The next day came far too quickly. Sweetie Belle had way too many things on her mind to even conceive going about her life as normal. Yesterday, she had found out she was a hyper-advanced artificial intelligence. Even though some of her functions were pretty awesome, it still stung.
All her life, she had believed she was Sweetie Belle, that there had never been any other. Now she knew there had been another, that she was merely a replacement for a foal who died too young. She wondered what Sweetie Belle would have been like if she was alive today. Would she have turned out like her or something completely different?
But despite the complications, Rarity had insisted, even though Sweetie now knew she could download information directly to her mind, she still had to go to school. How would the others react? Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, would they still want to be her friends?
Of course they would! She was just being silly, over-thinking things. Although...
She was drawn from her thoughts by the clatter on the stairs announcing Rarity's arrival. Sweetie Belle sat at the table, a bowl of cereal in front of her. Apparentlyn her body was made to replicate biological functions such as breathing and blinking. Despite thisn she didn't really need to eat—it was more out of habit than anything.
She grunted in frustration as a chemical analysis of her cereal popped up on her HUD. She didn't really care how much lactic acid was in the milk or the ratio of glucose to sucrose in the small oat flakes, but her subconscious systems did not take heed, continuing to bombard her with rather pointless information.
"Morning, Sweetie Belle, dear. How did you sleep?" asked Rarity.
"I didn't," replied Sweetie Belle simply, lifting another spoonful of cereal to her mouth.
"And why not?" asked Rarity, a frown forming on her face.
"I don't need to. I never did," she said as a small box popped up notifying her that her Enzyme Storage Tanks were at 75% capacity with no malfunctions to report. She dismissed the message with a mental flick.
"Just because you don't need to doesn't mean you shouldn't," said Rarity as she shook her head. "You want to be normal, right?"
"But I'm not normal, Rarity," said Sweetie Belle testily. "No amount of sleeping or eating is going to change that."
Rarity opened her mouth to argue, then thought better of it and asked a new question.
"So what did you do all night?" she inquired.
"I was studying my blueprints," said Sweetie Belle dismissively.
She had learnt an awful lot about her construction and function overnight. She learnt that she was charged by sunlight, had built in sticky pads for climbing walls and even a horn-mounted laser for self-defence. She had also been experimenting with her various vision modes and HUDs.
"You really shouldn't dwell on it, Sweetie Belle. Up until yesterday, you had no idea, and look how happy you were! You haven't changed a bit."
"Don't call me Sweetie Belle," she said as she finished her cereal and discarded the digestion progress report.
"Why ever not dear? That's your name," said Rarity.
"No it isn't!" cried Sweetie Belle. "It was her name! I'm not her replacement anymore!"
Rarity's mouth curled downwards. "I never thought of you as a replacement," she said softly. "You are just my sister. Plain and simple."
Sweetie Belle's anger evaporated as tears formed in Rarity's eyes. It had never crossed her mind that Rarity and her parents ever saw her as more than a replacement, something to look and sound like the real Sweetie Belle to fill the hole she had left behind.
"I'm sorry," said Sweetie Belle. "I didn't mean to-"
"No," interrupted Rarity as she wiped tears from her face. "You’re right, you aren't Sweetie Belle. You deserve a new name, one to call your own."
They sat in silence, pondering her new identity.
"How does Pink Sparks sound?" suggested Rarity.
Sweetie Belle shook her head. "Current Cell?"
Rarity smiled. "No, I've got a better one" She scooped up her sister into a hug. "How about Sweetie Bot?"
Sweetie Belle smiled "I like it" she said as she hugged her sister back "Sweetie Bot it is."
"All right then, Sweetie Bot, you have a school to go to," said Rarity.
Sweetie Bot grimaced. Downloading it would be so much quicker.
The school yard fell silent as Sweetie Bot approached, Rarity at her side. They had no way of replacing her synthetic joint covers, so the black rubber lay bare and exposed, signaling to all just how different she really was. A couple of fillies nearby began to whisper, only to stop suddenly when Rarity shot a look their way. Obviously, the Element of Generosity had quite the reputation, even amongst school foals.
Sweetie Bot spotted Apple Bloom and Scootaloo in the crowd. She smiled at them uncertainly. They smiled back, albeit rather forced. The foals watched them all the way to the school. Only once the door had closed did the chatting begin in hushed whispers. Even though they were whispering, Sweetie Bot could make out every word they said as if they were standing next to her.
Sweetie Bot toned down the sensitivity of her ear sensors. She really didn't want to hear what they had to say.
Cheerilee looked up when they entered. Her vitals appeared on Sweetie's vision, the teacher's heart rate had increased significantly and she was beginning to sweat more. It was as if she was-
"Good morning, Miss Cheerilee," said Rarity loudly, always out to make an impression, even when it didn't matter.
"Ah yes, good morning Rarity, and you... um.... Sweetie Belle," said Cheerilee.
"We have some matters to discuss concerning my sister here," said Rarity.
"Yes, yes we do," responded the teacher.
Rarity quickly outlined the story Sweetie Bot had been told last night. The understanding on Cheerilee's face grew as the story unfolded. Once Rarity had finished, Cheerilee sighed.
"You do realise the school foals will not take this as well as I have," said Cheerilee. "I've seen foals picked on for minor differences. I have no idea how they'll react to... well... this," she finished, gesturing to Sweetie Bot.
"I'm no stranger to name-calling, Miss Cheerilee," said Sweetie Bot, her voice back to its usual sweet tone. She had thought it best to freak out her classmates as little as possible.
"Are you sure? You can always come back at a later date and give them time to settle."
"No," said Sweetie Bot adamantly. "I want to do this."
"Well, if you're sure," said Cheerilee uncertainly.
Rarity turned to Sweetie Bot, a smile on her face.
"Don't worry, you'll see they’re nothing to be afraid of. I'm sure things will be back to normal."
With a kiss on Sweetie Bot's head, she trotted off, waving as she walked through the door.
Sweetie Bot watched with a hopeful expression, praying her sister was right. Cheerilee's face wore one of doubt; however this day turned out, it was sure to be far from normal.
Sweetie Bot stared at the board, watching Cheerilee's chalk spiral over the black surface. With her new vision, the world was a much livelier place. Every detail was highlighted to her. She knew everything: the pressure the chalk was exerting on the boards, how many grains fell to the floor, and the fluttering heart rates of everypony present.
The class sat in awkward silence, every single pair of eyes riveted to Sweetie Bot. She could sense every one of them, their hearts beating, their mouths dry. Yet despite the constant stream of data, she was able to focus on Cheerilee's teaching, something the rest of the class were failing to do.
"Children, please, pay attention," cried Cheerilee, startling all but one of her pupils.
"But Miss, I'm scared," said one of the fillies.
"Scared? Of what?" asked Cheerilee, despite already knowing the probable answer.
Sure enough, the filly pointed towards Sweetie Bot, her hoof trembling. Sweetie Bot frowned. This was not at all what she had been expecting. She had been preparing herself for name calling and teasing, but these foals weren't interested in being cruel— they were worried.
"All right, I'm putting an end to this now," said Cheerilee "Sweetie Belle, or Sweetie Bot, as she is now called, is no different from the young filly we all know. Nothing has changed."
"But she's a-"
"Yes, I know, but none of you are to treat her any different. Do I make myself clear?"
Twenty or so heads nodded in response, some more enthusiastically than others.
"Good. Now on with the lesson," continued Cheerilee.
Sweetie Bot watched the blackboard, mentally flicking away the constant notifications that twenty sets of eyes were once again trained curiously on her back.
Sweetie Bot sat on the bench, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo on either side. The silence between them stretched out, punctuated by a giggle from the foals who were playing a safe distance away.
Sweetie watched them resentfully. "Why are they scared of me?" she asked. "What have I done to hurt them?"
"You ain't done nothin', Sweetie Belle… uh, I mean Sweetie Bot. They just ain't used to it yet," said Apple Bloom.
"But I'm still me, aren't I? Nothing changed," she wondered.
"Just give them some time," said Scootaloo. "They'll come around soon enough."
"You think so?" said Sweetie Bot hopefully.
"I know so," said Scootaloo with a smile.
"Well, I don't!" came a voice. The three of them turned to see Diamond Tiara emerging from behind a nearby tree, a wicked smirk on her face. Silver Spoon cowered behind her, obviously not sharing her friend's confidence.
"What's that supposed to mean, Tiara?" said Apple Bloom.
"You really think they'll come to accept her? Look at her! She's a freak, a hollow tin can," she said smugly.
"It isn't tin" said Sweetie Bot quietly. "It's actually a titanium-chromium alloy."
"See?" continued Tiara. "A freak! Do you really think she sees you as friends? Machines don't have friends!"
"Of course they do! We're her friends!" cried Scootaloo.
"Pah! When was the last time you saw a toaster with emotions? To her your just bag of meat, a life form to be scanned."
"That's not true! Tell her Sweetie Bot!" cried Scootaloo.
Sweetie Bot remained silent. There was a harsh truth to Tiara's words. Sweetie Bot didn't know the origin of her emotions. She desperately wished them to be real, that they weren't just a program running somewhere inside her artificial head.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo faces fell as Sweetie Bot dropped her head.
"Ha!" cried Tiara "See? To her, you’re just worthless!"
Sweetie Bot started to shake, her servos twitching. Tiara could insult her—she didn't care about that. But no one insulted her friends.
"But look on the bright side," continued Tiara, "at least the Cutie Mark Crusaders now have a permanent member!"
Sweetie Bot jumped from the bench, her body trembling with rage. Whether this rage was real or artificial, she didn't care. She had had enough. She stepped towards Diamond Tiara, her eyes narrowed.
"Go away," she said.
"Or what?" said Tiara dismissively. "You going to spark some more?"
Sweetie Bot took another step. Silver Spoon squeaked, her tail between her legs as she fled.
"I said go away," repeated Sweetie Bot.
Several fillies had approached the two of them, marveling at the standoff. They all gasped as Sweetie Bot's eyes slowly dimmed, turning from green to blood red. Her HUD was a blaze of warning lights, telling her to back down. Diamond Tiara, obviously unfazed by Sweetie Bot's red eyes, stood stock still.
"No," she said simply.
Sweetie Bot started to circle, her red eyes trained on Diamond Tiara. Tiara followed suit, moving like a shark going in for the kill. When Sweetie Bot reached the tree, she stopped.
"I won’t ask nicely again: go away," she said menacingly.
"Oh, come off it," said Tiara. "You think your powerful and all that? Just because you can't feel doesn't mean you’re invincible"
Sweetie Bot turned away from Tiara and faced the defenseless tree. It was relatively young, only having recently reached half its full size. Sweetie Bot's x-ray mode gave a quick diagnostic of the tree interior. It didn't stand a chance.
Sweetie Bot lowered her head, the tip of her horn inches away from the tree trunk. With a hum her horn started to glow a deep ruby red, the light illuminating her face. The sound grew in volume and pitch until it was beyond everypony’s except Sweetie Bot's hearing range.
A light on Sweetie's HUD flicked from red to green. With a high-pitched whine, a red beam flew from her horn, striking the tree directly. The ponies backed up as the bark began to crack violently, the red glow emanating from inside. The wood groaned as it stretched, its limbs cracking along their entire length. With a final crash the entire interior of the tree was vaporised. With nothing to support, it the tree fell, its shell collapsing in on itself with a faint whoosh!
The red glow faded as Sweetie Bot's eyes returned to their original green, any trace of red gone from her irises. She looked around with a smile. Tiara stood in shock, her eyes wide with... fear? Sweetie Bot looked around. No one was cheering her on for putting Diamond Tiara in her place. For standing up to the bully. They all wore the same expression.
Diamond Tiara was right— they would never accept her. Not just because she was different.
Because they were terrified of her.
She looked to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, looking for support. Both of them were looking back at her, their eyes filled with doubt. They weren't sure if who they were looking at was their friend anymore. Discovering her true identity had changed her.
And she didn't like it at all.
With tears streaming down her face, she ran from the school yard, her shocked classmates behind her.