My vision was pure black, but white scrolling text walked across my vision from left to right.
: Power Level at 50%. Would you like to engage systems? Y/N
Y
My senses came back in a flash, as I found myself being dragged across a forest floor filled with twigs, dirt and rock with a rope tied around my barrel. I noticed that my coat and mane were covered in dirt, dust, grime, with oil caked into it, effectively turning them a dirty brown and black. My cutie mark was not visible as well.
"You'd think a pony like this would be a lot heavier." I heard a mare's voice state.
"Couldn't you at least carry her on your back?" A stallion's voice responded.
"Hey, I don't know where she's been. She's absolutely filthy and looks like she's been dead for a century or two. You can carry her all the way to Trottington if you want to, but I'm sure as hell -not-." the mare replied lightly.
"Query: Why am I being dragged?" I asked, and the two ponies yelped in surprise as i felt the rope go slack.
"What the hell?! You're alive!" The mare blurted.
"Get the rope off, quick!" The stallion added, and I felt the rope come free of myself as I righted myself.
I found myself staring at two earth ponies, their torsos had a spiked heavy leather vest accompanied by coats, clothing and saddlebags that seemed to be packed with supplies. The mare had a holster on her left forehoof with what looked to be a shotgun, and the Stallion had an assault rifle hanging from his chest. The mare was a freckled earth brown pony with light red and mahogany mane and green eyes. The stallion was a dark blue with a silver and white mane, with lavender eyes.
"What the hell?!" The mare shouted, arming herself with her shotgun.
"Whoa, hold it there. Easy!" The stallion said, moving between the mare and myself.
"I'm sure there’s a totally normal reason why she just leapt up from the dead completely fine!" He looked at me nervously. "There is, right?"
The mare had lowered her shotgun and pointed it toward the ground, still in her mouth as she stared at me in confusion and alarm.
"Clarification: My power level has only recently arrived at an acceptable level to re-initialize systems. I was not 'Dead'." I stated.
"Power levels? Systems?" The stallion asked, disarmed from confusion and curiosity.
The mare holstered her shotgun and walked towards the both of us.
"What do you mean? You're not one of them Protect-a-ponies are you? You don't look like 'em." She asked.
"Clarification: I am Prototype Platform A7Z-13, from Lam-baa Research Center, Zebreca."
"Zebreca?!" They both armed themselves in a flash, pointing their weapons at me.
"We don't want any trouble, missy. We just found you layin’ mostly buried in an old Verti-buck wreck and with a whole load of skeletons. Don't want no trouble with the Remnant!" The stallion hurriedly stated, becoming more alarmed as I stared blankly between them.
I take it that these ponies are from the 'Not Zebra' lands?
"Query: You are Ponies of Equestria, correct?" I asked.
They looked between each other like I had said something stupid.
"Um, duh. We're a little ways away from Trottington. How long have you been out?" The mare asked.
"Last Timestamp: two hundred thirteen years, eight months, three weeks, two days, eighteen hours, forty seven minutes, three seconds." I reported.
The mare almost dropped her shotgun on the floor when her jaw started dropping as I listed off the time stamp, but caught her weapon in her forehooves as she dove to the ground.
"Celestia's Flank, that's a hell of a nap!" the Stallion said in surprise, lowering his rifle.
"Statement: Platform A7Z-13 is a Non-combatant infiltration prototype. This platform is not programmed for weapons use, combat or tactics. Threat level is listed as minimal." I stated
Really? We're gonna tell them I'm completely helpless? That's not the best plan to tell some ponies with guns that were dragging us on the ground not a few minutes ago, you think?
: Information Logged.
"Hey, is it just me, or is this thing's eyes glowing?" The mare said, pointing a hoof at my eyes.
"Yeah, they're glowing all right." He responded. He moved a hoof closer to my eye and I backed away in alarm.
"What the Fuck?!" he shouted, leaping away in surprise.
"How the hell did you make them go red?!"
"Statement: Contact to the eye with your hoof would result in temporary damage. It is not polite to poke other ponies in the eye." I stated.
They looked between themselves, and lowered their hooves with embarrassment.
"So..." The mare said.
"So..." The stallion trailed.
"I'm Garden Hooves!" The mare said suddenly, offering a hoof.
"I'm Silver Splint!" The stallion added, also holding out a hoof.
Seeing as I had two hooves to shake, I raised myself on my hind legs and stood vertically, standing above both of them with my height as I shook their hooves.
Their ears went back in fear for a second, and returned when I plopped myself down on all fours again. The stallion then face hoofed.
"Of -course- a Zebra thing can walk on their hind legs." he groaned.
"Query: Is walking on one's hind legs against a social grace I am unaware of? I have not been able to update my software in Two hundred thirteen years, eight mon--"
"Yeah, we get it! Don't go listing off how long you've been out. It just ain't normal for a pony to do that it all." The mare interrupted.
These two seem really on edge.
"Query: Are you alright?" I asked in my robotic, monotone mare's voice.
"No, I'm not. We just stumbled upon an old Verti-buck wreck, found a pony that's supposed to be dead, and then discovered the pony is actually a bucking -robot- from the past, and -then- discover that it’s made by Zebras as an infiltrator!"
I... Don't know what that is supposed to mean.
"Query: What is the source of your concern?"
"You could kill us in your sleep, or vanish like you have a pip buck or some other creepy shit!" He strained in an aggravated tone.
"Clarification: I do not sleep, I do not have a Stealth-buck, although I have an integrated Pip-buck, and actively seek to be 'not-creepy'." I responded.
"Well you could still kill us!" He shouted.
"Note: I am a Non Combatant model. I do not have programming for murder." I replied.
"Well... Fine then. I still don't trust you, though. Freakin' robots." the Stallion huffed, moving away to gather some things that had fallen from his saddlebags.
"So, your eyes usually shift color?" The mare asked, walking closer to me and setting off several 'personal space violation' alerts. "Because they're back to being yellow again."
"Statement: The MTECC system classifies current situation as dangerous. Yellow is Alert status. Red is Danger status. Blue is All Clear status."
"Oooh! You have blue eyes normally? What else?!" She pressed, leaning in very close to me and causing me to shift backwards to avoid contact.
"Statement: Mane, Tails, Eyes, Coat and Cutie mark change based off of alert status. Low power causes MTECC to go offline, leaving me completely white." I stated.
"Wow! We knew you were filthy, but that's an unreal level of grime if your coat is supposed to be white!" Garden Hooves quickly shot out a hoof and lifted a foreleg of mine, showing me the oil stained and dirty limb.
"Are you two done gawking about each other over there? We have to get back to the fort!" Silver Splint grumbled, returning from his tasks.
"Clarification: I was answering questions directed to me by Garden Hooves."
"Don't be such a grump, Silver! She's really cool!" Garden Hooves pouted, getting to her hooves and holstering her shotgun that she had been holding this entire time, out of sight.
"I don't care, I just hope the boss finds a use for it. I can't even tell if that thing has anything that would qualify it as a mare, aside from the voice and figure." she replied.
"What do you mean by that, Silvy?" Garden asked, beckoning me to join the two of them to their destination.
"She's lacking in the 'Marehood department'." He replied curtly.
"Wait, What?!" She yelped, before running behind me and gasping.
"She doesn't have any naughty bits! Nooo!" She cried.
What.
"Query: What." I repeated, somehow sounding even blanker in my vocalization.
"How can we sell you, if you don't have any fun-bits?!" Garden cried, hitting me on my side in anger.
The strike didn't do more than make me have to right myself, but it was clearly intended to harm me. I looked at her, and saw my red eyes in the reflection of her pupil as she shrinked back a bit.
"Request: Please do not strike me. You may cause injury to yourself."
This caused Silver to stop in his tracks and turn around.
"Did that thing seriously just tell you to stop hitting it, because you might hurt -yourself- ?" He asked. "I seriously just heard that?"
Garden huffed and stomped a hoof at me before looking to Silver. "You sure know how to pick 'em, don't you?" she whined.
"Look, we'll just sell it at Trottington and get the hell out before anypony realizes anything is up. Alright?" He argued.
"Well how are they gonna look past those red eyes if they keep changing?!" She shouted back, barring her teeth.
"We'll just blindfold it! Simple!"
"What, and get less caps because they think she's a cripple?!"
"Hey, don’t get up on my case because we got a wildcard of a catch!"
Seeing the two become completely focused in arguing with each other, I took this as my most opportune moment to put my infiltration programming to good use, and quietly moved away from them as they began to roll around in an aggressive ball of flailing hooves.
***
Certain that I was finally far enough away, I began a steady canter away from the dead forest that I had been dragged through. The ground was littered with garbage that had blown through it, old food cans and wrappings, dead foliage and a few shell casings.
The trees looked like they had seen better days, but if there was dead foliage then I assume that it was sometime around autumn. I noted a light breeze coming through the forest, but it carried the faint sound of somepony screaming.
My ears swiveled on my head to pinpoint the source of the noise, bringing me towards a flowing river. Scanning up the banks, I noticed a mare reaching over the flowing water to a filly that had been stuck on a log. It was just wide enough to get stuck between two large rocks, but the filly was too frightened to move toward the mare.
The log seemed rotten, so I assumed that was the reason the mare didn't simply walk out and grab the foal. My EFS Sensors listed them both as yellow, so they weren’t trying to hurt each other.
I galloped over to the other side of the riverbank, and offered my hoof the frightened filly.
"You get away from my daughter!" The mare yelled, as I looked up to see her pointing a crude pipe weapon at me.
I took my hoof away from the filly, and sat down passively on the spot. I reasoned that with the situation and her level of stress, suddenly adding a talking robot to the mix would not be the best course of action.
: Information Logged.
After a few moments of tensely staring at me, she dropped her weapon to let it hang loosely on the sling around her chest. She reached out her hoof again to her daughter, who was more willing to move now. Even if the reason was to move away from me.
"Come on honey, you have to jump!" The mare begged, holding out her forehooves to her daughter to catch her.
"I'm scared!" The filly complained.
"I know honey, I'm scared too. You've got to do this! You can do this!" she encouraged, waving her hooves to beckon her closer.
As the filly moved closer to her mother, the log began shifting its position as the weight changed. I took this as my signal to get up, despite the death glare from the mother, and stand on the opposite end of the log. It balanced out, and the filly was able to make more progress. I followed after her, ensuring that she would be able to reach her mother. I was now standing in the center of the log when the filly lept off, knocking the log loose and sending myself rolling off of the now mobile log down the river.
I bobbed to the surface like a buoy, my lightweight frame and composition making it nearly impossible for me to sink as I reached out to grab onto anything to stop my free-floating down the river.
: Note: Water is below recommended temperature. Motion control fluids are freezing. Recommend exit of water.
Yep, I can see that. Doing my best.
"Hey! Grab hold!" I heard the mare shout, her filly on her back and holding out the pipe rifle to me as she galloped along the river after me. I was drifting towards another tree, but its limbs were arranged like a spike trap to skewer me. I pushed off of a rock that I had almost crashed into, sending me out of the water to latch onto the rifle. The mare yanked herself away from the river, sending myself and her foal tumbling away onto the dead grass. The rifle itself was flung into the forest nearby.
: Diagnostics Check: Motion Online. Sensors Online. All Systems Nominal. Threat Level: Alert.
I heard movement behind me, and looked up to see the face of a grateful filly before she hugged my head with all her strength as I lay there.
"Thank you, Lady!" she chirped, ending her hug and quickly running over to her mother who was now getting up.
I took quick stock of my appearance, and noted that my coat has become somewhat cleaned by the river, as well as my mane and hair now showing some of its color from behind the oil that had slicked it.
"Hey. What do you want? Caps, Food?" The mare cautiously asked.
What, is she afraid I’m going to hurt her after I helped her?
I looked up at the mare, who retreated a bit upon noticing my glowing yellow eyes before regaining herself.
"What the hell -are- you?" She asked, before realizing she didn't have her pipe rifle and looking worried.
"Hay Bell, Go find my gun!" She whisper shouted, as if I wouldn’t hear her.
"Okay mom!" Hay Bell said, trotting to the forests edge before shortly cheering and bringing the pipe rifle back with the barrel in her mouth to give to her mother.
"Hay Bell! Don't hold it like that, it’s dangerous!" she scolded, before patting her on the head when Hay looked sad, and returning her attention to me.
"Alright, speak. What the hell are you, and what do you want?" she squinted in suspicion.
"Statement: I witnessed the peril of your situation, and sought to assist." I stated truthfully.
"Yeah, out of the kindness of your heart? What do you want out of it?" She asked.
"Statement: We harbor no intent to profit from your misfortune."
She looked shocked for a moment, but still wary.
"Really. And you don't have anypony waitin' out in the forests to come rob us or worse?"
"Clarification: I have only recently escaped capture from two ponies that sought to sell
me for profit. I do not have companions or acquaintances."
"Likely sob story. Just you get on your way out of here, and don't give us trouble." She grumbled, calling her filly and walking backwards away, with her rifle pointed at me.
Well. That's one way to interact with ponies I guess. Still no luck with finding anypony that will stick around long enough to get some information.
***
Following the river in the opposite direction from the filly and mare, I came to a large clearing that revealed a ramshackle structure held together by propped up boards, some sheets of metal and bags of concrete used as bricks.
: Power Level at 57%
Huh. I was actually still charging this whole time.
I looked up into the sky, to find it cloud covered like a blanket.
At least I can still charge when it’s cloudy, I guess.
I moved closer to the shanty, as a small meter on my vision in the bottom left started ticking up.
: Warning: Radiation Detected. Engaging Converter.
: Note: When Radiation reaches over 1000 Rads, do not interact with life forms.
Absorbed radiation will cause harm to biological life forms.
Oh, well it’s good to know that I can both survive radiation, and use it to power myself.
Sucks about the whole 'stay away from ponies' aspect of it though.
I reached the door of the structure, as the meter angrily clicked at me. Opening the door with a creak, I saw a pony shaped figure laying on a bed made out of stacked leather hides. There was a White and orange barrel with a Radiation symbol on it in the corner, and a radio sitting atop of it. The floor was simply dirt, and there was a box with items on the other side of the room. A weapon lay next to the figure sleeping.
Wait, something is sleeping next to this radiation? And they're -not- dead?
: Information Logged.
"Query: Hello?" I asked in my continuing monotone mare's voice.
The figure shifted a bit on the bed, and after a moment I asked again.
"Query: Are you all right?"
The figure bolted upright and snarled, grabbing its weapon and pointing it at the doorway where I stood, propping the makeshift door open.
"What do you want?!" It growled, the voice gravelly and rasping. "Matter of fact, Why aren't you dead yet? You better not be another ghoul, cause this is my house. Mine!"
The figure was obscured by shadow, as the shack had no windows. I turned on my Light amplification to find out two things.
One. My eyes glow green when I use that module.
Two. The figure's coat was gone, replaced by what looked like melted and fused skin.
Its eyes were a sickly yellow with its mane barely there as thin strands. It was dressed in a Metal chest plate with leather barding, complete with ammunition pouches across the chest plate.
Wow. That’s one hell of a wrong side of the bed to wake up to in the morning.
: Information Logged.
"Query: Are you all right?" I asked.
The 'ghoul' squinted at me, before its eyes widened in shock and it bolted out of the bed, running toward me.
"Get out of my house!" It yelled, shoving me onto back and slamming the door in my face.
Well. Guess it’s okay.
I picked myself up and cantered away from the radioactive hut, the clicking sound of me becoming irradiated lessening. I had amassed around three hundred rads just from that short interaction.
: Information: Radiation levels acceptable for contact with Non-Ghoul lifeforms. Power Level at 68%.
Wow! That gave me a ton of power. I hope it processes the rest of it before I find anypony else though.
: Information: Radiation processed at 30 Rads per minute.
Alright. I should be good then. That’s pretty impressive as well. One rad every two seconds?
: Confirmed.
Well then. Let’s see if I can find some ponies that won't think I’m evil and trying to kill them, then. I wonder why I'm not freaking out about anything. I know that I'm a soul that’s powering this robot, somehow, but...
: Information: Higher psychological functions and integration with the Soul-Machine Interface were the next planned stage of Prototyping.
Ah, well that explains it. Would be pretty terrible to have to deal with those emotions since I just woke up in a wasteland of crazy ponies in a place I don't know with no friends.
: Information Logged.