New Ponyville. A small haven of both pony and machine. Each working their part to aid one another as per tradition. Winter Wrap Up had just finished. The Princess of Friendship watched from the balcony of a castle in the middle of the village, having concluded her secondary rounds of a list in her magic, ticking each box in concentration. This year’s Wrap Up has been harrowing. Cloudsdale’s Weather machine has been acting up as of late, as stated by one of her friends. She had flown to and back to check on the damages. When she had arrived, she noticed the robots acting… stranger than usual. The purple alicorn frowned when her friend, a cyan pegasus in a rainbow mane, rubbed her muzzle in frustration.

“These darn robots keep screwing everything up!” she exclaimed in annoyance. The purple alicorn rubbed her chin as she studied the robots that were stuttering in their movements. The on-site weather pegasi were scrambling to repair at least four of the robots working the wind turbines. To her, the alicorn took note of the working robots and mechanical limbs working the stations and the ones that were hesitant in their movements and or stuttering in reply to a command. The alicorn thought long and hard, not realizing the confused look she was being given by the pegasus.

“Uhh, hello? Earth to Twilight?” the mare waved a hoof in her face, causing the alicorn to blink and look at her.

“H-huh? Oh, sorry, Rainbow Dash.” She said sheepishly. The pegasus, Rainbow Dash, groaned when she caught site of a small puff of smoke and burning wires when the repair crew had tried to repair a component. The robot jittered before leaning forward and the lit eyes dimmed.

“Geez. And here I thought we were working alongside them!” She sighed. “Not having to clean up their little moments.” Twilight frowned at this.

“Rainbow Dash, how can you say such a thing?” Rainbow Dash arched a brow. “Robots and androids are citizens as well. They gladly offered to help with the Winter Wrap Up. And besides, you know how machines are in the winter.” The pegasus rubbed her head and shrugged.

“Not really. This is more of your line of work, egg head.” Twilight rubbed her chin again before trotting over to a fizzled out robot. The repair crew stepped back to let the alicorn examine the downed machine. The mechanical creature had the structure of a pegasus, but the hide was mainly made up of metal, bolts and gears on the inside. A bit of a downgrade compared to the androids. But what made them unique were the capabilities to do arduous tasks willingly. In some cases, robots are asked to be given a command.

But when Twilight signed off on the papers for the pet project the princesses themselves passed through the nations, she wasn’t expecting the mechanical denizens to suddenly activate and willingly help. She had studied up on mechanical science before hoof. Taking note each and every little detail about AI programming and functions. And when they suddenly showed up one day in Ponyville, they completely threw her expectations out the windows.

It took a while for the citizens of Ponyville to accept this change. When some have offered to aid, they were given suspicious looks of disgust and hate. And Twilight was uncertain of how to go about it. She had heard about the advancing technology in Canterlot. In fact, the very inventor of these second class citizens was originally from Ponyville. But when she heard the sudden demand for them had increased, the inventor wanted to state that they are here to aid in the suffering times of Equestria. And deciding to use the gifts given to them by Princess Celestia and Luna, he found a way to create a utopia within two years.

And when the inventor himself showed her what their certain programming can do for them, she found it a lot easier to maintain their standing. It eventually reached to a point where she and her friends helped the robots adapt to their new home and soon showed its’ residents that they were to be trusted. And it had remained that way for years.

The robot fizzled again, making a popping sound that engulfed Twilight in smoke. She waved a hoof, coughing before looking back at the robot. She turned to one of the repair ponies.

“How long have they’ve been acting like this?” She asked. The pegasus mare rubbed her hard hat as she spoke.

“They only recently started. We’ve never had trouble with them before. But this is getting to the point where it’s just getting out of hoof.” The alicorn rubbed her chin again in thought.

“Are you sure it isn’t just the weather in here? Have they’ve been seen in too much humidity? In freezing temperature? Or near wet surfaces?” The mare rubbed her own chin.

“Umm… well…” It was a stallion that spoke for her as he trotted up to them.

“When they first arrived here, I saw no signs of them ever having break down near any of those conditions.” He looked at the robot and frowned. “Come to think of it, they didn’t seem to mind the weather at all. And we do daily routine check-ups on them to make sure the conditions haven’t altered anything.” Twilight nodded. Of course, there was another reason as to why they might be acting like this. But she had to make sure. She looked to the mare and smiled.

“Mind if I borrow your tools?” she asked. The mare was confused by this at first. She then nodded and gave her the hardhat and utility belt. Twilight donned the hat and taking a screwdriver, began digging into the back panel, holding her breath in from the smoke rising from the robot. As this went on, Rainbow Dash tapped her hoof impatiently. Rainbow Dash had gotten back after a briefing from the Wonderbolts for their performance that is going to be in the Summer Sun Celebration in a few months. As she was just settling in back to her home and wanted an easy day of just re-reading Daring Doo, she received a message from her terminal.

The little contraption was bizarre to the mare. And when her friend Twilight had accepted this space age technology into Ponyville, she had trouble remembering what keys do what. Thankfully, Twilight had simplified it for her and all she had to do was press one button. The white text on the black background changed to an inbox. It was a message from Scootaloo.

>Rainbow Dash. I kind of need your help with a certain problem.

The mare arched a brow. Didn’t Scootaloo get a job as a Weather Coordinator? She scrolled through the text with another key.

>Winter Wrap Up is nearing and we have been getting strange stutters in the turbines. Not only that, the robots that offered to aid us have been acting strange. Do you think you can come here and assess the problem?

Rainbow Dash cocked her head in confusion. Did Scootaloo ask for help in a mechanical situation? She sighed. ‘Squirt, you do realize I’m not the mare to do that?’ But she digressed. Taking a brief moment to stretch her wings, she quickly took off from the ground, the winter air flying past her. When she arrived at the Weather Factory, A young teen pegasus in orange hide and purple mane greeted the mare with a hug, in which Rainbow Dash happily returned, before looking at the mare.

“What’s the problem, Squirt?” she asked. Scootaloo furrowed her brows and motioned with a wing at her to follow. As the two trotted down the hallway, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic of her previous work background. Of course, that doesn’t mean she helped from time to time. But being a Wonderbolt fills up your schedule more than she thought. And as they entered the lobby, Rainbow Dash could already tell the damages. Two of the robots that were stationed at the turbine seemed to stutter in their movements. Scootaloo sighed.

“They’ve been acting like that two days ago. I don’t know what the deal is with them.” Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin.

“Did you tell the repair ponies?” she asked. Scootaloo nodded.

“Even they don’t know what’s wrong. We’ve tried everything. But if this keeps up, Winter Wrap Up is going to be delayed.” Rainbow Dash got a closer look at the robot. It turned to her, causing her to shrink back a bit.

“Greetings, Wonderbolt. H-h-how may I help you?” it asked cheerfully in a stutter. Rainbow Dash arched a brow. If she recalled, these robots do have a mind of their own.

“Erm, my friend here says that something maybe wrong with you guys. Is… everything okay?” she asked. The robot tilted its’ head, making a small hum in its movements.

“E-e-everything is okay with me! All functions are working at e-e-e-githy perCEnt.” It tipped forward a bit, its voice deepening at the word percent. The way it talked unnerved the pegasus mare. Even Scootaloo furrowed her brow in worry.

“I think we need Twilight’s help with this.” She said rubbing the back of her head. And that is where they stand now. As Twilight continually explored the inside of the downed robot, Rainbow Dash sighed and looked over to see Scootaloo trying her best to help another struggling robot. She did notice one thing about their strange behavior. Their eyes seemed to change from yellow to red in seconds as they stuttered. Her brain was sending off signals that told her something bad might go down.

She looked back to her friend. “Hey Twilight.” The alicorn was still stuffed into the robot’s back panel.

“Mhm?” she hummed in response.

“Doesn’t this seem like something out of a Daring Doo novel?” Twilight furrowed her brows as she seemed to have thought she found the problem, only to sigh in defeat and back out.

“Rainbow Dash, now is not the time to be talking about Daring Doo. We will discuss that matter once we figure this out.” She replied. Rainbow Dash nodded her head.

“Right! But… I mean what if it might be the case?” Twilight continued to examine the robot. “I mean… it might make sense.” Twilight chuckled a bit before responding to her friend.

“Rainbow Dash, please. If the robots wanted to rebel, they would have done so long ago. They’ve proven otherwise. And even the whole continent is half machine aided anyway.” She smiled at her. “Equestria has never seen an increase in it’s economy in years! This is practically a big step to a utopia we can look forward too.” Rainbow Dash frowned.

“But isn’t New Canterlot still suffering from the riots over there?” she asked. Twilight nodded in thought.

“They are slowly going back to what they once were, but the Luridium Plague was five years ago, Dash.” She waved a small hoof wiggle at her. “I doubt that is the case with them. These robots don’t even have Luridium. They are powered by Solarium and Lunarium.” Rainbow Dash arched a brow. All this sciency stuff is making her head hurt. She rubbed her muzzle.

“So remind me again why I shouldn’t worry about machines?” she asked. Twilight frowned before turning to the downed robot.

“There is nothing to be afraid of. All those sci-fi movies we’ve been watching has gotten to you.” Rainbow Dash snorted.

“I’m not scared of machines! I’m just worried about the fact they might pull something without us knowing.” She said quickly. Twilight gave a skeptical smile at her before turning back to the robot… and realizing that it was standing up and looking at her. She balked and stepped back when the robot’s eyes suddenly dimmed on.

“H-h-hello, Princess!” it greeted cheerfully. Rainbow Dash lowered herself, ready to move. “Isn’t it a bright and b-b-b-beautiful day?” Even the other pegasi around them backed away slowly. Something wasn’t right about this. It sent a lot of vibes throughout the lobby. Twilight arched a brow.

“Winter is still… going on?” she replied a bit nervously. The robot leaned back and chuckled.

“Oh, Princess. You truly are too kind. I-I-I cannot believe that a princess is before me! Can I o-o-offer you some assistance?” Twilight rubbed her chin again. The behavior was indeed strange. The robot’s AI were self-controlled. They basically had a mind of their own in sense. But she couldn’t help but notice the eyes changing color every time they stuttered.

“Is everything okay with you?” Twilight asked. The robot gestured, its’ movements in steady pace.

“Of course! No problems here and I am running at s-s-s-sixty percent capacity. As per usual!” Rainbow Dash arched a brow.

“Wasn’t it eighty before?” The room had gone silent while the machined continued to talk.

“Eighty percent! That is p-p-p-precisely the amount me and my kind run at.” Rainbow Dash rubbed her head.

“So… what about the other twenty percent?” The robot chuckled again.

“Twenty percent is dedicated to following my pro-pro-programming.” It then spazzed a bit before it suddenly leaned forward, making a strange noise as it did. The lights in its eyes dimmed again. Twilight and Rainbow exchanged glances. As if on cue, the robot suddenly blipped and rightened itself. The eyes were green now. Twilight arched a brow and waved a hoof in front of it. It made no motion of following. They looked up from the robot, hearing more hums. The robots had acted like they had shut down, only to spring back up and their eyes green. Rainbow Dash felt a chill go down her spine.

“Twilight?” she asked nervously. The robot then looked at Twilight. It’s voice still cheerful.

“Hello, Princess! I’m afraid that something has breached the facility. I’m sorry, but I must ask that you be escorted to safety.” It said. Twilight arched a brow.

“Breach? Safety?” Rainbow Dash put a hoof on Twilight.

“Twilight, are you sure they-“ that was when the robot’s eyes changed red and gently pushed Twilight aside, causing Rainbow Dash to back away as it stepped towards her.

“Threat has been noticed. I must ask you cease your assault or be removed from the facility.” Rainbow Dash found herself backed up against a wall.

“W-what’s going on!?” Twilight asked in surprise at the sudden change. The robot then extended a mechanical hoof out to the peagasus and it seemed to separate into a claw. It then grabbed her by the neck and applied pressure. Twilight gapped in horror as she saw her friend’s eyes bulge a bit from the pressure.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo called from afar. The young mare was quickly galloping over to her. But a robot nearby her suddenly had its’ eyes change red and stop the mare in her tracks. She backed away, only to see that she and her co-workers being surrounded.

“Your resistance is futile. Harming the princess is a vile act and action must be taken.” Twilight sputtered.

“B-but wait! I’m not in any danger! Stop it!” She rushed over to the robot that had grasped her friend, who was struggling to break free by pounding at the limb with a hoof. Twilight pulled on the hoof as hard as she could, but to no avail. “Please! Let her go!” she grunted as she struggled to help her friend. There were screams now. She looked in horror as the robots had either cornered or pinned the pegasi that were on the ground level. The ones in the sky, however, were either trying to help their friends or escape.

“Princess, you are in danger. I must ask you leave the premise.” The robot said cheerfully. Twilight saw the cyan pegasus change to a dark blue. She was gasping for breath. Twilight grit her teeth. She had no choice. She aimed her horn at the limb and fired a beam at it, causing the hoof to break apart at impact. Rainbow Dash fell to the floor, coughing as she rubbed her neck. The robot then turned its attention to the princess. “Warning. Any more hostile attempts towards Zillex and its properties are to be eliminated.” Twilight balked.

“Zillex!?” she gasped. ‘But… how can it be?! I thought the Luridium Plague was five years ago! And these robots have been here before that time too! So why are they acting like that incident five years ago?' The alicorn lost her train of thought when she saw Rainbow Dash rise and growl at the robot.

“Dammit! Of all of the-“ She looked and gapped. “Scootaloo!” Twilight looked to see that the group Scootaloo was with being apprehended by the robots. The young mare looked fearful as a robotic claw reached for her. Without so much as a thought, Rainbow Dash unfurled her wings and took off like a bullet. She rammed into the robot and slammed it against the wall, causing it to spark and crackle. She had destroyed its chassis, but it remained standing.

Rainbow Dash quickly helped the mare up before they backed away as the robots turned on them. Twilight darted her eyes in thought. She had to do something! ‘Come on, think! There has to be a way!’ she tried her best to remember passage after passage of robotic learning. That was when a passage came to her mind. ‘But... having to do something like that would mean…’ She looked to the chaos in the lobby. If the robots here were being affected, it might be affecting everywhere else!

That was when she noticed something strange out of the corner of her eye. One of the pegasus workers was galloping in the opposite direction of where everypony else was going. In fact, the worker had just entered through the door labeled:

Weather Factory Server Room

Twilight looked quickly to her friends, seeing them surrounded again. Scootaloo ducked behind Rainbow Dash who stood her ground, eyeing the robots in challenge. Twilight closed her eyes, her horn glowing. In a blink of an eye, she was right by their sides. She made sure to put her magic around them as she closed her eyes again and found herself along with the mares right by the door. The robots seemed to have their eyes go yellow, as if signaling their confusion. Twilight quickly moved them into the room and closed it, making sure they hadn’t been spotted.

“What the hay is going on!?” Rainbow Dash growled in disgust. “I knew I couldn’t trust them!” Scootaloo looked at Twilight.

“Do you know what’s going on?” she asked, a little shaken by the encounter. Twilight shook her head.

“I-I’m not sure. But for some reason, they are acting like the robots from the Luridium Plague.” Scootaloo balked.

“But, wasn’t that five years ago? We’ve had them in our society for years! How can they be acting like that when they don’t have a single ounce of Luridium in them?” Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. She then looked down the hall, remembering the worker that had escaped down here.

“I’m not sure. But I think we can find our answers somewhere further in.” Scootaloo then looked around, seeing a case with a strange looking alien device in it. She trotted over and took the small hammer, breaking the glass and pulling down the device. She almost stumbled at how big it was.

“What are you doing, Scoots?” Rainbow Dash asked with a frown. She turned and held up the device to the pegasus.

“This is an EMP rifle. This should help us in the server room without having to harm anymore robots or damaging the equipment.” Rainbow Dash arched a brow and took it in her hooves. She reached around and locked a hoof in the hole, feeling the small button of a trigger. She hovered above the ground, holding the rifle down on stand-by.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked Scootaloo. Scootaloo nodded.

“They provided us with these just encase something did happen.” So Twilight was right about one thing. Despite being years in harmony with the machines, society still had a long ways to go to trust them. But in any case, right now the situation called for extreme measures. That robot that had almost strangled Rainbow Dash had no intention of letting her go. And she was almost guilty that she had blown off the hoof of the robot.

These were considered people! And she had just harmed one! While her conflicted moral struggled with her, they trotted down (with Rainbow Dash hovering next to them) the hall and entered into the server room. Rows and rows of glowing lights and beeping sounds reached their ears as they continued down. Rainbow Dash every now and then held up the rifle and aimed it down, making use of its scoping function to spy anything she can’t see. That was when she noticed something sticking out from a corner. It looked like the tip of a tail.

“Whose there!” she called out, startling the alicorn out of her thoughts. They looked and heard something clattering along with what sounded like hoof steps quickly galloping away. Rainbow Dash quickly followed after, forcing the alicorn and the young mare to gallop after her. They followed a hallway that lead to a set of stairs leading up. It seemed that whoever took off, escaped up them. And that is what they did. Following the stairs, they found themselves on the roof of the weather factory. Overhead was the machine that created the windy breezes and dispensing clouds at the same time.

Rainbow Dash was quick to spot the worker who was galloping to a hover chariot pad.

“Stop right there!” she shouted. The worker stopped and suddenly pulled out another alien like device. It hummed to life and a beam of solar energy grazed the pegasus mare’s ear. She hissed a little in pain at the burning sensation, but shrugged it off and aimed the rifle at the worker. The gun hummed to life and a beam of electricity shot out, pelting the worker in the hide. The worker’s body spazzed, dropping the device.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo rushed over as the worker crumpled to the ground. Twilight used her magic to remove the hard hat and gasped. It was a pony. No, not just any pony. The mechanical eyes gave it away. It looked at her, motionless and expressionless. Rainbow Dash snorted.

“Android.” Twilight was baffled. An android? Here? What is an android doing here in Cloudsdale? Androids weren’t designated in Cloudsdale due to them not having the proper functions and abilities to hover over clouds to get to certain areas. This is because of the Luridium as the base for power. It overheats like mad when they try to make even the most basic movement. That is why Lunarium and Solarium are used in conjunction to even it, the Solarium used to absorb the heat and the Lunarium to cool it off. But to think an android… here of all places! What is going on?

“W-what is an android doing here?” Scootaloo asked in shock. Twilight rubbed her chin, examining the android closer.

“Uhh, Twilight? You sure you want to be that close to it?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight was certain. And when she removed the worker’s coat, she spotted the false cutie-mark on the flank. A Z pattern in a circle.

“Zillex?” Scootaloo arched a brow. “I thought Zillex Corp. was shut down?” Rainbow Dash adjusted the EMP rifle in her hooves as she spoke.

“Maybe they are back and trying to send a message?” she asked. Twilight looked at her quizzically. Rainbow Dash returned her look. “What? It just seems like something out of a Daring Doo novel.” Twilight continued to furrow her brows in thought. She didn’t doubt her friend at all. In fact, she was pretty sure she was on to something.

“You… might be right, Rainbow.” She said, causing Rainbow Dash to smirk a little before changing it to confusion. “There are just so many questions that follow after words though. Like, why did they mention Zillex? I was told that the robots we were given weren’t Zillex affiliated, but have a mind of their own.” She began pacing. “And more importantly, there isn’t an ounce of Luridium that could have caused them to act like that.” She rubbed her chin. “Perhaps we should talk to Doc about this. He probably knows what might be wrong.” Rainbow Dash sighed.

“So, we are heading to New Canterlot then?” Twilight nodded.

“Yes. If we can figure out what is wrong with them from the Doc himself, we might find a way to prevent another Plague.” Rainbow Dash balked in surprise when the android suddenly stood up, as if possessed. Twilight caught her friend’s look and turned just in time for the android to latch a claw hoof around her, putting her in a choke hold. Rainbow Dash aimed the EMP rifle at the android, only to have the android keep the alicorn in view.

“You better let her go before something worse than an electrical discharge happens.” The android arched a brow.

“Negotiation. If you let me walk out of here free of harm, I will do the same for your friend here.” Twilight shifted, trying to break free, only to have the android hold on tighter. “Suggestion. If you do not want anything to happen to her, you will let me go and act like nothing has happened.”

“Please, what makes you think you won’t just let us go scot free?” Rainbow Dash growled, her hoof brushing the trigger.

“Response. We are unaffiliated with Zillex. We are only carrying out our directive.” Twilight tried her best to adjust the grip of the android around her neck as she spoke up.

“U-unaffiliated? Then, what were those robots saying about Zillex?” The android remained stoic as it responded.

“Explanation. Zillex has been terminated along with the projects affiliated to the group. We, however, are unaffiliated and belong to a different group.” Twilight arched a brow, shifting a little.

“What group?”

“I cannot say. I can however explain to you that we are tasked with eliminating any remains of Zillex and its’ properties.” Twilight shifted again.

“But… none of those robots are with Zillex! Why did you make them go crazy?” she asked.

“Argument. I did not make them go crazy. Their AI bugged out due to constant stress on the personality board.” Rainbow Dash arched a brow.

“In English please?” The android shifted his hostage.

“Translation. The robots that were tasked in aiding the facility has been exposed to constant use in weather conditions that altered their personality.” Rainbow Dash frowned.

“That doesn’t excuse you from acting the way you are now.” she aimed the rifle up. “Now let her go or else.” The android cocked a head.

“My scanners indicate you are trying to bluff. Your heart rate is increasing.” Twilight could see it. The sweat forming on Rainbow Dash’s brow. That was when she gave her a look of understanding. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at the look, signaling she understood. Twilight smiled before closing her eyes and a loud pop sounded. The android seemed puzzled by this… and then spazzed when am EMP bolt hit him in the sleek hide.

Twilight had blinked next to the pegasus, who had fired off the shot at the same moment. The android then fell forward, sizzling from the electricity. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of relief before smiling at Twilight.

“Close call.” She said. Scootaloo smiled at the cool pegasus before seeing something in the corner of her eye. Before any of them could register what had happened, a pegasus somehow appeared before them, a strange looking glowing stick that seemed to resemble a blade. And not only that, he looked at Twilight with a small evil smile. Twilight looked confused at first. And then her eyes widened.

Scootaloo looked blankly at Rainbow Dash. Even Rainbow Dash herself took a moment to register. And that is when her body shot a course of pain through her. Blood splattered on both the mare, the alicorn and the pegasus. Laying before them was a cyan foreleg and a wing. Rainbow Dash fell forward in a bloody heap.

“Rainbow Dash…?” Scootaloo said suddenly. Twilight blinked once, seeing her friend lying on the ground in shock. Rainbow Dash looked at her right foreleg that was rolling away from her, a small blood trail forming as it did. Her wing laid next to her. The pegasus stood up and looked at Twilight judgmentally.

“This is the price you pay for your interference. And she won’t be the first.” The pegasus trotted over to Rainbow Dash’s leg and kicked it off of the roof, sending it falling through the clouds. “The princesses will know their mistake and pay for it. Mark my words, Princess of Friendship. Interfere anymore and we will not hesitate next time.” This was so… surreal for the alicorn. In a blink of an eye, Rainbow Dash had suddenly become injured and it took a moment for them to realize what had just happened. And when they did, Rainbow Dash let out a scream of pain.

The pegasus looked down at the defeated android before spatting and taking off into the sky like a speeding bullet. Twilight couldn’t understand what the pegasus meant. What interference? And what did he mean by making the princesses pay for their mistakes? And as the scream of her friend writhing in pain echoed into her mind, she found herself staring back into the grey clouds overhead of her castle.

That moment had changed her life. And that was two weeks ago. Her hoof gripped the railing of her castle balcony tightly as the thought of Rainbow Dash in pain came back to her. She felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Hate for another pony. Hate at the fact she had failed to be the friend Rainbow Dash needed. What can she possibly do? Princess Celestia and Luna are still being bombarded with conspiracy theorists and politics about the invading nation of Neighpon.

And Princess Cadence and Shining Armor have their hooves full in trying to redirect war support to aid the defending nations. And when news have gotten out that a spy from Neighpon had sabotaged the weather factory in Cloudsdale, riots erupted. And with the weather factory down, winter was still in the process of being wrapped up. Every now and then, the sun would shine through the holes in the clouds, but with nothing to tame the weather and the pegasi struggling to herd the clouds and the riots, Princess Twilight soon noticed the decrease in crops.

The door opened, startling the princess as a small purple dragon entered the room. Well, she wouldn’t consider him small anymore, but to her, he will always be her number one assistant.

“I hope I’m not bothering you.” The dragon said as he walked over with a cup of tea on a tray. Twilight sighed.

“You’re fine, Spike. I just… have a lot on my mind.” She said. Spike put down the tray on the table before furrowing his brows in worry.

“It’s about that incident again?” he asked. Twilight said nothing. Spike rubbed his arm. “Do you… want to talk about it?” Twilight said nothing as she levitated the cup of tea from the tray and over to her.

“I don’t know, Spike… Did I do something wrong?” she asked. Spike walked over to her and put a reassuring claw on her shoulder.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Things are just stressful at the moment and you being a princess and all is weighing onto you.” Twilight took a small sip from the cup before looking back out of the balcony. Spike thought that he might have said the wrong thing. So he quickly tried another option. “I mean, Rainbow Dash doesn’t blame you. She still thinks she looks a little bit cooler with that robotic hoof and all.” He nickered. “You should have seen the way she talked about how she could easily manipulate her pattern with ease with the new wing.”

Twilight continued to take a small sip before sighing sadly.

“I just feel like there could have been something I could have done to avoid all of it.” Spike returned her sigh.

“Look, why don’t you take a break away from the castle for a few days. Catch some fresh air. Maybe catch up on sleep. Or… you know… read up on your books?” Twilight looked at him quizzically. Spike coolly leaned against the balcony rail. “Don’t worry about the castle. I’ll keep it neat and tidy as usual. You won’t be taking any audience requests. Just have the rest of the few days to yourself and your friends.” Twilight rubbed her chin in thought.

“I-I don’t know, Spike. Are you sure that may be the problem?” Spike brushed his claws against his scaly hide before looking at it.

“Positive! Now quit being such a downer and have some fun!” He quickly turned Twilight around and led her to the castle door. “Rainbow Dash has been dying to show you her new tricks by the way.” Twilight looked worriedly at the dragon.

“O-okay, if you say so.” She said.

>Spike did his best to make sure I was still mentally stable. But how can you, after seeing your friend in so much pain? So much agony? And you just stood there and watched it happen while you let the one responsible escape? I never forgave myself, no matter how hard I tried.

A figure tapped another key in the dust ridden terminal.

>Entry 45: Rainbow Dash seemed to be recuperating better than I had anticipated. Her new cybernetic enhanced hoof and wing seemed to not only make her capable of preforming more daring aerial maneuvers, but she brags left and right about how much cooler she looked. And while I agree that she is pretty cool for having to get over the trauma, I still worry that she might end up not being around.

The entry seemed to cut off there. The figure in a futuristic looking suite with glowing blue lights at the limb joints leaned back on the crystal chair. The stallion had just finished up his second day of reading the entries. He was expecting a little bit more from the Castle of Friendship.

‘But the place is so damn huge, I can’t even find the way into the chambers at all! How the hell am I going to pay off my debt to Scavenger if I can’t find it?’ The stallion thought. His ears twitched when he heard something humming down one of the halls. He quickly reached for a solarium rifle and darted his eyes, trying to pin point the location of the sound. ‘Great, and now the security decides to wake up?’

He has heard tales about the ruins of the Castle of Friendship. The place having been abandoned for over three hundred years laid tall but decrepit in the middle of the destroyed village. The stallion spent an hour trying to sneak through the machines that had recently taken up residence in the houses. And while having arrived at the Castel’s inner lobby, he had to quickly break line of sight from turrets that had lined the pillars.

Having escaped into a server room, he took a moment to catch his breath before exploring the place. Some of the servers seemed to have been hit with EMP, while some of them remained active. He had found a terminal that seemed to be a personal favorite of the late princess that had once ruled over the place. Which was strange for the stallion. He would have thought the princess would have a personal terminal in her quarters.

He waited again, hearing the steady hum of mechanical hoof steps. He quickly strapped the rifle to a saddle clip meant for those without magic to carry the weapon. The sound was getting closer. He bit his lip, the sweat forming on his brow. Where can he possibly hide? If he exited the room, he might get blasted by the turrets. If he stayed here, the Castle’s guardian will definitely slaughter him without thought. The Castle’s guardian, a strange looking hybrid that he has heard has no rhyme or reason for slaughtering any unwanted guests in the castles.

While most scavengers deem it is just a myth, reports have stated seeing a rustic robot android more unique in design than its residence. Quick like lighting, fierce as a battle unit and unyielding as a bulk unit. The thought is enough to make the most armature of scavengers tremble in fear. But that didn’t stop him from adventuring in. The Castle is rife with danger, however, as soon as he stepped in. He had barely gotten past the first pillar when the security kicked on.

‘Three hundred years and counting.’ He thought as the humming hoof steps became closer. He had no choice. He bolted away from the terminal and ducked behind the table that held said terminal. And just in the nick of time too. The humming sound stopped as the guardian entered the room. A sleek looking design, but aged with rust. Its red eyes scanning the room. The stallion peeked out slightly. He noticed the hybrid moving its head away from his spot. Its visor displaying symbols and words. He ducked back when it quickly looked his way.

He held his breath in with a hoof. He was terrified. The legends were true. If such a thing existed to keep out unwanted guests, then this castle definitely had something worth of value. He heard the hum again and peeked back out. He could see behind the rust marks indicating that the hybrid had seen its fair share of battles. However, it seemed to signify as well that it always came out victorious. The hybrid again scanned the room before it turned and walked out. The stallion saw the swish of its long tail with a blade hook at the end of it.

He let out a quiet sigh of relief. He peeked back out and saw the coast was clear. He quietly moved over the destroyed rubble and debris as he made his way to the door where he had entered.

Thankfully, during his day of reading through the entries, he had found a deactivate turret program. And as he walked out with a small smile of victory, he couldn’t help but think something was wrong. This place was a scavenger’s heaven! But why is it so barren when you enter?

‘Don’t forget, most places like this are writhed with danger. So there has to be something worth of value here. He took one step out of the server room, not realizing the glowing red eyes that watched him do so. He stopped and slowly looked back, seeing the hybrid leaning coolly on the wall on its hind hooves. Its red metallic eyes glaring at him.

“Couldn’t make it any more obvious.” It rasped metallically. Before the stallion could register what to do, its’ tail whipped around and the blade sang through the air. The hybrid pushed itself off of the wall and landed on all fours before walking past the stallion. It had nothing more to say. It had done its’ duty. The stallion watched the hybrid walk down the hall, its tail swaying threateningly around with each step. The stallion’s eye twitched slightly.

“H-huh?” he had noticed that he was suddenly looking at the hybrid upside down. The stallion couldn’t think anything. He could only register one thing. He had died. And as the head of the stallion rolled into the server room and his body left behind, spurting small wells of blood at the neck, stumbled and fell over, the hybrid made its way up a flight of steps before entering a door leading to a room where six destroyed crystal chairs circled around a crystal like table. The hybrid took a step forward to the table and a map appeared. It looked at the map quickly before switching it over to a screen that displayed the temperature.

Temperatures reading over five hundred degrees and counting as it goes on flashed on the robot’s visor. It then changed the screen to view the surroundings of the castle. Destroyed houses covered in sand and dirt. It took a moment to take in the view. Sand. Sand and dirt as far as it could see. Its’ visor flashed red and a metallic voice spoke to it.

“Warning. Intruders spotted entering Road Alpha. Advance M0K units to pacify.”

The hybrid connected itself to the table’s camera system. It watched as a group of ponies, and what appeared to be a griffon leading them in specialized suites to combat the heat, advance onto the ruin. They were packing more heat than the temperature right now. But the hybrid swished its tail speculatively. Maybe it can finally die this time? It didn’t know what to expect and waited patiently for the group to enter into the ruins. Yes. Perhaps they are the ones who can finally end it all. Maybe. Just maybe this old pony can find peace finally.

Author's Notes:

Take note that there will be some time skips, but I only plan on using them to advance into the more present day times. And while, the characters will reference certain "events" that had transpired during these time skips, I will explain them through revelations of important events in the story. In fact, some might be just for humor for characters to look upon and chastise later on.

Also, some chapters will be long and I expect this to be a story separated into acts. If you do not want to take the time to read a lengthy story for pure entertainment or just simply bored, then I thank you for taking the time to look this over and probably have thought about it.