BROKEN

by WolfoftheWaves Pony

First Awakening

--INITIALIZING GEAR CHECK

--COMPLETE
--COMPUTER CHIP INSTALLATION

--COMPLETE
--HYDRAULICS ACTIVATED

--COMPLETE
--START UP INITIALIZED

---AI UNIT NUMBER 456770 READY

I open my eyes. A bright light fills the space.

Where am I?

Who am I?

My vision clears and I notice that I can see only in red.

I cannot move.

WELCOME UNIT 456770

A voice sounds in my ears.
INITIALIZE MOVEMENT IN UNIT 456770

I found that I could move. I twist my neck. A sound comes out like that of gears rubbing against each other. My vision clears.

What am I?
START UP OF MOVEMENT TESTS

What?
LIFT UP RIGHT LEG

My leg shoots up on command. I study it. It looks gray. Metallic. Pistons and armor cover the outside of it, and a red glass covering shows off wires and gears in a portion of my hoof.
JUMP

My gears and pistons contract then release, sending me up in the air. I fall back down. A large crash sounds in the dark room I am in. A metal box.
SWERVE NECK

Haven't I already done this? But my neck moves back and forth, without my consent.
MOVEMENT TEST COMPLETED-FULL MOVEMENT NOW ACQUIRED

WELCOME TO EQUESTRIA, 456770

*******

"Hey, Blossom Wing! Hey, Blossom!"

I looked up from my book and saw the familiar black and blue-maned earth-pony heading in my direction.

"Oh, hey Tornado."

"What are you doing? Oh horse apples. Are you reading?"

"Don't swear Tornado, you know that I don't like it."

"Oh please Blossom, loosen up a bit. Relax. It's not like the world is ending." He came over and stretched out on the bench I was sitting on. I rolled my eyes. Tornado was the most annoying, sarcastic, and rude pony I knew.

He was my best friend.

"Hey, I heard that there's going to be a protest this afternoon."

"And how do you know that?" I asked him, my nose back in my book.

"I have my sources. Anyway, are you coming?" I put my book down and stared at Tornado. He smirked at me. His eyes had a look of a dare in them.

"Do you have feathers for brains, Tornado? I'm not going to be shot down by one of the Robot Unit's lasers."

"But Blossom..."

"NO! Tornado, no. I am NOT doing something like that! Do you want to end up in jail? Or worse, dead?!?"

"I..."

"No."

He stared at me. "Do you do everything the Robot Unit says?"

"No, of course not..."

"Good. I didn't want you to end up like your dad, washed up and hung out to dry. Glad to see that you are still cool, Blossom."

I went numb. Did he really just say that? "What. Did. You. Just say. About. My dad?"

"Oh come on, Blossom. Everyone in Unit Area 4 knows that he was just a stupid robot lover."

There. That was it. I punched him good and hard in the jaw.

"Goodbye, Tornado." I said, bolting up into the air.

Yes. Tornado is my best friend, but sometimes he can get carried away. He doesn't think. But he deserved my hoof in his mouth. So why is he my best friend then? Because not many ponies want to hang out with the pony whose father was Professor Processor.

My father was a factory worker assembling the chips that went into the Robot Unit's brain. It was a good paying job, as me and my family where one of the richest ponies in Area 4. But rumors started to spread that my father helped with a protest that destroyed thousands of Robot Units. He got fired from his job, and my family became poor. My father then tried to do everything he could to get a job.

He even tried so far as to donate his own legs for study to make Robot Units function better. In the end, he jumped off of a cliff.

"MA'AM. NO PEGASUS IS ALLOWED BEYOND THIS LIMIT." I looked up and saw a Robot unit hovering above me.

"Yes, thank you," I said.

"IDENTIFICATION FORM PLEASE."

I pulled out the lamented card and handed it two the Robot Unit. A scanner light shone out from his two, beady red eyes.

"NAME-BLOSSOM WING. SPECIES- PEGASUS. MANE COLOR- BROWN AND PINK. COAT COLOR- LIGHT BROWN. EYE COLOR- GREEN. CITIZEN NUMBER-400-89. THANK YOU. YOU MAY CONTINUE." The Robot Unit handed me back the card. I put it away.

"ADJUST YOUR UNIFORM."

Yes, thank you again." I shifted the black jumpsuit around to its proper position. I flew on. I looked behind me. The Unit was flying away, towards the sun that never sets. Good. I live under the moon that never sets. Plot 56231.

My home.

Welcome to my life.

*******

I am lined up with more Units that look exactly like me. The conveyor starts to move, and we are taken to a space that is filled with large clear bubbles and inside them are other Units. I look around, taking in my new surroundings. I notice that none of the other new Units are doing this.

WELCOME NEW UNITS

A voice says.

HERE IS THE RECHARGE STATION. EACH OF YOU HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED A MODULE. YOURS HAS THE NUMBER YOUR POSTED ON IT. GO FIND IT AND THEN INTRODUCTION WILL BEGIN.

Dozens of Units around me begin to hover into the air, and I do the same. I find that I know how to fly. I believe that it is in my programming.

I spend a while searching, then I find it. 456770.

The hatch opens for me and I hover in, dropping to my hooves. The hatch closes behind. I turn to face out. I see the other units getting hooked up to a strange tube device.

I feel a sharp pain in my rump. I turn around and see that a similar tube has been attached to me. I panic for a moment, then realize that it is just the recharge device.

WELCOME NEW UNITS TO INTRODUCTION

The voice sounded in my head.

THIS IS EQUESTRIA, LAND THAT WAS ONCE WAS PLAGUED BY WARS BUT IS NOW IN A HAPPY PLACE THANKS TO THE INSTILLATION OF THE ROBOT UNITS. WE CREATE ORDER, WE CREATE CALM. EACH OF YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED TO A DIFFERENT AREA. YOU WILL FIND THAT OUT AFTER THE RECHARGE. BUT KNOW THAT THERE ARE FOUR HUNDRED AREAS IN EQUESTRIA. MANY OF YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED TO THE SAME AREAS FOR SOME NEED OUR ASSISTANCE MORE THAN OTHERS. TOMORROW WE BEGIN TRAINING. BUT JUST REMEMBER, WE ARE HERE TO SERVE.

I felt my head become foggy. I knew what was happening. This was what happened during recharging. And how do I know?

I believe that it's in my programming.

SYSTEM MALFUNCTION-WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING

Comments

[WolfoftheWaves Pony]

Feedback please!

[hailspider]

4430227 I didn't expect too much from this premise, but you actually seem to be handling it really well so far.