Synthetic but living

by Dark Nightshade

Ultrabyte's first day of school

The next morning Raw Data woke up as his alarm went off. As he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and put some clothes on, he thought about the earpieces and glasses.

Has Ultrabyte gotten into them yet? he thought as he started walking down the stairs and towards the kitchen. He put some pancakes into the microwave and left them in there while the heated up and went to the basement. He picked up the right earpiece and put it in his ear, the speaker that Ultrabyte would be talking through nestled comfortable in his ear and the thing holding it in his ear looking like a shield, and basically covering the rest of his ear filtering in noise from other people and objects. As he slid it on, he heard Ultrabyte say "Finally, you're awake!" Raw Data grinned.

"So you managed to get into here," he said.

"And the glasses," Ultrabyte said. "So, do you have an excuse for when someone sees these?"

"Several. It's to see if it can translate different languages into your native tongue and the glasses for subtitles," Raw Data said. "Or it's for deaf people and can make them hear."

"But you aren't deaf," Ultrabyte said.

"Yeah, that's one of the problems with that one," Raw Data said. "The final excuse is that it can track heat signatures, can enter night vision, can pick up conversations from what is normally out of range, and can find anything wrong with sound or sight." He heard Ultrabyte snap her fingers.

"You know, we could actually program those into these," she said. Raw Data grinned.

"So it wouldn't technically be lying," he said.

"Exactly," Ultrabyte said. "Now can you put on the glasses and other earpiece? You have something in the microwave waiting for you." Raw Data grinned as he picked up the other earpiece, sliding it onto his ear with ease, and grabbed the glasses. It looked like a normal pair of glasses, but the frames stopped midway down the glass, and said frames were silver, matching his hair. For a moment, it seemed like the reflection in the glass was Ultrabyte's pink skin and deep purple eyes.

"Now I can see and hear what you do," Ultrabyte said. "You may occasionally see more of what just happened, my eyes covering the glass for a second, and that's ok. Nothing bad is happening." Raw Data nodded as he felt along the sides of the glasses.

"That's good," he said. "Hey, what does this button do?" Ultrabyte let out a small squeak.

"No, don't press that!" she exclaimed. Raw Data flinched. "Oh, sorry. But don't touch that. Wait, do you remember the programing for that button?"

"It was similar to that of a projectors coding," Raw Data responded. "Is it actually like a projector?"

"It projects a hologram of me," Ultrabyte said. "So please don't press it, especially not during school. Now, on to breakfast, and then school!"

---

An hour and a half later, Raw Data entered his first class.

Hmm, Cheerilee, Ultrabyte said. She has a history of using anti-depressants. Raw Data frowned.

"How do you know that?" he muttered as he sat down at the back of the class.

Yeah, a benefit of being in these glasses is that I'm able to see records of them, Ultrabyte said. I only really skim through the important records. You know, criminal records, mental records, and medical records. Raw Data put his hand over his mouth and leaned on his elbows on his desk to make sure no one saw him talking.

"And you can access all this information just by looking at them?" Raw Data asked.

Yes. And yes, that includes you, Ultrabyte said. And there was no skimming. I'm sorry about your parents. Raw Data's heart sank at the mention of his parents, but he quickly returned his focus to Ultrabyte.

"It's ok, but it's handy having that ability," Raw Data muttered. "Does Cheerilee have a criminal record?" Ultrabyte started to talk when Cheerilee started teaching. Ultrabyte stayed silent except for the occasional correction to what Cheerilee was saying. Until lunch. Ultrabyte started talking about some of the other students records, until she saw Sunset Shimmer while Raw Data was walking towards an empty table.

That girl has such an interesting past, Ultrabyte said.Where are her friends? As soon as she finished saying that, however, Pinkie somehow appear right in front of Raw Data, making both him and Ultrabyte yelp in surprise.

"Hello," she said. "I felt my ears burning. And the desire to help advance the plot along. Who were you just talking to?"

What is she? Ultrabyte asked.

"That's not important, Pinkie," Raw Data said. "What do you mean advance the plot?"

"That's really what's not important right now," Pinkie said. "Those things on your ears and those glasses. They aren't really what you say they are, are they?"

Yes they are, Ultrabyte said. Don't trust her, she has a medical history of having schizophrenia. Pinkie started glaring at Raw Data.

"Ok, I heard that," she said. "How does whoever that's talking through you're earbuds know I had schizophrenia?"Raw Data's jaw dropped, and he assumed that Ultrabyte had the same reaction. He glanced around and leaned in towards Pinkie.

"How did you hear that?" he asked.

"I didn't," Pinkie said. "I actually read the story, but it still stands. How did whoever that is know I have schizophrenia?"

"Uh, I don't think I should say," Raw Data said. He noticed one of Pinkie's friends, Rarity start walking towards them.

"Aw, I can keep a secret!" Pinkie said.

"Only if you Pinkie Promised beforehand," Rarity said. Pinkie turned and looked at Rarity.

"Come on, that was one time!" Pinkie said. "And she never specifically told me to not tell anyone!"

"It was a secret, darling," Rarity said. She turned back to Raw Data. "So, you've managed to captivate this much of Pinkie's attention. How? Was it the ear buds and glasses? Or are you another creature from Equestria intent on taking control of the world, starting with us?" Raw Data had started nodding when Rarity finished the first one.

"Yes, it's the first one," he said.

"Do they do something?" Rarity ask. "They look advanced, and the glasses look like they do something."

Is she psychic? Ultrabyte asked. Actually, no. Oh, but she does own a boutique. That will come in hand if I return to human form.

"When you return to human form," Raw Data muttered. He looked at Rarity and Pinkie. "Ok, lets sit down and I guess I'll tell you about these. If that's ok with you?" Pinkie started to say yes, but Raw Data raised a finger.

Oh, me? Yes, I'm ok with that, Ultrabyte said. It'll be nice to talk to someone else, and some girls for a change.

"For a change?" Raw Data asked, feigning insult.

Ah, you know what I mean, Ultrabyte said. Now give them the ear buds, I want to talk to them. And you'll get subtitles, don't worry.

"Ok," Raw Data said. He started to unhook the ear buds, and handed one to Pinkie and one to Rarity.

"What are these for?" Rarity asked.

"Trust me, she'll explain all she wants to, and much better than how I do," Raw Data said. "Just put it on, and don't freak out." A couple of seconds after Pinkie and Rarity put the ear buds on, their eyes widened in surprise. Subtitles started to appear on the bottom of the glasses

Hello? it read.First of all, are the subtitles working?"

"Yes," Raw Data said.

Ok, good, the subtitles read. Now, Pinkie and Rarity, we need to talk. And yes, I do know your names. Mine is Ultrabyte. I know a lot about you. You see, I'm not just talking to you from another location. These ear buds, and those glasses contain me.

"Contain you?" Rarity asked.

Yes, contain me, Ultrabyte said. I am sort of like an AI, except I'm human. It was because if a group of scientists, led by a man by named Burning Brilliance.

"I've heard of him," Rarity said. "Doesn't he work with the military?"

He does now, Ultrabyte said. And it's bad. You see, what Burning Brilliance and his team were trying to do was see if people could become part machine, and not like a cyborg. We eventually learned how to transfer ourselves into computers and other electronics, but then the military got word of this project.

"Let me guess, they tried to turn you into a war machine ir something?" Pinkie asked. There was a pause before there was a response.

Yes, actually, Ultrabyte said. You freak me out a little bit.

"I get that a lot," Pinkie said. "So, what does that button on the glasses do?" Raw Data raised his hand to cover said button, and Ultrabyte started explaining that.

That projects a hologram of me, she said. And that can't happen, because when you transfer into a device, only organic matter is brought in, if any matter. Rarity gasped.

"So you're...naked?" she said, quieter than normal.

Yes, yes I am, Ultrabyte said. But don't worry, Raw Data is responsible and surprisingly has not tried to zoom out on the phone that I inhabited for the past couple of days. Except for that brief bit when it first booted up, but that was ok. Rarity looked slightly confused but nodded.

"You used to be in a phone?" she asked. "Can I ask what you looked like?"

"Beautiful," Raw Data blurted out. He started blushing when he realized he had said that aloud.

Ah, I'm not beautiful! Ultrabyte said. Raw Data couldn't hear her, but she had squeaked slightly.

"I can show you tomorrow," Raw Data said. "For some reason, I didn't bring the phone, but that's not really important." The bell started ringing, signaling the end of lunch. Everyone started rising. Pinkie and Rarity took off the ear buds and handed them to Raw Data.

"Thanks," he said as he started putting them on. "Well, see you two later, I guess," Raw Data said.

"Bye!" Rarity and Pinkie said as they started walking away.

Author's Note:

Yes, there is a reason why Ultrabyte's speech changes from normal to italics when they get to school. That's to lesson any confusion around her speaking and anyone else speaking.

Comments

[lazyreader19]

Just started reading this as well! Looking forward to anything that comes next.

Also Raw Data definitely has less interested/more restraint that I would if I had found her

[Dark Nightshade]

8532896
Hehe, yeah, most people would agree with you. Strangly, I actually based Raw Data's hormone-ness and sexual cluelessness on myself. And I'm glad you liked it!