//------------------------------// // Awakening // Story: Future Shock // by Java Joe //------------------------------// The factory had seen better days but decay, neglect and 1000 years since mankind had been all but wiped out had something to do with that. It had been part of a manufacturing hub in a great metropolis who's name no longer mattered and had nothing happened it would have continued it's slow decline into entropy. A freak thunderstorm and an errant bolt of lightning however did make things interesting. When the lightning hit, an emergency generator kicked in as it had been designed to do a millennia ago. It started with a whine and ozone filled the air as it ran the machines just long enough before coughing out blue smoke and grinding to a halt. The factory, oblivious to this, completed some hasty programming and a glitch in the system certified the products started 1000 years ago as being complete. It's work done, the factory went dark and silent once again. "Ooooh! The lights went out!" said one of them. "Thanks for pointing out the obvious, " said another. "I think I have this, " and a soft lavender light pierced the gloom as the speakers were revealed to be six mechanized ponies. These custom order items were designed to speak and act like the famous creations of a cartoon show from the early 21st century. It was a show about six magical ponies who learned the value of friendship and although it had been made primarily for little girls it had been embraced by people of all ages. As the popularity of the program grew, it spawned merchandising deals and eventually led to the creation of a theme park. For a while, people working there would dress up as the characters and interact with the patrons but with the advances in robotics they had seen the wisdom of making robot ponies to do the same work. These automatons would be less expensive to use, would never be late for work, never call in sick, could speak multiple languages and best of all not tarnish the reputation of the park by acting out of character. As their programming wasn't quite complete all they had were a quick personality implant and some jumbled memories that may or may not actually help them in what was to come next. The group was composed of two unicorns, one of whom was currently providing the light, two pegasi and two regular ponies that is if regular ponies were multicoloured and spoke English. The lavender unicorn said to the group, "okay girls, let's get to work!" "Yay!" the pink one said as she bounced happily towards the exit. Another bolt of lightning ripped through the sky and the butter yellow pegasus shrank back and tried to hide within her own hair. "Oh c'mon Fluttershy! It's only thunder!" the blue pegasus called before flying through a hole in the roof. She stopped and hovered there for a moment, her anti-grav unit working silently while her wings beat slowly in the air for effect and nothing more. There are things you shouldn't do during a lightning storm and flying up high is one of them. The lavender pony called out to her friend, "Rainbow Dash! Get down here now before...." but she never got to finish her words. Another lightning bolt came sizzling out of the sky and struck the pegasus with a loud crash. She seemed to waver for a moment, suspended in the sky before her power pack blew from the overload and she fell to the ground like so much scrap. "Looks like she's gonna need some repairs, " one of them said as she used her infrared scanner to check the room for any techs. "Twilight? I think somethin's wrong. There ain't nobody here." "What do you mean Applejack? Of course there has to be somebody here, " the one called Twilight Sparkle responded. She also scanned the room and took in the state of what 1000 years of neglect had wrought. "What could have happened?" she asked nobody in particular. "I know what will cheer everypony up: a party!" the pink one cried and started running around the factory looking for items to use. "Girls, look! I found a party cannon!" "Pinkie Pie really! This is not the time or the place for such foolishness. We need to get out of here and find out what is happening, " the alabaster unicorn said. "Oh you big silly, it's just a party cannon. Smile Rarity!" Pinkie pie said before aiming it at her friend and pulling the string. What was supposed to happen next was the cannon would fire it's payload of streamers, confetti and cupcakes much to the delight of any children around it. But after all this time it didn't work as expected and a mass of fossilized paper, sugar and flour exploded out of it catching the alabaster unicorn in the face and tearing her head from her body. The projectile continued and crashed into a supporting pillar which made the entire structure they were in rumble and groan ominously. "Run!" Twilight called as three of the remaining ponies raced for the exit except for Fluttershy who was too scared to move. Applejack and Twilight burst out the door just moments before the structure collapsed in on itself. "Fluttershy! Pinkie Pie!" she cried as she tried to pierce the cloud of dust that the falling building had produced. A moment later the soft sound of flapping wings and the unmistakable hum of an anti-grav unit signaled that Fluttershy had been thrown clear of the building and she landed next to the pair. "Thank Celestia yer okay sugarcube, " Applejack said giving her friend a hug. "Did Pinkie Pie make it out okay?" Fluttershy just shook her head and in a small voice said, "I was too scared to move. She ran back to get me then threw me upwards towards the hole in the roof. The last thing I saw before everything fell was her sitting on the floor just waiting to die." "I guess she felt guilty about accidentally killing Rarity, " Twilight said. They spent a moment mourning their fallen friends before Twilight urged them onwards. The park was just over the next rise, it shouldn’t be too much longer now.