Fallout Equestria: Do Robot Ponies Dream of Electronic Bunnies

by ScottWolf

Ch 09: Feelings

FoE: Do Robot Ponies Dream of Electronic Bunnies

Chapter IX: Feelings

"I'll be looking at the moon/But I'll be… seeing you…" – Billie Holiday, I'll Be Seeing You.

System Report: 0000000009
Unit Status: Active
Location: New Appleoosa
Satellite Signal Status: Orders Received. Timer activated.
Begin data dump to external off-site memory back-up:
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- - - - - - Done.
Preparing visual report: Done.

Date: --/--/2212, 200PA (+16 days activation)
Time: 1540 Local

Sleep.

I was asleep again. Or, rather, as close as I could come to it. I was back in the lab. Moonshine was with me, but we weren't in a testing room. It was the cafeteria. Why were we there? I didn't need to eat. Were they testing a new system they'd decided not to install for a power source? I didn't get an immediate answer. Moonshine was speaking.

"And so we've had to push back flight tests until next Friday. I still can't believe they haven't finished the field yet." She was eating a green salad with a ranch dressing and had a bottle of what smelled like soda. The label was turned away from me, so I couldn't be sure.

"This unit understands the need for delay," I heard myself say. "It would be inadvisable to proceed in a format that was not completely controlled, or the results would be eschewed by Ministry Mare Applejack."

"While I fully agree, I wish they wouldn't take their time in the construction phase."

"It would be unwise to rush them, as the results would be faulty."

"You just said that," Moonshine replied, taking a bite of her salad. She chewed for a few minutes, then swallowed, before continuing. "All I'm saying is, we're all getting antsy. We want to see you at your fullest. This ban Princess Luna put on bots slows things down considerably."

"If this unit is illegal, why do you continue to build it?"

"I hate to see something so beautiful go unfinished," she said with a smirk. I detected the humor, but the then-me didn't react to it. I must've not had my emotion chip yet. I stared blankly at her. "But the real reason is because the ministry mares all think you'll be the deciding factor for the end result of this war."

"This unit is curious," I said, but Moonshine lifted a hoof to stop me.

"That's another thing. Stop saying 'This unit.' You have a name." I did? I do?

"This unit is… uncomfortable… with its given designation." Uncomfortable. So I did have my chip. I just didn't get humor.

"There's nothing wrong with your name," Moonshine insisted, putting a hoof on mine. The spark of her touch set off then-me's emotion chip, and I felt the sudden anxiousness course through me, up my leg and into my chest. Then-me didn't say anything, just continued to look down at his/my hooves. She was definitely special to me, even in the early days of my programming.

"This unit does not agree. This unit will not refer to itself by that designation." Ok now I had to know. The desire was overwhelming, and, sadly, would go unfulfilled this time.

"Well, will you at least say 'I' instead of 'This unit?'"

"This unit," I started to say, but stopped myself. "I... will attempt to do so."

"Good," Moonshine said, taking her hoof back. I longed for its return. "I, me, my. Those are all personal references, and you should learn to use them."

"I will try," I said. She nodded, then gestured for me to continue. "I am curious. All the Zebras are keeping from us is coal, correct? Why could we not find an alternative fuel source? The Balefire Egg could generate enough power for the city of Appleoosa for decades, by my calculations. What is so important about coal?"

"Your power supply could do that," Moonshine replied, picking up her soda bottle (Sparkle Cola RAD) and taking a drink before proceeding. "But the dangers in using such an unstable power source are too great. While one could power Appleoosa as you said, it could also destroy it should something go wrong. A quick flash and several hundred thousand ponies, griffons, and young dragons would cease to exist."

"There are safeties governing my egg," I said.

"Which are only barely being tested on you," she countered. "They've not been proven for long-term."

"Still," I persisted. "Even without the eggs, there are other burnable sources."

"None that burn as hot, nor as long. Celestia would never allow the damming of rivers. Wood comes from forests, and the princesses are both adamant about deforestation. It would take all of the Everfree Forest to power Ponyville for six months. I wish that town hadn't grown so big."

"So we are to continue the war until… when?"

"I don't know," she replied with a sigh. "Believe me, your arguments have been brought before the princesses before. They've thought them over, but in the end none were viable enough. We need that coal."

"I just think it is very… Foolish."

"You're not the only one…"

oOoOoOo

My eyes came open slowly, reluctant to leave the sight of the blue mare. But as they did, they fell on another blue mare. Minus the horn, Night Rose could pass for the spitting image of Moonshine. I smiled at that thought.

She stirred a bit, seeming to wake up. I picked my head off of the bed and looked out the window. My internal clock and the sky outside said it was mid-afternoon. Night Rose yawned and stretched out on the bed, then looked over at me. I didn't move; for some reason I was real nervous about her seeing me. What if she found out I was watching her? What if she learned I thought she looked like Moonshine? Where the hell were these fears coming from??

"Morning," she said, clopping a hoof on my head with a thunk. I winced as she walked past me and into the bathroom. What the hay was that for? I stood up and planted myself in front of the door out of the hotel room. I would have answers.

"We need to talk," I said as she emerged again.

"Too early," she said, trying to deflect, but I stood firm.

"It's three-forty-five in the afternoon. That excuse doesn't fly. I have questions."

"And you think you'll get answers, metal butt?" She gave me a hard (but still tired looking) stare. Why, oh why, did I always pick the time after she'd just woken up to do stuff like this?

"That, or no one goes anywhere," I said firmly. With adding emphasis in mind, I deployed the anchors from my legs, embedding them in the wood floor. "You know everything about me, but I know so little about you. Only fair I learn a bit."

She glared at me, now fully awake and, possibly, pissed. I stared back, as determined to hold my ground as she was to avoid it altogether. She seemed to relent with a sigh and hopped back on the bed to lay down with her hooves under her. "Fine. Ask me a few questions and I'll give you some honest answers."

"Why did you break from the Steel Rangers?"

"Easy one," she said with a hoof wave. "They did some stuff I didn't agree with. So I quit. They tried to follow me, but after sending a few of them back dead, they gave up."

That was too easy, I thought to myself. I know there's something deeper. "There's more to it, isn't there? The stuff they did was against more than just your principles, wasn't it?" She looked away, uncomfortable.

"Yes," she said after a minute. "They hurt me, but I'd really rather not talk about it. Not right now at least." She looked back at me with a sadness in her eyes. "Please. I promise I'll tell you eventually. Just not now."

"Alright," I replied evenly. I could let that go for now, but it would be back. With a vengeance too, I'll bet. "Who was that reaper you were fighting back in Filly? You went to a lot of trouble to get him."

"He wasn't anyone special," she replied. "Just someone whose name I remembered was on the Ranger's wanted lists. Figured I'd do the world some good by getting rid of him." Alarm bells went off in my head, and my vocal analyzer read that, while not a lie, it wasn't the whole truth either. I decided to push that button a little more.

"Didn't I ask you not to lie to the robo-pony?"

"I didn't lie to you," she said darkly, giving me the most venomous stare yet. "Just because I held something back does NOT make it a lie. You want the truth? Fine. He was an ex-lover that left me a long time ago for a really stupid reason."

More evasion. But the way she was, I was better off letting it go for now. I'd come back to it later maybe. "Last question. I noticed you've been having nightmares almost every night. Wanna tell me about them?"

"Look around," she said, waving a hoof to encompass the world. "We're living a nightmare. Why should my dreams be any different?"

I sighed and walked over to sit beside her on the floor (no way that bed would hold the amount of metal that made up my body. Hell, I was surprised I hadn't fallen through the floor yet.) "I'm just worried about you, Night Rose. I see you suffering, and I feel like I need to help you."

"I don't need help," she replied bitterly. "I haven't needed anyone for a long time. I'm doing just fine alone."

"Everyone needs help sometimes."

"I'm not everyone. Are we done now?"

"Yes," I replied sadly, my gaze falling to the floor. "We're done now."

She hopped off the bed and opened the door to leave, then suddenly stopped and looked back at me. "I didn't mean 'done being together,'" she explained. "I… I'm…"

I just nodded in understanding and lay down on the mattress beneath me, facing the window. I heard her turn and almost come back to me, but I felt so depressed I wouldn't have cared if she did. No, that wasn't true. I wanted her to turn back. I wanted her to wrap her hooves around me and apologize, or just hold me. Anything.

Instead, she stood there for a minute, then walked out of the room, closing the door. My sadness reached another low point, and the tears flowed from my eyes.

I lay there for several hours, staring at the wall beneath the window. In that time, I'd scanned it with infrared, ultra sonic waves, chemical analysis, and two dozen other testing beams. I knew its composition, age, where the tree had been cut down, and the earliest date it would need to be replaces barring external influence. Needless to say, I was bored and depressed.

A soft knock came at the door, but I didn't answer. I didn't even raise my ears from the sides of my head. The door creaked open slowly. I knew it wasn't Night Rose. She would have just come in without knocking. The voice of the pony that met my ears was much softer.

"Vers," Winter Frost called softly. "Are you alright?" I didn't answer, so she closed the door and sat down next to me. "Did something happen between you and Night Rose? She's over on the playground swing set, crying."

"Is it that hard for her to tell me about herself," I asked without looking up.

"For some ponies, it's impossible to open up," Winter replied. "She's just been hurt too many times, I guess."

"I don't want to hurt her," I said. "And she knows it. Why does she keep pushing me away?"

"I don't know, Vers."

I was tired of being sad now. I decided to change the subject to something happier. "Did your husband show you what he found?"

"Yes," Winter replied, accepting the topic change. "It's an engine from a pre-war passenger vehicle. We've never seen one like it before. It would have had enough power to propel something large through the air, assuming it had wings."

"Sounds neat."

"You may take a look at it, if you like."

I was about to say that I would, when another knock came at the door. This one was more insistant, and hadn't come from a pony's hoof. Winter answered it, opening the door a crack. An eagle's head was visible, the eyes looking down at the pony. "May I help you?"

"I'm looking for the bot called Versatile," the female Griffon said, looking past Winter at me. Winter turned her head to glance my way, and I nodded, standing up as she opened the door wider and stepped aside.

"How do you know I'm an android," I asked.

"Reliable source," the griffon replied. One of the kids, I bet. They didn't grasp the levity of the Pinkie Pie Swear. "I'm lookin to hire you for a job, if you're available."

"What job," I asked.

"Mind if I come in?" I nodded and backed away from the door. The griffon stepped in and Winter stepped out, closing the door behind her. I nodded my thanks as she left. "Name's Gawdyna Grimfeathers," the griffon continued. "Some of my merc's got themselves stuck up by Trottingham."

"I heard," I said, offering her a seat on the bed. "DJ-Pon3 said they were covering a merchant run when it went south. Hellhounds, if I remember right."

"You do," Gawdyna replied with a nod, sitting on the bed. "Normal times, I'd send a rescue team of my own people, but they're all spread out right now, what with all the business we've been getting since setting up shop. I'm out of hands, and have to ask around."

"And you were thinking me and my friends could help out," I prompted.

"Well, I was thinkin of just you, but if you wanna bring help, that's your business. I'm willin to pay, seein as it's a dangerous job."

"What if I'd said no?"

"I'd be very, very sad and have to go by myself," she said, giving me a hurt look that I could tell wasn't genuine. "And it's such a long way for a lone griffon."

"I'll have to talk it over with them, but I I'm in regardless," I replied. I wasn't sure what made me so agreeable. Maybe it was my overwhelming need to help people out. Maybe it was what Watcher had said to me. Maybe I was just grasping at straws.

Gawdyna smiled, her beak making it look vicious. "Let me know when you're ready to go. I'll be sending a guide along with you. It's all I can spare. You'll get the payment when you get back."

"Consider it a deal, Gawdyna," I said, holding out a hoof. She took it in her claw and shook it, still grinning.

"Call me Gawd."

"So you just agreed?"

I'd gathered up Night Rose, Winter, and Starry Grove about twenty minutes later. Tiller was there as well, along with Silver Bell. I wasn't sure why she was here, but it really didn't matter. She probably wanted to hang out with Tiller as much as she could.

"I agreed for myself alone, Night Rose," I replied, part of me still upset about what had happened earlier. Maybe that was why I'd said yes so easily. "You're free to say no. As for you two," I continued, turning to Winter and Starry. "I only asked you here to let you know what I was up to. I don't expect you to want to go."

"I don't mind going," Starry replied easily. His grin told me he was almost anxious to go. I tilted my head questioningly. "You saved my family, Vers. That's not a debt any of us are going to forget. And we always pay our debts."

"My only worry is what to do about Tiller," Winter said. "If he can be safe, of course I'm going."

"He can probably stay with me and mommy," Silver Bell chimed in happily. "We've got lots of room!"

"I'll discuss it with Ditzy, then."

"You two know what you're getting into, right," Night Rose said. "Hellhounds aren't anything to sneeze at, and it'll take more than a beast of a pistol to kill one. Never mind a whole pack."

"Regardless, we've made up our mind," Starry told her. Winter nodded beside him.

"Thanks, guys," I said, relieved. "What about you, Night Rose."

She glared at me darkly, then looked out the window at the darkening sky. "I never said no, did I?"

"So we're agreed then," Starry said, breaking the sudden tension. "We're all on board to save Gawd's Talons."

"Looks that way," I said with a nod. "I'll go find her and tell her we're all in."

"You guys are real lucky I'm getting paid extra," the griffon named Scary yelled. "Cause this is pretty damn degrading!"

He was pulling a Sky Bandit loaded with three ponies, one fully suited in power armor. Starry had secured some armored barding from Ditzy Doo for himself and Winter, as well as a rifle each. Since I'd already gotten plenty of ammo, they hadn't needed to get extra. "We really appreciate it," he yelled back.

I was flying alongside the Sky Bandit, easily keeping pace with the griffon. It was slow going, but much faster than on-foot. I didn't dare look over at the vehicle. Doing that would risk meeting Night Rose's armored gaze. I knew she was staring at me, but her helmet hid her expression at this distance. I kept my gaze zoomed in forward, trained on the horizon and what loomed out of the darkness there.

Trottingham. And the mass of Hellhounds that covered it.

Footnote: Level Up!

New Perk: Silver Tongue – You, sir, have the gift of gab. You could talk an old lady with white gloves into buying a ketchup popsicle. Your Barter is increased by 5%.

Comments

[Nyerguds]

Small correction: Gawd's full name is "Gawdyna", not "Gawdanya" ;)