The Robotic Hero of Canterlot High

by TriforceAndroid

Chapter 5: Part of the Family

Dew Drop sat on the couch in the living room, feeling nervous. He looked up at the two sisters, who had neutral expressions on their faces. “Um… what’s going on?” He asked nervously.

Luna glanced at her sister. "Do you want to start, or should I?"

Celestia cleared her throat. "What happened at the mall earlier," she began. "That was one of the most astounding things I have ever seen. I just have one question for you."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Luna burst out. "I think that would have been important information!"

“Huh?” Asked Dew Drop. “T-tell you what?” He suddenly became pale as he started to put the pieces together. “Um… d-did you see me as… as... ?” He couldn’t finish the sentence since he was very scared.

"As the hero in green?" Luna finished. "I just have one thing to say about that," the Vice-Principal stood up and walked up to Dew Drop, getting right in front of him. Dew Drop felt very scared. Was she gonna yell at him for lying to them? Were they gonna kick him out? However, he was not prepared for what she said to him. "That was just as brave and bold as anything Batman has ever done." She smiled.

Dew Drop stared at her with a dumbfounded expression! “Wait, what?” He asked. “Um… y-you’re not mad that I never told you that I’m actually Android?”

"Mad?" Celestia said with a shake of her head. "Not really. A bit confused, but Luna tells me superheroes keep their alter egos secret for a reason. I do wish you had given us a hint at least. Might have helped with the shock of finding out like we did."

"Well, I had no idea how you would react," said Dew Drop honestly. "Considering that being Android is a rather dangerous job, I was nervous that you'd be… *ahem* overprotective."

Celestia and Luna both looked at Dew Drop with understanding.

“Being principals of a school, we know that sometimes the students need to be protected,” Celestia said. “But we also know that sometimes you have to let them grow by challenging themselves. You being Android is like another challenge, isn’t it? Besides, if anyone can stop the evil cyborgs, I believe that Android is the one who can do it.”

Dew Drop stared in disbelief before leaning back in his seat, grabbing his head in the process. "Whoa," he said. "This is the first time anyone has said they believe in me… as Android. Most people I meet as Android tell me to die since I'm technically a cyborg."

“Could have fooled me,” Luna told him. “I certainly couldn’t tell you were a cyborg, and you’ve been living with us for three days.”

Dew Drop raised up his right arm and said, "Cloak off." With that, the disguise disappeared and was revealed to be a robotic arm. "You'd be amazed at what cloaking technology can do."

“Fascinating,” Luna gasped. “Is your arm stronger than a human arm? Are there any special features built into it? How did you get it?”

"Well, I don't really have super strength," he answered. "I actually have a few tools built into it to help me investigate strange things. Plus, I have this!" He flicked his wrist upward and a sword hilt popped out. He pressed it, it turned into a beam sword.

“Woah!” Celestia and Luna both took a step back. “A laser sword? Is that safe to carry around like that?”

"It's only dangerous to Cyber technology and other machines," he replied. "It has no power to destroy organic material." He then shivered a little. "As for how I got my arm, I got it when I was six. It was the time when I…" He shivered fearfully as the memory came back. "When I fell into an abandoned building. As I tried to get out, a piece of debris came down and crushed my arm." Now he was quivering uncontrollably at the scary moment that scarred him for life.

“Hey, don’t be nervous,” Celestia put her hand on Dew Drop’s shoulder. “You’re safe here.”

“This house won’t come down on you, I promise,” Luna smiled. “You don’t have to worry about anything like that here.”

Both sisters moved closer to wrap Dew Drop in a group hug. It made him feel warm and safe, and it was quite comforting.

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks," he said. "Also… Celestia, I have to confess about what I really did yesterday. I… went to the outskirts of Canterlot City to see if the Cyber Force was here." He felt guilty about lying to her.

Celestia’s brow furrowed. “I thought you were acting strangely yesterday. I forgive you for not telling me the truth, but I don’t want you doing anything unnecessarily dangerous.”

He hung his head. "I'll try to avoid danger if possible," he said. "That's all I can say."

“Well, now that we have that sorted,” Luna sat down on the bed next to Dew Drop. “Could you tell me more about that other cyborg that was wrecking the mall? You seemed to know each other.”

"Oh, that was Cyber Dragon, one of the Deadly Cyborgs," he answered. "There are seven in total, each one representing one of the seven deadly sins: Pride, greed, gluttony, lust, wrath, envy, and sloth. In the case of Cyber Dragon, he represents greed."

“As in greed for money?” Luna asked curiously. “What’s he going to use it on? It isn’t as though someone like him could just walk into a store and spend it.”

"Well, from what I could gather, he was someone struggling to find a job in order to survive," Dew Drop. "But due to him being a cyborg, no one would hire him. This left him poor. In desperation, he went to the Cyber Force in hopes of having a job. But when his armor and a piece of the Black Core was given to him, he changed completely. He went from a quiet man to becoming a rather greedy bastard." He shook his head sadly. "I wish I was there to help him out before he became Cyber Dragon."

“You did all you could,” Luna said gently. “Even Batman can’t save everyone. Just look at his relationship with the Joker. What will happen to Cyber Dragon now? I don’t think Canterlot has laws for dealing with cyborgs, at least none that I know of.”

"I honestly have no clue," said Dew Drop. "I might have to make suggestions to the mayor or police station. I don't know."

“Hmm…” Luna didn’t seem convinced, but didn’t push the matter any further. “This wouldn’t be the first time something unexpected has happened like this, but it’s usually the Rainbooms who clean it up for us. How fortunate we are to have Android in Canterlot City as well.”

“I have some connections with the chief of police,” Celestia spoke up. “Cadance is married to him. If you want, I could ask if he wants to meet Android or something.”

"Whoa, your niece is married to the chief of police?" He asked in awe. "That's so awesome! I guess that could help. I'm willing to get any help I can get!"

"I'll give her a ring, then," Celestia said and left the room. In the meantime, Luna simply sat there with Dew Drop and held his hand in hers.

"It's going to be alright," she told him.

"I hope so," said Dew Drop.

There was the faint sound of conversation from outside Dew Drop’s room. About five minutes later, Celestia came back in, putting her phone back into her pocket.

"Cadance says Chief Shining Armor will be happy to meet you on Monday," Celestia said. "Apparently he wanted to talk to you about something too."

“Oh, really?” Dew Drop asked. “I hope it’s not too serious. Either way, it’ll be nice to work WITH the police for once, instead of being HUNTED BY the police.”

"It sounds like your time in Metal City was not all that pleasant," Luna observed. "I hope Canterlot treats you better."

“Metal City was quite a terrible place for a cyborg,” Dew Drop admitted. “Especially for a halfling like me.” Luna gave him a confused face, prompting the lad to explain. “I only have a robotic arm. If a cyborg has only one robotic part, they’re known as halflings.”

"Why the distinction?" Celestia asked. "Isn't a cyborg just a cyborg?"

“Well, yeah,” answered the young halfing. “But the thing is that cyborgs who are either half or mostly machine tend to let the machine part of them take away their humanity. Halflings are lucky enough to maintain any humanity at all.”

"That sounds like quite a design flaw," Luna said. "What happens to those cyborgs? The ones that aren't halflings. What happens if they lose themselves to their machine parts?"

Dew Drop lowered his gaze as he answered. “They… they join the Cyber Force.” He recalled several instances in which the cyborgs he was once friends with slowly lost themselves. He was lucky to have a few cyborg friends who refused to give in. “I r-remember a few times when I had friends who joined the Cyber Force. I tried to save them… but… nothing I did was enough.” He felt tears forming in his eyes. He took a few deep breaths while whispering, “Heroes don’t cry. Heroes don’t cry. Heroes don’t cry!”

"It's okay to cry," Luna hugged Dew Drop again. "Crying is a sign of being human. That you still know how to care for others and hurt when something bad happens."

"I can't imagine that you've had it easy," Celestia added. "A hero's strength isn't just measured by how hard he can hit, but by his heart."

Finally, the poor fellow couldn’t hold them back any longer. He clung onto Luna and cried uncontrollably. Finally, after so much pain, anguish, and loss, he was letting out all the hurt he felt. The pain of losing his friends, his family, and his home was finally coming out.

"Go ahead and let it all out," Luna said as she embraced Dew Drop. "You've been very brave."

Dew Drop held onto her even tighter and cried even harder. His tears stained the front of Luna’s shirt, but he didn’t care much for that. For the first time in a long time, he felt loved by someone. He felt like he was in a family again.

Author's Note:

Short chapter, I know.