//------------------------------//
// Raining Miseries  
// Story: BROKEN 
// by WolfoftheWaves Pony 
//------------------------------//

	I listened intently to the rain pounding on the ground outside. The soft, drumming rhythms. I took in a deep breath, and let it out. This was as close to home as I could get. I couldn't leave. It's not that I'm forbidden, which I'm not, but pretty much am since the revolutionists are still wary of letting me and Broken free, but I can't just magically appear back home. The Robot Units will want to know where I went, why I went missing, and if they suspect anything, then they could easily kill me, or even mother and Little Leaf. But these short few moments I have, getting a chance to listen to the outside world, brings me closer to them. Closer to home.
"I thought that I was the only pony who ever came up here," A voice behind me said. I turned around and saw a pink earth pony mare with a short mane the colors of fire. "But I never expected that the pony who would would be you! No offense, of course."
"I always come up here," I said.
"Then that must mean that we come at different times."
"Why did you say that you did not expect to see me here?"
"Because you are always with that Robot Unit... Broken, right? Yeah. I don't think that I have ever seen you without him, until now."
"He's actually recharging right now. He usually comes here with me, too."
"Never thought that a Robot Unit would do that."
"And why is that?"
"Because I never thought that a Robot Unit would miss the surface." I looked down to the ground. It was true. We both shared the longing, Broken probably more than me. After all, he has not seen the outside world since his discovery. But we discovered this little area after that one night, one week ago, when that mare visited my dreams.
Suddenly her screams returned to my ears, and it pounded against my head, reverberating in my ears. 
"Hey, are you okay?" The mare asked me. 
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "Uh, yeah. I'm okay."
"A little bit different hearing the sounds of the surface from underground, huh?" She asked me.
"Uh, yeah. Sure. Let's go with that. I just wish that I could get back to my little sister. She must be going out of her mind, wondering where I am."
"Pfft. My family could care less about where I was."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Seven is a hard unit to live in. But I like the ponies from four. A lot nicer. Heard about you and your friend, though. Whew. Man, that's tough. Though he sounds like a real pony feathered heart breaker."
I suddenly hated this mare. Hated her with all my heart. "I have to go," I proclaimed loudly, galloping past her.
"Wait!" She called out. "You really are weird, just like Boxy says."

But I paid no attention to her. I instead found myself running down the corresponding tunnels that I had completely memorized the week that I have been here. Finally, I turned down the tunnel that I knew led me to him. The tunnel that led to the stolen recharge chamber. Usually, I avoid this way at all costs when Broken was using it. He has warned me that he has seen other Robot Units go through the recharge process, and when they do, they seem dead. Cold. Lifeless. Soulless. He didn't want me to see him like that. Yet, here I am, about to turn down into the tunnel that will lead me to him. My brain had said no, but my legs said yes. And my brain is still screaming. But I peaked my head around anyway. I saw that the tunnel went on for more feet than I expected, and I could not see Broken yet. I let out the breath I was holding.
"She deserves..." The voice trailed off, echoing down the long hallway. I perked my ears up, listening intently. It was not Broken's voice I heard. It was the voice that I had dreaded hearing for so long. The voice I hoped that I would never hear again.

Tornado is down there. My ex-best friend. The same pony that the mare had called a feather brained heart breaker.
Why is he with Broken?


********************

"She deserves better than me," I said, staring directly into the Robot Unit's lifeless mechanical eyes. I got the expected response: nothing. "I can never really give her what she really needs in a friend, or even a coltfri- no, not going there." I hung  my head low. I needed desperately to tell anypony, anypony at all what I felt. But ponies would always be there to listen in, or judge. But something unconscious does not judge. "How? How do you do it?" Again, no response. "How do you always know what to do, what to say, and how to make her feel better?" I sighed, and leaned my head against the metal bars. "Because I don't. I thought I knew, but I don't." I glanced into the compartment. The Robot Unit stood as still as ever. "I know you can't hear me, and this probably won't mean anything, but I trust you. As crazy as it sounds, I do. Because I have been watching you. I have been watching how you interact with every pony else. You are different. And I know that now. But how, how do you not blow up in their faces if they do something wrong? How do you not feel the least bit irritated? Because I want to know." Silence. I turned back around and sunk to the floor, leaning against the bars. "Because, because I blow up in ponies' faces. I always feel irritated. And I am even guilty of feeling these things towards Blossom Wing. I'm, I'm just, I'm just horrible. I don't deserve anything, much less Blossom Wing. But, you do, Robo-... Broken. You deserve her. So I don't care if you take her away forever. I don't care." I got up and started to walk away, but then stopped when the voice called out behind me.
"I feel angry sometimes." I turned around and saw Broken staring right at me, his red eyes glowing. "Sometimes I want to blow a pony's head off. But I don't."
"How, how much of that did you hear?" I asked, aware that my face must be getting red.
"All of it."
I reached up and rustled my hoof through my hair. "How, how are you even awake!? The recharge process isn't even done yet!"
"I don't know, I just am aware of things when in the recharge process. I can wake up whenever I want." Suddenly a loud beep resonated through the air, and the compartment door opened. Broken stepped out of it. He looked me in the eye. "But this doesn't mean that I forgive you for what you did to Blossom."
I hung my head low. "I know. Just, just go back to your stupid room. Like I said, Blossom deserves better than me." I opened up the door with metal bars, and then left. Heading towards the surface. Back to home.
All alone.


*******************

I stood there for a moment, trying to absorb everything that he had said. But all of it... I just couldn't register it. So I walked out of the room, and down the long winding tunnel. My brain was all a mess. I couldn't focus anymore. Do I not forgive him, or do I? I don't know. I was so distracted that I almost ran into a wall. 
I heard ponies snickering behind me. I turned around and saw a mare and a stallion, whispering and pointing at me. I studied them closely. I couldn't get a citizen number on them, so they weren't from Unit Area 4. Nor had I seen them around before, so they must be infiltrates from other Units. So they must have heard about me, just never seen me before. Then that means that I can get them to stop laughing at me easily.
"Hi. What are your names?"
They froze. The stallion spoke. "Uh, my name is Golden Leaves and this is my sister Rays. Um, your, your voice..."
"What about my voice?" I asked, taking a step forward. They backed away a little. Good. They won't laugh at me anymore.
"It, it sounds like..."
"Like what?"
The mare cleared her throat. "Uh, Leaves! Let's go check out our new quarters!"
"Welcome to the revolution under Unit Area 4," I said, starting to walk away.
"Uh, yeah!" The mare said with uncertainty, pushing her brother along. "It took us a while to get here from 123."
I stopped. My mind went blank. "1, 123?" I asked, staring at the wall.
"Uh, yeah!" the stallion called out. 
I whipped around. "Wait! But I-" And then they were gone.

I felt my gears and pistons lock together. All I could do was stare at the spot in which they disappeared down another tunnel that held other sleeping quarters. 
They were from 123. My original home. I felt the confines that I had tried to hold down for a week break free, and all the emotions that I held back flashed through my mind. And I felt him here, too. He bubbled up. Who I used to be.
Star dusk.

"Broken!" I heard the familiar voice call out to me. All of my pistons relaxed and I could move again. I turned around and saw the light brown pegasus with bandaged wings walking up to me, a worried look on her face. "What were you staring at?"
"N, nothing!" I stammered.
"Um... okay. You wanna head back up to our room?"
"Uh... yes. I would like to do that. Yes."


************************

Broken gave no indication of what Tornado and him were doing back there in the tunnel. I admit to being curious, but in truth, I don't really want to know. I'm still not sure if I am ready to bring him back into my life yet. Maybe not ever. I, I don't know. I'm so confused.
But that feeling intensified when I opened the door to our room and found River and some gray stallion that I had never seen before sitting in chairs. In MY room. And I know that it was mine since the guard was still posted outside.
"Uh... hi?" I asked.
"Blossom Wing," River said, standing up from the chair and walking over to us. She gestured to the stallion. "This is Ire Shield. He is a infiltrator of government for us, gives us tips."
"Hello," Ire Shield said. he smoothed back his burgundy mane with his hoof,
"Uh, hi," I said. "Why are you in my room?"
"Hey, listen here," Ire Shield said, getting up from his chair. "Use proper introductions with me. I came all the way from one to see your little Robot Unit friend."
"Don't talk to Blossom that way," Broken said. Ire's eyes grew wide, then he shook his head. He apparently was not expecting Broken's voice to sound the way it did, just like all the other ponies. "And why did you want to see me?" Broken's voice was on the verge of sounding like a challenging. He has gotten bolder. Ire cleared his throat, and adjusted his neck tie. 
"Nice voice." He glanced outside. "Close the door," Ire instructed to the guard outside. "And lock it." I heard the door shut behind me and panicked, reliving the time inside the jail cell my first night here, and then it passed. Leaving me feeling hollow inside for some reason.
"Why did you need to lock the door?" Broken asked him.
"Because we need to talk about something really serious," River said. 
I braced myself for anything that was to come. Any more news that could affect mine and Broken's life. When would this end? Ire moved forward and stood a few inches from Broken. He looked down at him. 
"The government's looking for you, Robot Unit."