Twilight paced furiously around her lab office, muttering and cursing under her breath as she glanced back at her desk, gazing at one of the cubic devices she and her team had recovered from the alien wreckage. She glared intensely, a fire burning in her eyes, the left one starting to twitch. “Look at it,” she spoke, a hint of frustration in her voice. “It's mocking me.”

“You’ve been obsessing over that thing for five months, Twilight,” Spike said from the door. “I don’t think it’ll do anything. Come have some dinner?”

“Not now Spike,” Twilight replied, growing increasingly frustrated. “I’m almost sure I’m at a breakthrough on this thing.” She stared intensely at the cube as she grabbed her desk lamp and shone its light on the cube.  “Alright Mr. Cube, you’ve proven to be resistant to every possible technique I’ve used so far. But no more Miss Nice Mare! You’ll spill your secrets to me or I’ll send you on a one way trip through my particle accelerator! Now talk!”

“Twilight. It’s an inanimate object,” Spike pointed out. “Besides. Wouldn’t a particle accelerator completely atomize the thing?”

“That’s ok Spike,” Twilight replied, a twisted smile on her face. “I’ve got more just like him. After they see their friend turned into subatomic nothingness, they’ll talk!” She turned her gaze to the bookshelf that contained the rest of the alien cubes and shook her fist at them. “Sooner or later one of you will spill your guts to me!”

“But what if they’re some form of book and you’re destroying probably irreplaceable knowledge?” Spike asked, rubbing his face with both hands as he felt a headache starting to form from Twilight’s madness. Where was Facet when he needed him?

Twilight cackled madly, falling back into her chair. Slowly her laughter died down as she digested Spike’s thought. “I...I think I need to...to get my mind off these..things.” She replied, her voice shaken. “I’ll...I’ll go see how Lyra’s coming along with her find. Yeah...that’ll help.” She rose from her chair and made her way to her office door. “Spike. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?”

“Sure. I’ll see you back at the house then?” Spike asked. “Don’t stay too long or dinner will get cold.”

“Ok, sure sure,” Twilight replied as she exited her office and made her way to the main lab floor. As the doors slid open, she could see Lyra fiddling with a mass of jumper cables, attaching them one by one to the strange mechanical pilot they retrieved. “Everything alright here, Dr. Heartstrings?”

“Everything’s fine, at least I hope this time,” Lyra replied as she placed the other half of the last jumper cable onto the mechanical pilot. “You’ve been pretty stubborn with me so far, my mechanical friend.  Let’s hope this works. Ok try it now, Beaker!” Beaker nodded as he flipped a large switchbox. A spark sprung to life as the metals touched each other, causing Lyra to leap backwards, yelping in shock.

The pilot jerked and slowly stood up, looking toward Lyra. “Inquiry: Where am I?”

“It...it worked!” Lyra barked excitedly, hopping up and down with enthusiasm. “And...aaand you...you can talk?” She squeed with joy. “This is so amazing! Oh I’ll be on the cover of Equestrian Scientist magazine for sure! Beaker! Beaker! Get the Princesses down here and hurry! They’re not going to want to miss this!”

Luna, Celestia, and Twilight stood awestruck, their eyes firmly locked on the mechanical figure in front of them. They were struck utterly speechless, unable to process the appearance of their strange new guest.

Twilight finally broke the silence. “Droid! I order you to reveal your secrets to us!” She dramatically pointed at the droid as she issued this order, only for the silence to return pregnant and give birth to awkwardness within the span of seconds.

“Calm yourself, my young pupil,” Celestia replied, placing a gentle hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “We will get answers from this droid, but we must be diligent about it.” She turned her gaze to meet the Droid’s. “What is your name and what is your function?”

The droid remained as silent for Celestia as it had for Twilight, the silence birthing a brother awkwardness for the first as the seconds ticked by. During which the brothers awkwardness had a rather typical sibling rivalry to outdo each other.

“Allow me to try, my lady.” Lyra spoke up, dissipating the air of awkwards. “Droid. Explain to us your...designation and your...functional programming.”

At last, the droid spoke, answering the inquiry of its master. “Explanation: I am designated C1-X1. I am a combination protocol and assassin droid,” C1-X1 answered in an electronic monotone that somehow carried the potential for great deals of snark in dealings with those not designated ‘master’.

“Why did you answer her but not me or the princess, droid?!” Twilight demanded. “Answer me or there will be Tartarus to pay, you piece of junk!”

Once more, C1-X1 remained silent for Twilight, refusing to answer her query. Her face turned a deep shade of red as her patience began to wear thin.

“C1-X1, please answer the question.” Lyra spoke up, once more diffusing a potentially hazardous situation.

“Explanation: I am under standing orders to only respond to the orders and inquiries of my master,” C1-X1 answered, standing tall and straight as he was interrogated.

“Wait, did you say you were an assassin droid?!” Celestia replied, a hint of anger and fear in her voice. C1-X1 remained at his default silence before Lyra nudged him to respond.

“Confirmation: I am programmed with knowledge of numerous killing techniques covering a wide range of weaponry.”

“Another alien weapon?” Celestia responded. “Unacceptable. Lyra, I demand you shut this droid down immediately!”

“Sister, calm yourself,” Luna rebutted. “Let’s not be too rash. I’m sure we can reprogram it, right Lyra?”

“Yeah yeah, sure sure,” Lyra replied, half paying attention as her excitement overwhelmed her. “You said you’re secondary function is as a protocol droid? Please explain.”

“Explanation: Protocol droids are akin to what organics term butlers. I can be programmed with languages and social etiquettes from various cultures depending on the requirements of my master. Restatement: Where am I?”

“Oh yes yes yes, where are my manners,” Lyra replied, calming herself down. “You’re in Canterlot, capital of Equestria, on the planet Equus. Well more specifically you’re in the Royal Canterlot Laboratory.”

“Statement: Equus does not appear on any of my stored star charts. Conclusion: Equus system is not located in territory controlled by the Galactic Empire. Possibly located in Unknown Regions, or possibly deep core. Inquiry: What has become of Jedi Master Belle’Sara?”

“Who?” Lyra asked, a puzzled look upon her face. She only pondered the question for a brief moment. “The creature! Was that her name? So exotic. Anyway, I’m sorry to say this, but she did not survive the crash.”

C1-X1 was silent for several moments. “Statement: Master is deceased. Protocol is clear. Organic to reactivate and communicate with is now my master. Inquiry: What is your designation, master?”

“Designa…Oh, my name!” Lyra replied. “I’m Dr. Lyra Heartstrings. Excuse me for a moment.” She turned away from C1-X1, taking a few steps away from him. “Master? Oh wow, my own personal robot servant!” She quietly squeed with delight before refacing him, clearing her throat. “C1-X1, as your new master, I command you to cease prefacing statements with a descriptive word.”

“Acknowledged. All future communications will not be described.” C1-X1 stood silent and still after that, awaiting his next order.

Lyra couldn’t help but hop up and down, her excitement overflowing. As she bounced around, she turned her attention to the results of the blood test she had run on both Loki and Belle’Sara’s corpse. She picked up the pages and handed it over to the droid. “C1-X1, you wouldn’t happen to know what the function of these strange organelles are, would you?”

C1-X1 looked over the information for several seconds in silence. “Midi-chlorians. Found in varying concentrations in all organics. Concentrations of 5000 or more per cell denote individual as Force sensitive. Force sensitivity able to be ascertained via blood test for midi-chlorian count.”

“Woah woah woah, slow down there,” Twilight replied, wanting to let the information sink in. “What is the Force exactly?”

C1-X1 fell silent as he searched his databanks. “No data available.”

“What?!” Twilight shouted, her face contorting into an angry expression, complete with a manic eye twitch. “How can you have no information on this? Check again!”

“No data available,” C1-X1 repeated, his tone taking on a subtle change that asked why Twilight thought information would come from nowhere because she demanded it to.

Twilight grew more impatient, her face rapidly reddening. She turned her attention to a pile of cubes that the other scientists and assistants had been working on. She picked on up and handed it to C1-X1. “I demand you tell me what these are!” She barked, hoping the droid could succeed where she couldn’t.

“Datacrons. Repositories capable of containing hundreds of terabytes worth of data,” C1-X1 responded.

Twilight laughed, a hint of mania in each chuckle. “Good...good we’re finally getting somewhere,” she replied. “Now tell me droid, how do I unlock one of these datacrons?”

“No data available,” C1-X1 answered, hinting at a theme starting to form around Twilight’s questions. Anything big simply wouldn’t be known to the droid.

Twilight’s face became frozen in a manic smile with only her eye moving in a rapid twitch. She was still as a statue, the droid’s lack of information slowly sinking into her skin. Celestia, Luna and Lyra looked to each other, expressions of concern and unease marked their faces as Twilight remained utterly motionless. Before any of them could speak, Twilight yelled and charged C1-X1. “YOU”LL TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW!” She screamed, grabbing his chestplate. However, that triggered a physical reaction from the droid, and C1-X1 subdued Twilight, his right arm holding both of hers behind her back and his left arm wrapped around her neck and applying pressure. Her struggles were fruitless. Flesh, blood, and bone were little match for durasteel. Celestia and Luna reflexively readied themselves into fight stances, unsure of the droid’s intent.

“C1-X1, release Twilight immediately!” Lyra yelped in a panicked voice. The effect was immediate. As quickly as he had subdued Twilight, C1-X1 released her and stood straight and still. Twilight moved away from the droid, trying to catch her breath and center herself.

“Twilight, you should head home and relax,” Celestia spoke with the soothing tone of a mother as she placed her hands upon Twilight’s shoulders. “You need some time away from all this work. It’s not healthy.”

“I agree.” Lyra responded as she rushed to also comfort Twilight. “You’ve been working harder than anypony here without a break. You need some time off. Come back with a calmer, more focused head on your shoulders, ok?”

“Ok...ok,” Twilight calmly replied. “I...I don’t know what came over me. I’m...I’m just going to head on home now.” She hastily ran towards the exit, a few tears streaming down her face.

“What in Tartarus was that all about?!” Celestia demanded in an uncharacteristic break in her regal demeanor.

“Programmed response to belligerent behavior was triggered,” C1-X1 responded evenly. “Directive for unarmed civilians is to nonlethally disable.”

“This is what I was worried about,” Celestia replied. “What if this droid wasn’t programmed with that? It could have easily killed her. Lyra, shut it down.”

“Now hold on, sister” Luna responded, standing between Celestia and C1-X1. “It wasn’t his fault. Twilight acted rather uncharacteristically irrational and the droid acted accordingly to the situation.”

“I have to agree with Princess Luna,” Lyra replied. “Twilight did provoke C1-X1. But he did take her down in the least harmful way possible. He could have chosen to kill her, but I’m sure that was his best choice, right C1?”

“Yes,” C1-X1 replied simply. “Despite the level of hostility, it was provoked by exhaustion limiting rational thought processes. Subduing nonlethally was optimal.”

Celestia sighed, pacing around the group as she rubbed her temples, trying to alleviate the minor headache recent events caused. “C1-X1, is it possible for  you to alter your programming to use primarily non lethal methods?” She finally asked.

“If instructed by my master, standing orders will be overwritten by new orders,” C1-X1 answered, looking to Lyra. “Do you wish to overwrite standing orders with new directives, master?”

Lyra looked to C1-X1, then turned her gaze to the royal sisters, letting the previous events stew in her mind as she formed her decision. “Yes.” She replied. “I wish to overwrite your current standing directives with the following: you are to use primarily nonlethal methods to combat potential threats, unless otherwise granted to use lethal force.”

“Acknowledged,” C1-X1 replied. “Overwriting directives with updated parameters. Overwrite complete.”

“Well now that’s settled, what should be done with him?” Celestia asked. The other pondered the thought, unsure of what, if any, place C1-X1 could have among them.

“I might have an idea about that,” Lyra spoke up. “I think it might be best if C1-X1 is placed with one of you two. After all, I do have plenty of lab assistants and I’ve no need for a bodyguard.”

Luna perked up considerably. “He could guard Loki! I’d never have to worry with his sleepless vigil protecting my precious little boy.”

“Sister, is it wise to have this thing guarding Loki?” Celestia replied worrisome. “Suppose he malfunctions? Loki could be hurt or worse.”

“I have faith in Lyra’s ability to maintain him,” Luna responded. “Besides. I don’t feel ready to trust a pony nanny right now. Not when opinion of my son is up in the air.”

Celestia sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. Luna’s intentions were clear and she wasn’t about to budge, as years of experience in dealing with her reminded her. She turned her gaze to her younger sister. “Alright, alright.” She calmly replied. “If you’re certain that he’ll be of no threat to Loki, I accept your decision.”

“Thank you, dear sister.” Luna responded, hugging Celestia in gratitude. Once she released her sister from her grasp, she turned her attention to the droid. “C1-X1, I hereby assign you to be my son’s personal bodyguard and caretaker.”

C1-X1 turned his gaze to Lyra. “Do you order this, master?”  

“I do,” Lyra responded. “You will no doubt be of more use to the princess than to me. I release you from my service. You will serve Princess Luna from now on.”

“Acknowledged,” C1-X1 answered simply, turning his gaze to his new master.

“Wonderful.” Luna replied, a hint of pride in her voice. “Come droid. Allow me to introduce you to your new charge.” Luna turned and marched towards the exit, C1-X1 obediently following her close behind, intent on carrying out his new mission to the letter.

Twilight ferociously swung open the door of her apartment, trying to wipe away her tears as she haphazardly threw her satchel in a random spot. She made a beeline for the couch, throwing herself upon it and burying her head deep into its cushions, muffling her cries. She sooned lifted her head from out of the cushions and instinctively wrapped one the couch pillows into an embrace a colt or filly would show a stuffed animal.

As she wrapped her arms around the pillow, Facet entered the room, having heard her arrival. His happy greeting died in his throat at the sight of his marefriend’s state. Rushing over, he knelt beside her and wiped her tears away. “Twilight, what’s wrong?” he asked, his voice dripping with worry. “What happened?”

Twilight craned her head up to meet his gaze, her eyes overflowing with the Neighagra Falls of tears. “Facet...I...I...I…” she tried to speak but whatever words came to her mind were lost in translation of her sob babbling. “I’vejustbeensofrustratedwithallthesefindsandIgotsomad.” She lay her head in his lap as her crying intensified. “Andthisdroidwefoundandturnedonattackedme!”

Facet pulled Twilight into a sitting position on his lap and just held her, gently running his fingers through her mane. “It’s alright. It’s alright. You’re safe. That droid can’t hurt you now.” He gently wiped her tears away and planted a tender kiss on her lips. “I won’t let anything hurt you, my love.”

Twilight rested her head on Facet’s shoulder, her crying somewhat lessened by his touch and soothing reassurance. She felt safe in his presence. “I’m sorry” she replied, her voice still shaking with sadness. “It’s just...just that work has been sooo aggravating. My mind has just been frazzled. I haven’t been able to focus clearly and I just lost my temper and the whole business with the droid, I just need...need a break from it all.” She sighed deeply, both in relief and at the mere thought of being away from her lab and the discoveries within.

Facet smiled at Twilight and tenderly kissed her again, running his fingers through her mane and pulling away with a small chuckle when her stomach loudly growled. “When was the last time you ate?”

“This morning, maybe?” Twilight responded. “It’s been such a crazy day I can’t remember. I could almost go for one of those hayburgers about now, I’m so hungry.”

Facet laughed and kissed Twilight again. “Why get hayburgers when I cooked a romantic dinner for us?”

“You didn’t, really?” Twilight replied, her mood vastly improved. “Babe, you’re so sweet.” She planted a small barrage of kisses on Facet’s face.

Facet returned each of Twilight’s kisses and hugged her against him. “I got you a new dress too, Twi. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

“You shouldn't have,” Twilight responded with a large grin plastered on her face. “Where is it?”

“Waiting for you in the bedroom,” Facet answered. “I can’t wait to see how you look in it.”

“Me neither,” Twilight replied. “I’m going to change right now. Be right back.” She raced to their room at the far end of the apartment. As she reached the doorway, her eyes wandered over to the bed. A large white box tied with a red lace ribbon lay upon the mattress. She swooped over and carefully but quickly undid the ribbon and removed the lid. She gasped loudly at what was cradled within the box.

Twilight casually made her way into the dining room. Her new dress was black with rose patterned red accents that hugged and accentuated her curves, hanging from her shoulders by thin straps and letting a modest, but still alluring amount of her cleavage be revealed to sight. The dress left her legs exposed from mid thigh down, and her legs from under her knees down were covered by black short heel boots with lace sides, with her arms being covered by upper arm length fingerless gloves. Her hair was flowing behind her, her lips coated in her favorite ruby red lipstick, with some mascara and eyeshadow completing the look. “Well, how do I look?” She asked with a sultry tone in her voice.

Facet closed the distance between them and pulled Twilight into a deep kiss, smiling at her as he broke it. “Even more beautiful than I ever imagined. It’s perfect for you, Twilight.”

“I must say, it’s very flattering,” Twilight replied as she ran her hands down her dress, admiring the soft fabric. “You sure know what looks good on me. So, what’s for dinner?”

Facet put his arm around Twilight’s shoulders and guided her to the table. “I decided to try a Neighponese recipe I found a few days ago. I think it turned out very well.”

“Oh, I’ve always wanted to try Neighponese cuisine,” Twilight replied as Facet pulled out her chair for her. “I hear it’s supposed to be one of the best cuisine’s in the world.” She sat down and gazed at the foreign dinner with gluttonous vigor. Without the slightest hesitation, she jabbed her fork into the meal and rapidly shoveled the first bite into her maw. She savored the taste of the intricate spices. “Oh sweet Faust this is so good.” She replied with a mouth full of food.

Facet chuckled as he watched her eat while taking his own with a more casual pace. “It really is. I should make this more often. Not just for romantic dinners.” He gave Twilight a warm smile. “How long has it been since we had a meal like this? Just the two of us?”

“Longer than I can remember,” Twilight responded before taking a swig of water to wash down her exotic meal. “We’ve both just been so wrapped up in work. Me at the lab and you keeping Canterlot and Ponyville safe. Speaking of, I heard something about a pack of diamond dogs raiding the town’s borders. What happened?”

“There have been kidnapping attempts,” Facet explained. “Most are halted by vigilant patrols, but a few have slipped through the cracks. We don’t know why the dogs are suddenly being so aggressive when in the past they’ve been content to hide in their mines seeking riches with no care for the goings on in the outside world.”

“How awful,” Twilight responded. “Do you...do you think that they’re...they’re...eating...their captives?” Her face contorted into an expression of fear and horror, the gruesome thought racing through her mind. She shuddered, trying to banish it from her mind.

“Oh Faust I hope not,” Facet muttered. “A couple of my friends are among the ones that were successfully abducted.”

“That’s terrible.” Twilight replied. She rapidly moved from her seat and sat next to Facet, wrapping one arm around him, holding him close to her. “You’re going to find them, I know you are.” She planted a small kiss on his cheek.

Facet smiled and wrapped an arm around her in turn. “I certainly hope so, love.” He lightly kissed her on the lips. “Back to our quality time. After dinner, we’re doing something about all your stress. And I know just the thing for that.”

“Oh, one of your famous full body massages,” Twilight replied in a sensual voice as her hand glided down one of Facet’s legs. “You always know how to make a mare unwind.”

“Can’t call them famous. I only ever give them to you,” Facet whispered in her ear, his voice taking on a husky tone as he pulled Twilight into his lap, his hands gliding over her belly and moving slowly upward. “And you’re just as good at making me unwind.”

Twilight playfully smacked his hands before they could reach their intended prize. “Naughty, naughty,” she teasingly replied. “You gotta work for them, soldier boy.” She rested her hands on his shoulders, straddling him as she planted a kiss on his cheek, then moved down to his neck, lightly kissing and nibbleling him.

Facet let out a light groan of pleasure and pulled Twilight’s head back up so he could passionately kiss her on the lips, hands taking to wandering before he gripped her rear and picked her up as he stood. Feeling her legs wrap around his waist, he started toward the bedroom, lips still locked with hers.

As the moon cast its light on the towers of Canterlot, Twilight lay alone in the bed she shared with Facet, her lover having woken to answer nature’s call. Despite this, she slept soundly, dreaming of the life she and Facet were planning to share together in the future. She was so deep in her dream that she didn’t react to shadows being cast on her sleeping form from the balcony glass door.

The shadow figures slowly opened the door, carefully not to make the hinges creak. Once it was opened to a satisfactorily width, the figures silently crept inside as though they were spectors. They made their way to Twilight’s sleeping form and crouched before pouncing.

Twilight was jolted awake by several forms landing on the bed around her. As she opened her mouth to scream, a wad of cloth was shoved into her mouth, gagging her as she struggled against her assailants. As she was forced onto her belly and her wrists tied together behind her waist, she feared she was going to be raped. But as her ankles were tied together and a burlap sack forced over her head and tied shut once past her feet, she realized the truth. She was being kidnapped. She struggled against her bonds as she tried desperately to chew through her gag. If she could just scream, she could cry out for help. Facet help me! I’m being kidnapped! She desperately thought, wishing that he could hear her mental cries and come to her aid.

As the dogs got to the street level with Twilight, Facet returned to the bedroom and saw the signs of a struggle, and Twilight’s absence. Rushing to the balcony, he looked around for trails or sights of her and her kidnappers. Facet help me! I’m being kidnapped! The terrified voice of the mare he loved sounded in his head, and he just knew where she was being taken. Making his way down to the street in nothing but shorts and armed with only a broom as an improvised staff, he followed the trail he somehow knew was Twilight’s.

Twilight meanwhile, kept struggling against her bonds, desperate to escape the dogs.

“Keep still!” One of the dogs barked, trying to keep Twilight from squirming a worm on a hook. He tried tightening his grip, but the more he did, the more valiantly she struggled. With no other choice, he tried striking her on where he thought her head was in the sack. He only succeeded in striking her feet.

Twilight let out a muffled cry of pain. Finally she bit through her gag and sucked in a breath. “LET ME GO!!!” Her scream echoed throughout Canterlot, bringing the Lunar Guard converging on the dogs’ position, and Facet along with them.

“Retreat! Retreat!” A smaller diamond dog yelped, bolting from the scene. A third diamond dog followed suit and disappeared into the shadows.

“Cowards!” The leader howled. He slung Twilight over his shoulder and decided to make a run for the outskirts of the city, figuring no pony would follow him.

He was wrong. Facet blindsided him with a powerful strike to his head that snapped the broom handle and sent the dog reeling, dropping Twilight in the process. Tackling the disoriented dog to the ground, Facet raised the broken piece of handle he still held, conveniently shaped to stab very easily, above the dog’s throat and cocked his arm back to drive the improvised stake through the dog’s throat.

The diamond dog stared Facet down defiantly, showing no hint of fear in his eyes. His lips parted, baring a smile of glistening fangs, followed by a throaty chuckle. He cackled loudly as he stared death in the face.

Facet’s face contorted in rage as he began bringing the stake down for the kill, only for a hand to close around his wrist. Whipping around, he saw Mikoda firmly holding his wrist, keeping him from killing the dog.

Mikoda’s eyes widened slightly. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but he could have sworn Facet’s eyes had turned yellow for a few seconds before he blinked, his eyes their normal emerald green again.

“We need to interrogate this one!” Mikoda barked, the essence of authority in his voice. “We might be able to obtain the location of the hostages. If you kill him now, we’ll never know where they are or if they’re even still alive.”

“He tried to kidnap Twilight,” Facet seethed. “I promised her I wouldn’t let anything hurt her, and she almost got kidnapped from right under my nose!”

“And yet, here she is, alive thanks to your efforts.” Mikoda pointed out as two Lunar Guards removed Twilight from the burlap sack. “She is safe and you have caught a potential lead to save more lives.”

Facet took several deep breaths. As his rage dissipated, he saw the wisdom in Mikoda’s words and allowed the dog to be restrained, dropping the broken broom to the ground. Once Mikoda let him go, he rushed over to Twilight and tightly hugged her. “Are you alright, Twilight?”

“I’m fine.” She replied, her voice slightly shaken from the experience. “I was so scared. I didn’t know what they were going to do with me.” She held Facet tightly, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m just glad you caught up with me.”

“I was scared too,” Facet admitted as he gently rubbed her back. “I was so desperate to reach you. I was terrified that I was going to lose you. If anything happened to you, I’d never forgive myself.”

Twilight lifted her head up from his shoulder and locked eyes with him. She placed her hand on the back of his head and pulled it towards her, locking her lips with his.

Facet kissed Twilight back and held her close, simply holding their kiss as he reassured himself that she was here in his arms, safe and sound. That she wasn’t going anywhere. Not as long as he was there to protect her.