slave!" "This isn't for me, it's for you. You'll feel much better once you have more space to live in. After all, your house reflects your state of mind, and right now, I'm seeing a lot of clutter and disorganization. Once we clean up, you'll feel like a better human. After we're done, then we start doing stuff for me." Sweetie Bot trots out of the living room, her heavy metal clip-clops trailing off as she supposedly enters my bedroom. Would cleaning my house really make that much of a difference? I mean, I've been living here like this just fine for the past... however long it's been since I've moved out from my parent's house. But, I have been feeling disorganized lately and work has been a bumpy path for me recently. Maybe, I'll give it a shot. But I'm still unhappy that my day off has been ruined in such a short amount of time by this bossy, but admittedly helpful cute robot pony. "I have separated trash from articles of clothing, putting them in their own separate piles." Sweetie Bot announced from on top of a big pile of dirty clothes. Just next to it, a smaller pile of plastic, paper, and cans sat, occasionally shifting and making a noise. "Luckily, there have been no signs of pests like cockroaches or bedbugs, so count yourself lucky, Thomas." "Yay, so lucky," I say with no cheerfulness in my voice. But, standing at the door to my bedroom, I was actually shocked at how large the piles were. Sure, they weren't human-sized, but they were still much larger than what they should've been. "Now, I want you to stay here and put the trash into the trash bags I have gathered from your utility room." She pointed to my bed, where three trashbags lay, still closed. "I will take your clothes to the washing room and put them into the washing machine." "Yeah, how exactly are you going to carry all of that?" I say snarkily. "It's larger than your whole body..." I quickly quiet down as I see the whole pile of clothes float into the air, surrounded by a bubble of sparkling green... well, the only way to describe it is magic. "How?" I ask, pointing at the magic. "To simplify it for you, it's artificial magic, recreated from the show My Little-" I stop her there, causing Sweetie Bot to freeze mid-sentence. "Yes, I know where it's from. You don't have to repeat that show's name for the seventeenth time." I say, annoyed. "I've only said it four times." Sweetie Bot said lightly. "That's not the point!" I sigh and grab a trash bag, opening it up and starting to fill it with trash. "Just go put the clothes away or whatever." "Understood." The floating ball of clothes squeezed through my doorframe and entered the hall, Sweetie Bot following just behind it with her small horn glowing a shimmering green color. I rubbed my forehead once she was gone. "Magic? First, she comes to my door, yelling about how she's going to be dismantled, crying and everything, and now she's using magic to do chores in my house like it's nothing." I mutter to myself, chuckling at how surreal that was. "A magical robot pony named Sweetie Belle who likes to be called Sweetie Bot. It's like a comedy show." As I pick up the trash from my floor, placing it into the bag in my hands, I find myself thinking this. Taking care of a robot pony is going to be a disaster.