//------------------------------//
// A sticky situation. 
// Story: Taking Care of Robot Ponies is a Disaster! 
// by Researcher_Harold 
//------------------------------//

I stand in front of the closed front door, flinching when I hear another knock.

"Mr. Ledger? We know you're home, open the door." A male voice, muffled by the door, is heard on the other side. I take a deep breath, my hands shaking as I reach to unlock the door. I had told both the new pony and Sweetie Bot to hide in my bedroom and to jump out through the window in case anything happened. With much hesitation, I unlock the front door and open it.

Standing just beyond the door were three men. Two large men, obviously guards of some kind, and one smaller, yet somehow still as intimidating fancy man. He wore a suit and tie despite the late hour.

"Thomas Ledger." The man held out his hand, which I reluctantly shook. "I am Howey Redford of R&S, and we were just passing through the neighborhood to ask you all some questions."

"Questions? What for?" I ask, trying to keep my voice level.

"If you haven't watched the news recently, then I understand. You see, we've recently lost 3 very important robots and they've been on the loose for about a day now. We fear that someone may have stolen them, so, naturally, we've started questioning others." Redford put his hands together. "Have you seen any odd robots walking around or possibly being carried by a person or vehicle?"

"Well, I've been home all day, so... can't say I have," I say casually, rubbing the back of my head. "Today was my day off, you know what I mean? Just want to laze around and do nothing..."

"Yes, yes, I understand. Days like this are ones that you want to spend all to yourself." Redford nodded, a smile on his face. "But have you heard any weird noises? Noises like clattering, knocks on the windows, or maybe even mechanical whirring?"

I grin nervously and shake my head. "I can't say I have. I've just been so engrossed in my videos all day... gotta stay focused on something." 

"Hm, I see." Redford nodded. "Well, call me if you see or hear anything suspicious." He pulled out a thin white card and passed it to me. I take it, seeing a phone number written on it in a fancy font. "I apologize for wasting your time. Return to your lazing, Thomas."

I nod and watch as Redford and his guards walk away from the door toward a large black SUV. I shut the door, but can't help myself from looking through the peephole. Redford and his guards step into the SUV, but it doesn't leave for the next 15 minutes. I wait patiently, growing more anxious by the second. Eventually, the SUV leaves and I feel my body relax. I slump down onto the floor in front of my front door, the anxiety still in my system.

"They finally left..." I look up and see the tall new pony, her white coat glimmering in the light from my living room. "I knew they'd be trailing me, but it seems that I finally got away from them..."

"You're lucky..." I say shakily from the floor. "I'm not a good actor. That's the best acting you're going to get out of me ever, and I wasted it protecting you two." I specifically say that as Sweetie Bot walks out next to the new pony.

"We are thankful for that, Thomas. Even though you repeatedly state that you dislike robots, you keep going out of your way to express kindness to us." Sweetie Bot walks over to you. "You let me in, fed me mac and cheese, watched a comedy show with me, and gave me a room to sleep in."

"You haven't done much for me yet... but just letting me stay and protecting us from R&S already shows me that you're a kind human." The new pony smiles, dipping her head. "Thank you..."

"Uh..." I rub the back of my neck, looking at both Sweetie Bot and the new pony with an unreadable expression. "Sure. Yeah, you're welcome." I stand up, shaking my body to release the rest of the anxiety. "Now, I believe it's time we introduce ourselves."

The new pony nods. "Right! I apologize."

"Well, you don't need to. I was quite busy doing something else." I pointed a thumb at the door, making the new pony chuckle slightly.

"Yes, you were, haha." The new pony held her front right hoof out. "Anyway, I am SPV2, also known as Celestia. It's nice to meet you, mister...?"

"I'm Thomas Ledger. Once we get to know each other better, Tom would be just fine." I grab her hoof and shake it politely. But, then I remembered the news from earlier. "So, you're one of the other missing robot ponies. I remembered it was Sweetie Bot, then you, but there's one last one. I think it was... LPV3?"

"Yes, LPV3." Celestia nodded. "She's basically my sister with how close we were in the warehouse. After we escaped, we got separated, and now I'm here. I do hope we can meet again, but I have my doubts. R&S have probably already gotten her."

I shake my head and shrug. "Maybe not. It's always possible that LPV3 is still out there."

"Yeah..." Celestia looks at the ground. There was an awkward silence before I intervened with a sigh.

"I do hope that you can pull your own weight because I'm hardly going to be around to protect you and babysit you."

"All I need is a place to stay," Celestia says, smiling. "And I got that, so I need nothing else."

"Great." I yawn, rubbing my eyes. "That means I can finally go to bed. It's late, and I really need to get to sleep as early as I can."

Celestia watched as I walked down the hallway. Sweetie Bot followed next to me, her small hooves clopping against the hardwood floor. "Thomas, where will Celestia sleep? She is too big to sleep with either me or you."

"Isn't it obvious? She'll sleep in the living room. The couch should be big enough." I reply, entering my bedroom. From the living room, Celestia's ear twitched and she crawled onto the couch.

"Noted. Good night again, Thomas. We will meet again in the morning." Sweetie Bot said from the door to my bedroom, waving.

"That's if you wake up early enough to watch me leave for work."

Sweetie Bot shut the door to my bedroom, leaving me alone in the well-lit room. I shut off the overhead light, leaving the lamp on my bedside table on as I crawl into bed and shuffle underneath the covers. Not only did I lie to a member of a wealthy robotics company, but I have to go to work the very next day. Now that I'm housing 2 robot ponies, I have a feeling that it's only going to get worse from here.

It's only been 1 whole day, but taking care of robot ponies is a disaster!