I need a vacation. -Arnold Ponegator

My scanners indicated ten hostiles of unknown classification closing in, but looking back to my two allies I realized that the mare was mourning silently as the General comforted her, so I decided to slip away unnoticed to confront the contacts. Ever since my personality component was heavily damaged I had begun referring to myself as if I were real, even though I knew I was nothing more than an advanced ponytron meant for military use, even if my kind was never put into action. I came to the edge of the underbrush and stayed low as I watched eight hulking masses with energy weapons aimed at two ponies, the latter being scared witless.

"Step away from the ponies or prepare to be terminated." I said calmly as I walked casually out of my hiding place.

"Wha? We aint afraid O' no pony!" one of the creatures screamed before blasting my chest.

I didn't flinch, it also helped that I could feel no pain, as my right side opened up and I began shooting away with my rail gun. Two of the beasts charged me but I moved with speed only a machine could achieve as I turned my body in ways that ponies couldn't and latched myself onto the backs of a beast.

"You were warned." I said before snapping its neck with my hind legs before jumping off of it.

"Lets git out O' here!" the leader of the beasts yelled before he and the remaining beasts dug into the ground and vanished.

"Thanks for the help sir, but we'll just be on our way." A yellow mare said as she went to walk away, but I turned to meet her face to face.

"You register as hostile, why?" I asked calmly as my gun retracted back into my body.

"What do you mean?" she asked, backing up slightly.

"Scanners indicate two hostiles at surface directly in front of this unit, you two are the only others here with me." I said again as I narrowed my optics upon the colt next to her.

"I assure you that we aren't hostile, my family was just murdered by those freaks." she said, looking worriedly at her colt after noticing my gaze.

I looked back up to her and gave a single nod before I began to walk away, I stopped when the combat shotgun peppered my flank.

"Mama why did you do that?" the colt yelled as he dashed away from his mother.

My gaze fixated on her and the colt as my core programming took effect, the colt was firing a small arms pistol on me as I approached his mother who was having difficulty loading her shotgun. I slammed my hoof into her stomach and ripped out her small intestines, and while she was still breathing I picked up her head and stared her in the eyes. "Crime, assault, punishment, death." I then smashed her skull with my forehooves before turning to the colt.

"Mommy, m, mommy." the colt stifled his cries when he saw my right side open and the ray gun deploy off of its servo.

I fired, but my shot never hit the colt as a black and silver dragon put himself between me and the young one.

"That is enough, stand down Arnold!" Tempest growled as he turned towards me, his side armor with nothing but minor damage.

"But the hostile." I stated.

"Is a child." Tempest boomed as he struck me with his forehooves and planted me in the ground.

"Mommy..." the colt said as he looked at the obliterated remains of what used to be his mom.

Tempest retracted his battle mask and gave the colt a sympathetic look before turning back to me with angry eyes. He pushed his face into mine and snorted flames as he sent a silent message, one that was clear as Celestia's sun when not blocked from view.

"I'll deal with you later, now go sit somewhere and power down for a spell." he snorted before shoving himself off of me.

I obeyed the general since he was my superior after all, sitting down just behind the brush. I watched as the old pony sat down next to the colt.

"What happened, and tell the truth?" Tempest asked softly but sternly.

"The hellhounds killed our family after we escaped from the ghoul when mama tried to take that filly from the shadowbolt." The colt started, earning a surprised look from Tempest.

"Did the shadowbolt have metal wings by chance?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" the colt replied.

"So Dark Lightning is safe after all." Tempest muttered, before realizing that the colt was slowly backing himself away, "Don't fret, I won't hurt you."

"That robot attacked when my mom struck him." the colt said, sitting back down.

"Why did Arnold attempt to kill you?" the general asked.

"I shot at him to try and save my mommy." the colt replied.

"Do yourself a favor and don't attack the ponytron with the attitude." Tempest said before motioning Flutter over to care for the colt.

"I thought I told you to power down?" Tempest asked when he saw me watching him.

"Reprogram my directives general, as so this never happens again." I slowly ordered him, unsure if he would be offended.

"I'll see what I can do, though I must admit, the mare had it coming to her." he replied as he got behind the ponytron.

I initiated shut down and the world went black, ponytrons don't dream after all.

Author's Notes:

So Arnold Ponegator has programming issues, and if anyone is wondering, he just killed the mare from "Going Shopping" and "Kidnapped" so we know what happened to them.