Sweetie Bot - A Heart's Warming Tale

by Grimweird

Chapter 19. Child of Cyber

“Rarity. Please eat something.”

Rarity did not respond, she just sat there, leaned against the wagon window and starred out into the rain with red swollen eyes.

The black spots around her eyes had gotten worse, and had been joined by big black bags. And these spots were the natural sign of sleep deprivation, as no mascara remained on her face. Likewise, her mane and tail had lost the last of their curls as she no longer tended to them, their only volume now came from the ragged mess that formed she she attempted to dry herself up from the rain.

Pressed tightly against her chest she hugged the rough crystal. As it if would disappear if she let go. From time to time she tried taking it in her magic – to shape it into something resembling a heart. And time and time again she sat it down without having done anything.

She had not been able to stop blaming herself for everything that had happened. She had refused to go back into the wagon, insisting that she lead the party in their search for Sweetie. She stressed to the max that they had to find her little sister before the other hooligans did.

They did not need Screwloose to follow the deep tracks that the other group had left behind. The mad mare needed a rest as much as anypony. after having calmed her down from her phobia of lightning, Dr Cardiac had tucked her to sleep in the wagon, and simultaneously vowed to take some rest beside her. The big stallion also needed some rest. and it thus became Twilight's and Sully's turn to pull the wagon. Despite a splitting headache Twilight had managed to put a spell on the wagon, to make it to make it easier to pull. That way they could take turns, as just one pony could pull all the others as they laid to get some rest in the mattress clad interior.

All except Rarity, Who pushed herself further and further ahead of the group and threatened to run ahead of them if they did not keep up. Despite being worn out from the rough encounter she pushed herself. Eventually - Sully had shot a sedative dart into her back to stop her from breaking herself.

As they pulled the two exhausted mares into the wagon for some much needed rest, It became Twilight's turn to pull. She had followed the tracks for what felt like several hours. Eventually coming across a glade full of fallen Steel Stallions that had been beaten into scrapmetal. The trees around them had suffered much damage after magical energy weapons and homemade explosives. Yet, there was no sign of what they had been shooting at or what had attacked them. Only the ground seemed a little extra muddy in these parts.

Given her friends condition. Twilight thought it best no to mention anything. Instead she pulled the wagon away from the sight.

Eventually Screwloose and Cardiac came to, and offered to take over. The mad mare once again picked up the trail of Sweetie, and thankfully lead them away from the current path.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief to this. Firstly - because it meant that the other group hadn't found Sweetie, and were hopefully on the wrong track. Secondly - cause the trail seemed to be littered every so often with another broken Steel Stallion.

However, Twilight might rather have pulled the wagon into eternity, than climb aboard and see her friend like this.
Before taking her place at the front of the wagon, Dr Cardiac had whispered to Twilight that her friend were showing signs of self destructive behaviors. Possibly as a form of punishment she was bestowing upon herself.

Hence, she now refused to eat.

The only thing Twilight could do was be there for her. Comfort her and talk to her.
Contrary to her appetite, Rarity had not been unable to talk. She had in fact been more open now than she had been for the entire trip. It was as if some form of plug had opened up in her. And all that she had bottled up was now flowing out.

Still – as it was flowing out of her, Rarity seemed to be visibly deflating as it did so.

Twilight had asked about the murderous strangers with the deadly machines that had interrupted their meeting with Shockwave. And Rarity had recognized every one of them. There had been Molten Meralhoof, the mechanic. The mare on him was Marrow – also called Marrowline. And third and finally there had to bee Dr Prism Prestige. A prestige-filled stallion with a degree in crystal magic. All ponies that had worked on the same little mare, and that were now all out to get her.

There had been more still. A pony calling himself Mr P. Morbious, Or just 'Morbid' as Rarity had called the creepy stallion. He was surely dead in the great fire that had swept the research lab. She never had learned what the 'P' stood for. And then there was also Dr Bronco, the only kind soul that she could remember, as well as another mare, who joined the project late, just to name a few.

Rarity excused herself from the spoon full of tin canned fruit that was hovering in front of her with that she did not want to talk with food in her mouth. But Twilight remembered Dr Cardiac's words. Her friend was deflecting the food with excuses.

A bit deflated herself, Twilight levitated the spoon to her own mouth.

She rubbed her forehead, near the base of her horn. The splitting headache she had gotten from having her magic drained was beginning to die down. But due to sleep deprivation and exhaustion it refused to leave her head completely. Even the small magic effort of lifting the spoon caused something to burn under her forehead.

She needed to rest. But due to the mood she was in, she found it impossible. Even worse was it for Rarity, who had exhausted herself worse than Twilight yet still refused to sleep. The pain in her chest would not let her. Despite the medication she looked as tense as a rubber band - stretched to the breaking point. Twilight silently begged for this endeavor to be over soon. she did not know how much more she or her friend could take.

On the other side of the wagon. Nurse Sully and Brick were sleeping like there was not a care in the world. The two of them had managed to cuddle themselves together - less like a couple and more like a pair of big fillies who has fallen asleep on top of each other. (him with his head in her neck - she on his thick foreleg.)

Twilight sighed at the two. Years of dealing with crazy must have made them able to sleep despite the sorrow in the air.

She was about to offer Rarity another spoon when suddenly the wagon stopped. Next to her, Brick and Sully was rocked awake by the sudden stop.

"What is it? Are we there yet, mom?" The dizzy stallion mumbled.

"Prick." Sully answered with a yawn.

Then the two of them quickly pulled themselves apart as they realized who they were using as a pillow.

Twilight poked her head out the window to see what was the matter.

In the front, Cardiac was loosening himself from the pulling harness.
Ahead of him, Screwloose had stopped, and she was barking wildly at them.

"What is the matter?"

“I think she wants us to see something.” Said Dr Cardiac. “What is it girl? What have you found?”

Rarity sprung to life. She was the first out of the wagon and immediately started calling out.

“Sweetie? Sweetie! Where is she?”

Twilight disembarked from the back and her hooves clattered against the unusually hard ground. It was then she realized that they had come upon an asphalted road, and the mad mare was sitting in the middle of it.

She and Rarity lit up their horns and swung them across the road. Shining it up with rays of magic light.

“SWEETIE!? SWEETIE!” Rarity continued.

Twilight directed her light-cone down to the rains soaked road, and something caught her eye. Screwloose was her hoof alongside the road, as if trying to dig something up. As if trying to push the water aside.

Despite the hurt in her forehead. Twilight managed to conjure up an energy field to block the rain.
With the rain no longer falling on the road. Twilight saw what it was that had caught the mad mares attention.

Skitter-marks. Black lines had been carved into the asphalt. Marks by two ponies. And a large chariot. They must have halted for something – and failed. There was a spot on the road where the marks stopped, then began again. Indicating that something got run over here.

Screwloose started jumping around on skitter-marks, and came to a stop at that gap in the marks. There she laid down. Ears flat to her head, and whimpered.

Around the mare, there was a small glimmer of light that was reflected in Twilight's magic flashlight. Upon examination of the spot, she found the road was covered in tiny metal tiny metal chips. There was even a small head of a screw. clearly having been broken off.

“Where is she?!" Rarity yelled as she marched up to Screwloose "WHERE IS MY SISTER YOU STUPID DOG OF A MARE!?"

She grabbed Screwloose by the collar of her ruined restraining jacket and started shaking her around as she yelled in her face.

"You were supposed to lead us to my sister! SO WHY DID YOU STOP!?”

Rarity looked like she wanted to strangle she poor mare. She no doubt would if the mare had led them astray. But Twilight did not believe she had.

"Because the trail ends here!" She shouted.

Rarity let go of Screwsloole and focused all her attention on Twilight.

"What do you mean ends here? Where is she?"

"Look." Twilight pointed down at the marks in the asphalt.

Rarity took them in with a questioningly look on her face. Then grabbed Screwloose again.

"WHAT? DO YOU WANNA CHASE WAGONS NOW YOU STUPID DOG...!"

Behind her, Brick and Cardiac moved in to grab Rarity, And Sully was readying a shot.

"Yes! I actually think she has to!" Twilight shouted "Look again. The trail ends here. And a wagon stopped for something - hit something. Don't you think its possible that she might have gotten on board?"

This time Rarity did take in the metal chips and drag marks on the road. Twilight even showed her the one little screw head.

"Oh! By a hippo's Hippocampus" Brick cursed. "She eluded us again!"

“Wha... What?” Twilight could not help but to let out a nervous laughter. she was that unsure of how to take the stallions weird statement.
“sorry. Its just... what you said...”

“Its just something I've taken to saying." Brick smiled "I don't want to sound superstitious “so I swear by a hippo's hippocampus instead of by our empresses.”

Everypony stared awkwardly at him for a few seconds.

“Is't...” he began.

“I know what it is.” Said Cardiac. The hippocampus is a part of the brain..."

" ...And a hippo is a creature from the southern realms." Twilight finished.

The two exchanged a look

"I just never thought about the similar spelling of the two words.” she said.

“Few would” Cardiac said with a smile.

"Hell of a time to be joking you big prick!" Sully shouted "Don't you happen to be related to such a creature when you have such useless information floating in your brain!"

Brick let out a big sigh and rolled his eyes. Twilight felt the tiny smiles melt away from their lips. She looked back at her friend, who was just done examining the road.

"How ... how do we even know this is Sweetie?" Rarity shuddered, shaking her head in denial. "It ... It could be one of those horrible stallions we are chasing .... One of those metal monstrosities."

Rarity didn't want to believe it. Twilight didn't want to believe it herself. But the evidence pointed towards it.

Rarity turned back to grab Screwloose - But the mad mare had moved out of her grip and was now sniffing in the gutter beside the road, outside Twilight's rain-bubble. Demonstrating she actually could use her hooves like a mare, she picked picked something up from the gutter, and walked back to Rarity, dropping it in her still strangle-itching hooves.

It was a single straw of pink hair, that had almost been washed away by the rain.

Rarity stared at it, and collapsed.

"It is... Its Sweeties" She mumbled "There is no doubt about it. I recognize that color anywhere"

With one hoof she hugged the straw close to her chest. The other she dragged over the ground, picking up several shards of metal chipping, along with the screw-head.

“She is falling apart...” She said with a shivering voice. “My little Sweetie is falling apart...” She looked back up at twilight with the saddest eyes. "We must find her... find her before ... she..." She could not get out a single word more as her voice failed her.

"Twilight dropped to her knees and took her friend in a hug."

"We will..." She whispered "... We will."

Thankfully, Rarity hugged her back. A bit harder than Twilight had expected.

"You were saying it it likely she was picked up by a passing wagon?" She asked, sternness sipping into her broken voice.

'Passing' Twilight thought as she looked down at the tracks. The only thing she said was: "If her tracks end here... then yes."

“We need to find that wagon.” Rarity stated firmly as she pulled them both up from the ground. “Search girl! Search!!”

Apparently the mad mare understood, for she immediately started sniffing the track-marks. She sniffed down their entire length, then past them, out past Twilight's barrier and out into the rain. There she rose up on her back hooves, let out a howl, and started running.

"Looks like we have to pick up the pace." Said Brick. "Everypony back onto the wagon!"

Rarity didn't even bother to get back in the wagon. She was already running after Screwloose.

---

***

---

It was not to long before they came upon the gates of a dumpster. Screwloose dashed right in, flowing the deep tracks of a heavy loaded wagon that were still visible, like water filled channels in the muddy ground.

Unfortunately, those tracks ended in the middle of a big U-turn. (Screwloose stopped in the middle of that U turn, and let out a howl.)
The only conclusion Twilight could draw from that was that the wagon had been unloaded - and that the tracks of the lighter wagon had been washed away by the heavy rain. And there was quite a few conclusions to what kind of load the wagon had been carrying that she did not want to draw if it had unloaded in a place like this.

Where they really gonna have to find Sweetie in a place like this? Buried in a pile of rubble? A part of her wondered what kind of pony miss-takes a filly for a pile of junk? But another part of her remembered Cardiac's story about Sweetie never emerging from the burning building. What did she actually look like if she was caught in those flames? Bad enough that she was deliberately avoiding ponies? Bad enough that she did no longer look like a filly?

“Man ... What a dump.” Brick said out loud.

“Way to state the obvious you prick!” Sully sneered.

Brick let out another big sigh.

They all started calling out for Sweetie. For anypony at all. Somepony had to be here after all, if the wagon had come by here.

“Unless it was the last wagon, and whoever runs this dump have gone home now.” Said Cardiac.

But then why was there still light coming from that porch? Twilight wondered.

When they didn't receive any answer, they started to fan out and search the place. Whoever had designed designed this place had made it a maze. And Twilight and Sully soon lost sight of the others.

As the two mares strutted around a corridor of junk. Twilight decided that it was time to get to know her traveling companion a little better. Particularity about one thing that had been bugging her.

“Don't you think you are being a little hard on Brick? Why are you always calling him a prick and such?”

“Because he is one.” Was the blunt answer.

When asked to elaborate, The nurse sighed and looked even more tired than she already was.

“Prick used to bully me in school, used to make jokes about my pale colors and what have you. Then, several years later, as some twist of fate, he happens to apply for work at the same place as me. But this time the roles were reversed. Now I was technically his superior. So I figured it was time for some payback."

“And how long has this been going on?”

“I don't know.” Sully sighed. “So long that I have started doing it out of habit. He pulls one of his bad jokes – and I call him out on it.”

“I don't think he was joking, At least not in any harmful way. ”

“Don't you find it annoying?”

Twilight smiled. “I have a friend that is at least a hundred times worse. Sure she can be a hooffull sometimes. Until you realize that she is really just trying to lighten the mood."

"Do you really think this situation calls for jokes?"

"Sometimes the best way to deal with fear is to laugh a little at it. Have you tried to laugh along, just a little?”

“No... I didn't laugh at his jokes in school, and I...”

“But you are not in school any more aren't you?" Twilight aborted "And the jokes don't seem to be aimed at you any more. Have they been ever since he started working with you?”

“… No.”

"Then don't you think its time to bury the hatchet. You only seem to be holding back yourself by holding on to old grudges. Besides, hasn't he gotten enough of a payback by now?"

Sully looked down on her hooves.

"Maybe... HEY!? What are you!? Cardiac's apprentice or something?

Before Twilight could answer, Screwloose started howling.

“There must be somepony here! Hello! HELLO!”

The two mares ruched to the place to hear the mad mare growling at something. They rounded the corner of a pile of rubble, and fond Screwloose, showing all her teeth and aced her back at something.

At first Twilight thought the junkyard had come alive. before them stood a row of tiny, randomly thrown together pieces of junk. Walking on legs made out of knives and rods and cutlery. Waving at them with their arms made of tools and cogs and what have you. looking at them with their eyes of light bulbs and camera lenses.

Behind them, a body of a pony laid in the mud. Severely beaten and bruised and bloody. Several of the things crawled and rolled over the poor thing.

Whatever they had done to that pony, Twilight wasn't gonna let them do it any longer

"BACK FOUL THINGS!" She shouted. Her horn flared, her headache forgotten at the sight of a pony in danger, and she grabbed at least a dozen of the tiny robots and hurled the away over the yard. those that remained quickly scurried away into the junk-piles, like crabs to their hiding rocks.

The two mares rushed over to the fallen pony. It was a unicorn stallion. Yellow and green of color, or might have been, he was so covered in bruises that there were more blue and pink on his body than coat color, some of the bruises were so bad that they were bleeding One eye was swollen shut and his nose was broken and bent. Blood covering most of his face. Whats worse was that one of his legs where flayed and somepony had shoved pieces of metal into it. actual screws and bolts had been used to attach them to the flesh.
Even the horn sticking out of his forehead had been cracked.

Somehow the worst offensive was that his flank had been completely shaved, and the spot where his mark should have been was scrubbed almost all the way down to the muscle tissue.

It turned in Twilight's stomach just to look at the poor thing. What kind of monster had done this? What kind of depraved mind would violate a pony down to the point of desecrating their very symbol of their person?

The two mares gently bent down over him. Twilight was unsure if she should even touch him or not, but she could at least cast a shield spell to block out the rain.

"Hello ... Sir? Can you hear me?"

He responded to her voice by twitching and groaning. The one eye that wasn't swollen shut opened, and a green pupil started to roll around, looking for the speaker.

“Don't move!” She encouraged him. “I know you must be in pain right now, but..”

“Yessss.” came his reply, in a low wheezing voice.

"Just hold still" Said nurse Sully, readying a needle "I'm gonna give you a shot of..."

"Nooooooo." he wheezed again.

"No? Are you allergic to something?"

"Don't make the pain go away..."

Twilight and Sully looked at each other, they could hear him speaking clearly now. there wasn't even any hint of struggle in his voice.

“It feels so good.”

“Good? You are beaten all over!”

"Yessss ... Such a lovely experience."

Sully coughed in her hoof, trying to act professionally despite the insecurity's in her eyes.

“Sir ... Is anything broken, or ... ?” She asked.

“Unfortunately... No.”

He turned hid bloody face towards them. And greeted them with a smile. A smile in which most of his brown teeth were missing.
Then he let out a yawn, actually yawned, as if he had been woken up from a sauna.

Both mares stared in confusion at the stallion. Then at each other.

"I think we need another kind of doctor." Said Sully, using the needle she was levitating to tap her forehead.

Behind them, Screwloose was still letting out a low growl, refusing to approach the stranger. Her ears peeked at the sound of several empty canister got knocked over. And Cardiac emerged from behind a junkpile. The mad mare instantly rushed over to lick the doctor in the face. Even Sully breathed a sigh of relief at the arrival of her boss.

"This one is all yours boss." She said.

Cardiac was as shocked and confused as them over the mangled Stallion before them.

"By Celestia. What has happened here! What has done this?" he shouted.

"Did these things do this to you?” Twilight asked the smiling stallion. She magically grabbed one of the unlucky little machines that happened to bee peeking out from the junkpile. And levitated it before her.

“Oh no. My little darlings could never hurt me …" He answered "Unless I told them”

“Yours? So you made these things.”

“Yes, its been a little hobby ever since I moved here.”

"But... Sir. What has happened to you? Who attacked you?"

"A few of my associates came by. We had a little disagreement."

"Disagreement! Is that what you call it!" Twilight shouted, and gestured to all of him "Why would they do this to you! Your leg … your mark."

"Oh no. They didn't do this. I did."

There was a moment when Twilight was absolutely convinced that this stallion had suffered brain damage in the attack. her brain simply refused to believe that a stallion could mutilate themselves in such a gruesome way. But the wounds on his rear spoke a different story. The scar tissue was old. Older than all the bruises combined. And that smile, that horrible grin on his face that just refused to fade.

Sully let out a single, long question

"Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?"

It sounded like the air being slowly let out of a balloon.

"To see it it would grow back."

The three sane ponies exchanged unsure looks. Cardiac nervously whipped his glasses of on his rain soaked coat, as it that would somehow help what he had heard. Screwloose just growled.

"Sir." Cardiac finally said, trying to take control of the situation "We need to get you inside. Its freezing out here."

"Yesss ... Lots of work to do. It has been an unusually eventful day. So many guests ... would never have expected ... Should have put on more tea."

Before they could object, the bruised stallion put his hooves under him and rose from the ground.

Surprisingly he was able to stand up and walk on his own. Not even a limp or sag to his stance. He held his withers completely straight and his head high as he marched past Cardiac and the growling Screwloose.

"Oh. What a lovely dog." He said, and stretched out his hoof to pet her.

Screwloose growled warning, and when the stallion refused to head her warnings - she bit him.

"Screwloose! BAD GIRL! BAD! LET GO!"

The stallion did not scream. He didn't even pull his hoof back. He just stood there with the mares teeth in his fetlock. Apparently even Screwloose thought it was too weird that he would just let her chew on him. And spat it out.

"Fasssshinating."

Twilight felt her stomach turn again.
There was no logical explanation for how this stallion could move so unhindered with such damage. She had to question if he was able to feel any pain at all. Or - Celestia forbid - Did he actually enjoy it? What kind of masochist was this?

---

***

---

The masochist had no trouble leading them out of the maze with a bite mark added to his scarred body. The walk back to the porch at the entrance was thankfully short and quiet, as everypony kept their eyes on the mysterious stranger. Sully refused to lower her needle, keeping it ready like a weapon against insanity. On their way out they ran into brick, who seemed to have lost himself in the maze. He too was so shocked by the walking corpse that he did not even try to joke about it,

Rarity could bee seen standing in the light under the roof, staring out across the junkyard with a very morbid look on her face. As they approached, she ran out to meet them.

"Have you found her!"

"We found something." Brick said before relieve his unstable bowels into a nearby rusty bucket.

Rarity stared at the newcomer, and took him in for all the horror that he was. Twilight was afraid she was gonna scream, have another seizure, or maybe just join Brick with another bucket. Luckily she showed more surprise than shock.

"Ah ... there is a face I remember." The strange unicorn said.

"D...Dr Morbid?" She said "I thought you were dead.”

“Dead?" Twilight looked from her friend to the stranger and back again "When?”

“It was during the great fire." Rarity answered, without taking her eyes of him. "I thought for sure you burned alive.”

“I nearly did” He said, and held up his mangled right foreleg. Where the metal had fallen of Twilight could see a naked,red barren wasteland covered in scar tissue so deep that she wondered if the damage did not extend all the way down to the muscle tissue.

“When the place caught fire, It was everypony for themselves. Our research was about to burn – I knew I just had to save some of the work. “

"Work? What work?"

Dr Morbid looked at them. The grin never leaving his face.

"I'll tell you all about it. But first, I think this reunion calls for some refreshments."

---

***

---

After that there was a long talk of introductions and explanations as Dr P. Morbious, as he called himself, made some tea, and served them all out on the porch by a table that a dozen or so of his little junk-bots carried forth. Though Twilight was the only one who tried some of his tea (a decision she would regret since it tasted like a cup of dirt). Rarity flat out refused, Dr Cardiac invented some excuse about allergies and Screwloose was Screwloose.

Brick and Sully walked off to talk about something Twilight could only guess. Cardiac just sat quiet and observed the strange Dr P. Morbious as closely as he could. Beside him, Screwloose sat quiet, but as tense as a guard dog on her post. Growling at any junk bot who got too close.

Regardless of what they said. It seemed impossible to to speed this stallion up on his story.

Twilight shook her head - Another one of Sweetie's makers. Was she seeking them out or something?

"A fascinating theory that I would not put past her, would not you to want to find out your origins if you could?"

"But. I already know my origin" Said Twilight.

"Yes. I guess your parents have told you all about how you came to be ... As is the duty of all parents."

He looked over at Rarity when he said it. She in turn merely averted her gaze, she did not want to have that conversation again. and neither did Twilight.

"And, what became of you all after the fire?" she asked.

"Sadly I don't know" Morbious said, and looked up dreamily at the sealing of his porch. "After the fire - we all scattered to the four winds - Or the four corners of the forest it would seem. I have been keeping an eye on two of them as they have been having a dispute for some time."

He gestured to some monitors placed on the shelves among all the junk. some of them were hosing still images of a rainy forest. One of them showed a fallen steel stallion.

"I did not expect that they would show up on my doorstep all these years later."

Twilight nearly spat out her tea.

"WAIT! THEY WERE HERE!? What did they want?"

"They wanted to talk, and we talked for hours it seemed. But sadly, they wanted to interfere with the experiment. And when it became clear to them that I did not want to interrupt the field test. Molten got a little mad, and he had his creations show me a whole new meaning of pain."

What was this feeling in Twilight's guts? Sympathy?

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. I thank him for it."

"Wait ... Wat was this Field test that they wanted to disrupt?"

Morbious smiled.

"The same field test I have been waiting all these years to see the results of. The test that started that day we lit the match inside the old compound."

Rarity reacted.

"Wait... You were in on that arson?"

"We all were. For various reasons. I did it for the experiment. After all - Her authenticity required field tests. I suppose that's why our dear Dr Bronco hatched the idea of a little disaster exercise. It was not too difficult to convince the others. Though i suppose the others had ideas of their own.”

He held up his mangled foreleg.

"Otherwhise ... Our dear surgeon Shockwave would not have lit the match prematurely."

Beside her, Rarity fave was turning as red as the blood that sipped from the wounds in his leg. Twilight almost did not want to ask what happened next. Not that she would have had to. As Dr P. Morbious continued on his own.

“When the smoke cleared, When the smoke cleared. Everypony was just gone. Me and Mr Molten got in touch some time later, we shared what we had gotten our hooves on, just as promised, and started out little trade. Then we simply waited for our little darling to return from her experiment.”

He let out a series of wheezings from between his remaining teeth. It almost sounded like coughing, but Twilight had the impression it was suppose to be laughter. Rarity tensed up till she looked like she was about to pop a blood vessel.

"It has to have been the longest field test that I have ever experienced."

“LIES” Cried Rarity, no longer able to hold in the pressure. “The were no more experiments! We ran to put an end to the tests! To put all that behind us! And don't you dare try to speak ill about Dr Bronco. He helped us escape! He had no ulterior motives!"

“But what has her life been if not the greatest field test in our projects history? Tell me. How did she fare? Was she authentic? Was she believable?”

His functional green eye swept across the table. Twilight could feel that poisonous green stare pierce her soul. He did not need an answer. he could read it in their faces.

"Everyone in Ponyville believed she was just an ordinary filly..."

“Intressssstinging!”

In the next second. Twilight vision was filled with tablecloth and flying teapots as rarity flipped the table over and threw herself over Morbious. She tackled him from his chair and pinned him to the ground, not one bit given for the wounds that covered his body.

"Her life is not an experiment!” She spat in his face.

Screwloose had also jumped from her seat and was standing right by Rarity, barking angrily at the stallion. Twilight and Cardiac had to pull Rarity off him. and even with two ponies Twilight had to use her magic to separate her furious friend from her victim. And even then she managed to claw some new marks into Morbious bruised skin.

“You bastard! You maniac!" She cried as she wildly waved around in Twilight's magic. "Always with your stupid experiments! It was you who took away her toys. You fed her grass just to watch her puke! You cut her! You lock her away! You did everything to make her life miserable!"

Morbious slowly rose from the floor. He gave them all a big grin as he licked a reopened wound on his fetlock.

"I was just doing my job" He said. "Tests needed to be done in order to validate her authenticity. And we all had our various areas of expertise. Like every foal must learn about the up's and downs of being alive, so did we have to teach her about every corner of the emotional spectrum. Not an easy thing to teach, since the emotional spectrum is like a sea of colors."

He finished licking his wound by the time Sully and Brick reached the porch. Cardiac got aid from Brick in holding Screwloose back from launching herself over the mad stallion, and Twilight had to hold her own friend still as Sully pulled out a pair of needles and rammed them into the rears of the struggling mares. It was not enough to knock them out. But their wild wailing slowly ceased.

Morbious watched it all with that never-ending grin on his face.

"Guess which area I’m a expert in.” He asked.

Twilight learned that holding a unicorn pinned in your magic did not stop them from using their own magic. Rarity's horn lit up and before anypony could stop her she had magically grabbed one of the nearby junkbots, and thrown it into his Morbious face.

Sully dug through her saddlebags and pulled out a small black ring. Just big enough to fit over a unicorns horn. She placed it over Rarity's horn, and her magic aura evaporated.

Twilight Slowly released her friend from her grip. Rarity was barely able to stand, the drug had made her groggy, and she looked so very, very tired. Jet not the slightest bit less furious as she watched Morbious pull himself from the floor a second time. Despite there now being a big scar on his forehead, right below his horn, he smiled like he enjoyed the treatment.

"You destroyed her teddy bear!" Rarity spat" I remember walking into the room with teddy ripped in halves and stuffing spread all over the floor. I thought she had done it herself in curiosity, and I spent the whole day there stitching the bear back together!”

“Yessss... You where the one to teach her compassion and … generosity”

If not for the magic inhibitor on her horn, Rarity would have thrown another robot at his head.

Instead, she walked away, muttering something about what she would do if he was hiding Sweetie here. She kicked in the door to his shack and entered. There was a short rustle Twilight looked between her friend and Dr Cardiac, who saw busy scraching a drugged out Screwloose behing the ear, wondering if they should do something or not. She could hear something rustle around inside the shack, followed by a fainted gasp.

She re-emerged in the doorway - with a dirty worn teddy bear in her hoof.

“Its Teddy.” She stammered in both shock and disgust “He took it... He actually took it!”

Twilight feared she would start beating Morbious with it. Instead she just started talking from memory.

“She cried so much. She always stopped crying when she saw me though – she just sat there watching me work. She never cared much about her old toys. She was always curious about new ones. But this bear … she would always sleep with it. Maybe it held a special meaning to her because I made it for her. We couldn’t take him with us when we ran. I made her a new one. A stuffy pony. Called “Stuffina”... And it was like Teddy had never existed.”

She hugged the bear to her chest as her eyes stared at nothing.

"Perhaps it wasn’t the bear or the pony themselves … But that I made them for her. That she saw me make them for her."

“Yessss... she always seemed to have a special connection to you. That's why we tested to lock you away from her for several days to see what would happen.”

This time Rarity really did start beating Morbious with the teddy bear.

“You bastard! This is why we had to run from you!”

Morbious didn't even attempt to deflect her blows as the studded animal bounced against his face. Twilight wasn't sure she wanted to stop Rarity's sell then harmful assault, and neither was anypony else. Stuffing started flying across the porch as Teddy was caught on Morbious sharp horn.

Rarity stopped herself, and stared at the broken bear as she realized what she had done. All expressions melted from her face as she in a sleepwalking state started collecting the stuffing and walked off to the edge of the porch. There she sat down, pulled out a pin cushion from her saddlebag, and started stitching the bear back together by hoof. Completely forgetting to remove the magic inhibitor from her horn.

Twilight carefully approached her friend, seeing that she used the pink straw from the road as thread to her needle.
Rarity's eyes were empty, foggy, almost dreamy. And Twilight could hear a faint rhythm escaping her friends lips

“... Thread by thread ... Piece by piece.... Stitch by stitch ... Stitching it together ... ”

"Rarity?"

Before Twilight got any further Dr Cardiac put a hoof on her shoulder. Shaking his head and saying something about relapse

“All this is forcing her to remember the memories she has repressed – the trauma is like an old wound opening up.”

"What... what can I do doctor?"

"Nothing. Just... Leave it to us."

Twilight reluctantly stepped aside as As Cardiac and the others moved to tend to Rarity. Leaving her alone with Morbious.
He just grinned at her, waiting for her to speak. He stared at her with his one eye. His green gaze fishing around for signals in her own.

She felt curiosity sneaking up on her mind, as well as a great deal of guilt. She could feel Dr Cardiacs warnings about her priorities ringing in her ears. But the curiosity was ringing harder. It told her that Rarity was in good hooves, and would not suffer if she asked questions. Besides, was it not better to arm oneself with knowledge of what they were chasing?

Twilight mentally kicked herself. Of course she knew who they were chasing.
But what was she made of... what did she even look like now ... ?

She asked.

"What else did you save from the fire?"

"Fassshinating." He hissed. "An actually curious soul. A kindred spirit with a passion for knowledge."

Twilight felt dirty for being compared to this creepy stallion. And the guilt was doubled.

Morbious rose from the floor, and quietly walked up to the door leading into his hidden lair. He nodded for Twilight to follow him before proceeding inside. Twilight took one last look back at the others. Seeing them all in progress of comforting her friend.

Realizing she would be superfluous, she followed the stallion in through the door.

---

***

---

The inside of she shack was not much different from the porch. Filled to the brim with scavenged stuff upon furniture that was made out of scrap metal. What did put it apart was the walls. they were filled with schematics, sketches and diagrams to the point where they covered every surface like wallpaper.

Twilight looked closer at the tapestry, most of it was of varying kinds of inventions, in quality ranging from blueprints to a sketch done by a foal. At first she could not see anything that looked like it had been saved from the fire of some secret lair. Until Morbious showed her the back wall. There, almost hidden amongst all the other paper, hung a schematic of a filly. It was magnified to the point that the image was as big as a full grown pony. And with details and markers showing off every vital part in a see through fashion. similar to an image of the pony anatomy - except all these organs were mechanical.

There were parts labeled things like "Automatic stomach", "Voicebox" and "Airpump" that filled the torso. The legs were filled with hydraulic pistons, and every joint consisted of a ball shaped abacus system. Each of these parts were incredibly complex and would require separate schematics dedicated to them.

Taking another look around the room, and Twilight began to see a pattern to the chaos. Hidden amongst all the crazy inventions were blueprints connected to this one machine. arranged in such a way that one would miss it upon first glance.

"You see it too ... don't you". Morbious grinned, sounding glad that somepony could crack his code.

Twilight silently returned her attention to the filly. Was she really looking at a see through version of Sweeties true self?

At the top of the Schematic, inside the cranial structure, where a brain would normally be sitting, was a single large circle. the label read "Cybercore." But unlike the other parts, There were no indication of any advanced components. The area simply looked blank. Almost empty.

She tapped at the circle.

"This... what is this?" She asked.

"That is where it all started." Said Morbious, and gave her a file (that was inconspicuous hanging behind another childish drawing).

Inside the file were a series of photos. Twilight nervously eyed Morbious. But he simply grinned and waited.

Twilight looked at the photos, they were unmistakable of the cranial autopsy of a small foal, looked newborn to be in fact. The cranium was sawed open and the entire top half of the head was removed. Leaving the brain utterly exposed. If it could be called a brain, the underdeveloped organ looked more like a lump of fat. the gray matter was there, but with barely any wrinkles to speak of.

Next to the patient was a surgical tray with all the equipment nicely lined up, amongst the tools was a suspicious blue disk. The photographer had clearly taken his time to get everything into the frame fro this documentation.

The next picture showed that disk inserted between the two halves of the brain. A series of wires were connected to the devise, as well as a few threads that had been put into the brain matter itself.

The next few pictures did not show much improvement (they had clearly been waiting for either the filly to wake up of the brain to become more active) But there was something – Thin blue lines has stated to appear in the brain matter . Spreading out from the blue disk, first as thin as wires, but they slowly thickened into tentacles, (It was almost as if the disk was growing.)

Comparing the photos with the x ray diagrams and a bizarre image started to appear. The disk itself stated to fill up with nerves that was growing into the crystal like a fungi, merging together.

The component was no longer an implant shoved into the brain matter. It had merged with it. Melted into it as thin red likes of nerves were growing into it. Rooting itself into the component as it slowly began to loose its form. The wall between the artificial crystal and the organic brain began to crumble as the two melted into each other.

Before her eyes – In this flash card format – the blue crystal disk was growing. Melting together with the brain tissue. The blue tendrils spread out like the crown of a three, thickening and growing more and more branches – At the same time – the thicker branches were becoming filled with red nerve threads.
Ir continued from image to image until the whole brain had been converted. What few wrinkles that had originally been present had smoothed out – and what had been a brain now looked more like a big smooth pearl.

Twilight kept circling through the pictures, as she kept shoving the picture on top to the the bottom of the stack so that she was re-watching the events again and again in an endless loop.

The nerve pattern had reshaped into something much more similar to a circuit board.

Sweeties brain had completely and utterly transformed.

“These crystals... what are they?”

“They are actually not crystals in the common sense. We just used that term because of the similarities. But they are actually very different in the chemical structure... one of the closest guarded secrets of our company."

“Closely guarded?" Twilight eyes him skeptically. "Was that the reason for the Arson? You were trying to steal from your boss?"

Morbious grin only seemed to confirm it.

"Indeed you don't know out boss, Neurosa" He said. "And truth to be told, neither did we. It is true that these ”artificial” crystals where created by her. For what purpose I'm not entirely sure. Maybe she wanted to make some kind of new battery for her toys. Or some kind of electronic devices for said toys. Maybe she simply wanted a storage device. Or a neuro-enhancer. Perhaps she simply tried to make some false diamonds to make herself rich. Since these woods are quite sparse when it comes to gems, and with the mail service being what it its - importing would have been quite costly and time consuming. So It was much more effective to grow them in her own basement.”

In the basement … Twilight remembered the cold dark corner on the bunker, with its weird liquid tubes and blue crystallized mass growing like fungi out of the walls. She had a feeling that a former rock farmer like Pinkie Pie would not approve.

“We found out one of your earlier partners were growing crystals in his own basement. He seemed to be using them to power his creations.”

She magically opened her saddlebag, and pulled out a few of the samples she had collected.

Morbid's eyes widened with delight.

“O yesssss” He hissed. “No doubt did Mr Molten try to recreate the majesty of the mare's processors. Even I am guilty of the same crime. For I use the same technology in my little darlings.

He looked closer at the blue component Twilight was holding out, and let out a sigh.

“But alas, he has failed. His Cyber-disks are but poor imitations of its beauty. Look here. Only one layer of circuit wiring."

“Cyberdisks” - Up until now Twilight had not had a label to put on the blue, flat things.

She looked closer at the disk. Indeed, the crystal she had pulled out of the steel stallion only had one layer of threads inside it. But she failed to see how the number of layers was relevant.

"Even I have not managed to mimic the majesty of that little mare's circuits." He sighed. "Regardless how much I try to improve upon the samples that Molten had brought me.

He took one of Twilight's samples, and threw it to the floor, hard enough to shatter it.

"They are worthless by comparison. For you see. That girl had layers upon layers of circuit wiring. They seemed to be drawing themselves." He pointed back at the flash cards" "Horizontally and vertically, three-dimensional. That's when we came to the idea to not use sets of tiny flat discs, but instead use a whole square, a blue box if you will, Or even better – an orb. That gave the circuitry something to grow in. It took on new shapes after that. Swirling from straight lines and rows into spirals and waves of circuitry. It was beautiful....”

His eyes dazzled of to the sky. Twilight could see stars dancing in them even though not a star could bee seen through the clouds.

Twilight herself became so lost in the thoughts that she did no longer notice the sound of the rain. So distanced was her mind from her body that she no longer felt cold or hunger or tired. Her head was spinning faster than a well oiled abacus. To think such a crystal existed. A devise that could grow and evolve on its own.

It sounded magical. That's because it had to be magic. That was the only explanation for such a metamorphosis.

But ... It did not explain the rest. Twilight still found it more believable that Sweetie had been walking around with a magical sphere inside her skull than having to be turned into a full fledged machine.

When she asked Morbious this. He grinned wider still.

"Because the brain was not the only thing that needed implants. The body had been suffering from muscle degradation since before she arrived to us. It comes with being little more than a living vegetable. The organs required constant hook up to life support systems to even function. And the best part was that even weeks after the success of the brain transplant - the organs kept failing. At an ever increasing rate."

Twilight just stood and gaped. As Morbious spoke, he started scratching his malformed right leg. As if talking about tissue degradation got under his skin.

“We started by implanting little pistons and bracelets into her legs- to help her move – But Marrow came to the conclusion that the bone – the skeleton would eventually wither and die. So we needed something that would last a little longer. Marrow and Mr Molten designed an all new skeleton for her. A frame of steel and metal joints - That we slowly replaced the bone with. But still the organs kept wittering away.”

"Eventually we replaced the muscle tissue with pistons, and then hydraulic muscles – another one of Mr Molten's masterpieces. Steel that looked and behaved like muscle tissue.

Twilight was in shock. He made it sound like Sweetie was already dead.

“Then... Why did you not just pull the plug?”

“Because, sister....”

Twilight cringed at being called that.

“...she was not dead. Oh no. The Brain activity increased with every cybernetic organ we implanted.”

He scratched his leg even harder.

"When the organs started failing, we replaced them. It started so small, just an artificial heart, then just a liver, then just the lungs. The brain - or should I say Cybercore - took them all in. Even though the artificial organs were not at first connected to the core it somehow found a way to register the organs and count them as part of its system. Most probably through the body's own nervous system."

That part did not sit right with Twilight.

“But why did you not save the body?”

“Oh, we could have saved the body alright- We could have kept it alive with regenerative talismans and crystals filled with healing magic.”

“Then why didn't you” said Twilight. As much as the thought of having a sweetie running around with an artificial brain was so far fetched and bizarre, it still made more sense than to continue with the implants.

“Because... the brain would not bond with flesh! If we had not given her a new body, then the brain activity would have been trapped in a prison of flesh!”

As he said it he scratched the deformed leg so hard that a blood vessel bust. A spurt of blood splattered onto Twilight's rain coat.

Trapped in flesh – the words echoed through Twilight's mind. She thought back to the crystal removed from Screwloose – who where meant to enhance her brain activity. It had seemingly done nothing for the mare - yet it stored her memories of the event like a recording. A recording that could only be read on a computer – by a machine. Crystals that stored memories like recordings – that absorbed magic – crystals that had energy sent into them that seemingly disappeared. Twilight knew that was impossible. All energy goes somewhere. It can not just disappear into thin air. Its just transformed....

Transformed...

She drew the lines between her mental dots – organic energy disappears into a Crystal that can only be read by a machine ….

“Are you telling me that these crystals have the ability to rewrite energy?”

Morbious stopped scratching his malformed leg, and his smile widened, until his grin stretched from ear to ear.

“So rare it is to meet a fellow genius” He said, and clapped his hooves. "Rewriting energy is probably just the right word for it. Cause that's when we made a discovery that changed everything . For while the organic parts where failing. The mechanical parts worked in better harmony than ever. We never had any problem synchronizing all the systems together. It practically did it for us.
It saved us months of programming. For the system seemed to already know how the organs was supposed to work how a body was supposed to behave."

He took a deep breath, and hung his head with a sigh.

"But. For as advanced the core was becoming. She did not want to live.”

“What!?”

"She did not want to live." He repeated. "She did not care. Oh, she might do what we asked of her alright. We fed her countless test programs. And she preformed the all without question. When asked to jump - she jumped. But she did not care.

That's when we realized that maybe there was something missing. All the little good things they say makes up a pony's soul. We tried to make her care. We tried to make her feel – anything really. Love, loss ,anger, sorrow, pain. We hurt her to see if she would develop survival instincts. But no. She took everything we threw at her. And then it was back to apathy. It was all just another test run for her. Can't say she enjoyed it – since she could not care.

We could type the words of 'love' and etcetera into her system. But those words meant nothing to her! We had hit a brick wall. We had a living computer with no emotion. No will to live! And we had no Idea how to give her one. We had no idea how to program emotions."

His grin widened again.

“That's when a rare thing happened”.

He nodded out the door, at Rarity, who where still stitching up the doll.

“A most rare indeed. For you see, one night, when we were seriously considering pulling the plug and call it a failure. that little mare did something extraordinary. She crafted her own crystal. what she did to it, or from where she got it, I do not know. As I have said, these woods are sparse with gems. She might simply have stolen from the boss, the little thief.”

Twilight gave him a mean look.

"Regardless. She created something that can only be described as a second Cybercore. A core that she implanted right where she thought her sister needed it the most."

Morbious slammed his hoof on the schematic, right on the chest. There, behind rib-cages of steel and mechanical organs was a small spot, set as to mark a hidden component that had not been on the original design. The added label was a simple yet powerful word.

Heart-Drive

Twilight looked back out the door, at her friend. Her mind returning to the strange crystal that her parents had brought with them. And the words that had accompanied it.

"You where the one who gave Sweetie her heart the first time. You are the only one who can do it again.
You are the only one who know how."

"Stitch by stitch ... Thread by thread ... "

Whatever knowledge Rarity might have possessed, it was locked away behind years of suppressed memories. And if she could not remember, then was it not Twilight's duty to try and help? To find some form of information about that heart of hers.

She turned to Dr Morbious.

"Do you have any schematic related to that device?"

"Sadly... There was only so much I could save from the flames."

Twilight lowered her ears.

"But I do have a video."

Her ears perked again.

Morbious walked over to a set of monitors that had been stacked in a corner of his shack. From behind another piece of the wallpaper he pulled another one of those blue disks. He inserted it into a slot by the side of the monitor, and pushed a button.

The screen came alive with a gray static. Morbious pushed another button, and an image appeared. It was a frozen image of three ponies standing in what looked like a medical ward. On the wall hung a couple of X-rays of a partly mechanical torso. On the left was a mare, orange of body and grey of hair, with the biggest and brightest glasses Twilight had ever seen. in her hoof she was holding another X ray - angled so that Twilight could not see what it was. On the right side of the screen stood a younger pair of familiar parents. And they looked worried.

Morbious hit another button.

-:: Recording begins ::-

The image started to move. The mare in glasses put the X ray up on the wall and showed it to the parents. It was a close ups of a heart shaped crystal. The mare pointed at the heart, where lines of light had begun working their way into the outer edges.

Her mouth moved, but no sound came out.

Morbious pushed a few more buttons.

-:: Audio recording enabled ::-

“As you can see.” Said the mare in glasses. The .... (The next part disappeared in static. ) ... has begun working its way into the outer edges of the heart. The chemical composition and properties of the heart have already begun to change.”

“But...” The mother said. “If the properties of the heart changes. Would that not mean that its abilities... its energy...”

“Would be lost?” the mare finished. “Yes we believe so.”

The father gasped “What can we do to stop it”

“There is no stopping it. The damage has already been done. Just look at the cracks.”

She pointed up to the thin irregular lines that surrounded the outer edges of the heart. Twilight had a hard time seeing. Even standing close to the monitor she had to squeeze her eyes. But she did not think they looked like cracks in the common sense. they looked more like the lines in Screwlooses cyberdisk

The young couple shook their heads.

“Is there nothing we can do?” The father Shuddered.

“Well. We can isolate the undamaged parts of the heart behind a spell program – a firewall – that will make sure the energies of the heart gets out but nothing gets in. We can tie the energy of the program up to her battery so that it will run forever. And program its subroutines in the lower consciousness. That way she wont be able to tell that it is there.”

The couple looked at each other, clearly not understanding a word that the mare has said.

"That sounds complicated."

"Very" The mare assured "Such a complicated procedure would surely take its time"

"How much time?"

"A very long time, I can not say for certain at this point."

The couple looked at each other, this was clearly not what they wanted to hear.

"But... We were almost done ... We had already packed our bags."

“Look!" the mare sneered, starting to sound inpatient" If we do not do this properly, then I can not guarantee the firewalls efficiency. In fact its to early to promise anything. It might just slow the process down. It might just be a matter of time until the conversion covers the rest of the heart. Or she might as well just burn it out over time.”

“But what I f we could find a replacement.” Said the mother. “And transfer the energy to it?”

“Yessss... that could work. If we properly prepare that heart with the necessary spells and protection hardware. Of course such a procedure would have to be performed here, and no where el.....

-:: Recording ended ::-

Twilight stared at the static screen.

Rarity's parents had said something about the Heart-Drive deteriorating. She could see what clearly looked like cracks on the device on the screen. But not cracks in the ordinary sense. They looked more like cybernetic lines.

“You saw them to, didn't you?” Said Morbious. Waking Twilight from her thoughts.

“Those lines” She asked. "What are they?"

“Our greatest mystery." The edges of his smile shivered a little. Twilight suspected that meant he was smiling – if the smile had not been already stuck to his face like some kind of muscle cramp.

”We believed that the cyber-crystals absorbed all information and energy they come in contact with. Apparently that effect extended to other crystals. Our theory was that since the heart was hooked up to her systems - the Cybercore was been working its way into it. Transforming it.

And if that happened. The heart would loose its original abilities/properties – it would no longer be able to generate emotional energy. The heart would become a Cybercore itself. And Sweetie would lose her emotions. During her all too brief time with us, we were already able to detect a decrease in the hearts energy reading – it was small – and I mean 0.0001% like small. But it was happening. The heart signals was weakening."

Twilight gasped.

“The heart … It is not leaking... It is transforming. But HOW!? A transformation, regardless of how slow, requires the presence of magic. Even if it was not a spell crafted and cast by a unicorn It could still be nature magic. There is such a thing as magic mutation when magic energy simply lingers in the air and can have unpredictable effects on the land and creatures around it – as they slowly “mutate” under the magics influence. Was that what happened to this "Heart-stone". Was the Cybercore emitting sort of magic radiation!?”

“We detected no radiation.” Said Morbious.

"But that is impossible! If Sweetie was able to absorb magic energy, it had to go somewhere. Energy does not just vanish into thin air."

"We know. But that is the truth." He said, and pulled another paper down from the wall. This one a graph paper that showed energy readings from various sources. All of them the of electrical frequency that passed through the mechanical body and all of its systems. Another one showed all of those systems turned off during a test that was masked as a power blackout.

"Readings: Zero, Nothing, none, nada." Morbious stated "There was nothing coursing through that core other than the electricity keeping it operational. If they had not stolen her away from us we might have been able to preform more tests and determined the cause.”

“STOLE!?” Rarity shouted.

Twilight turned around to see her friend standing in the doorway, a re-stiched teddy bear in her hoof and a mask of fury on her face.

“SHE IS NOT YOUR PLAYTHING! SHE IS OUR DAUGHTER! SHE IS MY SISTER!. SHE IS OUR FAMILY! NOT YOUR EXPERIMENT!”

She shot Twilight an Ice cold stare, like she had just betrayed her by coming into the lair of this mad stallion. She cleared her throat, and tried to sound a little more like a lady. All be it an angry one.

"Are you coming darling? Screwloose has picked up her trail again. She can't be too far away, but we have got to move now."

"And you!" Her voice turned to poison as she turned to Morbious "Dr Cardiac wants a word with you!"

With that, she pulled the hood on her rain coat up over her horn, and marched out into the rain.

Twilight did the same. But as she was about to leave, one thing bothered Twilight. She was now more convinced than ever that there was some form of magical radiation – even if it was hidden both to her magic senses and to the most advanced measuring equipment in Equestria.

And secondly, even if Sweetie had suddenly gained a second heart shaped Cybercore, how did that meant she got emotions?

“Well..." Dr Morbious began "Our devices were, like I said, very much storage devices of information and energy. Emotions have a real energy to them. Changelings feed on it after all. We know this because...”

“You don't need to explain Changelings to me” Said Twilight “I have had my own run-ins with them.”

“Really?... Interessssting. Tell me. Have you ever been drained by one?”

Not me. But my brother has, Twilight thought.

"How did it feel? Morbious continued "Did it feel like putting a vacuum cleaner to your soul?"

"Where are you getting with this?"

"If you could do what the Changelings do - Take that energy - Put it on a recording disk - And then feed it to our little darling. Would she then not gain the same feeling as us?"

"I don't know. Nopony has ever done that"

Morbious creepy smile seemed to whined. And as she stared at that grin, Twilight felt her own mouth widen as her jaw slowly dropped.

"You can't ... be serious... "

He answered her only with a nod towards another door, hidden further back into his shack. There, hidden behind all the drawings that had been taped over it, was a door.

As Twilight stepped over the threshold, she noticed a small sign engraved in the wall, where a paper had fallen away.

Power Station

---

***

---

Inside was a poorly lit room. so Twilight had to use her magic to illuminate the place. She almost expected to find a Changeling nailed to the floor. What she saw instead was something more akin to a Scavengers throne. A mechanical, uncomfortable, monster that looked more meant for torture than science. It had wires coming out of all sides, All hooked directly into the big generator behind it. There was hoof-cuffs on the armrests and a strange helmet hanged in a thick collection of wires above it.

"Its another thing I saved from the fire" Morbious explained." Not this one of course, just the schematics. I had to rebuild the whole thing from scrap. I thought I use it to try and give my little darling some emotions.”

He gestured to the side of the chair. where - On a small altar, lied a tiny junk-bot, pinned down in a vise. Its spider like legs waved above it, and it produces a small metallic squeak that was almost drowned out by the electrical hum that was vibrating the room. in Twilight's ears it sounded almost like a scream.

"I pull some of my own readings trough this machine." Morbious said "And I put them in home made nerve cluster crystals, that I then insert into my little darling here."

Twilight just stared.

"ARE YOU COMING OR NOT!?"

Rarity marched straight through the shack to scream her impatience. She shoved her unfriendly face through the doorway of the generator room just as Twilight turned around. The light form her horn swept over the chair, and landed on Rarity's face just to see her let out a silent scream at the contents of the room. Her eyeballs rolled back into her scull. And she immediately collapsed on the floor.

---

***

---

Rarity awoke to a scream.

She threw her blankets of her and darted out of the bed.
The door to her room was standing only slightly ajar – so she needed only push against it with her shoulder as she ran out into the corridor.

She had been told to keep the door to her room closed. But she had to leave it open – in case her little sister wanted to come and see her again.

She ran through the steel clad corridors of the complex. The place was designed like a maze, but after living here so long she knew the place like the back of her hoof.

She came to a stop in front of a large double door. Like the one she had seen in hospitals that doctors usually push beds on wheels through. However, this door had no windows. It might once have been a hospital room on the other side. But that area had long since been turned into something else.

Into what, she did not know.

It was a door that she was not to go into. It was a bad door. A door that terrified her.
She had hears screams coming from inside that door before.
But this time the scream was different. This time it was the scream of somepony she recognized. It had been the scream of her mother.

Worry for her mother triumphed over her fear, and she pushed herself up against that door.
Just as she did, the other half of the door flew up and one of the female doctors rushed out of the room looking like she was about to puke.

It was the new doctor. Heartache ... or something, and Sweetie did not like her. She always seemed to be far too eager to get inside your personal space. She was far too intrusive whenever Rarity played with her little sister. Like a creepy old lady – except she was not old.

They had called her an expert on emotions. Rarity called her an expert in freaking her out.

With the door still swinging on the hinges from the mares charge Rarity snuck into the room.

On the other side was a flurry of activity. Pretty much every doctor was present, and they where running back and forth and yelling at each other. In the middle of it all was mother. She looked pale, and was shivering ever so slightly. Father was holding his hoof around her.

She wanted to ask what was wrong. But the words would not leave her mouth. Every time she asked that question bad things always followed.

Nopony paid any attention to Rarity. Tipping on the tip of her hooves she snuck in under the table. She did not want to make her presence known. She was not supposed to be in here and was gonna get in trouble if she was caught.

“I thought for sure a mother would be the one to get any response out of her." Said one of the doctors, Rarity recogniced the voice as Mr Morbid.

"And I thought you said this would not be so painfull!" Said her father. He was angry, but also sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

another doctor just shrugged

"She volunteered.”

“Maybe we should use the little one." Said the thicker voice of Prism Prestige "She is after all the only one that the subject had imprinted on.”

“OUT OF THE QUESTION!” Her father yelled. “My Daughter is not to be exposed to any of this!”

He pushed his way past the doctors, leading his wife out of the room. Rarity crawled together to make herself smaller. Begging that they did not see her. Her dad was already furious. What would he do if he found her here, where she was not supposed to be?

As they walked by she saw her mother was wielding a napkin which she whipped her red eyes with.

She was crying.

All the other doctors where sighing collectively as they left. Once the doors had swung shut, those who remained started talking

“That mare was hysteric.” Said Mr P.Morbid, almost with a laugh.

“You been in the chair – you know how it feels!” said the female voice of Marrow, Who Rarity used to call 'Mad'

“O yessss...”

“Do you really think it was the chair? Or the horror of one's child ignoring your every plea?” Said Dr Bronco.

“I still can not believe you think of that thing as a child!” Mad Marrow said, and snorted.

“Yea. But isn't her sorrow exactly what we are after?" Boomed the commanding voice of Prism "We need the emotional data if we are going to get any closer to seeing any response at all.”

“Never thought it would be so difficult to make a foal cry." Shockwave said with a sigh

“Its not a...” Marrow began again.

“I know you don't like it. Which is why you would not cry any tears over her.”

“Tears or not!" Marrow cried. "That chair can kill somepony. - it might have if we didn't pull the plug.”

“Agreed. I'm telling you it needs a safety feature. How many are gonna have to get hurt before you listen?” Bronco sneered.

“Progress requires scarifies my friend." Said Dr. P Morbid. A young stallion who, unlike all the others, was smiling from ear to ear. “And I'm telling you that we aborted the experiment too early. The charge is not high enough.”

“Then why do you not use that chair?”

Dr P. Morbid smiled

“I would gladly. But I have already given my fair share. It was after all thanks to me that we finally got her to respond to injury.”

Marrow grimaced.

“I am aware what you did to create those nerv-cluster crystals. Which is precisely why it cant be you - you would probably only feel joy if you where put in the chair again – wouldn't you? – you damn masochist.”

“This is different from that – we are no longer trying to create nerv-clusters. We are trying to make her feel.” The big blue stallion Prism Prestige said in a menacing tone.)

“Don't blame – you where the one to trust that new mare. - you where the one who said she was a expert in the field. ”

"I don't doubt her expertise. I'm just curious how this crystal of hers can do what we all failed at?"

“And I sometimes wonder what you put into that little mare … Metalhoof.” Prism snarled.

There was an odd silence in the entire group.

“Break-times over!” Prism barked. “Time to take a break.”

"Who says something like that? Shockwave muttered under his breath.

Everypony started leaving the room.

“Does anypony fancy a midnight snack?”

As the last pony left and the door swung shut she heard their fading voices.

“Should anypony check on the filly?”

“She is surely asleep at this hour. No need to bother her.”

Their voices died out as the doors swung shut.

Now that the room was empty did Rarity dare to come forth from under the table.

In front of her was the big chair. Big, uncomfortable and threatening.

She turned her head away from it to look up on the table they had all been gathered around. There sat her little sister – staring dead panned into the air. She sat perfectly still. Motionless like a statue. Not a twitch of her tail or ear. Not even blinking.

Her body was as dead as he eyes.

Her skin had grown back over her body and her fur had begin to look quite healthy. Yet patches of her skin where kept open. Small areas where one could see the steel structure underneath. Wires where connected to just about every part of her body. Plastic tubes where attached to her forelegs – and through them the red liquor of blood flowed to and from small pump-like devise standing next to Sweetie.

She had a beautiful pink and purple tail that Rarity had styled many times already. Yet her mane was shaved off, as the grown ups said it would be in the way. Truth was the back of Sweeties head was wide open. So many wires were connected to her skull that it looked like a mane of copper brown and steel gray. A mane that tangled into the machines behind her. Machines that in their turn where connected to the chair and the ominous green crystal attached to it.

Rarity's eyes darted across the room. Unsure of what to look at. Sweeties eyes, on the other hoof, remained staring out into space. Not caring about the many things around her. She sat perfectly still - Not bothering to move. Unable to care enough to do so.

Rarity made her way across the room. When suddenly there was a motion.

Only now, when only Rarity was present, did Sweetie react. Only Rarity presence made her turn her head. Just an inch, ever so slightly towards her.

Her lips curled slightly up. A programmed response to the strange readings the scientists had identified as “happiness.” Something that occurred every time she saw Rarity. And only Rarity.

It was the only emotion she ever expressed.

She had heard the grown ups talk many timed before. Talk about that Sweetie needed more emotions. That she needed to be able to feel sad and such. She did not understand why they needed Sweetie to feel sad. She did not want them to make her sister feel sad. Sad feelings were bad things. And she did not want her sister to feel bad.

Her parents had explained it as best they could. Everypony feels sad sometimes, they said.

“Its not like we want her to feel bad. But it would be awkward if she could not.”

Awkward was the right word for it. It was always that stiff smile and nothing more.

It had not bothered Rarity before. She was happy to see her little sister smile.

But right now she was not happy. How could she be happy when mother screamed so horribly and looked so sad.
Was she sad because Sweetie could not feel sad? Had she attempted to cry and scream in front of sweetie to make her sad
– if so, it had apparently not worked.

From what Rarity understood they where trying to teach Sweetie to feel by feeling it themselves.

But they did not understand why it would not work.

Sweetie had a habit copying everything she saw. For that reason Sweetie and Rarity had been allowed to play together in the “playroom”. It was the only nice room in this place. The only room that didn't have the same metal gray walls as the rest of the facility. It was a filly's dream-room with soft pink walls, soft pillows and more toys than you could even dream existed. It even had a miniature sewing machine and a ton of fabric that she could use to make all kinds of things. She had made a teddy bear/pony and lots of clothes for Sweetie to wear.

The only creepy thing was a big mirror on the wall. She was not suppose to know this, but she knew there was a room on the other side of that mirror, and that from there you could lock through a window into the playroom. She had been able to piece together that it was some sort of magic glass that was a mirror on one side and a window on the other. And through it the grown ups where watching them play.

She did not understand why they had too bee in a different room – if they wanted to see them play they could just come into the playroom. But they had said that they did not want to disturb them – Rarity had made it a game to sometimes wave towards the mirror. They had also put up a lot of crayon drawings around the mirror frame using stickers in the shape of hearts and stars. The doctors had actually told her that she was not to put anything over the mirror itself (otherwise they would not be able to see them play) – the new mare, Miss Heartache, had spilled the beans and admitted to the reason – they really, really wanted to see the two sisters play together.

And play they did - A lot.

Every time Rarity did something Sweetie did it too - Passing a ball to each other - Jumping on the cushions - Ect...
She always did the exact same things Rarity did. Every time Rarity drew a picture Sweetie tried to draw the exact same picture – every time she made something on the sewing machine. Sweetie tried to copy it – with mixed results. Always with that same tiny smile plastered on her face. The smile reserved just for her.

She was not like other little siblings Rarity had heard of. She never put things in her mouth (unless Rarity did it first). She did not drool, scream or poop herself all the time. In fact she never pooped. (She must be the only little sister in the world who never needed diapers.) And she never ate. At least not as far as Rarity saw. The doctors had been very clear that there was to be no food or drink in the playroom of any kind.

And they were not allowed to sleep together. Always when playtime was over they would take Sweetie away. Usually to “Fix” or “Improve” something as they said. Mother said that they where going to make her little sister better. And she was getting a little better all the time.

Rarity remembered when Sweetie first started blinking – although it was in a very rhythmic pattern.

They all just said she just needed to be patient for the day Sweetie would be so good that they could leave and live as a normal family.

Sometimes it would take days before she got to see Sweetie again. But sometimes Sweetie would come to her in the middle of the night – and be standing there watching her when she awoke. (Usually with some piece of wire sticking out of some body part, or dripping a weird fluid) - much to the bafflement of the doctors.

She had even begin teaching Sweetie to speak and say certain words and letters. Partly of her own volition – partly of the doctor's asking her to do it. When she asked why they could not get a real teacher they said that she would be such a great sister if she taught her little sister some things... and that Sweetie must be curious about her bis sister and such.

When they though she wasn't listening, They said other things. she had heard them say something about her little sister “Imprinting only on her.”

Sweetie had been quick as always to mouth up the sound of letters (once she had gotten her voice installed - as they said) and attempted to copy everything Rarity said. It was annoying sometimes how she would copy her and no one else – and a bit creepy that she did it all with her mouth shut. When asked how she could do ventriloquism, Sweetie had just repeated the question. Rarity had gotten mad, and the doctors had come into the room and separated them.

They said they where gonna fix that. The next day Sweetie spoke with a weird unnatural flapping yaw movement. (so was it often – Sweeties voice sounded terrible in the beginning and the doctors would often take her away to “fix that” or “adjust” this and "fine-tune" that.)
Eventually Sweetie's voice got better and she started learning to mouth the sounds Rarity taught her. (yet still she spoke in that weird non emotional tone.) Most excited Rarity was about teaching her to spell their names using a set of big plastic papers with letters on them that the doctors had given them.

Then Rarity had been happy. Now she was sad.
She was sad for mother. Sad that mother was crying. She was crying because mother was crying.

She laid on the floor of the creepy chair room, and cried.

Up on the table Sweetie kept watching her.

Rarity looked up at Sweetie.

She was not sad. She did not cry because mother cried. She did not know how to cry.

The grownups had been trying to teach Sweetie to feel a lot lately. Rarity had tried to help by making faces during their playtime. “Angry” - “Sad” - “Surprised” ect... Sweetie copied these acts. She even made noises similar to crying when Rarity made them. But these where not real feelings. And as soon as the act was over, she reverted back to that silly little stiff smile.

Rarity looked up on the chair. From what she understood you where to sit in in and feel. And somehow that would teach Sweetie to feel.

Her parents had been very clear that Rarity was to have no part in this.
But they did not understand how it felt to be a child. They were grown ups. And grown ups cried for different reasons. Sometimes they cried for reasons little Rarity could not understand. Sometimes they were scared of things that where exciting to children. And in reverse they found boring stuff to be exciting and insisted on dragging the children to go along with it.

They were silly, they were grown ups. They could not understand how it was to be a child.
How could they possibly teach Sweetie how it felt to be a child when they where not children?

Rarity looked upon Sweetie again. That empty smile made her cry new tears.

If Sweetie wanted these tears than she could have them. She could have them all.

She had already given sweetie so much. Why not give her some more?

She got on her hooves, and climbed into the chair.

A big helmet started to lower itself onto her skull. It was a weird helmet, full of wires sticking out of it. Coming to think of it - while wearing this she would look almost just like sweetie looked now – a mane made of wires.

The chair gave an ominous hum and a crystal next to it started glowing in an ominous green.

The lights in the room started flickering for a moment. As the hum only grew louder.

Then there was a zap.

Rarity might have screamed. Out of pain or shear terror she did not know.

The whole chair buzzed and vibrated as if bolts of lightning where shooting everywhere. Tendrils of energy poured out from her and there being sucked into the chair. Sucked into the ominous green crystal.

It felt like holding a vacuum cleaner to your soul.

Any normal reaction in this moment would have been to throw the helmet of and jump out of the evil chair.
But Rarity gripped the handle even harder.

It could have been an eternity. She did not know. The machine might as well have sucked all fife out of her. She might be a wrinkled old lady now. She did not know.

She lost grip on reality.

The next thing she knew she was lying on the cold tile floor.
She must have fainted and fallen out of the chair.

The chair came to a stop. The buzz became quieter and quieter and eventually stopped.

Rarity had held a vacuum cleaned to her skin before and gotten a hickey on her throat. This time if felt like the suction-mark was inside her.

She had cried like mad one time in her life before – and that too had been related to her little sister – she had cried and screamed and wailed until all her tears was spent and her body had tired of crying. Until her eyes felt dry as sandpaper

That was nothing compared to this.

She felt empty. Like every tear in her chest had been taken from her. Like the lump in her chest had been drained away. Like the knots on her heart had been stolen.

But no happiness filled their place. Only exhaustion made itself known as she collapsed on the floor.

She heard nothing but the hum of the machines, and the buzz of the lamps.

Her vision was beginning to go black. She felt so very very tired. Not in body but in the soul. She needed to rest now... Yes... She would sleep right here

Suddenly movement filled her vision as the door flung up. And a shriek like one only her mother could produce filed the air.

“RARITY!”

She felt herself being plucked from the floor like a ragdoll. And was pushed into a tight grip of somepony's forehooves.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?”

Rarity managed to open her eyes just enough to her her mothers tear streamed face looking down on her.

“I just wanted … ” she panted “ … her to be able … to feel.”

The grown ups started screaming at each Other. Their voices hurt her ears.

“My darling! My dearest little filly ... You look so pale!”

“DIDN'T YOU LOCK THE ROOM?”

“I thought everypony was going to lunch!”

“I told you to keep her out of here!”

“This proves That the machine need a safety feature – what if it had taken even more? - she could have died!”

The Screaming come to a sudden halt when something else filled the air.
It was soft at first. Just the insecure sniffs of a filly that cant decide if it want to cry or not. Then the sniffs broke into sobs. And the sobbing rose and rose in volume until it was like the bellowing of an abandoned foal.

Everypony in the room turned to look at the table. There sat Sweetie. Holding her hooves over her eyes and blubbering like in infant.
The sound she made was like the sound of a child Crying for her mother.

Because she was.

She was crying for the first time in her life.

It was a sound that moved them all. Even though it was a sad sound. It was the happiest, most beautiful sound Rarity had ever heard.

For somehow she just knew. Knew that her sister was crying because she had been crying. Her little sister was sad because Rarity was sad. Because mother was sad. Because father was crying. Because everypony was screaming.

They all moved up to Sweetie. The Belles in the front row. Not knowing where she got the strength from Rarity was able to climb out of her mothers embrace and walk up to her little sister with every intent to comfort her.

“There, there little Sweetie. ” Said mother “Mommy is here now”

She picked Sweetie up from the table and held her as close as her mane of wires would stretch. She had to lean her elbows on the table to properly take Sweetie in her embrace. And when she did, the little mechanical filly stopped crying.

“M...Mom.”

Even though the lips where not moving, she spoke. It was a word that Rarity had reached her. Manny times she had used a picture of their mother – or pointed to her when they walked the halls together - and repeated that word until it was imprinted in her little sisters mind.
And many times before had little sister said that word – but it no longer sounded so hollow. It sounded genuine.

Mother gasped.

“She... She recognizes her mother.” She gasped with new tears in her eyes.

The little mares eyes moved around. Finding the mustache adorned stallion leaning on his wife.

“D...Dad.”

“Yes!.. this here is your father.” Mother said. and rubbed her hoof against the cheek of her crying husband. “And this here is your sister...”

Mother tilted her forelegs so that the little one could see the filly standing on mothers other side.

Little Sweetie looked at Rarity. And her sadness in the voice was replaced with joy.

“Rarity!” She said with clarity.

“Yes” Stammered mother (who now was so full of tears she could barely speak) … Rarity... Her name is Rarity. .. I guess you already knew that didn't you?”

The scientists walked up behind them.
Sweetie started naming all of them – names that Rarity had given them -

“Grumpy … Miss yellow pants … Brown Boo … Doctor mare... Mister P...”

“Interesting. Said Dr P. Morbid.”

Dr Heartache was fully enjoying herself It was as if she was right now imbibe the worlds most beautiful aroma.

“Let me hold her!”

Neurosa walked in through the gathering. Her glasses shimmering even in the poorly lit room. She stretched out a hoof all enthusiastically, wanting to hug the filly. But Dr Bronco stepped in between. The stern Neurosa for once said nothing.

Rarity managed a smile.

“And do you know your own name.” Mom booped little sisters nose “It's Sweetie – Can you say Sweetie?”

Of course she can. Rarity thought. Remembering how she and her sister had been playing their 'game in the mirror' – whenever they waved to the scientists on the other side, they also waved to themselves – she had to remind herself that Sweetie did not know about the room on the other side.

“Wave now.” She had said. “Wave to Rarity and Sweetie.”

She waved – matching Rarity's movements exactly.

“No. Don't wave at me – wave at them.” Rarity turned Sweeties head to face her own reflection.

"Do you recognize us? Rarity and Sweetie?"

“Ra...rawity?” The filly struggled with the words. her voice stammering like a radio stuck between channels.

“Yes. I'm Rarity.” She said and pointed at herself in the mirror. “and you are Sweetie” She pointed at sweeties reflection.

“Swewe...we?” said the filly, and touched her own reflection.

“Rarity” Said Rarity. And this time she touched her own cheek. The filly copied the movement and did the same.

“...And Sweetie”.

The filly locked at the mirror . Where its reflection was now touching its own cheek.

“...Sweewee...”

"That's right". Said mother. Snapping young little Rarity out of her trance and back to the present. "Your name is RARITY!"

Wait? What?

RARITY!

No, that wasn't right!

RARITY!

---

***

---

Twilight was standing over her fallen friend. Shouting her name and trying to get her conscious again. She didn't know if she would have any choice but to use the mind delve spell. If Rarity was trapped in some nightmare she had to get her out of it.

She lifted up her lifeless friend. She held her face close and lit up her horn. If she was gonna use the mind delve she was gonna have to touch her forehead with her horn.

“Sweeeeee.... Teeeeeeee” Rarity mumbled.

Twilight ceased the spell. Her friend was coming back to it.

“Rarity? RARITY! Can you hear me?”

Without warning Rarity's eyes shot open, and she lunged herself at Twilight. She grabbed her head in her forehooves and screamed in her face.

“HER NAME IS SWEETIE BELLE!”

Author's Note:

A way too long chapter with way too many thoughts

Comments

[Eventhorizon]

Another excellent chapter.

[Grimweird]

6491003

Thank you.

[Deynarth]

I was just listening to Destabilize and I though about this story.
The way things are going right now , it won't be long before Sweetie go off the deep end.
It's not even a matter of IF at this point , it's a matter of WHEN.
Two bits Rarity and Twilight find her after this point , hence Sweetie going "Destroy !" on them. (Would be cool to see a cool fight here.)
One thing is for sure : Even if they manage to appeal to her enough that she decides to come back , Rarity's familly life and the Cutie Mark Crusaders's are never going to be the same again given how Sweetie changed. (Unless they delete her memory , which is... the worse thing that they could do because this would be telling her "You are not someone , but a thing.")

[ferret]

I see Dr. Morbious buys his tea from the same source as Princess Celestia.

a second Cybercore

That's brilliant! Did you seriously... you mean all this time... I thought the Heart Drive was just some stupid gag based on an awful pun, to play on the irony of a robot pretending to have feelings being the most empathic character in the series. But... but no! You had to go make me think of Julian Jayes, whose speculative work "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" suggests that consciousness may only emerge when there are two brains, or a brain divided in halves, and when communication is disrupted between them, they can both collectively become one consciousness. Consciousness is nothing more than the brain observing itself after all, so you might expect that it'd have to be divided in two in order to do that. You had to remind me of the novel WWW:Wake where a sentient mind develops in immortal ghost packets lost on the Internet through cellular automata, and only achieves consciousness when the government of China cuts off half the Internet to try and cover up an atrocity. Not when the Internet is divided, but when it is reunited, the nascent brain behind the scenes becomes self aware.

Seriously, you just provided a compelling model for why a "Heart Drive" would be necessary for Sweetie Belle to experience consciousness. For her to be herself, and feel like herself, she has to be a combination of two minds, neither of which can be self aware on their own. That's not just handwaving and pseudo-scientific talk about emotions. There's a good neurological basis for this sort of thing to be the case!

...now I'm really worried what will happen if Rarity replaces Sweetie's Heart Drive with the new one.

“SHE IS NOT YOUR PLAYTHING! SHE IS OUR DAUGHTER! SHE IS MY SISTER!. SHE IS OUR FAMILY! NOT YOUR EXPERIMENT!”
"Are you coming darling?"

[Shining Dawn]

What kind of masochist was this?

Pretty much your ordinary, everyday, masochist. Except he's also brilliant. But nothing out of the ordinary for a masochist.

[Shining Dawn]

Evidently, the cybercore that is acting as Sweetie's brain is converting all anergy it comes in contact with into a new form of energy that equine technology cannot detect. It appears as if the energy is disappearing because it is in a form they can no longer observe.
Probably some form of energy that is inherently related to thinking or feeling.

[JazzyWaffles]

"Twilight dropped to her knees and took her friend in a hug."

Is this a quote? Is the narrator a character now?

[MrChampion12]

6623054
Wow, I had no idea that much effort actually went into this. If this was actually Grimweird's intention, then bravo Grimweird, bravo.

[tsaukpaetra]

Yes, turns out you can only run off of borrowed emotion for so long. Soon enough you need to be making your own...

[lilac123]

There had been more still. A pony calling himself Mr P. Morbious, Or just 'Morbid' as Rarity had called the creepy stallion. He was surely dead in the great fire that had swept the research lab. She never had learned what the 'P' stood for. And then there was also Dr Bronco, the only kind soul that she could remember, as well as another mare, who joined the project late, just to name a few.

"its morbin time"

[DarkSnowGaming]

How long did it take for people to reach this chapter? For me it only took a day and a couple hours but it seems like it took a couple weeks for some people.

Either I'm an extremely fast reader or something might be wrong with me. 😅