Chapter 4: Truth.
Two red metallic eyes glared back with her reflection. Vinyl's heart sank.
“Wha-what the hay??” she stuttered. She hesitantly inched her way towards the mirror. She rubbed her eyes with her hoof and stared into the reflection.
“No way. . . “ She whispered, sliding her hoof down the mirror. She couldn't believe it.
Vinyl spent countless moments trying to explain her eyes. She could tell they were robotic.
Where did they come from? How did I get them?? How haven't I noticed them before? she thought. Is this why I wear those goggles? To conceal these? She instantly thought of Star Shy. Tears started forming in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. Anger and betrayal boiled inside her gut. She ran downstairs to demand Star Shy for answers.
“Star Shy.” Vinyl said, staring at Star Shy from within the door way to the kitchen.
Star Shy set her cup down on the table and looked at Vinyl.
“What's wrong? You look like you've been cry-”
“Tell me what these are.” Vinyl interrupted. She lifted her hoof and waved them in front of her eyes.
“Those are your eyes, silly.” Star Shy giggled.
“No they're not!” Vinyl yelled. “Ponies do not have these!”
Star Shy's faced turned from amuse to dumbfounded. “Wait. . . You can see them?”
“Yes I can see them! I was just in my room looking in my mirror when I realized these damn things were in my head. Now tell me what they are!” Vinyl demanded.
“I just told you, they're your eyes Vinyl. They look like every other ponies eyes.” Star Shy insisted.
Frustrated tears dripped onto the hardwood floor below Vinyl Scratch. “Sis. . Please.” Vinyl eased up on her anger and tried asking softly.
Star Shy sighed and shook her head. “Fine, I guess it was a matter of time until you found out.”
“Found out what?” Vinyl asked.
Star Shy relaxed back into the couch. “Where to start. . . Okay. I'll start from the beginning.”
Vinyl Scratch stood, glaring at her sister.
Star Shy continued. “For one, we're not sisters. Not even close.”
This statement shot Vinyl right in the heart. “We're not?”
“No. Anyway, about your parents.” Star Shy went on. “They didn't abandon us and you don't really have amnesia. Six months ago you and your parents went on vacation in Manehatten. After you guys toured the town, you headed back to your hotel. On the way to your hotel, you passed an active construction site. It was safe for the most part, however; the operator of a crane that had been transporting steel pipes to the top made a mistake which caused the crane to jerk. All of the pipes were supposed to be strapped down individually. One of them, was not.” Star Shy leaned forward with her elbows on the table and hooves on her chin. “A steel pipe became loose and fell from the platform. It fell several stories before it hit you. As you were passing by, the steel pipe penetrated directly into the back of your head, destroying the occipital lobe, which controls your eyes, and the left portion of your brain. You were immediately rushed to the medical center where we confirmed you were dead. Your parents were devastated and would have done anything for you. Which is where I come in.”
Vinyl Scratch fell to the floor and sobbed into her hooves. She continued listening.
“I offered to use you as a test subject for Artificial Intelligence that we wanted to create. Your parents agreed when I promised to them that I could bring you back to life, Although I warned them that they could have no contact with you after the procedure was done. We brought you into the laboratory and began replacing the damaged portions of your brain with a engineered computer. We also had to replace your eyes. We tested them carefully to make sure they would work, but because of the amount of time it took us; the right side of your brain received a huge amount of damage. We programmed the left side of the brain with functions of the left and the functions you lost from the right. This is why you have problems communicating with others. We programmed you with preset emotions and responses. We hoped to see how well you would live with them.”
Vinyl Scratch sobbed harder, she couldn't believe what her so called sister was telling her.
“We gave you those goggles to conceal your robotic eyes from the world. We couldn't let anyone see them.”
“Then how come I couldn't see them?” Vinyl asked, her face still pressed into her hooves.
“I'm getting there. We programmed you not to distinguish between your eyes and others. So technically, you did see them, you just didn't realize what they were. We also programmed you not to question why you had to wear the goggles. Everything seemed perfectly fine until you had your conversation with the colt. We didn't expect your brain to adapt.”
Star Shy rubbed her eyes and thought for a moment. “I've come to the conclusion that your brain somehow adopted the ability to over come our programming and also adapted to the preset emotions we gave you. You now have full control of them somehow. That's about it.”
“So. . . my whole life. . . Is a lie??” Vinyl slowly seized her crying and stood up. Her whole body shook in confusion and anger.
“Well I wouldn't say that exactly.” Star Shy replied.
“Where are my parents. . .?” Vinyl demanded.
“Canterlot.” answered Star Shy, giving Vinyl the exact address.
“I'm going to find them. . .” Vinyl whispered.
“You can't. Now that I told you the truth, I need to reboot your brain. VS.”
Vinyl shuddered a bit.
“What the. . .” Star Shy puzzled. “VS”
“VS?” Vinyl was confused. “What's this 'VS'?” Vinyl Scratch approached Star slowly.
Star Shy squirmed back to the opposite side of the couch. “Why isn't the word working. VS!”
It was a fail safe word that Star Shy had programmed into Vinyl Scratch in order to reboot her brain in case of emergency.
Vinyl Scratch realized this and turned away. “I'm going to find them.” She stated again. Vinyl Scratch ran out the door, tearing up once again.
Star Shy ran to her room and reported to Manehatten in a quick note. “Emergency.” She grabbed the envelope and took the small mechanical object from inside. Instructions on how to use the device were included. How To Use The EMP It was titled.