I had read in a book somewhere that you had seven minutes of brain activity after death. I had always assumed that wasn’t true, because a dead person wasn’t really dead if they could still think. I realized, that this was the point between life and death. Seven minutes. I thought of what I could have done. If only I could fly, it would have been better. I imagine the air rushing around me, my wings stretching out and saving me. I caught my friends. We were all still alive. I floated gracefully to the ground when something hit us. I felt fire, swirling around me, and my thought faded. I couldn’t even have one good thought without Stitch messing it up. Somehow, now was the time when my brain decided that I couldn't have a fantasy.
I didn’t like dying. It felt like my thoughts were fading away. I was cold, and… hungry. Not for food, but for life. My seven minutes were going to be up soon. Dreams tended to be short in my imagination, but longer in real time. I didn't have much time. I wanted to be alive, but I couldn’t bear life without my friends. I didn’t know how I was thinking. Wasn’t I supposed to be nothing? I felt a familiar feeling. I can’t describe it. I could feel again. I opened my eyes to see nothing but harsh white light.
“I thought the light would be softer after I died,” I muttered.
“This isn’t heaven, if you were wondering, Scootobot,” a voice said.
“You failed Scenario, our... training program. We need to do a system restart.”
I’m not a failure. I couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. And what was that? Scootobot?
“Retrieve basic knowledge and training from the present. Download into Scootobot 8167,” the voice said.
“Request Acknowledged.” It was a different voice this time. Metallic. Unpleasant. I looked around for the voices, but all I saw was a small observation booth. I walked over, my hooves aching from stiffness, and peeked in. I saw a calm-looking tan mare with a long olive green mane, pulled into a ponytail. How ironic.
“Hmm,” I heard the mare mutter, “Scootobot 8167 still believes she is Scootaloo. Thoughts and feelings transferred from Scenario has not happened with the other Scootobots. Take a note, V.A.C.”
"Transfer beginning. Scootobot 8167, please stand with all four hooves flat on the floor.” The metallic voice was back. I didn’t want to hear it again. What was the tan mare talking about? She used that strange word again. Scootobot. I was Scootaloo! And what was a V.A.C.? I felt something brush the top of my head and jumped back.
“Please hold still, Scootobot 8167. The Scenario seems to have some side effects on you. Just relax and we will return your actual memories.” It was the mare again. I didn’t want to, but I held still. I somehow knew they weren't going to hurt me. I trusted my instincts and held still. I felt something probe my neck and felt something… plug in. I started breathing deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. It wasn’t working so well. I began to hyperventilate when I heard another voice. A very familiar one.
“Scootobot 8167, we are going to have to do a bulk transfer. Your heart rate is too fast. This might hurt.” It was Rainbow Dash. Why is she here?
I felt a surge of… something flow through my body. It was kind of nice, like I had a warm blanket on.
“This doesn’t hurt at a--“I stiffened, involuntarily.
“This is the part when it hurts.” The mare said. I felt a searing pain right behind my eyes and it exploded all over my body. I screamed in agony and collapsed to the cool floor. All of the pain receded and I didn’t feel a thing. I looked up at the mare when a supernova erupted in my head. I can’t think. I can’t even scream at this point, for fear that I’ll break into a million pieces. I remember now, I don’t want to believe it. The pain faded to a dull throbbing.
I know what I am, and I’m terrified.
My name is Scootobot 8167. I was created to fight Stitch. There are others like me. Many, many others. Stitch is real, and wants to take over Equestria. He killed Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo. They were the first. He has killed so many, and so fast. Princess Celestia told Twilight Sparkle and her friends to use the power of friendship to defeat him. They failed. Rainbow Dash was the only survivor, but she suffered horrible injuries. She could never fly again. Celestia appointed her to try and help so she wouldn’t fall into depression. Normally, Celestia would have defeated them by now, but she didn’t want to hurt Rainbow. Rainbow wanted to be the one who killed Stitch, and nobody was going to help. She thought she could do it alone, and the last time Celestia tried to help… the victims were two of the Royal Guards. They didn’t survive the ride to the hospital. First Scootaloo, and now all her friends. It wasn’t Rainbow’s idea, the Scootobots. That mare in front of me… that was Attendant 60345. She didn’t have a name, but she was a genius when it came to warfare. The perfect war machine, an animatronic that could remind Stitch of the ones he had killed, while killing thousands of Sirens. We would be made in the image of the dead. Raibow wasn't happy, but when Celestia told her it would cause Stitch more pain, Rainbow gladly consented.
But then it happened.
Rainbow wanted to remember Scootaloo, but her way. She wanted Scootaloo to have won. She had the scientists call the animatronics Scootobots. She wanted them to go through Scootaloo’s memories and “prepare” themselves by being a winner in the situation when Scootaloo died. Simulation was born. Genius, putting the Scootobots in a simulation. But the problem was, the Scootobots can’t make different decisions if they are going by the exact thoughts of Scootaloo. They’re brainwashed to think they are Scootaloo. They were literally built to fail. Rainbow Dash is crazy. I knew that this was not the basic knowledge file. These were the very thoughts of Attendant 60345. We exchanged blank looks. She knew. I felt something go missing, all of the sudden.
“Scootobot 8167, what do you remember?” Rainbow Dash asked, a note of suspicion in her voice.
“I remember the brave effort of Scootaloo and your friends. You helped create robots like me to save Equestria.” I said. I looked at Rainbow. She looked young, to be a hero of Equestria. I am honored to be able to help her. This isn’t what I should be thinking, I thought, but I don’t know why. I felt something pop and the fizz in my neck. I collapsed and-
---
POV of Attendant 60345.
I knew this would happen, placing my memories inside her brain and then quickly removing them. I wanted at least one of the Scootobots to realize what insanity this all was. It’s not like I could quit, and have one of the Princesses execute me for treason. I saw the look on her eyes, and quickly removed them without Rainbow Dash realizing it. A silence weighed on my head, heavy as lead. I glanced over at Rainbow Dash and saw her staring at me.
“Ahem, Ms. Dash?” I said.
“What is it, why is she just lying there? She has to get up now. Nownownownow.” I can’t believe I have to take orders from her.
“Ms. Dash, we have a system failure. All the memories were too much for Scootobot 8167. We will have to take some time to repair it.”
“HER! SCOOTALOO IS A HER!” Rainbow screamed.
“Ms. Dash, that is Scootobot 8167. Scootaloo is not here. Maybe you’re overworking the Scootobots, Ms. Dash. We have already scanned Scootaloo’s memories too much. We need to trash the idea and think up something else. Stitch has taken over half of Equestria and we need to do something different.” I said. I was trying to calm her down, even though that probably wasn’t the best way. I’m an expert in weapons, not psychology.
“NO! SHE COULD HAVE DONE IT IN REAL LIFE TOO! HE JUST KILLED HER BEFORE SHE COULD! SHE CAN LIVE AGAIN BUT WE JUST NEED TO TRY HARDER! Put her through Scenario. Again and again until one of them… finally… WINS!”
Her eyes shot around the room, the bloodshot veins almost matching her irises. Winning. So important to her. Ironically, winning was going to be the greatest loss of Equestria.
“Carry on, Attendant 60345. Good day.” She said. I barely heard her. I wish I could do something. I’d figure it out, I just hope it would be soon…
“I said good day, Attendant.” Rainbow repeated.
“Yes, Ms. Dash. Good day.” I replied.
“Begin instructional transmission now. Repair fried circuit in the cranial area. Initiate sequence: April 12, Scootloo’s point of view. Initiate real-time reactions, per memory recording of Scootaloo.” I spoke to my finest piece of machinery, the V.A.C. My machine would activate to the sound of your voice, along with a trigger word. I had a set of trigger words for different instructions. My V.A.C., or Voice Activated Computer, could do anything I wanted it to do, with the proper software.
Maybe Rainbow and I aren’t so different after all. She wants to win, and I want to create. I’m too proud of my machines. Maybe I will be the downfall of Equestria after all, like my mother told me.
I loved to think. Maybe too much.
“Would you like me to make any improvements to Scootobot 8167, Attendant 60345?” V.A.C. asked.
“Not today.” I said.
“Request acknowledged. Instructions: Make no improvements to Scootobot 8167. Set Scootobot 8167 into Scenario with Scootaloo’s memory, from April 12 until date of defeat by animatronic. If the Scootobot survives longer than the memories last, I am to improvise and create another memory from actual events. Correct?”
My V.A.C. also had predictive auto commands. I didn’t have to state all my ideas, she -it- knew what I wanted.
“All instructions recited are correct. Continue.” I said.
“The memories of Scootaloo have been scanned 7 times as of now. Memories of the deceased cannot be scanned more than 5 times without some kind of change. I have been ordered to take protective measures, but the memories are beginning to become distorted. Would you like to continue?”
“Continue.”
Let’s see how much failure Rainbow Dash can withstand. The best part about creating machines is making something better when the old ones break down. I hear the machines click and whirr until I the confirmation command is said.
“Scootobot 8167 is ready for Scenario. Begin?”
“Let’s go.”
---
POV of Scootaloo.
I had been waiting in the clubhouse for about 30 minutes now. Where were Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom? They said they would be there so we could go to Twilight Time together. They’re dead. I was excited, because this time would have been the first Twilight Time since she defeated Tirek. I am not Scootaloo. I couldn’t wait to go into her new castle! As I walked down the road, I couldn’t help staring at her new castle. These thoughts are not my own. It was beautiful from even here! I walked into her castle. Something is wrong.