Pony Tales
Episode Two: The Stables of Steel
A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
By Andrew J. Talon
DISCLAIMER:This is a non-profit fan-made work of prose. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro. Please support the official release.
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The sound of steam pistons and clinking metal filled the air as Sweetie Belle slowly awoke. She sat up and blinked the sleep out of her eyes... Which were soon made extra wide by terror as the glowing red eyes of Twilight Sparkle filled her vision.
"AAAHHH!" She screamed, turning to run into the Everfree Forest. However, out of it came Applebloom and Scootaloo, also with red glowing eyes.
"Sweetie Belle..." They said.
"Come with us, Sweetie Belle," said Twilight Sparkle, her voice creaking like an old rusty door hinge. "We're going to make you into a robot..."
"Yes, join us," Applebloom and Scootaloo said, their voices scratching like record players. Sweetie Belle tried to run, but a wall of flames sprang up around her and she cried out. She curled up in a ball in the center, shaking violently.
"Oh Sweetie Belle," called Rarity. Sweetie Belle shot up and gasped as she saw her big sister, mother and father approaching.
"No! Run away! They're robots, they'll get you!" She cried. Rarity laughed, an unsettling sound like something was changing gears in her lungs.
"Oh Sweetie Belle, don't be afraid..." She trotted through the flames, her eyes closed and wearing that comforting smile of hers... But once through the flames, the smile caught fire and began to melt. Sweetie Belle looked frantically between her, her mother and her father as they followed suit, the flesh melting off their metallic bones like wax.
"You'll be joining us~..." The Rarity robot hissed.
"Ahhh! N-No! Not my sister! NOT MY FAMILY! Somepony help! HELP! AAAAAHHHH!"
She felt hooves hold her down and she thrashed in their grip, terrified.
"Oh, oh dear, Sweetie Belle wake up! Wake up!" Cried a soft, familiar voice. Sweetie Belle opened her eyes, panting for breath, and the world came into focus.
Above her was Fluttershy's gently smiling face, and beyond her, Fluttershy's warm and comforting house.
"Ah... Fl-Fluttershy," Sweetie Belle stammered. Her eyes widened. "Spike! Where's Spike?"
"Shhh, he's over there, sleeping," Fluttershy said, stroking Sweetie Belle's mane. The little filly looked over and saw that the small purple dragon was indeed sleeping nearby, saliva dripping out of his mouth onto the couch he was placed upon.
"I found you two nearby my house... Are you all right?" Fluttershy asked.
Sweetie Belle sighed and nodded. "Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine."
"Oh good. You also had some things with you. I didn't want to look at them and pry into your personal affairs, so I had them wrapped up," Fluttershy said with a smile. "They're over there."
Sweetie looked over at the table Fluttershy was pointing at, and sighed in relief as she saw the rough shapes of the soul detector and the book underneath her cloak.
"Oh... Thank you Fluttershy, thank you so much," Sweetie Belle said, hugging her around the neck. Fluttershy patted her on the back, singing a soft song into her ear.
"Shh, shhh... Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do~..." She sang. "I'm crazy~, all for the love of you..."
"Ah... Fluttershy?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "It's a song that's been stuck in my head for a while-I can sing something else if you'd like?"
"No, no, that's fine," Sweetie said. She looked down at her hooves. "I guess I just don't feel in the mood for singing."
"Oh, sorry," Fluttershy said softly. "I'll be right back."
Fluttershy turned and trotted towards the door.
"Ah, where are you going?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Oh, I was going to go let Rarity know you were here-"
"NO!" Sweetie Belle cried, loud enough to wake Spike and send him tumbling off the couch.
"OW!"
"Ah? Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked, looking bewilderedly at the two of them. Sweetie Belle tapped her hooves together nervously.
"Um... W-We'd just prefer that nopony knows where we are."
"Well that's... Um... Kind of unusual, if you don't mind me saying so," Fluttershy said. She gasped. "Oh my! Are you two running away?" She looked between them. "Together?"
"Huwah? What?" Spike asked, shaking his head free of sleep.
"No! No, we're not running away!" Sweetie Belle said quickly. She motioned to Spike frantically, then pointed at the cloak on the table. "We're uh... Um..."
"Eloping? Aren't you a little young for that sort of thing... If you don't mind me asking, I mean um... Your life choices are your own," Fluttershy asked and amended in the same breath. Spike got it almost immediately, and dashed to the table. He pulled out the soul detector, pointed it at Fluttershy, and clicked it on.
"We're... We're uh..." Sweetie Belle tried, looking over at Spike. Spike gaped at the read out, and looked back at her. He shook his head. "We're... We're just going..."
"What is that thing?" Fluttershy asked, trotting over to Spike. "What's making you so upset, Spike?"
"Upset? I'm not upset! Why would I be upset? Ahahaha, I'm not upset, totally not upset that you're a robot!" Spike laughed. He gulped, and stared into Fluttershy's confused eyes, before looking over at Sweetie Belle.
The young filly gaped at him... And facehoofed, hard.
"Robot?" Fluttershy asked. She tilted her head. "What do you mean, robo-AHHH!" Sweetie Belle had tackled Fluttershy from behind, forcing her to the floor.
"SPIKE! TIE HER UP WITH SOMETHING! FAST!" Sweetie Belle cried.
"Ah, right!" Spike said, quickly grabbing some rope conveniently left hanging on the wall and quickly trussing Fluttershy up.
"Oh me, oh my, what is this? What are you doing?!" Fluttershy cried, soon lying on her back with her legs and wings bound above her. Sweetie Belle took the Soul Detector, and checked for herself. She grimaced.
"It says she's a robot..."
"Robot? I'm not a robot! I-I'd be too scared to be a robot!" Fluttershy cried. "Could you please, please let me go?"
"Stop lying!" Spike growled. "We already almost got roasted alive by the robot that replaced Twilight! Tell us where she is, and where the real Fluttershy is while you're at it!" He jabbed his finger into her nose. "NOW!"
"OW!" Fluttershy cried. "Please don't yell at me!"
"Oh, sorry," Spike apologized. He started. "Hey, wait a minute! Why am I apologizing? You're the robot who replaced our friend Fluttershy!"
"I-I'm not! I'm not a robot! I really truly am not a robot! I'd know if I was a robot, and I know I'm not!" Fluttershy insisted. "Please let me go!"
Spike and Sweetie Belle looked at each other.
"Weird... It sounds just like her," Spike said. Sweetie Belle hummed.
"Maybe there's something in the book that can help us," Sweetie Belle said. She levitated the book in front of her on the floor, and flipped through the pages. Spike continued to scowl at Fluttershy, who whimpered.
"Let's see... Terminating robots... Sentinel robots... Campy robots," Sweetie Belle read aloud as she skimmed. "Aha! Infiltrator robots." She held the book up and read from the relevant passages.
"'An infiltrator robot can be programmed to not even know it is a robot, thus making it impossible for it to be detected. Using psycho... Psycho...'" She held the book in front of Fluttershy. "What's this word?"
"Ah, psychoanalysis," Fluttershy read. Sweetie Belle smiled.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," Fluttershy replied.
"'Using psychoanalysis," Sweetie Belle resumed, "'it can be determined if a subject is in fact a robot or a pony.'"
"So, how do we do it?" Spike asked.
"Apparently we ask her a lot of questions, and check them against the right answers," Sweetie Belle said.
"Um, why don't you ask me if I'm a robot?" Fluttershy asked.
"No!" Spike said. "You could lie to us!"
"But-But I wouldn't lie!" Fluttershy protested.
"Fluttershy wouldn't lie," Sweetie Belle pointed out. Spike shook his head.
"Yeah, but she wouldn't lie knowingly," he said, pointing to his head. "If she doesn't know she's a robot, then she would be telling the truth as far as she knows it!"
"I would? Oh my!" Fluttershy gasped. "I would, wouldn't I, if I didn't know I was lying!"
"All right! First question," Sweetie Belle said. "Ahem... 'The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs, trying to turn itself over but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping.'"
"What?! No! I would be helping! I really would be!" Fluttershy insisted. "That poor tortoise!"
"What does it mean?" Spike asked.
"Robots aren't supposed to show empathy," Sweetie Belle said.
"But if she's just programmed to think she's Fluttershy, she'd act like Fluttershy with empathy, right?" Spike asked. Sweetie Belle frowned.
"Oh... Right... Um..." She flipped through the book.
"Let's just hit her with a logical paradox," Spike said. "Find me one!"
"Oh, I don't like the sound of that. Particularly the hitting part," Fluttershy said. "Couldn't you just let me go?"
"Here's one," Sweetie Belle said. She looked at Fluttershy. "Ahem... This. Statement. Is. False!"
Fluttershy stared blankly at her. "Then... Why did you say it?"
Sweetie Belle and Spike looked at each other. They then looked back at Fluttershy.
"... Because... It's a paradox? If you're a robot... Who thinks she's a pony..." Spike facepalmed. "Oh no..."
"All we've got to go on is the soul detector," Sweetie Belle said.
"S-Soul Detector?" Fluttershy asked. Sweetie Belle held it out, scanned Fluttershy again, and turned it around to let her look. Fluttershy's eyes widened.
"But... But... But... I-I was sure I had a soul... I couldn't have misplaced it!" Fluttershy cried.
"Oh, oh I'm sorry Fluttershy!" Spike said, patting Fluttershy's shoulder. "I'm sorry... I mean um... Hey, maybe it's wrong!" He looked at Sweetie Belle. "It might malfunction! What other signs are there of being a possible robot?"
"Well... There's enhanced strength and speed beyond those of mortal ponies," Sweetie Belle said.
"Fluttershy?" Spike asked. Fluttershy's eyes widened.
"Oh my... I-I was able to match Rainbow Dash's speed during the Discord incident..."
"Well, um... Maybe you were just, you know, filled with righteous anger?" Spike suggested.
"I was that, but I've never gone so fast before," Fluttershy mused.
"Um, unusual speech patterns, unnatural inflection," Sweetie Belle read.
"Ponies do say I don't speak clearly enough," Fluttershy mused.
"So you're shy! I don't understand half of anything Pinkie Pie says!" Spike said, almost desperate now.
"And strange dreams, possibly involving electric sheep," Sweetie Belle read. Fluttershy gasped.
"Oh my! Oh my! I-I have had dreams about sheep! Electric sheep!" Fluttershy cried. "Oh no, I am a robot!" She broke out into tears.
Spike cringed, as did Sweetie Belle, and the two tried to comfort Fluttershy as best they could.
"There, there, Fluttershy," Sweetie Belle said. "It's okay... We're really sorry you're a robot replacement."
"Yeah, really sorry," Spike said earnestly. Fluttershy sniffled.
"R-Really?" She asked.
"Yeah... I mean, um... You're still Fluttershy, kind of..." He looked at Sweetie Belle. "Does it say anything about good robots?"
"Well, yeah, there are good robots," Sweetie Belle said, reading through another paragraph. She gasped. "But sleeper programs can activate and turn them into puppets of evil!"
"Just like Discord! Oh nooo!" Fluttershy sobbed.
"We need to contact the Princess!" Sweetie Belle said. "She'll help us!"
"Yeah!" Spike said, running for some paper and a quill. He scribbled out a quick note, and burnt it. "There!"
"What do we do in the meantime?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Warn everypony!" Fluttershy cried. "Warn them about the terrible, no good robot duplicates! Like meeee!" She blubbered, and Spike and Sweetie Belle both felt even worse.
"All right, Fluttershy! Don't worry, we'll stop them!" Sweetie Belle said. She smiled brightly. "And I know just who to start with..."
"If it's not already too late!" Spike added. "By the way, who is it we're starting with?"
- - - - - - -
"Well," Spike said, as he and Sweetie Belle looked up at Sugarcube Corner. "We're bucked."
“Spike!” Sweetie cried. “Don’t use bad language!”
“It seems like the time for it,” Spike muttered as they entered the shop. In the back, Mr. Cake was mixing up some frosting. Mrs. Cake was using said frosting to decorate a pan of freshly baked cupcakes. She looked up at her two visitors with a smile.
"Well, hello there Sweetie Belle and Spike! What can I do for you?"
"Well... Um..." Sweetie Bell minced. "We'd like to see Pinkie Pie, if she's in?"
"I think so," Mr. Cake said, looking up from his frosting with a kindly smile. He blinked as Spike pointed an unusual device at his wife, and stared at it. "Uh... What's that?"
"It's a... Uh... Sheep detector!" Spike said, pointing it at Mr. Cake next. "And... There are no sheep in here! So, it's working!" The young dragon smiled at both bakers, a bit nervously. Mrs. Cake raised an eyebrow.
"Uh... Huh?"
"We're going to scan for sheep upstairs okay bye!" Sweetie Belle said, dragging Spike up the stairs as quickly as she could. Mrs. Cake watched them go, and shook her head with a chuckle.
"Oh, those two..."
"Indeed," Mr. Cake said with a laugh. "Always up to something..."
- - - - - - - -
"They're on to us! They're both robots!" Spike hissed.
"Buck!" Sweetie Belle cursed as they reached Pinkie's room. "What if Pinkie's already a robot too?"
"You know, I don't think Rarity would like it if you were swearing," Pinkie Pie admonished, right behind them.
"AHHH!" Cried both Spike and Sweetie Belle, jumping behind a couch. They slowly looked up from over it, and saw... Nothing.
"Huh? Where'd she go?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"But I won't tattle! I just think there are more fun words to say, like 'cake!' and 'party!' and 'eucatastrophe!'" Pinkie Pie said, once more behind them.
"AAAAAHH!" Spike and Sweetie Belle screamed, barreling over the couch and upsetting it. It now pinned them to the floor, and Pinkie Pie cheerfully bounced on her hooves towards them as they struggled.
"Oh... Oh no... It's a trap!" Spike cried.
"Yes! A trap!" Pinkie Pie laughed. The captives wailed at this.
"Ah! Oh no! Uh... Uh... This Sentence is False! This Sentence is False!" Sweetie Belle cried frantically. "Everything I say is a lie including this thing which is the truth but it's actually a LIE!"
Pinkie Pie came to a stop and blinked. Spike struggled, trying to pull the Soul Detector out. Maybe if he tried, he could at least hit her in the face since she was out of range of his flames!
"Sooo... Everything you say is a lie," Pinkie Pie said.
"YES!" Sweetie Belle cried.
"Except for that, because it's the truth," Pinkie Pie reasoned.
"YES!" Sweetie Belle shouted.
"But it's saying it's a lie, and therefore it's the truth meaning..." Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin harder, and then raised her hoof. "Question!"
"Um... Yes?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Can I ask another pony for help on this?" Pinkie Pie asked.
Spike and Sweetie Belle both stared at her for a moment... Before Spike turned the Soul Detector on the pink pony. He sighed in relief.
"Thank Celestia... She's a pony," Spike said.
"Well, last I checked," Pinkie Pie said. "What did you think I was going to be?"
Pinkie Pie helped lift the couch off of Spike and Sweetie Belle, and sat back with a happy smile as the two looked back at her gravely.
"Pinkie Pie... Twilight Sparkle, the Cakes, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Fluttershy have all been replaced by robot duplicates and they're going to take over Ponyville and we're next because we saw Twilight when she was in robot form!" Spike took a deep breath, "And robot Fluttershy turned out to be good and she had us go to find some ponies to help starting with you and I have no idea why-"
"Because if any pony could resist becoming a robot, it'd be you!" Sweetie Belle said.
Pinkie Pie blinked and looked between the two. "... You're sure?"
"Positive!" Sweetie Belle said.
"Absolutely! We saw it ourselves!" Spike insisted.
"Hmmm..." Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin again with a frown. "Evil robots, huh?" She took the soul detector and pointed it at Spike and Sweetie Belle. "Well! Guess I can't argue with a story like that!"
"You-You really believe us?" Spike asked.
"Absolutely!" Pinkie Pie said with a grin. "I mean, you wouldn't just make up something like this, right?"
"No! Never!" Sweetie Belle insisted. "Now please Pinkie Pie, you've got to help us so we can save Ponyville!"
"Don't worry! I have a foalproof plan to help Ponyville!" Pinkie Pie said.
"Actually, um, we were wondering if you could help us with our plan," Spike said. Pinkie Pie blinked, and her lip wobbled.
"But... But... I've had an anti-robot pony plan since I was a little filly!" She raced off to a box, dug through it, and raced back with a proud smile and a sheet of paper in her mouth. "See?"
"Step one, throw robot party. Step two, see who shows up. Step three..." Spike frowned. "Question mark?"
"And step four, save the world!" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. "I left the third step blank to make the plan more flexible!"
"Well, she does have steps, and our plan just has warning the town," Sweetie Belle admitted. Spike frowned.
"Yeah..."
Pinkie Pie frowned too... And then brightened a little.
"I know... What if we make your plan," Pinkie Pie grabbed a pen and scribbled a new number one on her sheet, "Step one! So now it's a five step plan!"
Sweetie Belle and Spike looked at each other, and nodded.
"That works for us," Sweetie Belle said.
"Good! Now, to alert the town will take subtlety, grace, and a great deal of practical know how!" Pinkie Pie said, tapping her hooves together with a grin.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Spike sighed.
"Stop being so negative!" Sweetie Belle huffed. "Things are going our way!"
- - - - - - -
Pinkie Pie hopped down the stairs, smiling brightly. Mrs. and Mr. Cake both smiled up at her.
"Hello Pinkie Pie, what is it?" Mrs. Cake asked.
"I'm gonna need some materials," Pinkie Pie said, "For another party! Some invitations, streamers, nothing too fancy." She winked. "I know how you guys can be."
"So... It's for us?" Mr. Cake asked, screwing his eyes up to recall if it was an anniversary or birthday or holiday.
"Yep! You could say that," Pinkie Pie said.
"Well, all the supplies are here, and there's a spare cake you can use," Mrs. Cake said as she lifted a box full of party supplies up to the counter. Pinkie Pie took it with a smile and set to work, finishing her invitations in a matter of seconds as Spike and Sweetie Belle looked on with awe.
"There! Done!" Pinkie Pie said. She hoofed the invitations over to Mrs. Cake. "I'll just need this in the mail."
"You're not going to deliver them yourself?" Mrs. Cake asked, perplexed.
"Nope!" Pinkie Pie said, now rummaging in a cupboard. "I'm going to be far too busy spreading the word!"
"Word of what?" Mr. Cake asked, cocking an eyebrow. Pinkie Pie emerged from the cupboard, wearing several pots and pans and carrying a tuning flute. She blew into it, a solid note coming from it.
"Ahhhhh," she sang, to get the pitch right. Satisfied, she took a deep breath... And bashed the pots and pans together as she ran out the door.
"RUN! RUN EVERYPONY! ROBOTS! ROBOTS ARE EVERYWHERE!" Pinkie Pie screamed as she ran down the street. Mr. and Mrs. Cake watched her go... And then went back to work.
Spike and Sweetie Belle watched her go as well... And with a look at the Cakes, ran out after her.
"I hate being right," Spike groused.
- - - - - - - -
Sweetie Belle and Spike came to a halt in an intersection of Ponyville, both panting for breath as they looked around desperately.
"Where... Where did she go?" Sweetie Belle gasped.
"I... I don't know..." Spike took heavy breaths, his head low to the ground. "Maybe... Maybe the soul detector isn't working, and she really is a robot...?"
Sweetie Belle took him by the shoulders and shook him violently, her wide eyes boring into his.
"We can't start thinking that! The robots-They'll lure us into a false sense of security and then-Then they'll get us!" She cried. "We can't let my sister and Twilight Sparkle and everypony else down we can't!"
"Wah-wah-wah-wah-oh-oh-okay-yay-yay!" Spike got out, his voice enjoying the Doppler effect as much as he wasn't.
"Sweetie Belle! Spike!" Called a dreadfully familiar voice. The two young ones turned and saw Twilight Sparkle galloping up to them. She looked unhappy.
"Oh no... Run!" Spike cried.
"Don't you mean gallop-?" Sweetie Belle asked, but Spike cut her off by grabbing her and running while carrying her over his head. Twilight galloped right after them.
"Get back here you two! I've been worried sick! What's wrong with you?!" Twilight shouted, soon catching up. Sweetie Belle, seeing this, threw her head back to send Spike and herself into a roll. She hit the ground galloping, Spike holding on for dear life as Sweetie Belle kicked it into high gear.
"That was awesome!" Spike enthused. He turned back and blew a raspberry at Twilight. "Pffft! You can't catch us, evil robot! We're onto you!"
"Evil robot?! What are you talking about?!" Twilight shouted. Her eyes widened. "LOOK OUT SPIKE!"
Spike crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, keeping his balance perfectly on top of Sweetie Belle.
"Oh come on! The real Twilight Sparkle would think up something better to-"
KLUD.
Down Spike went face first into the dirt, pain screaming through his head as he blacked out.
"Oh no! Spike!" Sweetie Belle cried. She skidded to a halt and galloped back, ducking under the table she'd galloped underneath to try and lose Twilight. Unfortunately, the purple unicorn was already standing over him, looking concerned.
"No! Get away from him!" Sweetie Belle shouted angrily.
"Sweetie, he hit his head, I need to take a look at him-" Twilight tried, but Sweetie Belle wouldn't have any of it. She bellowed a war cry and charged.
"DIEEEE!"
Twilight sighed, and Sweetie Belle felt herself floating. She ran defiantly, but she wasn't able to break free. Looking down at Spike, and then back up at Twilight's glowing eyes, she felt fit to burst into tears.
"Now Sweetie Belle, that's enough! Your sister and parents are worried sick, we've been looking all over and-"
"NO! Leave them alone you evil robot!" Sweetie Belle wailed. Twilight blinked.
"Evil robot? Sweetie, what are you talking about? I'm not-"
KLANG!
Twilight's eyes crossed, and she slumped over onto her side. Sweetie was dropped to the ground and she landed with a grunt. She looked up to thank her savior... And gaped.
"Huh? Fluttershy?!"
"Um," the butter yellow pegasus looked embarrassed, a frying pan sticking out of the side of her teeth. "I'm very sorry, but I didn't know how else to knock out a robot."
"No, it's okay, thank you!" Sweetie Belle said, holding Spike up. "But... Why would you-?"
"Well, I decided that even if I am a robot, I need to do what I feel is right, even if I'm only programmed to feel it is right," Fluttershy quickly explained. She looked up at the sky, and the sun seemed to shine down upon only her.
"You see, freedom of choice is the right of all sentient beings. By my exercising it, I prove I am more than a machine. I choose to be... A pony!"
"Fl-Fluttershy," Sweetie Belle sniffled. "You're amazing..."
"Owww..." Twilight stood up, rubbing her head. "Fluttershy?! What did you do that for?!"
"Oh dear, I didn't hit her hard enough! I'm very sorry I hit you, Twilight Sparkle Robot, but even more sorry that I did not succeed in knocking you out," Fluttershy profusely apologized. "I mean, um, I'm not really sure how robot ponies are supposed to interact, you see, and-"
"What," Twilight flatly stated.
There was a rumbling in the distance, and the sound of hundreds of hooves hitting the ground. All looked over to see that a stampede of ponies was rounding the corner, panicked shouting audible over the pounding of their feet.
"The robots are here!"
"Save the foals!"
"Bar your doors!"
"HAS EVERY PONY IN THIS WHOLE TOWN GONE CRAZY... AGAIN?!" Twilight screamed. Sweetie Belle pulled Spike up onto her back, and looked to Fluttershy when the butter-yellow pegasus coughed.
"Um... Please come with me, if you want to live," she said.
"Right!" Sweetie Belle cried. She jumped onto Fluttershy's back, and the pegasus flew off dramatically... Albeit slowly.
- - - - - - -
Fluttershy safely brought her charges onto the roof of the Carousel Boutique, setting them down while panting for breath.
"Fluttershy? Are you all right?" Sweetie Belle asked, concerned.
"Yes... I'm fine," Fluttershy said. "I'm a robot, I don't get tired unless I think I am tired..."
"But you look like you're tired!" Sweetie Belle pointed out. "You know, for a robot you must have a really good imagination."
"I guess I do," Fluttershy said. "Spike? Spike, wake up."
"Spike! Please, wake up!" Sweetie Belle cried, holding onto Spike's shoulders and shaking him.
"Uh, I don't think that'll really help," Fluttershy said.
"What would?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Well, um, I could get him some medical supplies. Rarity has them in her shop," Fluttershy pointed out. "I mean, Robot Rarity... If she is a robot..."
"Rarity's not a robot!" Spike cried, sitting up dramatically. He blinked and looked around, as Sweetie Belle sighed.
"That figures," the lavender unicorn muttered.
"How are you feeling, Spike?" Fluttershy asked. Spike rubbed his head.
"Ugh... I've got a headache..." His stomach rumbled. "And I'm hungry... Wow. I just realized I haven't had anything to eat in so long!"
"I suppose, um, that's two reasons to go inside," Fluttershy said.
"Right, and checking on my sister makes three reasons," Sweetie Belle said. "Come on!" She jumped down onto the balcony leading into Rarity's bedroom, and pulled open the glass doors. Fluttershy carried Spike down, and they alighted behind the young unicorn on the elegant wooden floor.
"Wow, she doesn't lock them?" Spike asked. "That's good to know."
"Why is that?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking over her shoulder at Spike curiously. The baby dragon coughed.
"Ah... Ahem... No reason."
They made their way down to Rarity's private workshop, Sweetie Belle looking around carefully.
"Rarity? Rarity, are you here?" Spike called.
"Mm? Spike? Is that you?" Rarity called. All three mis-adventurers sighed in relief. Sweetie Belle smiled.
"Yes Rarity, it's us! We're all here!"
"Oh Sweetie Belle!" Rarity galloped into the workshop from the main shop, smiling broadly. Sweetie Belle galloped to her and nuzzled her.
"We've been worried us sick! Where have you been?" She raised an elegant eyebrow at Spike and scowled. "And you! Spike, I thought you were more responsible than this!"
"Well, um, there were extenuating circumstances," Spike said, holding his hands up. "I mean, everything's been kind of crazy..." His stomach rumbled again.
"It's all right, it's all right," Rarity said with a smile. "There are some snacks for both of you. Eat up before anything else, you look hungry! You too Fluttershy."
"Oh, thank you Rarity," Fluttershy said gratefully. "I've had a bit of a rough day..."
"Oh? Why is that?" Rarity asked, turning around and rummaging in a cabinet.
"Well... Um... I found out I'm a robot," Fluttershy said.
"A robot dear?" Rarity asked, looking back over her shoulder as Sweetie Belle and Spike tore into their food. "Sweetie, mind your manners."
"Sowwy Wawity," Sweetie said through a mouthful of oats.
"Yes, a robot. I've been an unthinking automaton all this time and I never even knew it," Fluttershy said, looking depressed. "It's a lot to take in."
"Oh, my dear Fluttershy," Rarity laughed, taking Fluttershy's hooves between her own and squeezing them. "You've never been unthinking to me. And as for robots, well... If you need help with that..."
Rarity trotted out of the workshop. Spike, Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy watched her go. She then trotted back in, and all three of their jaws dropped.
"What do you think?" Rarity asked with a smile and a wink, as she spread glowing mechanical wings and light glistened off of metallic plates decorating her skin from her face to her flanks.
Sweetie Belle spat out any oats that hadn't fallen out of her mouth and turned tail.
"RUN AWAY!" She screamed, throwing her bowl through the window and barreling through it. Spike threw his claws up into the air, and his eyes went to the ceiling in his anguish.
"No... No... NOOO!" He yelled as Fluttershy grabbed him by the tail and dragged him out after Sweetie Belle.
Rarity blinked, and her wings drooped.
"... Don't you like my costume...?"
- - - - - - - -